When it is neither day nor night, when shadows lurk and play tricks on the mind, storytelling takes on a spectral cast. In that special half hour of twilight -- the dark-thirty -- you'll feel the spine-tingling horror of these tales:
-- When a retired Pullman porter hears a ghostly whistle, he knows it's the last train he'll ever ride.
-- Phantom pictures appear on a windowpane -- and expose a man's guilt in a lynching.
-- An ex-slave reveals how a straw doll and an ancient chant helped him gain his freedom.

Haunting and original, these ten stories are inspired by African American history, from the time of slavery to the civil rights era. With her extraordinary gift for suspense, Patricia C. McKissack has created a heart-stopping, award-winning collection.