Elva Zona Heaster died in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in January 1897. Her death was originally thought to be from natural causes. But when Zona's ghost began visiting her mother, the death began to look a lot more suspicious. This terrifying true story details the trial of Zona's murderer and the evidence presented against him from Zona herself, beyond the grave.

'The Haunting of Zona Heaster Shue' is a ghost story. It is also the true account of the only known case in US history where the testimony of a ghost helped to convict a murderer in a court of law. The event took place in the Appalachia Mountains of West Virginia in1897. Numerous photographs, court documents, letters and official records present a real life accounting of the legend.

Discover haunting tales of poltergeists, spirits, and witches. With spooky photographs and eerie details, this collection features some of the world's most famous ghost stories. Fact boxes and skeptic's notes give real-world context for frightening tales such as the legend of Bloody Mary and sightings of the weeping woman of Mexico. These truly terrifying stories will chill you to the bone.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Prayers the Devil Answers and The Ballad of Tom Dooley, a “fascinating historical fiction novel you won’t be able to put down” (Bustle) based on one of the strangest murder trials in American history—the case of the Greenbrier Ghost. Lakin, West Virginia, 1930: Following a suicide attempt and consigned to a segregated insane asylum, attorney James P.D. Gardner finds himself under the care of Dr. James Boozer. Testing a new talking cure for insanity, Boozer encourages his elderly patient to share his experiences as the first black attorney to practice law in 19th-century West Virginia. His memorable case: defending a white man on trial for the murder of his young bride—a case that the prosecution based on the testimony of a ghost. Greenbrier, West Virginia, 1897: Beautiful, willful Zona Heaster has always lived in the mountains. Despite her mother’s misgivings, Zona marries the handsome Erasmus Trout Shue, Greenbrier’s newest resident and blacksmith. Her mother learns of her daughter’s death weeks later. A month after the funeral, Zona’s mother makes a chilling claim to the county prosecutor: her daughter was murdered, and she was told this by none other than Zona’s ghost... With her unique and “real knack for crafting full-bodied characters and using folklore to construct compelling plots” (Booklist), Sharyn McCrumb effortlessly demonstrates her place among the finest Southern writers at work today.

Discover the spookier side of West Virginia with over 85 ghost stories, legends, and haunts from Harpers Ferry, where Screaming Jenny still never outruns the trains, to Hatfield-McCoy Country where Devil Anse Hatfield rises from the grave along with his sons. Explore Moundsville Prison and see the shadow man, then investigate the death and ghostly hereafter of Mamie Thurman, the housewife with a secret life who haunts 22 Mine Road. Follow the Rail Trail to get a glimpse of the ghost of the Silver Run Tunnel and take a thrill-ride through one of the most haunted tunnels-Dingess Tunnel. There's the Headless Ghost Rider of Powell Mountain and a woman who still walks the Ohio River shoreline of Blennerhassett Island long after her death.