San Miguel de Montenegro and Other Tales

A man inherits a ranch in New Mexico, only to discover the ruins of a centuries-old mission on the property. Locals say the mission is haunted. Mysterious, frightening paranormal activity leads the new owner to uncover the mission’s hidden past. Gruesome history continues to play out in the dark occurrences of today. This title story of Kevin Appel’s second short story collection, San Miguel de Montenegro and Other Tales, introduces a compilation that explores how the past, and particularly history’s darker side, often lingers in later realities. Many of the characters run into strange supernatural phenomenon with links to long-ago: a ghostly Indian girl befriends an injured hiker, a haunted box seems to carry a deadly curse, and a murderer is never caught, but still cannot escape his crime. Adding variety to the stew of tales, Appel takes readers on a journey of pure terror across the New Mexico frontier, and presents a sequel to his previously published short science fiction trilogy. Anyone with a wild imagination and a love of speculative fiction will catch a thrill from Appel’s latest offering. Appel’s first volume of speculative stories, The Farm Near the Dark Woods and Other Tales, is also available.

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