The Weaver and the Factory Maid, by Deborah Grabien

(0312314221)

There is a bunch of commentary on the cover of this book that explains what it is better than I can:

"Murder, music, and ghosts of the past."
"The first in a new series bringing old English mystery ballads into the modern world."

Which promises some fun, eh? I'm only not sure if it's the same group of people in each title. We shall see; this is a brand-new book.

The premise in this is that one member of a folk music group (named Ringan) is paid for a rehab job with a small house of his own. The twist is, of course, that it's haunted. The haunts turn out to be a young couple who were murdered simply for being in love. Ringan and his lover and the rest of his quartet of musicians eventually find a way to lay the ghosts to rest after nearly 200 years.

Sounds hokey, and yes it is a bit. But the writing is quite sensible and doesn't get you caught up in woo-woo land, so it seems perfectly normal that the house (and barn) are haunted. I will look for more by this author. (LIST!)