Jan Sorrensen is still scarred from his last encounter with a ghost, an experience that he turned into a bestselling novel, which gave him the funds to invest in a forthcoming tourist attraction: coal mine tours in small-town Dundee, Pennsylvania. The mine that’s set to reopen was the site of a fatal fire back in the 19th century; now, people are hearing strange noises from inside the mine, some of which utter specific names. These disquieting incidents bring Jan’s friend, Sheriff’s Detective Kaveetha “Kathy” Jensen, into the story. Meanwhile, a seemingly possessed boy escapes a local psychiatric hospital and gives Jan an ominous warning: “Stay out of my mine.” The mine’s sordid history, which includes “open warfare” between the Pinkerton Detective Agency and the secretive, violent Mollie Maguires, may somehow explain the apparently ghostly events in the present day. Johnson’s second installment in his Ghostly Poconos series delivers a fair amount of mystery. The copious evidence of possessions leads Jan and Kathy to decipher which spirits are responsible and why, which involves several scenes that unfold in 1873 and entries from one woman’s journal from the time: “The Company wasted no time pushing me and the baby growing inside me out into the cold.” Most of the narrative’s interest is thanks to the dynamic cast. Kathy’s girlfriend, Lacey, signs on as a mine tour guide (previous guides have quit out of fear), and Jan gets close to Amanda, his physical therapist (he’s recovering from his ghost-related injuries). However, the book has so much going on—romantic troubles, ghostly possessions, inexplicable deaths, and recurring nods to the earlier installment—that the horror element can feel muted. As such, the plot presents few opportunities for unnerving moments, though the final act does ramp up the suspense. Ultimately, readers will be eager for more adventures with Jan and Kathy.