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It's easy to get in the mood for Halloween with so many great horror stories available to listen to this year. And in my opinion, it's always a more frightening experience to hear a good scary story rather than reading it in print. While it can be a challenge to find the best unnerving tales, Trucker Ghost Stories stands out because it claims to be a collection of true ghost stories.

Author and editor Annie Wilder is a firm believer in the supernatural and says that her own house is haunted. She hit upon the idea of collecting stories of unusual events from the nation's highways after recalling a ghost story she was told by a long haul trucker when she was a teenager.

Wilder asked for contributions from a variety of sources. On her web site she wrote, "I'm looking for true ghost stories, weird experiences, and legends of the road from truck drivers or those closely connected to the trucker world (married to a truck driver, work at a truck stop or diesel repair shop, etc."

The resulting collection of 54 stories attests to the fact that some strange things happen out on the road -- whether driving cross-country on an Interstate or down a narrow country road late at night. Most of the stories are told by truckers, although some are shared by regular motorists who had strange experiences while driving. Many of the stories are about ghosts or hauntings, but a few UFO experiences are also shared.

Because most of the stories were shared by people who are not writers, their narratives are rather straightforward and written in a "this is what happened to me" format. Narrators Tavia Gilbert and Peter Ganim bring their vocal talents to the unadorned narrative, giving the writing depth and personality. Each story lists the contributor's name, so Gilbert performs the stories shared by women while Ganim voices the men's contributions. At times, the narrators even use regional accents if the story mentions the city from where the writer hails. Both have pleasant voices and offer listeners an enjoyable listen.

You don't have to believe in ghosts or UFO's to enjoy these stories. Most are short -- between 2 and 5 minutes long -- and while some are rather standard fare, there are a few that gave me chills while listening. Some of my favorites were "The Bloody Bride Bridge" where the apparition of a bride killed in a car wreck haunts the site of her death; "Babe" describes the friendly haunting of a rig named Babe after a driver dies in the cab; and "Last Goodbye" relates an unexplained happening at the funeral for a trucker.

I've never seen a ghost or had anything I'd call paranormal happen to me. But it's obvious that the people telling these stories feel very strongly that they witnessed or felt something that defies logical explanation. Give a listen and see if you don't become more cautious and observant the next time you drive alone, late at night, down a lonesome stretch of highway.

Susan became a librarian many light years ago and has been reviewing books ever since. Audiobooks and graphic novels have expanded her quest to find the best science fiction in Libraryland.