The Storycatcher by Ann Hite

Sixteen-year-old Shelly Parker works as a servant girl for the Dobbins family. All her life she has had the gift of "sight". She is constantly accompanied by the dead that roam Black Mountain. Then one day the spirits begin to warn Shelly of a danger that lies ahead.  Pastor Dobbins is an evil man with a dark secret, and Shelly finds that she is the one that can unravel the stories, uncover the truths, and save them all.  Set in the south during the depression, The Storycatcher travels from the hills of Black Mountain to the Georgia coast. Told from multiple points of view, Ann Hite does a remarkable job of weaving the story together and connecting all the pieces.

It has been a while since I have read a book so fast. I devoured this book. The Storycatcher has all the right elements: a vivid setting, well-developed characters, a mystery that will pull you in, and just a touch of magic. The pace of the book moves in such a way that you feel like maybe you could just get in one more chapter before bed, and then find yourself huddled in for fifty more pages. I hesitate to use the word haunting since it is a story about spirits, but the story lingers in the shadows of your mind even as you try to put the book away. Ann Hite captures the voices of her characters and the voice of the south brilliantly.  This is a story that you will not soon forget.

**The Storycatcher will be released on September 10, 2013. I suggest you go ahead a pre-order a copy.