Susan Hill

On Christmas Eve in a rural house in England, as his family begins telling ghost stories around the fire, middle-aged Arthur Kipps cannot help but remember a horror-filled episode in his past. In his early twenties, he had been sent by the legal firm for which he worked to a remote part of the country to represent the company at the funeral of one of its clients and subsequently to go through the deceased's private papers.

Ruby Raccoon wants to bake a cake, but she doesn't know how. Her friends offer some interesting suggestions. Ruby listens carefully to her friends, but when she tries to mix their advice all together, the results are, well, rather surprising. Ruby knows how to make the best of it in this delightful story featuring an irrepressible and lovable new character.

An inveterate traveller, Sir James Monmouth has spent most of his life abroad. He arrives in England on a dark and rainy night with the intention of discovering more, not only about himself but his obsession with Conrad Vane, an explorer. Warned against following his trail, Sir James experiences some extraordinary happenings.