Haunted Girl: Esther Cox and the Great Amherst Mystery, by Laurie Glenn Norris with Barbara Thompson

From the publisher’s website: In 1878 eighteen-year-old Esther Cox arrived in Amherst, Nova Scotia, to live with her sister’s family. Shortly after Esther moved in, the story goes, the house was plagued by unexplained occurrences—something (or someone) knocked on the walls, hid household items, moved furniture around, and set fires. Esther herself was subject to mysterious fevers, prodding and, on one occasion, stabbing. These occurrences followed her when she went to stay with other families in the area. Eventually she was charged with robbery and spent a month in jail, after which the haunting ceased.

Was Esther the victim of paranormal powers or the troubled mind behind a series of elaborate hoaxes? At the time of her alleged haunting, the plausibility of Esther Cox’s claims were hotly debated in newspapers and by fellow Amherst residents. In the hundred years since her death, Esther’s story has been retold numerous times and she remains to this day the town’s most famous historical figure.

Includes 30 photos of key locations in Amherst related to the story as well as Esther's family members.

Please see publisher’s website for further details.

Review by Tom Ruffles

Publication Details
Nimbus Publishing, Halifax, Nova Scotia. ISBN: 9781551099071
Publish date
Book Review
Haunted Girl: Esther Cox and the Great Amherst Mystery, by Laurie Glenn Norris with Barbara Thompson