Ralestone Luck by Andre Norton

Ralestone Luck opens on the proud, impoverished Ralestone siblings—Ricky, Val, and Rupert—as they return to Pirate's Haven, their long-neglected ancestral home in Louisiana. Beneath their dry wit and family banter lies real desperation: the crumbling estate, the empty niche where the family's lost "Luck" once hung, and the burden of preserving a fading legacy. The gray stone house, with its diamond-paned windows, pirate history, and rumored ghost in the Long Hall, feels both like a refuge and a challenge, especially as storms gather and old legends stir. As the siblings settle into the decaying mansion, they divide chores, count their dwindling funds, and confront the strange pull of inheritance, curses, and hidden secrets. Rupert's steadiness, Ricky's romantic daring, and Val's sardonic resolve give the story its lively center, while a stray cat named Satan, a faceless figure in the shadows, and whispers of voodoo and bayou lore deepen the atmosphere. When rival claimants threaten the estate and legal pressure mounts, the family's fight for Pirate's Haven becomes a battle of pride, identity, and belonging. The mystery sharpens when Creighton reveals that Jeems, not the apparent pretender, is the true Ralestone heir, turning the struggle for the house into a far stranger adventure than a simple property dispute. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.