Humphreys, Nigel - Beyond Dead And Other Ghost Stories

This is the sort of collection one would expect to find from Sarob or Tartarus. Tales of hauntings and haunted. No filler in this generous outing, either. These are diverse and top rank.
Hyssington Hall, recently opened for tourists, offers an unhelpful, if not dismissive, attendant. “The Chatelaine Of Hyssington Hall” charts an odd series of events toward a disreputable secret.
Another turista - perhaps visitor - and a warning not to voice thoughtless comments. One never knows who might be listening. And in “Silly Old Fool” someone does listen.
“Cholera” hops a passing train to Shrewsbury. Our rider, Mr. Sayce, receives a chance to meet distant cousins, for good, for ill. One of the most traditional stories in the book, this hung with me a long time. So much so, I wish the author had elaborated more.
Settings and characters in this collection are wide-ranging, a pleasant change from the stereotypes of gloomy rooms and self absorbed males.
A teacher, troubled by a Roman Centurion, tries to fulfill a quest.
Beings of another dimension ponder nonsense theories regarding the existence of “humans.”
An eligible daughter, her heart fixed on piety, enters a convent … in 1535.
A sorely neglected music hall is revived by a college of performing artists. As dust stirs, so do other motes.
Throughout, the editor has inserted Gustave Doré etchings that flavor the proceedings.
And not to forget a lengthy introduction by Jonathan Wood (which I started, then opted to read as an afterword).