When Ghosts Come Home

Wiley Cash’s latest offering is set in Oak Island, North Carolina, in 1984, where Sheriff Winston Barnes is contemplating the necessity for re-election and the possibility of loss to Bradley Frye, a racist bigot. An unusual event triggers conflict and reveals deep fissures in this small community.

Late one night Barnes is woken by a plane flying low towards the tiny local airfield. Making his way there, he finds the plane crashed and empty, and a dead man lying on the ground. The FBI soon show up and Barnes is sidelined, something he resents. But there are few clues to be had.

The dead man, Bellamy, is black and a local of good reputation, and his death is puzzling. Bellamy’s father pushes Barnes for answers and is understandably upset when his son’s widow, Janelle, suffers racist abuse to compound her loss. Barnes is sympathetic, but there is friction with two of his staff whose prejudice becomes surprisingly evident.

Janelle is coping with a young baby and a younger brother, Jay, whose parents in Atlanta sent him away to part him from dubious friends when he got caught thieving. Jay makes a new friend, Cody, who wanders on the new housing development nearby and makes free with tools or other items he finds there, providing potential for future conflict.

While this is going on, Barnes’ daughter Colleen returns to the family home. Colleen is married and lives in Texas, but after a stillborn child she is devastated by grief and is taking a break from the surroundings still saturated with her dashed hopes. Also staying in the Barnes’ home is Tom Groom, an FBI pilot assigned to repair the plane and fly it away.

Cash moves these elements around, exploring the dreams of his characters, with the strengths and weaknesses of family coming under particular examination. We view events particularly through the eyes of Colleen, of Jay and of Winston, all facing a challenge and finding different ways to cope.

The crime story seems almost incidental at first, with little progress apart from tiny hints which are easy to overlook. When it gets going it does so with a rush, providing a satisfactory answer to the questions raised, which makes a devastating final twist in the tail most unexpected.

This is quality writing by any measure, bringing to life a disparate set of people and the small town they share, painting an absolutely convincing picture. The mystery of the crime and its ramifications illuminate the actions of the featured characters and again feels true to life.