The Woman in Crimson by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

For my #2 challenge (a spooky story), I read The Woman in Crimson by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. Adrian and Caroline Stone run a bed and breakfast called Willowind. It's a very popular place until the murders of several former guests of the inn. For centuries, Lilith Roselle had lived in Willowind a recluse, creating demonic art and only emerging at night to drink the blood of terrified townspeople. During the Civil War, Lilith met and fell in love with a Confederate soldier - Jedidiah Smithy, and he with her. They lived as husband and wife for a peaceful year until Jedidiah disappeared. Centuries later, a distraught Lilith is awakened by the death of Caroline's father when at his burial one of her statues is destroyed.

Her vampiric wraith begins to haunt the inn attacking everyone except Adrian - who is the reincarnation of her lost love, Jedidiah and whom she is desperate to have return to her. The one person Lilith doesn't count on is Caroline and the fact that Caroline will fight for her husband and Willowind with everything within her.

I loved this story and thought it was appropriately eerie for the season. I give it five stars. Kathryn Meyer Griffith is perhaps one of my favorite authors and in my opinion can be counted on to serve up a good horror story.