The Poate, Ernest M. 1885?-1935 creator Coughlin, John A. (John Albert) 1885-1943 text utu 2026 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats The Trouble at Pinelands by Ernest M. Poate is a detective novel written in the early 20th century. Set in a small North Carolina town, it follows elderly bachelor George Uhlman as he keeps watch over Dorothy McGregor, her exacting invalid aunt Mary, and their sleepy nurse in a gloomy, possibly haunted house. Rumors of a mischievous “poltergeist,” simmering feuds, and town rivalries quickly give way to a sudden death that throws suspicion on Dorothy’s fiancé, young Dr. Lewis Parker. The mystery promises a blend of ghostly mischief, family tensions, and a hard-nosed investigation. The opening of the novel finds George sleepless in Fort House, unnerved by eerie clanks, crashes, and a terrible scream that Dorothy and Aunt Mary attribute to a “poltergeist” that breaks dishes and steals food. By morning, Aunt Mary—who prides herself on saintly patience—rails at the piercing bobwhite calls; Lewis vows to shoot the quail, even as a flippant telegram from his best man arrives. After Aunt Mary suffers a dramatic “spell,” Lewis summons the senior physician, Dr. Gaskell, who brusquely calls it hysteria, sparking a bitter quarrel. Meanwhile, Lewis also learns Gaskell has taken one of his cases, and a hulking mountaineer, Lafe Rutledge, publicly threatens Gaskell before sunrise; the family’s nurse, Miss Christie, panics at Rutledge’s name and refuses to explain. That night the shotgun is set by the door for Lewis’s dawn errand. At daybreak a single blast rings out: Gaskell lies dead in the scrub oaks, and the constable arrests Lewis as a hostile crowd gathers. Sheriff Redden arrives, scatters the would-be mob, and begins the investigation into whether a tragic accident or something darker has occurred. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2026-03-04 Tim Miller and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Originally published: New York: Chelsea House, 1922 Distilling, Illicit -- Fiction Detective and mystery stories Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction North Carolina -- Fiction PS New York: Chelsea House, 1922 22024686 https://archive.org/details/troubleatpinelan00poat/page/n7/mode/2up https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78103 https://archive.org/details/troubleatpinelan00poat/page/n7/mode/2up https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78103 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134818.0 78103