In 1961 George Peabody struggles for months to find employment. When he is about ready to give up he lands a job with a small newspaper. He likes the area and talks his wife, Elizabeth; into buying an old rundown house. Objects start moving by themselves and an icy presence permeates the entire house. Is he and his family safe? He researches the old house’s history and learns of grizzly murders that had taken place there. An attorney is bludgeoned to death and a woman turns up dead in the back of his truck. He is accused of both murders and is on trial for his life. Has he been framed for their murders by a crooked cop, Detective Strausser, or is it someone else? Are the murders of the past somehow connected to what is currently going on? Suddenly he is abducted by the real killer. It becomes a race against time as a retired police detective, Gary Wise, and his ex-partner, Detective Thayer, search for clues to find him.
Excerpt
The last thing George Peabody remembered was a sharp pain in the back of his head while falling into an abyss of darkness. When he slowly awakened, he felt his heart pounding in his ears. Still disoriented, he tried to move and found himself inside a box made out of heavy wooden planks that smelled like pine. Hoping to find a clue as to where he was, he tried to look through the narrow gaps between the boards and found it almost impossible to see anything. It was obvious the abductor wanted to keep him alive for some diabolical reason. Otherwise the crate would have been completely sealed and he would have suffocated in a matter of hours.
The dust filled air was mixed with a strong odor of exhaust that made him nauseas as he was helplessly tossed about. From this he concluded he was on a mountain road in the back of a truck. He tried to free himself by pushing against the crate with all his might, but it proved to be too strong for him. Why would anyone do this to him and where was he being taken? This is going to have a bad end, he thought. How had he got himself into such a mess?
Thinking back he remembered the nightmare started when he decided to interview for a job in Springdale, Montana. Under normal circumstances he would not have considered an entry level position in a small town, but he had been out of work for over six months and desperate for money. Most of their savings was gone and his young family had no place to go. His parents were deceased and Elizabeth had estranged herself from her family because she chose to marry him. He could still hear the words ringing in his ears as they left her parents' residence. "If you leave this house with him, never come back. He's good for nothing and you'll end up in rags."
It was a long distance to go for a job interview so this meant moving again. Being constantly on the road, he felt like a fugitive hiding from something he couldn't see. It took all evening to load their 1952 GMC pickup and the young family left early in the morning while it was still dark. Taking turns driving, they only stopped long enough to stretch their legs, eat, and use the restroom. It was a late afternoon on March 13, 1961 when they pulled into a gas station to get fuel and recapture their bearings.
"Fill'er up?" the attendant asked.
"Yes, and check the oil while you're at it. We've come a long ways to get here."
"If you don't mind my asking, where's that?"
Not wanting to disclose any private information, he said. "I don't recall the exact location. We've been moving a lot lately."
Elizabeth and their two children, Aaron and Julie, got out of the truck.
"Where's your restroom?" she asked.
Professional Reviews
Geoff Gander, author of The Tunnelers
Set in Montana in the early 1960s, The Old Miller Place is a mystery novel, thriller, and ghost story rolled into one. George Peabody and his family have arrived in the town of Springdale with high hopes. George, a journalist, has just got as job at the local paper, and his family desperately needs a place to put down roots. The town is friendly enough, and before long the Peabodys get settled in. George wants a proper house, but he lacks the money for a downpayment. Mysteriously, a house – the Old Miller Place – comes onto the market. It’s perfect, though it seems to have a shady history. By a strange miracle, the anonymous seller accepts George’s low offer, and financing is approved by an unknown benefactor. Everything looks like it will work out.
But, the house really does seem to be haunted. Strange things happen, and there is definitely a force there that wants the family out. At the same time, the lawyer who finalised the deal on George’s house tries to get a hold of him – he has information about the sale that George needs to know. The lawyer dies under mysterious circumstances, and George finds himself as the prime suspect. Joining forces with a retired detective, George must clear his name, find the real killer, and somehow put the spirits in his house to rest. I won’t say any more, but the story is fast-paced, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged right to the very end.
George Peabody is a very realistic Everyman. He’s modest and not overly heroic, but he does the best he can for his family and when confronted by an obstacle – even a vindictive police investigator determined to find him guilty of a crime he did not commit – he never backs down. In that respect he can inspire the reader to stick to their guns (metaphorically speaking, of course), no matter how hopeless a situation might be.
George is also realistically flawed. He is fundamentally a good-natured man, and at times is genuinely naïve about the depths to which people can sink to get what they want, if they think they can get away with it. I really rooted for him, and I felt his frustration and incredulity with every setback he faced. Sometimes I got frustrated with George as a person because I could see the pitfalls that awaited him, but he did not. “Why couldn’t you see that coming?” I found myself saying out loud. But I think this type of reaction to George is indicative of a realistically portrayed character.
I found The Old Miller Place to be a highly enjoyable read.
Grace Elliott, Author of A Deadman's Debt
The Old Miller Place' is an unusual blend of paranormal and murder mystery.
Mild mannered George Peabody is a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is doing his best to provide for his family and buys a neglected house on sale for a knockdown rate. Little does he suspect the string of murders that have taken place in the property, and too late realizes that strange forces are still at work that threaten his children and wife. On top of that George reports a homicide, only to have the body disappear and then he becomes the police's number one suspect. Murder follows murder...all implicating the innocent George ...so how can he clear his name?
The Old Miller Place is an enjoyable read right from the start, with George nailed alive in a coffin, to the exciting reveal that keeps the reader guessing right to the end I found myself reading on to find out what happened next and I especially liked the touches of humour that lightened the drama, such as the Peabody's dog that seems to have the supernatural power to pass through locked doors...only to find out that Mrs Peabody felt sorry for the poor creature and let it in out of the cold.
I found `The Old Miller Place' a refreshing change from my usual genre, and have no hesitation in recommending it.
Anonymous
This is a wonderful story full of excitement, mystery, and humor! I loved the book and cannot wait until the next one comes out! Gary Peterson did an amazing job, capturing my attention and keeping it all the way up till the end! I couldn't put it down! I also really enjoyed the way he ended it... I hope the next one comes out really soon! I am an avid reader and was not let down at all by this story, it's a wonderful read for any age!
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