Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite

Every ghost story starts somewhere, but seeking the truth behind one isn’t always easy. In The Woman Who Weeps Along the Creek by Anthony Pond, a freelance journalist hopes to write a Halloween article with a local connection. He chooses the legend of La Llorona, a woman whose spirit is believed to roam Trabuco Creek not far from Mission San Juan Capistrano. According to the tale, she’s searching for the children she supposedly killed long ago. At the archives, he learns about an Indigenous resident named Magdalena who may have inspired the local lore. He also speaks with people who have lived in the area for decades. Their versions don’t match. Some consider La Llorona nothing more than an old superstition, but others remember strange cries coming from near the water. The reporter eventually heads into the streambed with his camera to investigate for himself. What will he find there once darkness begins to fall?

The Woman Who Weeps Along the Creek by Anthony Pond drew me in with its mix of folklore, history, and mystery. The cover is also quite haunting (in the best way). I liked how each person shared a slightly different account of La Llorona’s story. The differences felt believable since details tend to change when they’re repeated for decades. I also found myself wondering who gets to preserve the past and how much disappears before anyone writes it down. Pond’s descriptions are creepy without pushing the horror too far. I could picture the Mission, the shadowy creek, and the horses reacting to something they couldn’t see. The pace is steady at first, but it picks up once the journalist decides to search for answers himself. Edgar Allan Poe wrote, “Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.” That quote suits this tale because the reporter must decide what evidence, memories, and experiences he can trust. Anyone who enjoys ghost lore, local history, and short mysteries with an unsettling edge should pick this one up.