The Spirit of Phantom Ridge

<p><strong>Jeff Spires's <em>The Spirit of Phantom Ridge</em> fuses supernatural suspense with hard-hitting historical fiction. </strong>In 1899 Missouri Black sharecropper Peter is abducted by vigilantes and lynched on a hill soon dubbed Phantom Ridge; his restless soul mutates into an eight-legged specter that hunts each man in the mob. Eighty-nine years later he faces a graver trial of conscience: Jerome Manning a falsely accused Black father is railroaded toward execution by a civic leader desperate to bury the town's sins. Peter must decide whether vengeance or mercy will finally break the century-long curse-and whether ordinary people can rise to meet that choice. The result is a riveting dual-timeline tale that blends the dread of <em>The Green Mile</em> with the moral heft of <em>The Underground Railroad</em>. Readers will fly through its cinematic chapters yet the novel's piercing questions about justice race and forgiveness linger-ideal for book-club debates classroom discussion and eye-catching store displays. Stock it prominently and hand-sell it boldly; once patrons step onto Phantom Ridge they'll press this story into friends' hands and come back asking for more.</p>