Michael Cook has left his abusive lover and settled in the small town of Banning, Illinois. Having nowhere else to go, he checks into the Raven's Rest Inn and soon learns that the haunted reputation of the hotel is well deserved. Michael gets a job at a local café, where he meets Trey Ramsey. Though Michael has misgivings about starting up a new relationship, Trey seems to be the complete opposite of Michael's controlling ex, so he decides to give Trey a chance.


Life at the Raven's Rest becomes increasingly frightening when the ghost of Coleman Hollis appears in Michael's room. Coleman seems to want something from Michael, and the mystery deepens when Michael discovers he's the spitting image of Coleman's lover from years ago. Together, Michael and Trey must discover why Coleman's spirit is drawn to the Raven's Rest-and to Michael.

Stephen Osborne has been a pizza restaurant manager, a semiprofessional wrestler, and a member of an improv comedy troupe. He now lives in rural Illinois with Christine, a Border terrier mix with a diva complex. In addition to writing, seeing musicals in Chicago, and losing at Monopoly, Stephen sometimes spends cold, shivery nights in haunted locations-just because he likes to.