Located in the city of Akron, in upper New York State, just outside of Buffalo, is the Akron Hotel. This is the location of this exceptional and atmospheric story. To refer to THAT WHICH REMAINS a horror, supernatural or mystery tale would not be enough description. This novel contains all of those elements and more.
Author Terry Daly Karl is a resident of Akron and clearly knows the territory. She imbues her story with rich detail while using a modern time frame to tell a story that contains the rich elements that have made up classic ghost stories for centuries. WHAT REMAINS includes ghost hunting, sessions, and a murder mystery that includes an otherworldly character as a potential suspect.
The novel begins with an Akron hotel employee, Jenny Shenandoah, cursing as she has to travel to the upper floors of the hotel, which she thinks are haunted. She thinks she sees a ghost and runs to hotel manager Steve and bartender Joe for protection. When the little team investigates things further on the third floor, they find no ghosts. Instead, they find the body of one of their missing employees, Wendy Kulbrick.
Lead Investigator Sergeant Mike O’Brien is called. Lead a team of three who begin interviewing the Akron hotel employees as they try to find out why Wendy Kulbrick died. O’Brien scoffs at any supernatural possibility and believes it had to be a person who took Kubrick’s life by hitting her over the head with a blunt object. The interviews do not provide researchers with much more than guesswork. One clue indicates that Wendy may have had an affair with Joe, the bartender. Jenny keeps going back to the apparition she saw before the body was found. It was in the shape of a person who left traces of blood on the ground.
With the strong belief of many in the hotel that it was in fact haunted, O’Brien decides it’s time a different kind of expert was called in. Rae Dembrowsky has a reputation for being a trusted medium known for hosting sessions. A session is scheduled for the Akron Hotel that will include Rae, her husband Mark, some hotel employees, and Mike O’Brien. To everyone’s surprise, it is O’Brien who is used as a host for a channeling spirit as it is inhabited by an unknown entity who starts yelling, “You can’t have it, it’s MINE!”
This experience changes everything and also places the novel firmly in the classic ghost story / supernatural realm with a hint of murder mystery. As O’Brien continues his investigation, which includes a reflection on why he wanted to be a part of the shoot, we are introduced to more characters and possible motives for the murder. It’s no secret that the Sheriff’s Department had been tracking former hotel employee Gil Herbert, who has quit a number of jobs each time after some sort of robbery. Herbert is linked to Wendy and that at least gives some motive for the murder, but there is no further indication of who the murderer may have been.
A local historian meets with O’Brien and Rae to discuss the famous artwork that supposedly sits within the boundaries of the Akron Hotel’s upper floors and has historical ties including a famous former President of the United States. We also get some more details on who the ghosts, or ghosts, may be that are haunting the hotel and possibly protecting the hidden treasure. I won’t reveal any more spoilers here and can simply attest that Terry Daly Karl succeeds on all levels with WHAT REMAINS making this novel essential reading during the Halloween season.
