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Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #78103.
The Trouble at Pinelands is a detective story set in a remote North Carolina mansion that doubles as a wedding‑preparation hub and a haunted haunt. The narrative opens with Peter McGregor’s aging uncle, George Uhlman, arriving at the gloomy “Fort House” to guard his nephew’s bride‑to‑be, Dorothy, and her paralyzed aunt. The opening passage establishes a claustrophobic atmosphere, creaking timbers, moon‑lit pines, and the oppressive scent of honeysuckle that hints at hidden crimes. As the clock strikes midnight, a series of unsettling noises, clanking chains, broken crockery, and a phantom rustle, prompt George and Dorothy to investigate the source of the disturbance, setting the stage for a mystery that intertwines family obligations, lingering fear, and the promise of a concealed perpetrator.
The prose reflects early twentieth‑century American storytelling, with a measured, descriptive style that leans heavily on interior monologue and detailed setting. Ernest M. Poate’s voice is both nostalgic and slightly melodramatic, capturing the era’s fascination with haunted houses and genteel domestic drama. Readers who enjoy atmospheric mysteries, period pieces that blend domestic concerns with a touch of the supernatural, and stories that foreground character introspection as much as plot will find this novel appealing.
Peter McGregor had gone north. He was in Baltimore to order flowers, consult the caterer, and make the final arrangements for the wedding breakfast. Only women were left in the old stone mansion; the McGregors called it “Fort House,” because it had something of the grim, forbidding look of an old fort. Dorothy, Peter’s sister, her invalid aunt, and the nurse, Miss Christie, were all here. …
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