Whitehead, Henry S - West India Lights
After a disappointing “attempt” from a modern press, I went to the shelves and retrieved this vintage Arkham House edition, purchased in 1984 for – get this – $1.50.
300+ pages, 16 stories and an essay explaining the obi to outsiders.
“Black Terror” is classic voodoo. A curse is laid, a Catholic priest summoned.
Recalling M. R. James “The Mezzotint”, the title story, “West India Lights” is of an eerie painting, and the soiled history of a privileged youth gone bad, quite bad, and the gallows.
“The Shut Room” lies in a small inn, losing business trade owning to thievery. Two of Whitehead’s recurring characters, Lord Carruth and Gerald Canevin, feature prominently.
The majority of these tales hail from the 1930’s and 40’s, published in popular pulps and magazines. All are eminently readable and should delight fans of old-fashioned yarns.
This was Arkham’s second volume devoted to Whitehead. I have never found volume one at a reasonable price. Good luck to all those who likewise hunt for books to fill your shelves.