Books: Night Relics by James P. Blaylock (1994)

“Seventy years ago in southwest California, Dr. Landry killed his wife's lover when he found them together; she then flung herself and her illegitimate son over a nearby cliff. Dr. Landry disappeared. Unaware of the bloody murder, architectural draftsman Peter Travers now lives in the Landrys' old cabin. When his ex-wife Amanda and their son David disappear just before the two are to go on a vacation to Hawaii, Travers's anguish is exacerbated by the appearance of ghostly apparitions, some of whom seem to be Amanda and David, while others are the figures of those involved in the earlier tragedy. Also plagued by spectral visitations are Lance Klein, a real estate developer with a shady past and Bernard Pomeroy, a deeply disturbed salesman with an eye for blackmail.”

Much like his long-time friend and fellow Southern California based author Tim Powers, James P. Blaylock (known for his fantasy novels of the late 1980s) is attempting a Gothic style (but not dark fantasy) ghost story set within the present day foothills of Orange County. But Night Relics –the first of a trilogy of ghost tales set with-in SolCal- works for a while, and then it sort of falls apart. I felt that the whole disappearance of Peter’s wife and child –which was why I wanted to read about) and the subsequent search for them took a back seat to the very unappealing and annoyingly dumb Pomeroy and his interactions with Lance Klein.  I also found it interesting that the disappearance of a white woman and child did not raise suspicion of the police. I mean today when this happens, its huge news. And granted, this book was released in 1994, long before 24/7 news and social media, but husbands’ making their spouses disappear is a believable, if overused plot trope.  So the fact that the police seem almost apologetic Travers wife and sons has virtually vanished off the planet and seem so unconcerned is very weird. Then again, should I be happy Blaylock did not go there?

So yeah, while I enjoyed Blaylock’s prose and fine descriptions of the area, but the plot wears thin because it’s a bit overlong, and because of that problem, we learn what’s happening well before the characters do.