Gwendolyn Kiste transports readers into a paranormal reality in The Haunting of Velkwood (Saga Press). Kiste, a master of weaving darkness into prose, invites readers to step beyond the veil into a world where the living and the spectral coexist. In her latest novel, Kiste unearths secrets buried for decades, blending paranormal suspense with gothic elegance. This ghostly thriller is brimming with suspense and intrigue. 

Talitha Velkwood was born into a typical suburban neighborhood—the Velkwood Vicinity. Green lawns, barbecues, a suburban paradise. Or so it seemed.

Talitha describes it, stating, “We all lived in split-levels with the same floorplans, the mid-century equivalent of making it in suburbia, but that dream was a short-lived one. The street was dated, almost kitsch, by the time we started high school.”

Talitha and her best friend, Brett, quickly realize that they don’t fit in. Their unbreakable bond is torn apart by Talitha’s mother’s judgment and Brett’s stepfather’s abuse. They decide that they have to get out, so they make a plan: go off to college after graduating high school and never return. Talitha, Brett, and the third member of their trio, Grace, head off to university. But after an issue with Brett’s tuition, they must return. 

That’s when the event happens that will change their lives forever. The event they can never take back. The event that riddles them with guilt and traps them in the past forever. 

Fleeing the neighborhood, Talitha, Brett, and Grace leave their neighbor, Enid, to pick up the pieces. Enid was always categorized as “the weird girl,” but she has a special connection with the trio. She cleans up their mess, but not in the way the girls expected her to. 

After returning to college, the girls get a call they never in a million years expected. Their neighborhood has vanished off the face of the earth. Where the Velkwood Vicinity used to reside, now there’s nothing. Even worse, no one can enter it. The neighborhood rejects everyone: researchers, detectives, medics—everyone, except for the residents.. 

Talitha explains, “The government’s done its best to fix the problem. They’ve tried hazmat suits and helicopters and a row of military surplus tanks with little American flags painted on the side. Yet no matter which way they try to come in, they’ve never even gotten to the first mailbox. The street would always shove them back.”

Talitha, Brett, and Grace could go back if they wanted to. They could find out what happened to their neighborhood. But that’s not something they are ready to do—not after what happened to them in that neighborhood.

Until, 20 years later, an enthusiastic researcher comes to visit. With him, he brings a photo that convinces Talitha to return. A photo from the Velkwood Vicinity. Of her old home. And in that photo, she sees a glimpse of her 8-year-old sister’s face. She’s still there. Is she alive? Is she a ghost? Will she be trapped there forever? Talitha can’t leave her there. 

So she goes back. The Velkwood Vicinity is a ghost of itself. Time moves differently there. It’s always summer, and the people are echoes of themselves. Racked with guilt and emboldened by her desire to save her sister, Talitha finds the confidence to uncover what happened to Velkwood Street. With help from her friends, can Talitha figure out how to stop Velkwood from taking over?

Gwendolyn Kiste has an excellent writing style that immerses you in the story and keeps you reading. Besides being an intriguing paranormal mystery, this book also provides an insightful take on reconciling your past. If you like ghost stories and magical realism, The Haunting of Velkwood is for you.

WORDS: Kaitlin Graham.

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