As the American Revolution comes to an end and a new country is born, Peder Crayne is mourning the sons he lost in the war. And then, with no warning, one of those sons returns despite having been listed as dead. But did George Crayne really survive the war, or is something much darker – and much more terrifying – behind his appearance?

As George tries to settle back into his old life, he finds that he's suffering from a series of increasingly violent memories. His wife starts to doubt whether he's the same man who left several years earlier. And soon even George begins to question just how he managed to survive near-certain death in battle.

Soon the entire town is under threat, and the terrified locals become convinced that George has somehow brought them bad luck. Is the injured, disfigured man really George Crayne? If not, who is he? And if somehow he really is George, then how did he survive the battle – and why does he remember dying?

1783 is the fifth book in the Haunting of Crayne House series, about the haunting of a single house over many centuries. Readers are advised to start with the first book in the series.

First published: October 2026
Genre: Horror
Series or Standalone: Book 5 of 13