Bistro Bookers
Next meeting: February 10, 2026
Book title: The Phantom of Forest Lawn: Romance and Redemption in the City of the Dead
Author: Robert Brighton
Discussed by: Jennifer Kovach (Executive Administrative Assistant, Forest Lawn Cemetery Group; Research Assistant to author Robert Brighton)
Book summary from the publisher:
Smuggler King George Eberly faces a dilemma—his shipments of whiskey, opium, and French photographs are being intercepted somewhere near the sprawling Forest Lawn Cemetery. And neither he nor his most trusted henchmen can devise a solution.
Until, that is, young Mary Carkriff arrives from Canada, eager to seek her fortune in the big city. George is immediately drawn to Mary—and to her expertise with codes and ciphers—and the new arrival soon becomes his indispensable First Mate.
Meanwhile, heiress Georgia Moffatt and her devoted right-hand man Christian Schamber watch powerlessly as the land that was once the Moffatt Orchards is slowly eaten up, an acre at a time, by progress—and profit.
Before long, a much bigger problem confronts both couples, when a band of resurrectionists—men who disinter freshly buried corpses to sell to medical schools—sets up operations in Forest Lawn. And they will stop at nothing, including murder, to achieve their unholy aim.
Soon nothing is safe in Forest Lawn—not even its dead—and these four unlikely friends are set on a collision course with ghouls for whom nothing is sacred.
The Phantom of Forest Lawn will keep you guessing until its unforgettable ending in this eternal story with mystery, romance, and a bit of humor that is “in a league of its own.”
Event details
Date and time: Tuesday, February 10 @ 4:00 pm
Venue: Amherst Center for Senior Services (370 John James Audubon Parkway, Amherst, NY 14228)
Suggested donation of $2 per person is greatly appreciated. Your donation helps Bistro Bookers to continue to hold these reviews and donate back to our community literacy programs. Your donation also allows us to purchase the featured book if necessary and give the reviewer a gift for their time.
You MUST reserve your seat by 3:00 pm on Friday, February 6 for this event by calling 716-636-3051 and providing your name and phone number. If you call to reserve for more than one person, you must provide each person’s name and phone number.
Coming up
No review in January
Tuesday, March 10: I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine by Daniel J. Levitin, reviewed by Kailea Lalka (Education Program Manager, Alzheimer’s Association WNY Chapter)
Tuesday, April 14: Cyrenius Chapin: Buffalo’s First Physician and War of 1812 Hero by Thomas C. Rosenthal, reviewed by the author
Tuesday, May 19: Double feature of The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery and Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, both reviewed by Carol Ann Sackett
See you at the next review!