Listen closely.

There isn't a single one of us, man or woman or child, who doesn't have our own kind of ghost story. Some of you will tell me that you've never seen a ghost. Some of you will say that you don't even believe in them.

But we've all got them—ghosts and dreams and memories that we carry with us wherever we go. I'm talking about unfinished business, and that's what most ghost stories are all about. Break it down into bare bones and you'll see what I'm saying is surely true. The treasure that was never found, the burning ship that's forever trying to safely find its way to shore, the fellow looking for his missing head—they're nothing but examples of unfinished business. And unfinished business leads straight to regret. [pages 1-2]

The stories in this book feature all manner of ghosts, from murdered people to spooky animals to burning ships. There's also at least one monster. What I thought was particularly interesting was that I learned some actual New Brunswick history along with the legends. And a lot of the places sounded interesting with or without ghosts.

The blurb on the back cover says the stories are "based on documented classics and legends passed on by word of mouth." These would be fun stories to read around the campfire but I think it would be even more fun to take the book and travel around New Brunswick, visiting all of the mentioned places.

Reviewed by Lynn Bornath on 29 June 2009.