Superstition
An umbrella is opened indoors. A black cat crosses your path. Three cigarettes are lit from one match. These are omens of bad luck that no one takes seriously. But at Van Buren University when these, and other superstitions, are broken… students die.
Sophomore Jerry Williams’ hard-hitting reporting has won awards for Van Buren’s school newspaper. But when he connects a series of campus deaths to bad luck, his editor questions Jerry’s judgment, kills the story, and suspends him from the paper. But the superstition-related havoc continues, and Darla, Jerry’s new girlfriend, barely escapes with her life.
When Jerry digs deeper into the mystery and publishes his findings in the school’s alternative newspaper, the university administration threatens him with suspension for causing a panic. But Jerry’s reporting instincts won’t let him stop. With his friends and everyone else on campus at risk, it’s not like Jerry has much of a choice.
As Friday the 13th approaches, Jerry fears a catastrophe. He must uncover who—or what—is behind these bad luck deaths and determine how to stop it.
Mature Novel
- Thriller
- Paranormal
- Paranormal Thriller
- Cozy Horror
- Horror
- Supernatural
- Witchcraft
- Spells
James Blakey
James Blakey is a three-time finalist for the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Derringer Award, winning in 2019 for his story "The Bicycle Thief." He leads critique groups in Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, and Shenandoah County. His paranormal thriller SUPERSTITION will be published by City Owl Press in the fall of 2024. When James isn’t writing, he's on the hiking trail—he’s climbed forty of the fifty US state high points—or bike-camping his way up and down the East Coast. He lives in Broadway, Virginia.
The Secrets of Van Buren University
The Secrets of Van Buren University consists of one book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
