The Curse of Jacob Tracy

By: Holly Messinger

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

St. Louis in 1880 is full of ghosts - mangled soldiers, tortured slaves, the innocent victims of war - and Jacob Tracy can see them all. Ever since Antietam, when he lay delirious among the dead and dying, Trace has been haunted by the country's restless spirits. The curse cost him his family, his calling to the church, and damn near his sanity.

He stays out of ghost-populated cities as much as possible these days, guiding wagon trains west with his pragmatic and skeptical partner, Boz. Then, just before the spring rush, Trace gets a letter from the wealthy and reclusive Sabine Fairweather. Sickly, sharp tongued, and far too clever for her own good, Miss Fairweather needs a worthy man to retrieve a dead friend's legacy from a nearby town - or so she says. When the errand proves far more sinister than advertised, Miss Fairweather admits to knowing about Trace's curse and suggests she might be able to help him - in exchange for a few more odd jobs.

Trace has no interest in being her pet psychic, but he's been searching 18 years for a way to curb his unruly curse, and Miss Fairweather's knowledge of the spirit world is too tempting to ignore. As she steers him into one macabre situation after another, his powers flourish, and Trace begins to realize some good might be done with this curse of his. But Miss Fairweather is harboring some dark secrets of her own, and her meddling has brought Trace to the attention of something much older and more dangerous than any ghost.

Rich in historical detail and emotional depth, The Curse of Jacob Tracy is a fast-paced and inventive debut, an intriguing introduction to a bold new hero.

©2015 Holly Messinger (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Supernatural meets old West.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed listening to this book and it did make the time at work go by very quickly; however, that being said there is nothing new here. This is supernatural monster hunting set in the old west. All of the usual suspects are there as well as the usual solutions. What makes this a good read or 'listen' is the great friendship and camaraderie between the two main characters. It's obvious this is the first of a series and if the second is as fun a listen as the first I look forward to it.

Great Genre Story ... extra-violent, though

This is a great example of genre fiction ... it's a Western, with a hefty dose of the supernatural. It's got all the tropes you would expect from a Western story, almost like a season of a Western TV series. There's the typical laconic cowboy hero, the plucky no-nonsense sidekick, the mysterious lady. The story is episodic, yet each episode is part of a larger plot, which does develop throughout the novel to a real climax with a conclusion that is (I think) satisfying while still leaving itself wide open to sequels. It's got the sort of dialog, settings, and supporting characters I would expect from the genre; it touches on the racism inherent in the era but without too much of a focus on that (surely soft-pedalling there); there's very little profanity and no graphic sex (no sex at all, in fact, though there are soiled doves and a love interest). I liked all three of our main characters, each of whom has enough mystery to be interesting. The main bad guy is a really bad guy; the supernatural elements are well thought out, seem consistent, and are very creepy. The narrator does a good job of capturing that wild west feel, including the various accents.

My one problem with the book ... and it's my preference, nothing to do with the quality of the book or production ... is the massive body count that piles up, and the amount of blood and gore along the way. Men, women, children, and LOTS of animals (horses and cows, including a lot more detail than I needed to know about what it was like to work in an Old West slaughterhouse) meet grisly terrified deaths. That was really way too much for me. I ended up hitting the skip button more and more as I went, and will not want to listen to this book again because of it. If I'd known about all the gruesome suffering, terror, and death of animals and people, I probably wouldn't have gone for this book. I don't consider this a failing of the book (so haven't deducted any stars from my rating), but want to warn other readers what they're in for here.

It's like Salem's Lot with a lot more ass kicking.

This novel has an undulating plot that rises and falls like a series of short stories strung together. The story draws heavily from American history and 19th century occultism, creating a flavorful stew of magic and action/violence. Highly Recommended.

not as interesting as I thought it would be, a

as a fan of paranormal books this really was not that impressive. don't think I listen to the same author again

Refreshingly original!

Great dialogue, great story, great characters!! This should be made into a movie. Hopefully for the author makes this into a series!

Wonderfully Creative - I want more!

I cannot imaging how an author comes up with such a creative and involved story - one that is so complex and keeps the reader going and going. I certainly wish she would write more. This was such a good book. I have the ebook and the audible and whereas I also loved the The Romance of Certain Old Bones, that was too short. Please, please - more books! Im old and I've read a million books and this really stands out.

Kind of Night Stalker meets Pale Rider!

A novel that masterfully brings together the genres of the western, horror and the supernatural with some wonderfully drawn characters. If you liked the 1970s Darren McGavin Night Stalker TV show (one of my favourites) and Clint Eastwood movies then you'll love this start to an extremely promising new series - please bring on book two!

First attempt - fair!

If this is the authors first major work - it's not horrible .
I was entertained and listened all the way through.
But the author tackled a lot of "adventures" with her character and it was too much.
I didn't dislike him but he hopped a lot. Also the narrator : had some really good moments then some really cheesy stereotypical tones/phrases.
But overall - it occupied me and I might listen to another

THIS should be made into a FILM!

This is a Western, but with Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, and a great cast of characters. Read it! You will love it!

Excellent

This is one of the most original stories I have read. Well written with good characters.
The narrator mispronounced a few words. No big. I like the way he tells a tale.
This is fantasy so if you are not into that this is not for you. I will be reading this series as it is published.