Ghost Story Review: "In at the Death" by Donald Westlake

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Edward Thornburn, 1938-1977, has hanged himself in a fit of what he calls truculence—stronger than pique, but not so dignified as despair. He admits he regretted it before the thing was “well begun,” but there was no calling the chair back and his 193 pounds were going earthward while the rope claspsed his throat. He saw himself as a failure, unloved by his wife because he could not give her children. She was having an affair with the guy she worked for. He owned an antiques store and Emily worked as his assistant. That night, Ed had found a note: “Antiquing with Greg. Afraid you’ll have to make your own dinner. Sorry. Love, Emily.” Ed was a realtor, a fairly lucrative business in Connecticut where they lived, but business had been falling off recently. This wasn’t his first try at suicide. It was, obviously, his first successful attempt, though. Once he dies—and the story chronicles that struggle—Ed’s ghost seems confined the guest bedroom where he took his life. He can’t turn away from the corpse. The two of them are alone together until his wife comes home. He’s horrified with the prospect of seeing her, although, in part, he wanted to punish her, he doesn’t want to see her agony. Yet, he has no choice. Ed sees his wife’s lover trying to shield her and admires him. He wonders, Will they marry? This is sad, but not the end of sadness. As he hears people talk, he realizes that he was right about some things, but wrong about a good many other things. And being a ghost, haunting the room where he committed suicide, is something he’s going to be doing for a long time. According to Wikipedia, author Donald E. Westlake wrote mostly crime novels and occasionally science fiction. I was not able to find an online version of this story. _____ Title: “In at the Death” Author: Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008) First published: The Thirteenth Ghost Book 1977 Source: ISFDB