The trouble at Pinelands

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

78103

Title

The trouble at Pinelands

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In the eerie, pine-shrouded Fort House, an aging bachelor guards his nephew's bride-to-be against a terrifying poltergeist. As supernatural scares escalate, a doctor uncovers a shocking truth: the haunting is the act of a paralyzed woman faking her condition to hide a secret. The story blends gothic mystery with a gritty exposé of local bootlegging rings, culminating in a dramatic revelation that redefines the nature of the ghosts and the crimes committed in the name of self-preservation.

Summary up to 500 words

In Ernest M. Poate's *The Trouble at Pinelands*, the narrative unfolds within the eerie, creaking walls of Fort House, a gloomy mansion in North Carolina. Uncle George, a rheumatic bachelor, guards his nephew Peter's fiancée, Dorothy, and her paralyzed aunt, Mary, who has been bedridden for fourteen years. The household is plagued by strange noises and poltergeist-like disturbances that terrify the timid Dorothy and the nervous aunt. However, the true horror lies not in ghosts, but in a dark secret: Aunt Mary has been faking her paralysis to conceal a violent past. Dr. Floyd Somers, a local physician investigating a series of crimes, uncovers a massive bootlegging ring operated by Ralph Satterfield and his gang. They smuggle whiskey hidden inside bales of cotton, a lucrative operation that has led to the murder of a local doctor, Dr. Gaskell, who discovered their cache. As Somers digs deeper, he realizes the 'ghost' haunting the house is actually Aunt Mary. Dr. Gaskell had threatened to expose her deception, prompting her to kill him in a fit of panic. Her subsequent paralysis was a psychological collapse induced by the trauma of the murder and the fear of her secret being revealed. The tension escalates when Mary, driven by guilt and the fear of exposure, attempts to kill Uncle George with a knife. The truth is finally brought to light during a tense confrontation. Following a botched lynching attempt thwarted by the police, Mary is committed to an asylum, and her tragic secret is laid to rest. The bootlegging ring is dismantled, and the community finds a measure of peace. The story concludes with a resolution of personal relationships. Dorothy marries Lewis Parker, leaving the haunted house for a new life. Dr. Somers, having solved the mystery and saved the community, finds redemption in a romance with Anne Christie, the nurse who had previously been indifferent but was transformed by her time caring for Mary. Uncle George, initially feeling like a burden, finds a new family among his young relatives, leaving his loneliness behind. The novel serves as a cautionary tale about the destructive power of secrets and the capacity for human redemption.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Fiction
• Mystery