This was an excellent, quick read! I thoroughly enjoyed and cannot wait to read more! I am going to be looking out for more from this author for sure! It was great for Halloween!

A very fun light and spooky story that is indicative of an equally fun and spooky larger book. Would be perfect for anyone wanting to dip their toe into the horror genre

I ponder the terrible thumping that crawls along the floors of my basement. I regard the heavens as the frame of my house heaves with fury. When I snuggle in bed the monster underneath me tugs at the corner of my duvet before I tuck it in close. A familiar & comforting setting appeals to the reader whose home is the breeding ground for the traditional scary story, the haunting of a house. Indeed, so apt & hungry are readers for the familiar confines they cannot escape, their brooding pleasure scurries through publishing trends & has not ceased since the moor called the ghost to the window & the crew of skeptics, scientists, & hysterics wandered up the hill.

When I came across this short story, I was apprehensive. As is so often the case, readers who are easily pleased by pen to page declared this story one of the most marvellously bone-chilling tales of horror they had ever read. Although, I am glad for their easy enjoyment, for it is in great part due to their uninhibited joy that the publishing world is as diverse as it has become; I cannot help but grow weary of the reality in which I find myself. Begrudgingly, I welcomed their claims, shook my head, & began reading.

In essence, this is a story about two teenage boys who host a YouTube channel on ghost-haunting activities. For one of their episodes, they endeavour to visit the old Mayor’s Mansion—the most haunted house in their small town of Cemetery, U.S.A. The two nights they spend in the house result in their deaths & as the police claim in the concluding chapter, their utterly baffling disappearances.

As I said, I came across this story on the eve of October month, one that Bradbury has well-prepared me to welcome, year after year. Oddly, I never tire of the new-age approaches to traditional hauntings. I have read too many books covering too many subjects, to cloister myself from anything that might revisit what I have loved & loathed. Though I was not being facetious when I said I doubted the powerful sway this short story has held over other readers, I recognize that this is a result of the reader I am & not the story itself.

Contextually, the author has placed his wee nervous characters into a world that will be easily formed by the knowledge readers have of small towns, communities they have explored, & a country that is forward-facing in all things. There is room in this story for more & I found myself curious about the author’s decision to write through a first-person perspective rather than adopt an omniscient third-person voice that would wade the trembles of the haunting in a more neutral, & ultimately, more ghastly way.

I say this because first-person perspectives do not grant stories the ability to explore situations in depth. Readers are limited in their exploration into the void by the abilities of the narrator. In this case, though each character was able to explore the house on their own, & though their inner monologues feature throughout their outwardly spoken conversations, the scenes did not go past their imminent feelings. Their cruel lack of understanding about the world leads them to repeat the same mistake twice. Why?

The reader will not be given the opportunity to dwell on the horrors of the house because that is not the point. Sean & Dean are young, they have hardly outgrown the nauseous egotistical insecurity that plagues young teenagers as they slowly wade into adulthood. I am not faulting them for this but simply stating it here so that readers understand the context of the story.

Their lack of confidence impacted their decisions. I would wager to say that their lack of confidence resulted in their death because a confident person does not go into things blindly for the sake of appearing brave; bravery is calculated courage.

The age of the characters gave this story the quirky feel that many readers will appreciate, myself included. Had the characters had more life experience, perhaps they may have understood the logistics of the crime that occurred. The exposition performed by Sean & Dean in an effort to include valuable details was not painfully done.

Readers will notice that individuals hardly repeat themselves completely when revisiting a subject matter in real life. Yet, on occasion, this was the case for both the young protagonists. For example, Sean repeats the rationale behind their YouTube channel name to Dean twice, he asks twice, within the same timeframe. The reader is repeatedly told that Sean’s father is wealthy & then we are left with details that confuse what we have been told, though I do not believe this was intentional.

To begin where it is most important, at the scene of the crime; readers will remember that the murder-suicide that took place in the house with the Mayor & his large brood of children, his wife, & perhaps anyone else present (who can know for certain), leads the main characters to believe that the house is haunted.

If we take this story at face value, that the patriarch was murdered by an unknown assailant after the murder of his family, one may wonder why he is haunting the house. Would the patriarch remain in the house? Would his children want to haunt everyone who visited their home? Why were they killed by an unknown assailant? Why did everyone in that family die?

Of course, mature readers may wonder why the driver was the only witness. They may ponder the nature of his testimony. Why was he the only employee mentioned in this story? Certainly, details will be sparse; this crime occurred in the latter part of the nineteenth century & the key holders of information are young people intent on ignoring the specifics of the crime because they have the opportunity to profit from the lore that surrounds it.

This gave me pause. The haunted beings in this story are both the innocent family members of the patriarch—who murdered his entire family after discovering his wife’s adulterous relationship with the driver—& the old Mayor himself—the killer. Why would the family be stuck in this setting?

I do not ask so many questions out of displeasure. I ask so many questions because there seems an opportunity to further my knowledge on a horrible situation, one that I am meant to greet with open arms as it was told to me but which I recognize as being more complex than it has the opportunity to reveal itself as being.

Here is what I mean specifically: when Sean & Dean hear the patriarch’s voice upstairs, mumbling to himself about his wife’s infidelities, as their hearts thump while the Mayor’s footsteps crack into the old wood, the boys wonder why. Yet, this question is never answered. Here we have the perfect opening for readers who will be the opposite of myself.

Readers who do not care about specifics, who can ignore the modern linguistics that the mayor uses when speaking upstairs rather than vernacular appropriate for his station, generation, & century; for readers who will welcome the physical violence of a ghost without body autonomy & cruelty beyond rational measure; this story will have them climbing the walls in anticipation of the next spook. I would not begrudge them this pleasure. Rather, as I took note of the use of language too modern to be employed; as I questioned the thumping feet & the disappearing young men; I questioned the story altogether & this eviscerated my fear.

I am a reader who wants the gory details. I long for a story that sets my heart on fire with a plot that is too cruel to be fictional. As I read this short haunting, I was reminded of Richard Matheson’s “Hell House” (1971)—a book brimming with the potential to be horrific due to the sociopathic nature of the antagonist.

Perhaps the author, a person who appears to love Horror as much as I do, will be confused by my comparison between his work & the renowned classic; I mean this both as a compliment to enticing storytelling & as encouragement—sweat the small stuff, the details, they leave the skin of the story filthy with oozing discomfort.

As I ruminate on my experience with this story, I settle on gladness as my sentiment of choice. On occasion, a reader is met with a story that tickles the very back of the spine, vertebrae the hand cannot reach on one’s own, found nestled in the heated palm of another.

The scene in the basement was exquisitely done. Sean’s terror at the door as his doomed friend tumbled down into darkness left me eager to see the flame flicker out. The writing of the flashlights, switching on, back & forth, was something one would be remise to consume in the setting sun. The author as I have previously assumed, knows where fear hides & has lured it out to meet the eager gentility who has deemed themselves able to face it.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this story of quaint, small-town lunacy—ignorance of the most gruesome kind. The lover who wanders the house as though it were their own, next to children they may have helped bring into the world. The youngsters who know not yet what it means to be brave but whose ego calls them forward as the swan song strums in the onyx of abandon.

I linger in the burning wood piled in the backyard where the bodies of the narrating characters rot, waiting for clarity on whether Sean’s passing comment about living in the house he owns alone indicates property ownership or the passing fancies of a child without their parent. I reminisce on the pizza delivery without a bill or a tip for the journey.

I will revisit the author’s work as they find their footing & as the soothing tune of sorrow drifts through the pages of their next work. Writing Horror is very difficult, this I have acknowledged time after time. Yet, the effort is one I continue to appreciate.

Therefore, this story is for readers who will be jilted by the shadow that passes by, in the corner of their eye, the lover of maliciously silly stories that remind them of the legends told during the tender years of their youth. May the monsters that live under their beds sleep soundly, & may the monsters that wander skyscrapers & dirt roads find the gallows of their kin.

Thank you to NetGalley, BestGhost Books, & C. J. Daley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

** spoiler alert ** My review contains a number of spoilers - you've been warned


The short story was definitely scary although it fluffs around quite a bit at the beginning and I found it hard to get into initially.

I wish there was more information presented in the book, what does Boomer see? Who/what takes each of them? What's in the chest the family of ghosts is surrounding? What was the ghost seeking? Who is Sumera, what happened to her, where is she now, why is she mentioned in this story at all? Was the pizza ghost pizza?

I don't mind the open ending of where did they go and the found footage, but the story doesn't give us any details at all throughout either. Definitely potential here, it got my heart rate up but then I found I was just annoyed when nothing else is added.

Thanks NetGalley for the copy!

This was more a short story than a novelette. It was creepy, but the writing was somewhat amateurish. Also it ended in a cliffhanger so we really have no idea what happens to Sean and Devon, the ghost hunters or what is really going on at The Mayor’s Haunted Mansion.

A good ghost story with the right creepy level and sense of dread. Well plotted and intriguing
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was just okay. The first half was incredible and I was super into the story but as the hauntings got more and more frequent, a lot was left up to interpretation and I just feel like that is not the best way to frame a story going through these types of plot points and events. Overall, would still recommend with how quick a read this was.

I received a copy of this short story via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The novelette follows two YouTube ghost hunting creators who run the "Best Ghost Hunters" paranormal channel and their encounter with an actual haunted house. The Old Mayor's Mansion is located in a town called Cemetery in the Hudson Valley. Hudson Valley really does have a reputation as a paranormal hotspot so it was a nice added touch to have the story unfold there. The story reminded me of the many ghost hunting shows that are on television and Youtube, which I am not really fan. But the story is well written and I'm happy I decided to give this one a read. I would recommend it to anyone who likes ghost hunters or the paranormal in general and would read the expanded collection of short stories especially during the spooky season.

This was a little lacking for me, although I could tell that the author is a fan of ghost hunting shows because the descriptions of the tech and the recordings. I would be interested to see more creepy stories in the town of Cemetery, though.

BestGhost was promising, but when things went bad during the ghost investigation the story took a down turn for me. If your best friend is in some sort of danger behind a door that you cannot open why would you just give up on the door and continue your ghost hunt for your viewers? That is where the story lost me.
I do understand about open endings….. but this one fell flat for me. The characters were enjoyable and writing was fine. Thank you #netgalley for allowing me to read #BestGhost in exchange for my honest review.

BestGhost is a spooky short story sample to promote C.J. Daley's short story collection.
It is a horror mystery ghost hunting goes wrong novelette that is both tense and creepy.
I don't read many short stories because I find that they end before they get going, but BestGhost was action almost from the start. I especially liked the ending - what really did happen to Sean and Devon?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for letting me read a copy in return for my honest review

Thank you to @netgalley for the advance copy that came out in June and I completely slacked on. 👀

"The world's best ghost hunters, the town's most haunted mansion, what could go wrong?" - Goodreads

This was only 44 pages and kept me hooked the whole time. It moved quick and made me want MORE! In just a tiny bit of an upcoming novel, I am anxious for the full-length book!

I have to be honest….this little Novlette terrified me, and books rarely give me the heebie jeebies. At first I thought it was going to lead toward corny. But it definitely was NOT corny. I would love a full length novel with fleshed out characters and backstory (what happened to the third member of their ghost hunting trio??). If you are looking for a quick scare, this will do it.

BestGhost follows some young ghost investigators as they encounter more than they bargained for in a well known haunted house in the town of Cemetery. It definitely delivers a spooky atmosphere and is a fun concept. But it’s very straight forward and there is not much to offer in terms of something unique or an interesting twist. I feel like this could have benefited from being a bit longer exploring more of the characters or the house and its history.

However, in the acknowledgements it does mention that it is part of a novel centered around the town of Cemetery, and within that concept I think it probably works better. There are moments when a character, one of the members of their ghost hunting group, is mentioned and reflected upon that goes nowhere in the story but I wonder if one of the short stories in the collection centers around that character and ties the stories together. The same with the disappearance of the pizza delivery person. All in all a fun read but one that I would have liked fleshed out a bit more.

For those looking for a short spooky read this novelette delivers and would be fun for spooky season.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Old Mayor’s Mansion sits just a few miles outside the town of Cemetery.

When best friends Sean and Devon want to increase views on their ghost investigation channel, they know the mansion is the perfect spot to film.

Armed with a slew of new equipment, the buddies set out to capture the paranormal hotspot that will make them famous—just maybe not in the way they were hoping.

BESTGHOST is a complete tale from the forthcoming Tales From Cemetery

This book or novelette was so good I wanted more. At the end I found out it was just a sample which I hate but this was a great sample. Kept me wanting more and more. These are my.kind of books. This was a fun read and kept me on the edge of my seat. Not many ghost stories can do that. I need more of this book!!

I.received a few copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

Getting into this took a little more effort than I'd like, with a few grammatical/ proofreading errors from the first page, but when you get into the crux of the story itself, there's something really compelling about it.

Plenty of threads are left hanging, giving tantalising glimpses into the potential of the wider story. There's plenty of intrigue, the atmosphere and pace build in tandem, and the author's obvious research into paranormal investigations helps with the overall immersion. A few more revisions to this would make a thoroughly exciting read.

Fast paced and spooky. Quite enjoyable.
In fact I think the story could have been longer without losing anything from it.
recommended.

This was a great short story paranormal book. For such a short book it was well paced. I would encourage anyone who is looking for a quick spooky read to give this book a try.

Nope. 1 star for this disappointing read.

Sean and Devon want to increase views on their (really dumb, really bad) ghost investigation channel so they decide to visit the Old Mayor’s Mansion which is just a few miles outside the town of Cemetery (it’s unclear whether they live there.) They are hoping this will make them famous, because, hey, post-2000 isn’t that the most anyone can aspire to be? Well, maybe it will. But maybe not in the way they were hoping.

It appears this was published quite awhile ago. I knew I should have thrown in the proverbial town when “past” was misspelled as “passed” in the very first sentence.

The book actually reads as if it was written for middle grade children, but one can tell from the language and drinking that it isn’t. It’s poorly written and deadly dull. Trust me, it’s not the “Best” anything.