This review is based on an uncorrected proof. When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash is a novel about a sheriff in a small North Caroline town dealing with a murder investigation.

A plane lands unexpectedly in the middle of the night at the municipal airport. Sheriff Barnes goes out to investigate and finds not only an empty plane but a local man shot dead. The novel tackles racism in a manner that may be uncomfortable for some although it is certainly realistic in its time period. Part of the novel deals with the family life of Sheriff Barnes including his adult daughter who comes to visit after problems in her life and marriage occur.

Barnes and his daughter are well drawn characters who are realistic and believable. It is somewhat unclear as to why the daughter needed to be part of this story. The whole murder and ending never really seemed to come together in a cohesive manner and I was left feeling the novel was not completed. Perhaps the finished version will tighten some of this up. Cash does southern noir so well and his characters are always excellent I look forward to the final version.

Short review: I stayed up way late to finish this book because I had to know what happens.

Even shorter review: Oh man. What happened.

One of my favorite underrated reads in the last 10 years or so is a book called “This Dark Road to Mercy” by Wiley Cash. The author’s ability to craft such a tender tale about bad men and their daughters put him on my “Read everything this person writes” list and I jumped at the opportunity to read his latest, “When Ghosts Come Home,” out this September.

I just wish you all didn’t have to wait that long.

Ghosts are a subtle thing when you think about it. Whispers, really. Ethereal reminders of people and places that haunt the soul. The things you wish you could hold on to, and the things you wish you could forget. For Winston Barnes, a small town sheriff in a coastal North Carolina town in 1984, his wife’s battle with cancer and his election opponent are just two of the things he’d like to shake off. Until, of course, a place crash lands in the middle of the night.

With an abandoned plane and a dead Black man a week before Election Day, Winston’s got just a few days to solve a crime before Bradley Frye consolidates his power base and is able to finally destroy the black community he’s been trying to run out of town.

With the FBI breathing down his neck, friendships falling to the wayside, racial tensions bubbling over and a grieving daughter on his doorstep, can Winston pull it together in time? The life-changing choices he makes throughout the novel test his conscience as a man of the law, and really, his humanity. But his last choice —his very last choice. It’s been less than a day and I miss these people already.

A fantastic, engrossing, gets-inside-your-heart kind of read that you’ll find incredibly easy to sink right into and not come up for air until you’ve turned the last page. Put it on your list now and don’t forget it in September — especially if you like authors that take care of their characters and don’t leave readers to hang at the end of a book. Then go hug your partner, your kids, and let peace and gratitude wash over you and let those ghosts float away on their tide.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a non-biased review.
The setting is coastal NC during 1984 where racial tensions are high. There is a mysterious plane crash,a dead body and a slow uncovering of drama and information that has aided in fueling an atmosphere of distrust, hate and privilege. The characters are genuine if a bit stereotyped but that does not detract from the realness of their struggles. It's ultimately about the deeper themes of duty, loss, racial divides and family. Reading this was exciting through the end. And oh what an end!!!!

Probably one of the best—well crafted, crime novel of the last decade.
Cash's characterization is impeccable and the story is as important today as it was almost 40 years ago.

3.5 stars

It's 1984 and 63-year-old Winston Barnes is the sheriff of Oak Island, North Carolina, a narrow isle just off the mainland. The region experienced violence and riots during school desegregation, and racial tensions still run high. Thus, when an unscheduled plane lands at Oak Island's tiny airport at 3:00 AM, and Sheriff Barnes finds an empty aircraft with a dead black man nearby, it's a recipe for trouble.

Oak Island residents speculate that the aircraft was laden with drugs and the dead man was helping to bring them in. Sheriff Barnes isn't so sure. He knows the deceased man, a 26-year-old husband and father named Rodney Bellamy. Rodney is the son of Ed Bellamy, the only black high school teacher in the area, who - along with Winston - tried to keep peace during school integration.

When the sheriff interviews Rodney's wife Janelle, she says her husband went out the night before to buy diapers for their infant, and never returned.

The airplane incident adds an additional worry to Sheriff Barnes' already full load. Winston's wife Marie has cancer; his daughter Colleen is mourning the birth of a stillborn baby; and Barnes is in a contest for sheriff against Brad Frye - an arrogant racist with a rich daddy. Barnes' fears he'll lose the election, and with it the health benefits so vital to Marie.

When entitled candidate Frye hears about the mystery plane he rushes right over to offer his 'help.' To further Winston's irritation, the chair of the county commission calls in the FBI - which insures Winston won't get credit for discoveries about the aircraft. And all this when the election is just a week away!

Sheriff Barnes' job is made even harder by a group of white supremacists., who terrorize Janelle and her 14-year-old brother Jay. Jay's parents sent him to Oak Island because he got into trouble in his home town of Atlanta.

The white supremacist incident opens a rift in the sheriff's department, where a deputy and an office manager side with the racists. For his part, the victim's father Ed is furious. He wants to help his daughter-in-law, and isn't about to take flak from white supremacists any more. Ed tells the sheriff - in no uncertain terms - that he won't put up with harassment, and a showdown seems inevitable.

Two tangential story lines add interest to the story. In one, Janelle's brother Jay becomes friendly with a white teenager who's a bad influence. In another, Winston's daughter Colleen - who lives in Texas with her husband - can't cope with her baby grief, drinks too much, and returns to Oak Island.

This is a character driven novel, with a wide array of protagonists. Unfortunately, some of the characters don't always use good judgement, and the story's ending is not totally satisfying (to me).

Nevertheless, this is a good book that would appeal to many readers.

Thanks to Netgalley, Wiley Cash, and William Morrow Publishers for a copy of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of the latest Wiley Cash book. While this story was a little bit of a slow burn, the last three chapters were a rollercoaster, and once again Wiley Cash delivers in superb storytelling.

A sheriff at the end of his career and facing an election that will decide his career is faced with an airplane crash and a body a few yards away with no explanation of what happened. With each passing hour and day (the entire story takes place over four days), the mystery unfolds in unexpected ways.

I've read all Cash's previous books and this one is right up there with rest of them.

Wiley Cash presents us with a generous slice of American Pie in his latest and wonderful novel When Ghosts Come Home. On a small island off the coast of North Carolina in the fall of 1984 a large plane lands on a tiny landing strip at a very small airport, getting damaged in the process. When the sheriff arrives to investigate he finds the broken plane empty and the body of a dead black man with a gunshot wound who leaves behind a wife and a five month old son. There doesn't seem to be any fingerprints or other identifying or damning evidence and the sheriff is quite sure the dead black man is not connected. Drugs and guns seem to be the most likely cargo missing from the plane. The town's people aren't convinced this isn't a "black" people's crime. The FBI is called in.

The father of the dead man says the two main things that cause men to do what they do are fear and power. Bigotry, loss, family ties and more make this book a real page turner - they practically turn themselves. If you haven't read Wiley Cash's other novels this is a good place to start because I think this is his best one yet (but recommend his other books as well). Not a single word is wasted.

WHEN GHOSTS COME HOME is carefully plotted and well-written. The setting is beautifully rendered.

With respect to pacing, the narrative takes place over the course of a few days. The present day portions are page turners. However, presumably in order to have enough content to fill a novel, the author includes a lot of backstory. The backstory portions are certainly interesting, but they slow down the pace.

I really enjoyed the chapters from Winston's and Colleen's perspectives. When we get Ray's point of view, it feels slightly forced.

The ending is abrupt with much left unexplained.

Overall, this is a solid crime/noir story with an evocative setting.

I was really excited to read this book. Wiley Cash is one of my favorite authors and I really liked this story, but I thought the ending was very abrupt. I also thought Winston should have seen it coming or been more cautious about flying.

Or perhaps the author could have at least included some scenes from the flight as it dawns on Winston that they are not going to be landing in Wilmington. Because in every other instance, he seems to be so considered and insightful. Plus, he had been so suspicious of Groom previously. It just seemed incongruous.

Anyway, other than that, I enjoyed the book. I liked all the characters, from Winston and Colleen to Jay and Janelle. And I'm only sorry that we didn't get to meet Rodney.

I also really think that additional books could be written because we don't know how Rodney came to be at the airport. Did he just follow the plane? Also, who flew the plane to the airport? An entire prequel book could be written about the drug smuggling story. Using a small-town airport and a WWII plane seems unlikely. How did that come about? And when did Groom get involved? Was he involved from the beginning? Or did he see an opportunity when the Feds joined the case?

This one of the best books that I've read in a long time - the writing is exquisite, the characters are real and the setting is perfect. It takes place in 1984 in Oak Island, NC. and not only provides a page turning plot full of suspense and mystery but also a vivid look at the racism and classism that existed in this small community.

Winston Barnes has been the long time sheriff of Oak Island. He has a wife with cancer and a daughter living in Texas who has just lost her first baby. The election for sheriff is a week away and Winston knows that he will be beat by a younger corrupt man who has bought the election with his family money. As the novel begins, a plane flies very low over Winston's house at 3:18 am and woke up he and his wife. When he goes to the small airport to investigate, he finds a large airplane with no cargo and no pilot and the body of a local man on the runway. He opens a murder investigation and everyone is a suspect - even the dead man who is the son of a well known black teacher. As the investigation continues, the racial tensions explode and Winston must deal with a situation that bring up memories of how he reacted in a similar situation years earlier. Along with the murder, Winston has to deal with his beloved daughter showing up at their house with no notice and no indication of why she was there. As the murder investigation continues, the suspense builds to a tragic ending that I didn't see coming.

This is a novel that you want to red quickly to find out how it ends but you are also reluctant for it to end because the author's writing makes the characters very real and sympathetic. It's a beautiful look at an ordinary man who has spent his life trying to do the right thing but is now caught up in a case that will prove his worth.

I binge read this book - there was some missed sleep but there was no way that I could put it down until the end. The next morning, I re-read parts of the book again and I'm still thinking about the book weeks after I finished it. Book number four by Wiley Cash continues to cement his legacy as a masterful story teller.

You don't want to miss this novel! I would give it more than five stars if it was possible and I know that it will be one of my top books of 2021.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

WHEN THE GHOSTS COME HOME follow Winston Barnes, sheriff of a sleepy county in North Carolina. When a plane crashes and a Black man is found murdered beside it, racial tensions in this small community increase and Barnes finds himself sitting on a powder keg. Thinks get more complicated with the involvement of the FBI and the return of Barnes' adult daughter, who has come home to grief the death of her stillborn child. Cash's writing is spare, and sometimes haunting but elegantly delivers a story well told.

This felt a bit slow moving but kept me reading. I'm not sure I liked the ending, though I guess it was fitting.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I start a new book, I always have an immediate sense as to whether I am going to like it. Sometimes I am wrong, but rarely. As soon as I began this novel, I knew it was going to be terrific. Wiley Cash is an accomplished writer and you see that immediately as the protagonists are introduced. His dialogues are crisp and flow naturally. His descriptions of his characters and their emotions is spot on. This is an exceptionally well done novel that takes place in 1984 when racism and segregation were still rampant even in North and South Carolina. A small village on a barrier island becomes the scene for several drug related murders. I am privileged to have been given the chance to read this pre- publication.
I cannot wait to recommend it.

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash is another winning novel by one of my favorite North Carolina authors. What attracts me to Mr. Cash’s books is the flow and care in the writing word. Mr. Cash is a wordsmith. In this upcoming novel, we have a lot of people with a “ghost” in their present and past lives. The crash landing of a phantom (or ghost) plane in a small-town airport, a local black father killed at the crash site, rivalries, and memories of wars that changed men. It’s also about a good-guy aging Sheriff who shots a black man early in his career as a policeman and can’t forgive himself. His wife is dying of cancer and slowly turning her into a ghost. A daughter who has lost a child late in her pregnancy and sees her baby’s ghost in moments and comes home to try to figure it all out because grief is a bitch. Old Southern men still living like KKK ghosts and creating mayhem, race, wealth, hate, love, and kindness. This is a story about ordinary people trying to accomplish something good and trying to be good adults in a world full of bad ones. I was not expecting the ending so my words here are full of memories of this story and I think will be dissecting this story for a long time. #race #murder #drugs #hate #kindness @wileycashauthor #wileycash #northcarolina #WhenGhostsComeHome @harpercollins #netgalley @williammorrowbooks

WoW!!!! This book is a must read! I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy.
Realistic well developed characters. Great writing. Excellent pacing. Wonderful plot
This book was amazing that's really all I can say!!! I haven't read a book this good in awhile!

When Ghosts Come Home is another winner from Wiley Cash. Set in Brunswick County, North Carolina in 1983, the crime noir begins with a bang. Aging Sheriff Winston Barnes is awakened by a loud noise. He soon discovers a large downed plane on tiny Oak Island airfield. The body of a nearby resident lies near the plane, shot and killed.
Local officials want to turn the mystery over to the FBI. Sheriff Barnes wants to solve the murder quickly to help him win the upcoming election. His chances are slim against rich, racist and corrupt Brad Frye, who's also interested in the plane.
The plane's cargo is missing. Could it be drugs? And whats the murdered black man's connection?
Barnes must cope with the murder, reelection plus his wife's cancer. Enter daughter Colleen, flying in from Dallas after a personal tragedy.
The plot swirls with paranoia, racism and family disfunction. Throw in a shady FBI agent who's keen on planes and Cash's Ghosts come home to roost.
The ending caught me completely by surprise.
You'll get caught up in this stellar thriller from Wiley Cash. Back stories from some supporting characters are a bit tedious, but the novel as a whole is a great mystery.

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash takes place in October of 1984. Winston Barnes is the 63-year-old Brunswick County Sheriff which entails the coastal island of Oak Island, North Carolina. In 1984 North Carolina, Oak Island is a community that is with boundaries created by both race and economics.

While trying to balance the complexities of a divided community, Winston is also in the middle of a county sheriff’s election against Brad Frye, a wealthy, disreputable, and racist opponent that many feel is a sure thing to be the next elected sheriff.

Winston and Marie, his cancer battling wife, have been awakened in the early morning hours by an undetermined noise, which Winston soon discovers was a large plane making an unauthorized landing at a too-small airport within the island. When Winston arrives at the plane landing site, not only does he discover an empty and damaged plane, but also the corpse of an island resident whose identity belies any reason for him to have been murdered and found dead on the airport tarmac, leaving Winston with more questions than answers.

Not long after Winston’s arrival at the airport, other civic leaders arrive, including Brad Frye, and they quickly push the investigation toward being handle by the FBI for their own self-serving reasons. Winston, against a tight election timeline, hopes to discover the reasons why the plane landed where it did, what happened to its cargo, and why there is a murdered local resident on the tarmac. Hampering his investigations are the dangerous provocations of his political opponent in his quest to unseat Winston.

When Ghosts Come Home is a multi-layered tale involving a handful of well-developed characters with interesting backstories of their own, and as the title of the novel suggests, each possessing ghosts of their own. Some characters within the novel are not who they seem to be, while other characters exceed what is expected of them in both decent and vile ways.

In the novel, Cash carefully tells a tale wrapped in the ills of society which includes racism, lust for power, the economic divisions between the haves and have- nots, along with the turmoil often found within American families.

When Ghosts Come Home is a slow burn investigation into what ails society and how the human condition can either hamper or derail the comforts of American lives and families, especially when haunted by personal ghosts.

Provided by Netgalley for the promise of a fair review and is set to be published September 21, 2021.

This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com.

5 Stars for When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash. (Release Date 9/21/21)

Wiley takes us to a different time in one of my favorite coastal areas- the area surrounding Wilmington, NC. A plane crash in small town with a dead man start off the book with a lot of questions and puzzle pieces that don't seem to quite fit. In the midst of this chaos and brackish details, there are also political games at play. The sheriff is up for re-election. And, the one thing that a quest for power can do, is put a town at odds with each other, neighbor against neighbor. Very quickly, racial tensions mount and create an intense and gut-wrenching read. There were multiple times that I shuddered at the language, treatment, and historical relevance threaded in this book.

A surprising ending with a lot of turbulence along the way makes this Wiley's best book yet. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of one of my favorite NC authors in exchange for an honest review.

#WhenGhostsComeHome #NetGalley #5stars #bookreview #comingsoon @WilliamMorrowbooks @customhousebooks @wileycashauthor #NCauthor

When Ghosts Come Home starts with a dead Black man and an abandoned plane at a small airport on Oak Island, North Carolina. The year is 1984.

The main characters are Sheriff Winston Barnes, his wife Marie, daughter Colleen, who has returned home in hopes of surviving a personal tragedy,

While a mystery, When Ghosts Come Home also examines racial tensions, family relationships, the role of memory in our lives, and forgiveness.

The plot keeps you turning the pages, but the beauty of the writing and the skillful way Cash weaves so much meaning into every sentence encourages you to slow down and enjoy every word you are reading,

Wiley Cash’s latest novel, WHEN GHOSTS COME HOME is set in North Carolina. 1984. A large plane crashes plane at the end of the runway in the middle of the night with no one inside and dead body nearby. Winston Barnes hears the noise and goes out in the dark of night to investigate. He’s the local sheriff with loads on his mind as his wife has a major health issue and it feels like he will lose his reelection, leaving them with bills they won’t be able to manage.

I nearly binge read this it was so well paced and my heart was literally pounding at the end. I love all of Cash’s books but this is now my favorite. Full of racism, family turmoil, deep secrets it’s the sheriff’s ability to see all sides of the story and not jump to the local folks’ ideas as to what has happened that makes us want to follow these characters on this extraordinarily compelling read. I most certainly didn’t want it to end. And what an ending! Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the early opportunity to read this great book. Due out in the Fall of 2021. Don’t miss it!