Maldon author’s ghost stories book is ‘spooky and inventive’ - REVIEW

By Ben Shahrabi and Gill Carpenter

Terrifying tales - Maldon author Barrie Jaimeson has written a series of short stories based on the town. (Credit: Ben Shahrabi)

“Spooky” tales of ghoulish happenings based in and around Maldon await readers of a new book written by author and actor Barrie Jaimeson.

Barrie officially launched “Ghost Stories from Maldon”, his ninth book, at the Queen’s Head pub on Hythe Quay with a special reading.

He told Caroline Coastal: “The support I’ve had from friends and family has been brilliant.

“I’ve always liked ghost stories and enjoy writing short stories, as well as novels.”

Barrie read an excerpt from his latest book in an event at the Queens Head on Maldon's Hythe Quay. (Credit: Ben Shahrabi)

Review by Gill Carpenter

Many of us have a ghost story or two to tell.

Barrie Jaimeson’s own supernatural encounter involved an old grey lady who made a habit of sitting on his bed at night during his days as a drama student.

Or did she? Maybe she was just a trick of the light. We’ll never know.

After a distinguished career acting alongside the likes of Peter Cushing, John Nettles, Kenneth Branagh and Timothy West, Barrie and his wife - fellow actor Nicola Esson - settled in Maldon.

They launched MacTheatre and brought live performances to the district, including many Shakespeare productions in Promenade Park featuring local people in many of the roles.

Barrie is also an established author of crime fiction with several books to his credit.

Ghostly Tales from Maldon is his third book of short stories. These nine spooky tales are all set in the ancient riverside town, each with an appropriate Shakespearian quotation as its title and introduction.

However, these are modern stories, mostly about modern people, many with busy lives and high-flying jobs who come from, or happen to end up living in, Maldon.

There is a distinct Maldon feel about these tales of the unexpected. I particularly liked Till The Tree Die, about a man haunted by a tree and by the young friend who chose to end her life on it after he offended her.

Barrie pinpoints exactly where the tree stood – and how it ended up in our hero’s garden when he returned to the town many years later and bought a home on one of Maldon’s new encircling housing estates.

A Smoke Made With The Fume Of Sighs tells of a male nurse who seeks a flat near to his workplace at Broomfield Hospital.

He ends up sharing an apartment over a shop in Maldon High Street with an invisible landlord – and forty years of secrets revealed by the locals during visits to the Queen’s Head on Maldon Quay.

I won’t spoil your enjoyment by giving away more details of these wonderfully inventive tales.

You can obtain your own copy from Maldon Books or from Amazon for £10.