Ghost Clause

"National Book Award Finalist Howard Norman delivers another "provocative ... haunting"* novel, this time set in a Vermont village and featuring a missing child, a newly married private detective, and a highly relatable ghost (*Janet Maslin, New York Times)"--

It's been several months since Simon Inescort had a heart attack and keeled over the rail of a Nova Scotia-bound ferry. His widow, Lorca Pell, sold their farmhouse to newlyweds Zachary and Muriel after revealing that the deed contains a 'ghost clause,' an actual legal clause, not unheard of in Vermont, allowing for reimbursement if a recently purchased home turns out to be haunted. In fact, Simon finds himself still at home, replaying his marriage in his own mind, while also engaging in occasionally intimate observation of the new homeowners. When a child goes missing the Green Mountain Agency assigns Zachary, their rookie detective, but the case threatens the couple's domestic equilibrium. -- adapted from jacket