C. J. Cooke has quickly become a master of Gothic horror. In THE GHOST WOODS, she knocks nearly every horrific element out of the park. This is a novel of ghosts, witches, curses, and more varieties of mushrooms than I ever knew existed.

It begins with an excerpt from an article entitled “The History of Lichen Hall,” which is part of the collection The Magical World of Fungi. Once you have completed this disturbingly good, creepy read, you will realize how important that connection is. Lichen Hall has had a sordid history that includes an alleged curse being placed on it by Nicnevin, the witch of the nearby woods.

Now, in modern times, Lichen Hall is owned and maintained by the Whitlock family, who has dedicated its use to assisting young ladies who are having children out of wedlock. In 1959, Mabel, who is from Dundee, Scotland, swears that a pregnancy is impossible as she is still a virgin and has gone no further than kissing her boyfriend. Nevertheless, her family sends her away in disgrace to have her “miracle” child at Lichen Hall in the woods of Scotland, a distance from Dundee on the Scottish Borders.

"C. J. Cooke has quickly become a master of Gothic horror. In THE GHOST WOODS, she knocks nearly every horrific element out of the park."

Fast forward to 1965. Pearl Gorham is pregnant and clearly understands how she got that way. She finds herself at Lichen Hall with the odd elderly couple and their special-needs teenage son. Mrs. Whitlock runs the show as her husband spends most of the day bedridden and apparently suffering from dementia. Rahmi and Aretta, two women of foreign descent, oversee the various young women who stay there and then must face giving up their newborn for immediate adoption. At one point during Mabel’s story, we see when Rahmi and Aretta first came to Lichen Hall, which Cooke includes for a reason.

Both Mabel and Pearl are exposed to odd occurrences while at Lichen Hall, along with the Whitlocks’ behavior. At one point, Pearl sees a sign with the words HELP ME written on it and posted in a window. She recognizes that the handwriting is Mrs. Whitlock’s. Pearl has a much more serious experience in the woods when she comes across a creature --- neither human nor animal --- that completely terrifies her. She has heard the stories about Lichen Hall and the witches’ curse, all of which are reinforced by some of the eerie paintings hanging around the place --- like the one of what looks to be an evil fairy carrying a baby who seems to be deceased.

Mushrooms are everywhere in THE GHOST WOODS. I will keep their role under wraps as it is one of the most powerful plot elements that Cooke throws at us. Pearl believes she has seen a boy running around Lichen Hall, but no one knows what she is talking about. It is only after she is there for a bit that she finds the child and has a conversation with him. He is a very special young man, with powers beyond anything one might imagine. Pearl is then introduced to his mother, Mabel. Watching their two stories finally intersect is a highlight of the book, and crucial revelations will follow.

There are not many authors who excel at Gothic horror like C. J. Cooke, and she seems to get better with each new release. I especially loved her justification for this chilling novel in the Author’s Note: “To those who have walked in that shadow, who have never belonged in the mainstream or the status quo, or who have simply felt at home in the strange --- this book is for you.”