About this book
What if a haunted castle needs not a ghost hunter, but someone brave enough to question its legends?
Warren Jarvis is a young Kentuckian with a good heart and little patience for surrendering to fear. When he meets Maria Theresa, a Spanish princess in danger, he sets out to help her. Her family is tied to an old castle in Spain, where a dark reputation and the legend of hidden treasure promise more than a simple rescue.
The Ghost Breaker by Charles Goddard and Paul Dickey carries Jarvis across the Atlantic into a world of stone castles, long memories and inherited dread. Mystery, romance and comedy keep the adventure moving. Beneath the excitement lies a sharper question: when old legends can protect a family or become weapons, how does a brave outsider know what to trust?
What you’ll discover
- Courage against inherited fear Follow a hero who takes ghosts seriously but refuses to bow before them.
- A princess in danger Meet Maria Theresa, whose family ties draw Jarvis toward a castle with a dark reputation.
- Across the Atlantic Travel from the United States to Spain, where old legends carry a threatening weight.
- The lure of treasure Explore a mystery that brings hidden riches and a supposedly haunted castle together.
- Dread with a smile Enjoy gothic atmosphere lightened by comedy, romance and a hero quick to act.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy swashbuckling romance, quick banter, hidden treasure and haunted castles. It suits listeners who like a sharp-tongued hero and a loyal sidekick.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Grief becomes an oath of revenge
- Rusty's loyalty makes the search possible
- A princess offers a new allegiance
- The escape carries a hidden burden
- A straight face defeats the truth
- Warren turns a trap around
- Living enemies wait beneath the haunting
- Honor means protecting the living
- Humor and nerve carry people forward
Who’s who
- Warren JarvisA Kentuckian and New York exporter who swears vengeance for his parents, then becomes the Princess's sworn vassal and a self-styled Ghost Breaker.
- Rusty SnowWarren's loyal servant from Meadow Green, quick-witted, always hungry, fearful of ghosts, and willing to follow his master anywhere.
- Maria TheresaThe Princess of Aragon, brave and proud, who seeks her missing brother and her grandfather's hidden fortune.
- Carlos, Duke of AlvaThe Princess's smooth, scheming cousin, who claims to love her and wants to keep Warren from the castle.
- Don RobledoA swaggering swordsman and bully in the Duke's service, who courts Dolores and frightens the villagers.
- DoloresPedro's daughter, sharp and spirited, who grieves for the missing Prince and secretly warns Warren of danger.
- Jim MarcumThe last of the Marcum line, who shoots Colonel Jarvis in the back and flees to New York.
- NitaThe Princess's devoted maid, who sees more than she says and guards her mistress's secrets.
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The Ghost Breaker
by Charles Goddard; Paul Dickey · 1915
A Kentuckian hides in a princess's trunk and sails for a haunted Spanish castle.
Easy read2–5 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Picture a man who has just fired the shot that ends a family feud. He slips into a stranger's hotel bedroom at two in the morning, with a bleeding hand and a revolver.
The Ghost Breaker at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 55 min2 h 20 min fast, 3 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 41,600 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1915by Charles Goddard; Paul Dickey
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A dying father hands down a feud
The book opens with hoofbeats at dusk. Warren Jarvis rides up to Meadow Green, his family's old Kentucky house, with his servant Rusty Snow close behind. He has come from New York in answer to his father's telegram. The lamps are out, and the maid Mandy is in tears.
Inside, Colonel Henderson Jarvis lies on a settee with a bullet wound in his back. Jim Marcum, the last man of a rival family, shot him from behind in the road. The shock of seeing her husband brought home wounded killed Warren's mother the night before.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1915
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 15 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Goddard, Charles, and Paul Dickey. The Ghost Breaker. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-ghost-breaker.
Goddard, C., & Dickey, P. (2026). The ghost breaker. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-ghost-breaker (Original work published 1915)
Goddard, Charles, and Paul Dickey. The Ghost Breaker. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-ghost-breaker.
@book{goddard2026ghost,
author = {Goddard, Charles and Dickey, Paul},
title = {The Ghost Breaker},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-ghost-breaker},
note = {First published 1915}
}
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What is The Ghost Breaker about?
It follows Kentuckian Warren Jarvis, who swears an oath to a Spanish princess while hiding after a New York duel. He sails to Spain to find her missing brother, a lost treasure and the truth about her haunted castle.
Who is the Ghost Breaker in the book?
Warren Jarvis gives himself the title on the ship, claiming to be a professional who chases spooks. It starts as a quick bluff to cover his purpose, and then it becomes the role he plays in Spain.
Who are Rusty Snow and the Duke of Alva?
Rusty is Warren's devoted servant from Meadow Green, who brings humor, appetite and cleverness. Carlos, Duke of Alva, is the Princess's smooth cousin, who says he loves her and keeps trying to stop Warren.
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