The Experiments
Bill Thompson
Paperback
(Ascendente Books, Nov. 19, 2019)
Everything’s been quiet in the bayou town of Jeanerette, Louisiana for years. The last big news was when those rich people burned to death at their plantation in 2003. Most people have forgotten the details, but no one can forget Amelia House, the beautiful old home on Bayou Teche where the Morisset family lived.Craig Morisset grew up in Jeanerette and started a company when he was in college. He sold it for almost a billion dollars and became the town’s most talked-about product. When his parents died in the fire, he never returned and didn’t even afford them a funeral. Instead, he ordered Amelia House shuttered. Since then, only the occasional caretaker goes inside, and they make sure to be out before nightfall.For years people have whispered about the awful things Craig’s parents did in the name of science, and some brave teenagers who went up to the house after dark reported ghostly wails coming from somewhere on the upper floors. Famous ghost hunter Landry Drake comes home to Jeanerette to interview Craig, who is in town for a class reunion. Craig regrets coming back and when a hurricane heads their way, he makes a fatal mistake. Since they have no place to stay, he invites three classmates and Landry to spend a night inside Amelia House. The mansion may have been closed up for years, but Craig’s mother and father have patiently waited to resume their life’s work. The operating room’s all prepared; all they need is a patient. When Craig and his friends arrive, they can at last resume the experiments.