The Curse of Jacob Tracy

Starred review from October 12, 2015
Stellar writing and a strong story define Messinger’s amazing debut. After Jacob “Trace” Tracy nearly died at Antietam during the Civil War, he became connected to the spirit world. He tries to hide his ability to see the dead, working as a hired hand guiding wagon trains out West in the late 1880s. When a girl is accused of murder, Trace is lured into using his gifts to protect the innocent, but the cost is high. Messinger’s writing is a clinic on how to immerse the reader in a historic setting (such as his details on how 19th-century newspapers operated) without drowning readers in facts. Psychological and visceral horror mix in set pieces that build to a climax as Trace is forced to confront his fears about his abilities. Trace and his partner, Boz, quickly endear themselves to the reader, bantering and battling in a manner clearly inspired by the old Weird Tales; their interracial friendship (Trace is white and Boz is black) is well written. Though there’s a satisfying closure to Trace’s arc, this should be the start of many more Weird Western adventures.

Starred review from December 1, 2015

Jacob "Trace" Tracy and Boz, his African American partner, are looking for jobs to tide them over until they get hired for their usual work of guiding wagon trains West. Wealthy Miss Fairweather of St. Louis employs them for what looks like an easy task: retrieving a box from a nearby town. Miss Fair-weather didn't choose the duo by chance. She wants Trace for his ability to see the spirit world, a talent he has possessed (and hidden) since he was injured on the battlefield at Antietam. This first trip entangles Trace and Boz with the interests of a man of unusual talents and evil intent named Mereck, and even as Trace continues to take jobs for Miss Fairweather, Mereck's attentions grow more dangerous. VERDICT Combining well-wrought historical fiction with just the right amount of scenic details and horror with its tense atmosphere, Messinger's debut hits on a winning formula. The novel is structured almost like a serial, with different adventures and monsters in each section, but tied together by the friendship of Trace and Boz, and the continuing threats that the spirits pose for the relatively untrained Trace.--MM

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2015
Messinger successfully sets Catholic theology and the occult against an authentic Old West backdrop to create a richly detailed, suspenseful debut. Jacob Trace Tracy nearly died in the Civil War, but with his recovery came the ability to see and talk to the dead, a most unwelcome curse as far as he is concerned. The cowboy life suits him, since the dead are more bountiful in large cities, and he and his capable partner, Boz, make a living doing ranch work and guiding homesteaders out west. When Trace takes on a seemingly simple job to retrieve an item from nearby Missouri, he is unaware that his employer, an eccentric Englishwoman named Sabine Fairweather, knows about Trace's psychic abilities and has more than a passing interest in him. As the novel unfolds, Trace battles demonic beasts, spirits, and sundry other creatures, all the while trying to understand and control his own burgeoning powers. The indefatigable Boz is the perfect sidekick: at once supportive, chastising, and supremely protective (Trace and Boz squabble like an old married couple). Fans of horror and the Weird West will want more of Jacob Tracy, and while Messinger wraps up the ending nicely, there are plenty of dark forces lurking in the shadows suggesting that sequels could be in the offing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)