Shane Leslie s Ghost Book / Shane Leslie

Shane Leslie describes this book as the ‘drift and silt of a life-long interest in ghosts.’

He begins with a discussion of ghosts and poltergeists and the Church’s attitude towards them, then comes to the main part of the book, his own collection of ‘Catholic ghost stories.’ A few of them – such as the story of a priest mysteriously summoned to a death-bed – most of us have heard in one form or another. But we do not think many readers know of the dead parish priest who came to have a look at his successor, the lady ghost who went to the midnight Mass and helped a lame friend to the altar rail as she had been accustomed to do, the Protestant children who learned to sing plainchant by ‘listening’ to a table which had been an altar (some harassed pastors might like to try this method) or of the ghostly nun who has been seen, time and again, busily scubbing the convent steps.

Most of the stories are more amusing than alarming, but a few are as terrifying as anyone could wish – in particular the gruesome account of a house whose occupants were constantly tempted to suicide.”