Review of Albert E. Cowdrey's "Asylum"

"Asylum" is a ghost story of about 8,000 words that appears in the current (May/June 2012) issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine.  I felt like I was reading Neil Gaiman and hope that it is obvious that I mean this as a compliment.  The protagonist, Willy, is a lovable loser in his early twenties who finally gets the chance to live his dream of becoming a full-time ghost hunter in New Orleans when he receives an inheritance from his aunt.  It is not a scary ghost story, but rather one that speculates on the question of what happens on the "other side."  Mr. Cowdrey's tale is uplifting, entertaining, and even a little bit thought-provoking.