The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral

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The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral, by Robert Westall

The last creepy ghost story novella I read was a bit of a disappointment, but not this.  I found it on a discard shelf at the library and paid 50 cents for it.  It was a good choice.

Joe Clark, steeplejack, is happy to get offered a prestigious job--repairing the north-west spire on Muncaster Cathedral.  But as he and his crew start work, something seems wrong.  The stone around one particular gargoyle has gone bad in much too short a time.  Joe's little boy is acting strangely, and another little boy dies.  Joe starts to think that there is something malevolent in the spire, but just try explaining that to a suspicious policeman.  With the help of an unattractively evangelical chaplain, Joe finds out more about the history of the spire, and soon he, the chaplain, and the constable are setting out to try to destroy the thing lying in wait for them.

This was a really satisfactory spooky Gothic story.  My kind of spooky!

Comments

  1. Nancy LeekDecember 2, 2013 at 11:15 AM

    The library discarded that book? Shame on them. I read it a couple years ago, probably that very copy. Glad you picked it up. Robert Westall is very good, though mostly not a spooky writer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 2, 2013 at 5:12 PM

    Sounds fun! I'm not familiar with this writer but I do love spooky Gothic stories.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JeanDecember 2, 2013 at 7:39 PM

    Jenny, I bet this would be right up your alley.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AmyDecember 10, 2013 at 9:08 AM

    This sounds perfect for me!

    ReplyDelete

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