The Booze Barrel Pact: Book Thirteen (Ghost Town of SoreAss Creek - Whiskey Gulch 13)

Every haunting ends in a drinking contest — or at least it does in Whiskey Gulch.

When a cursed whiskey barrel rolls into town glowing like it’s been blessed and damned in the same breath, peace talks between the living and the dead collapse faster than a drunk preacher. The barrel never runs dry, never stops humming, and refuses to mind its own business. What starts as a truce toast turns into a full-blown contest between Team Living and Team Dead, and by midnight, the Gulch is knee-deep in laughter, liquor, and spectral chaos.

Jo McGraw just wanted a quiet evening and maybe one night without the ghosts bickering. Instead, she’s refereeing the afterlife’s rowdiest drinking duel while Grandma Mavis leads the living with a war cry and a whiskey bottle. Sheriff Zeke Hollerbrand’s ghostly deputies insist on enforcing “barrel law,” Peach Bellamy and Ophelia Devereaux take opposite sides out of pure spite, and the Boone twins bet their shirts, boots, and possibly souls on the outcome. Even the dogs try to help — right up until they get tipsy on ghost bourbon fumes.

The cursed barrel, however, has plans of its own. It sings, it glows, and sometimes it whispers names — especially Jo’s. Before the night is over, the laughter gives way to revelation. The barrel was forged long ago in Whiskey Gulch’s founding days, tied to Jo’s bloodline and the original McGraw pact — a deal that blurred the line between spirits poured and spirits bound. Breaking it might end the curse… or end the town itself.

By dawn, the saloon is wrecked, the whiskey’s still flowing, and the ghosts are sleeping it off in the rafters. Grandma Mavis declares victory on behalf of “whoever’s still standing,” and Zeke swears the next peace meeting will involve fewer explosions. But Jo knows something deeper has shifted. The barrel’s glow isn’t gone — just quieter — and the Gulch hums like it’s holding its breath.

In The Booze Barrel Pact, Trudy Myrland serves another wickedly funny, whiskey-soaked tale of chaos, charm, and redemption from beyond the grave. The laughter hits hard, the dialogue snaps like a bar fight, and the heartache sneaks in like a song you didn’t mean to feel. Between the curse, the comedy, and a few too many confessions, this thirteenth trip into Whiskey Gulch proves one thing for certain — love doesn’t die, it just gets louder.

Why You’ll Love This Book

1. Because Whiskey Gulch feels like home. A ghost town where the coffee’s strong, the whiskey’s stronger, and the residents—living or otherwise—never quite behave.
2. Because laughter outlasts death. Every page blends humor and heart, reminding you that even in chaos, joy always finds its way back to the table.
3. Because Grandma Mavis still runs the show. Equal parts holy terror and national treasure, she’s the spiritual leader no exorcism could ever tame.
4. Because romance gets complicated when one side doesn’t breathe. Jo McGraw’s heart still beats for the living—but the dead have impeccable timing and terrible boundaries.
5. Because the ghosts of Whiskey Gulch don’t believe in quiet endings. Every argument ends in a toast, every curse has a punchline, and every story burns a little brighter when whiskey’s involved.
6. Because Trudy Myrland writes what she knows. Laughter, loyalty, and love that refuses to quit — even when the lights flicker and someone swears the barrel just winked.