The Wayfarer House by Mitch Sebourn

​I’ve read a bunch of novellas by Sebourn before, so I knew to expect a good quality of writing and was very interested to see how he’d handle a genre staple as tried and true as a haunted domicile. And sure enough, he didn’t disappoint. 
Literary and character-driven, this novel follows a protagonist trying for a second chance. His first chance was ambitious enough, a shot at rock stardom that paid off, a hit song, a hit album, fame, money…and then he beat a man to death with his guitar and went to serve time for it.
Sure, the man deserved it, but that’s another story.
Now, freshly free, our protagonist needs some new material, something authentic. And what’s more authentic than revisiting the scene of his crime – something apparently every murderer longs to do? So he rents out the place that used to belong to his victim and is now owned (for reasons never explained) by a local millionaire lady and starts trying to write. Only the songs don’t come. Too many distractions…things like mobsters showing up with his guitar/weapon of choice or a disconnected phone ringing in the middle of the night.
What’s a guy to do? Well, he can only do his best…while hanging out with the owner of the place, an attractive older woman who appears to be intrigued by him.
Slowly, but surely the mystery unravels and it turns out to be infinitely more interwoven with our protagonist’s past and his family that he ever thought. In fact, there are two mysteries here, of natural and supernatural origins. Does it make for a good song writing atmosphere? That’s questionable. But will it sing to you as a book? Likely. It did to me. The chords of a rock song and the moodiness of blues.
An enjoyable atmospheric tale well told. Just the right length too. Very nice find. I even grabbed it as a freebie. Definitely makes one read more of the author’s work. Recommended.