Divided by state lines and the Mississippi River, the Quad Cities share a common haunted heritage.

If anything, the seam that runs through the region is especially rife with spirits, from the Black Angel of Moline’s Riverside Cemetery to the spectral Confederate POWs of Arsenal Island. Of course, the city centers have their own illustrious supernatural residents - the Hanging Ghost occupies Davenport’s City Hall, while the Phantom Washwoman wanders Bettendorf’s Central Avenue. At Igor’s Bistro in Rock Island, every day is Halloween. Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin hunt down the haunted lore of this vibrant midwestern community.

Bruce Walters retired from Western Illinois University in 2021 and was conferred with the title of professor emeritus. His artwork has been included in more than one hundred solo, invitational and competitive exhibitions in the Midwest at the Des Moines Art Center, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and numerous university museums and internationally as a contributing artist at Ulster University, Belfast; University of Dundee, Scotland; and Tate Modern, London.

Michael McCarty has been a professional writer since 1983 and is the author of more than fifty fiction and nonfiction books. Michael is a five-time Bram Stoker Finalist and in 2008 won the David R. Collins Literary Achievement Award from the Midwest Writing Center. His blog site is monstermikeyaauthor.wordpress.com. Like his official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/michaelmccarty.horror.