Burnt Magnolia

by Ronald Kelly, Alex McVey (illustrator)

As a young girl, Laura Locke ignored the warnings of local superstition and played among the burnt-out ruins of Magnolia; a Tennessee plantation that had been forcibly occupied by the Union Army and then laid to waste during the bloody Battle of Franklin in 1864. She had always thought the ghost stories and tall tales to be untrue… until the night when she witnessed it for herself. High among the blackened columns of the old mansion, upon a balcony with no floor, stood the forlorn specter of Jessica Heller. Rather than fright or horror, Laura had felt empathy for the lost soul, along with a strange kinship. She told herself, then and there, that she would someday own the old house and discover the truth concerning the violent scourge of Magnolia and what had truly become of its lonesome mistress, who had mysteriously vanished without a trace.

Years later, as a bestselling author of steamy romance novels, Laura’s dream of owning the deserted plantation became a reality. After much construction and remodeling, the old mansion was every bit as majestic as it had been during the prosperous years of the Old South before the devastation of the Civil War. She thought life for her and her husband, Rick, would be peaceful and idyllic. But then strange and disturbing occurrences began to take place. A weeping woman in the garden. A haggard man digging feverishly by the light of a coal oil lantern. The horrifying shadow of a man hanging from the limb of an ancient oak tree. And, worst of all, a malevolent and destructive poltergeist that seemed particularly resentful of her husband’s presence.

When a world-renowned ghost hunter, a man in search of his ancestral heritage, and two local historians arrive at Magnolia, Laura hopes that the terror that stalks Magnolia will finally be put to rest. Instead, things begin to spiral out of control, leading toward a violent and bloody confrontation that somehow mirrors the deadly events that took place there over a century before.

427 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2015

About the author

Ronald Kelly was born and raised in the hills and hollows of Middle Tennessee. He became interested in horror as a child, watching the local "Creature Feature" on Saturday nights and "The Big Show"---a Nashville-based TV show that presented every old monster movie ever made ---in the afternoons after school. In high school, his interest turned to horror literature and he read such writers as Poe, Lovecraft, Matheson, and King. He originally had dreams of becoming a comic book artist and created many of his own superheroes. But during his junior year, the writing bug bit him and he focused his attention on penning short stories and full-length novels. To date, he has had thirteen novels and twelve short fiction collections published. In 2021, his extreme horror collection, THE ESSENTIAL SICK STUFF, won a Splatterpunk Award for Best Collection.

He currently lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, young'uns, and an ultra-hyper Jack Russel named Toby.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

BURNT MAGNOLIA, by author Ronald Kelly is a Southern Ghost story that revolves around events from the Civil War, and ghosts that can't rest. This is the Thunderstorm Signed, limited edition, #6.

The writing is beautiful and atmospheric right from the start. While I love virtually everything I've read by Kelly, I did have a few problems with this one. For myself, the problem is that the synopsis details pretty much everything that happens. There were no "surprises" or "twists", because from the start I knew exactly what was going to happen for the finale.

As mentioned above, I loved the writing, and all the authentic details that made me feel a "part" of Magnolia, I just wished there were more surprises instead of repetition of what I was expecting.

[Karl]

This is copy 14 of 90 numbered copies signed by the author.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the privilege of meeting Ronald and his wife at a book convention last week in Knoxville. I loved hearing the stories they told me about Ron’s various books, especially the story of his daughter on the cover of one of his novels.

I ended up selecting Burnt Magnolia, and of the several signed purchases I made that day, Ron’s is the most special. He took the time to draw me a little picture of a ghost inside the cover, and the extra time he took, rather than just a scribble of a signature meant the world to me.

Now for my review. It was well written, I couldn’t put it down all week! I’ve never been very interested in the Civil War, (war and politics haven’t seemed to catch my interest until now), but I stopped reading Burnt Magnolia several times to go down Wiki rabbit holes about slavery, and various historical accounts related to the war.

I look forward to the next by Mr. Kelly 🎃

[Squire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Vol. 8 of the Ronald Kelly Essentials series from Thunderstorm Books

A simple ghost story simply, but effectively, told. Ron brings terrific period flavor to his spook story and his love for the south and its history is evident on every page. I would have liked to have a more dramatic ending (melodramatic, really) but that's quibbling, I suppose.

The accompanying novella, "The General's Arm" is an outstanding example of Ron's writing and outshines the main story--even though it doesn't concern any of the characters of Burnt Magnolia. And his afterword "Literary Snobs and Civil War History: The Writing of Burnt Magnolia" ends the eight-volume RK Essentials series on just the right note.

After having travelled through Kelly's past horror efforts, I look forward to his future projects.

[Bryn Grover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stopped using 5* for anything that will not go into my 'read this again pile'. Even books I seriously love only get 4*s if they are not headed for that pile.

This one is going into that pile.

Ron brings a great ghost story and weaves a bit of history into the mix including the Battle of Franklin -- something less known than other Civil War things like Bull Run/Manassas, Antietam, Shilog, Gettsyburg, Vicksburg, etc.

The master brings the story to life. It will be read again.

[Deanna Marzolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal story as always