(reviewed from e-arc provided by NetGalley)

3 1/2 stars. This is a collection of horror stories that's also a portrait of a long term, loving, secret relationship. Inspired by classic horror tales, folklore, and Holmes and Watson, it tells the story of ghost-hunter Simon Feximal and his chronicler Robert Caldwell, who has been carefully editing their relationship out of his tales for decades. But as he has learned from his life with Simon, whose skin literally give a voice to ghosts, "stories must be told."

There are plenty of chills and suspense here, but I think I most enjoyed seeing the characters age together; they have to deal with the realities of life in the Victorian Era, as well as its supernatural aspects. Simon is so powerful, both physically and magically, yet even he is vulnerable because of his love for another man. The ending of the story during World War I is bittersweet and poignant, as Robert dreams of a place where "two aging gentleman may share a house in peace, without prying eyes and the threat of shame in a country that makes a fetish of death and a crime of love."