by
On the choppy coastline of Prince Edward Island an ocean-phobic detective evades the deadly lure of a phantom ship by delving into her family's history and harnessing her matrilineal powers of premonition.
Raina is an accomplished detective working against smugglers and traffickers on PEI, and she’s eager for an imminent promotion. But there’s a catch: she has to go work on a Coast Guard ship for a week. And Raina, though Island born and raised, loathes the sea. When she gets too close to it, the phantom ship starts calling to her, and the lure of its deadly cold flames threatens to overwhelm her.
When she starts pulling the threads of a missing-person case, she discovers how Doiron women’s uncanny abilities have impacted her ancestral line: Madeleine’s powers tried to keep her family safe during the Expulsion of the Acadians in 1758; Celeste’s tempted her to take back what was rightfully hers in 1864. Generation after generation of women have had to reckon with what their abilities can and can’t do to protect their families. And now it’s Raina’s turn. Is she strong enough to carry her family’s legacy? Or will that legacy carry her—out into the burning sea of spectres?
Raina squinted into the rays of the early afternoon sun that glinted off the Northumberland Strait. Flashes of light danced like fireflies over the water towards the red sandstone cliffs. The seas were clear. No ghostly vessels, no spectres. That would change once day turned to night. She’d need to shore herself up. She pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off the headache she knew was coming. Over these last few days, she’d spent more time than she liked too close to the ocean.
She turned her attention to the only thing keeping her sane: her work as a police detective. She scanned the people seated in the outdoor patio at Crossings Pub, searching for anyone who seemed too aware of their surroundings or overly concerned with anything other than their companions, fries, or beer. Normal people noticed almost nothing outside themselves, which was why pickpockets were so successful, why the otherworldly was so hidden. Most would be shocked at how vulnerable they were.
Ignorance wasn’t bliss. It was hazardous.
COLLAPSEKelly S. Thompson, national bestselling author of Girls Need Not Apply and Still I Cannot Save You wrote:"In A SEA OF SPECTRES, a mystical talent that's passed down through the women of the Doiron family is also one that might kill. Nancy Taber deftly weaves together multiple timelines, the history of the Acadian Expulsion, and Maritime life for a gripping story that's ultimately a tale of family, trust, and identity."
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"Prepare to be captivated by Taber's tale, which expertly weaves folklore with feminism and heroics with heart. A SEA OF SPECTRES will keep readers on the edge of their seats with a sweeping epic of masterful storytelling that expertly combines research, Acadian history, and stunning use of craft. Above all, it's the characters that will stay lodged within the reader, echoing power through all the generations captured in this beautiful debut, in which women triumph beyond all boundaries."
