Dark Siege: A Connecticut Family's Nightmare by Jason McLeod

Dark Siege #1

by Jason McLeod

You never know what can be lurking in the cemeteries you casually drive by. Such was the case in the Fall of 1993, when Linda McLaughlin and her innocent six-year-old daughter Kelly passed by Union Cemetery in Easton Connecticut. Kelly didn’t even know such spirits existed when an apparition materialized and tapped into her consciousness. Nothing could have prepared her for the suffocating terror that she would soon experience when it followed them home. The merciless spirit didn't stop with Kelly. It targeted each and every family member and their friends when they were alone and most vulnerable. Then it targeted the alpha of the family, the wealthy, Real Estate Broker father, who was a natural skeptic and the last person to believe in ghosts. In this tale of real haunting phenomena, a Connecticut Family is plagued by evil-natured human spirits and by inhuman, diabolical spirits who infest their home and oppress them. Will these evil spirits continue to haunt them or will the family find help in ridding them of this terror from beyond the grave?The book explains, in detail, the process of investigating a ‘haunted house’ and what can be done about it. It explains the dangers involved with the negative occult and how dabbling in it can summon darkness and ruin into our lives. Jason McLeod is a paranormal investigator, who has spent the last 25 years researching and writing about the activity that plagues people as well as helping individual families with the spirits who linger in their lives. He helps earthbound, human spirits come to terms with their plight and helps them to cross-over correctly--thereby ending the entire haunting altogether. He is the founder of the Northwest Society for Paranormal Research following in the footsteps of his friends and mentors--Ed and Lorraine Warren, the original ghost busters, bestselling authors, and movie consultants. Dark Siege is a 421 page novel in the vein of The Demonologist and The Haunted. But what makes Dark Siege unique is that it contains an addendum with chapter-by-chapter analysis where McLeod explains the paranormal through Quantum Physics, The Universal Laws of Attraction, Intention and Conscious Manifestation.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal

Paperback

First published October 31, 2012

About the author

JASON MCLEOD is a psychic paranormal investigator, spiritualist, and empath. He has spent the last 28 years helping individual families deal with both the human spirits who linger in their lives, and the inhuman spirits who seek to ruin them. His training and experience were influenced by his close personal friends and mentors, the late Ed Warren and his wife, Lorraine. The Warrens, best-selling authors and movie consultants, started the modern ghost hunting craze that thrives today.

McLeod presents engaging information on the subjects of Spirituality, Consciousness, Quantum Physics, Meditation, Metaphysics, Paranormal investigation, and Demonology at Paranormal Conventions, Spirituality Expositions, Church Events, New Age Events and on radio blog broadcasts throughout the world.

Reviews

[Jeanette Andromeda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I do want to say about this book straight off the bat is that it’s not fiction. Everything that takes place in this book is an account of what happened to a real family that Jason helped.

And that blows my mind.

Honestly, if I hadn’t met Jason myself I would have raised a skeptical eyebrow, but I believe him, and his resume (that isn’t the quite the right word, but I’m going with it anyway) speaks for itself. So yeah, I believe him. And yeah, I also believe that ghosts exist and there are malevolent things/energies/demons/whatever-you-want-to-call them out there that can cause some serious damage. I just wanted to put that out there while I was on the subject.

What’s amazing about this book? You don’t have to believe in any of it to enjoy the story.

If you just come to this book, looking for a frightening paranormal tale. Then you’re still going to enjoy the heck out of it. So, let’s get into why.

The Pacing

Don’t bother grabbing a cup of coffee to help you get to the action in this book, it starts right off the bat with the daughter of the family spotting a ghost and being flickeringly followed home. That scene sucks you right into the story. One second the spirit is a smudge in the distance, next thing you know it’s practically in the car. Terrifying classic horror movie reveals there.

After that initial reveal things slowly build up. The book is even sectioned off into several recognizable chunks

Infestation
Oppression and
Possession
And as the story progresses into each section the activity and violence escalates. First it’s an iron turning itself on, then it’s hordes of flies appearing out of nowhere, then engines that are entirely sabotaged, and people ending up in critical condition in the hospital. Seriously. Things go from bad to “Holy Sh**, did that thing seriously just fly across the room?!” It was beautiful.

In story form, anyway. In reality… Not so much.

What grounds all of these supernatural events is the family, and their reactions to it.

Everyone in this story, from the little girl talking to spirits to the skeptical but open-minded doctor in the hospital, everyone is incredibly well written. Now, having real people to base the characters on is one thing, but it takes some real craftsmanship to get a person’s personality to really shine through on the page, and I think that was done rather successfully in this book.

The stand out character is the teenage son and his struggle to try and protect his family. Although, some of his actions (like using a Ouija board in the house) actually made things worse. But I liked his earnestness and the genuine way he reacted to things. For example his reaction to every single wire in his car engine being pulled apart.

Knowledge Bombs

What I found surprising and really comforting about this book is at the end there’s a section called “Analysis” where Jason works through all of the events and explains why and how they happened. Now this is the part where people just looking for a good ghost story can tune out. But for the rest of us, there is some really helpful interesting information in there.

Jason goes over how to smudge your home to rid it of spirit, even leaving the full prayers they used in the text of the book. So, nestled in the pages of the story, and emphasized in the analysis section, is the information you need to protect yourself.

There was also one section where Jason talks about his belief when it comes to the soul and how it interacts with the universe. I found his way of looking at think incredibly comforting and it’s helped me deal with the deaths in my family that I have been dealing with. The brief version of his thoughts are that a soul kind of logs into the existence we are experiencing and follows exactly the path that it needs to get the most out of life while here. And when it’s done, it goes right back up into the ether of the universe to pick out it’s next existence. Yeah, it’s reincarnation, but the way he explains it made the concept so very approachable.

I absolutely loved this book and will happily recommend it to anyone and everyone. Except maybe small children… I wouldn’t recommend reading this to small children. But like, a 10 year old who’s starting to think horror’s cool and just might be tempted to mess with a spirit board? I’d read it to them. Because getting the ba-jesus scared out of you can make for some good life choices later on.

[Hester · Rating 1 out of 5]

You're not the only one Whitney! I wanna see them too.

This is the true story of the McLaughlin family and the horror they suffered at the hands of inhuman spirits that infested their home. I'm a big believer of ghosts and haunted houses, and I believe that there is some truth to this story but I'm not buying all of the claims documented by the author.

The family's horror began when mother Linda and youngest child Kelly drove by Union Cemetery, one of Connecticut's oldest and most haunted cemeteries, and a grumpy old ghost called Brock followed them home. He's a certified pedo bear approved ghost, he only followed them home because he liked Kelly. Bad news women, even after they die, you can't escape the unwanted advances of a pervert.

Brock gets angry because Kelly's older brother Tyler plays a mean trick on her to frighten her, so Brock plays a trick on Tyler and his friends to get back at them. At least I think that's what Brock the Ghost was trying to do. Tyler and his friends decide to buy an Ouija board to make contact, instead they open a gateway from hell to the family's home.

Along with the typical ghostly activity we get physical attacks at the home, attacks outside of the home, Linda's husband is possessed and becomes gravely ill. Medical science cannot save Linda's husband but a doctor of the paranormal named Vincent can.

According to the author, who was also one of the paranormal researches mind you, during the exorcism of papa McLaughlin all kinds of levitation, invisible physical attacks and even attacks by black flies took place. Someone was supposedly recording or taking pictures of said events, well where is the proof? I want that proof in my pudding. Another outrageous claim that lead to more skepticism is that during the exorcism at the church Vincent was viciously attacked by some demon in the McLaughlin basement and the demon left a bunch of teeth in his head. Vincent sent a tooth to be analyzed and it turned out the tooth belonged to a baby boar that was over 8,000 years old. I want to see those teeth. No video + no photos= It never happened.

For whatever reason McLeod chose to write this book in the style of really bad horror novel, not only that but there is too much giggling going on. Tyler and his two BFF are teenage boys and they giggle, a lot. I'm not now nor have I ever been a teenage boy, but what kind of teenage boy giggles? As a matter of fact too many people giggle or chuckle in this story. Why is there so much giggling and chuckling going on? Demonic infestation and possession are not situations ripe for humor and good times.

So did team McLaughlin win? We'll find out next time in Dark Siege II: Electric Boogaloo.

[Auth Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a paranormal investigator and haunts resolutionist of 36 years, I have an avid interest in this subject of course. I enjoyed this book for many reason, as it is a great read, an exciting story, and was not full of bad grammar and misspellings like I see in so many indie books these days. Jason and I have quite different ideas on some things as far as demons and possession go and I think this story probably was a bit enhanced for the book's chill factor, but.......... the analysis section of this book tells the tale that this man has a lot of knowledge and a great understanding of how hauntings work. Much like I do at my website he explains to the layman just how human nature and the actions we take contribute to, exacerbate and even help a haunting along. He does a great job in explaining the dynamic of the haunting and every step that was taken by both the spirit and the family members that led to the disaster at hand. I wish there were more investigators with this kind of understanding of the elements of a haunting. I read some of the other reviews and saw people complaining about or saying they did not read the analysis section of this book. That is a shame because there is so much valuable information in that section and frankly I enjoyed it as much as reading the story. Anyone can benefit from the things explained in that section, especially if they ever go through their own paranormal experience. It is my hope that Jason devotes his energies to helping and learning in the field and does not sell out to the commercial para craze as so many others have. I think he really does have a calling for this work, and if he stays his course, he will do some great work.

[Matthew Bielawa · Rating 4 out of 5]

McLeod's book is set up in two parts: the first part is a literary reenactment of supernatural events surrounding a family. The second part is an analytic examination (in his words, an analysis) of these events. The first part is written well and in a way that gets you interested in each of the family members and their experiences. That first chapter of the book was really exciting for me and drew me right into the family. The second part was for me very interesting to me, because I have not read as much in the way of studying demonic infestations. I like how it reads almost like a textbook (and I mean that in a GOOD way, where my eyes were opened to new ideas).

Can't wait to read the sequel!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky book! It is based on actual events. What the family went through with the paranormal events and how it escalated after they used a ouija board was very scary. You will definitely want to leave the lights on with this book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. So very scary. It kept me on the edge of the seat the whole time!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

This was a great book and is well written. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Seriously one of the best on this subject. I would definitely recommend it.

[Tara Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down! Met the author in Salem...and I should have bought the sequil too!

[Melissa Princessface · Rating 1 out of 5]

I truly want the time I spent reading this back.

[Kait Estrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers in this review!

I loved this book so much. I don’t scare easily and this one scared me. I met the author at Paracon last year. His books immediately caught my eye. I like reading true stories that happened to real people, and this is honestly hard to believe it happened to them. What happened to them was so horrific that I am sure they all needed therapy. There wasn’t one point in this book where I was bored. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read the second one. I’m hoping it’s as great as its predecessor.

[Corinne Stoops · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written portrayal of the preternatural terror unleashed on a family and their friends. A story of how what is perceived to be just a small child's imagination, turns out to be the family's unimaginable nightmare.

Within this story however, is also a serious message of how one should take great care when attempting to clear such entities from their homes and lives and how important it is to obtain specialized assistance.

The story and characters were developed in a logical and engaging manner that draws the reader into the story. The book was very difficult to put down once I began reading it. The amount of detail put into the story added to its depth and how immersed in the story I became.

[Marianne P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book at the CT Horror Fest 2016 after listening to the author's presentation. I also had an opportunity to chat with Mr. Mcleod while making my purchase. His explanations of the phenomena, what causes them, why they escalate and what can be done to prevent things like that from happening were all very down to earth and largely rooted in common sense. The book is based on one of his real cases.

The book is divided up into 2 parts, the story and the analysis.

The story is a great page turner! Anyone who loves the genre will love this story. A family haunted by an earthbound spirit and demonic entities at the same time, witnessed by close friends, investigators, demonologists, psychics, medical personnel & Roman Catholic clergy. Oh, the neighbor's dog also gets into the act. Even if one doesn't believe this story to be true, it is a great horror story.

The analysis section is a very detailed explanation of what is happening in each of the chapters of the story. What are the supernatural elements that are happening, why is something happening, what behavior on the part of the family & others could have made this better, what made this worse, etc. What did people do right, what did they get wrong?

Mr. Mcleod also includes some of his personal practices and prayers for keeping himself protected while doing the work that he does. His practices produce a positive, healthy personality which is key for a good life in general.

Enjoyed this book so much that I immediately began reading the sequel: Dark Siege: The Nightmare Returns.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Siege is a fictionalized retelling of an actual paranormal experience that haunted a Connecticut family. Readers have a choice with this novel, they can read it as a horror novel, or if interested, they can choose to read the author’s analysis at the end of the book- which delves deeper into the description and “rationale” behind the events.

I picked up this book after hearing Jason McLeod speak at a paranormal conference. It sounded interesting, and by the end of the first chapter, I was hooked. I quickly read the entire book, amazed at the horrors, the unbelievable claims, strange occurrences, and life threatening moments contained within. Though I am a paranormal investigator, I honestly must say, I hope I never see or experience anything like this!

I would strongly recommend this book to fans of horror, but also to those interested in the world of paranormal investigation, demonic oppression and possession, and exorcisms. It provides a true to life description to what can occur during these phenomena. Mr. McLeod also recommends several other books in the analysis section, ones that I am currently reading. According to Mr. McLeod’s webpage there is also a follow up book forthcoming- which I can’t wait to get a hold off!

[Rosalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is 100% nonfiction and definitely a great read. Jason's story of what happened to that family and the events leading up to the paranormal activities is very well written. I felt like I was there. One word of warning -- read this and his other book during the day. I couldn't read past twilight without feeling petrified.

I love that he added the second part of the book. The analysis is extremely helpful in learning about why some things happen and what not to do. Some things shouldn't be played with!

If there were more than five stars - I would definitely give this book more stars. :)

[Tracy Bloschichak · Rating 2 out of 5]

I truly feel the author missed his mark with the way in which he decided to share the story of the McLaughlin family's haunting. The characters fell flat and the dialogue - especially between the teenagers - was completely unbelievable. The "Analysis" chapters at the end of the book were definitely the strongest. Had the author done the entire book in that format, rather than creative non fiction story telling, I believe it would have done the McLaughin's story more justice. I will not be buying/reading the second Dark Siege book.

[Adairmoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written book, with insight on how terrifying things can be in the battle between good and evil. This is now on my list of books that I will recommend people to read before exploring the paranormal. This is something to be taken seriously and not just for a good scare. His analysis of the events at the back of the book was well done and his beliefs clearly articulated.

[laura doss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book!

In the beginning I wasn't certain If it would hold my interest, but by chapter 3 I was hooked! The Author centered around the family and not himself which was nice and kept with the true direction of the book, (just my opinion of course.) The analysis of each chapter was an additional enlightenment as well!

[Alec Stoops · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very enthralling, it really draws you in. The story line, haunting/possession, can be difficult to pull off really well without becoming cliche. Jason McLeod accomplishes this remarkably well, it is so realistic. If you are a fan of the haunting/possession genre then this book is a must read.

[Alicia Mckinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read absolutely phenomenal and for being from Connecticut absolutely scary and Real. Dark siege is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read in my whole entire life I currently just bought part two and cannot wait to get into it thank you Jason McLeod forgiving me and everyone else and opportunity to witness this true Horror.

[Cathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After meeting the author I knew I had to read his books. Based on a true story of a haunting and possession here in Ct I couldn't stopped reading. Even more fascinating was the follow up analysis provided at the end of the book.

[Lynne Levandowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional

this is an awesome book on the paranormal. I highly recommend it for anyone interested. I find it an informative and useful learning tool and resource for deliverance ministers and born again, Spirit filled Christians who want to learn more about the spirit world.

[Gypsy Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I was worried it wouldn’t hold my attention because the dialogue between the family was pretty corny, but by the 3rd chapter I couldn’t put it down. This book would be the perfect base for an extremely scary horror film. Heading to the library today to get the sequel. Can’t wait.

[Andrew Vozzella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great i loved it and cant express more.

[AJ Eckert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, and I like both the story and subsequent analysis, which sets the book apart from other horror novels. The author clearly put a lot of time and research into his work.

[ANG · Rating 5 out of 5]

📖 Book Review 📖
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TITLE: Dark Siege: A Connecticut Family’s Nightmare
AUTHOR: Jason McLeod
GENRE: Horror, Paranormal
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My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My Review:
I am a huge fan or horror and the paranormal genre. I do believe in spirits, and the supernatural. So, when I met Jason McLeod at a convention I was immediately intrigued, he’s very knowledgeable on the paranormal being that it’s been his career for over 28 years. Meeting him was impressive.
Reading his book was not any different, I was very impressed. The first thing to know is that this book is not fiction. Everything described in this book is an account of what happened to a real family that Jason helped in 1993. Even if you are skeptical the story itself is very interesting.
This book follows a family in Connecticut that begins to be experience paranormal activity, every chapter gets worse and worse. Until they finally find help in Jason and his Team. From the very beginning this book sucks you in and you do not want to put it down. Every member of the family has their own personal experience with the paranormal. Once Jason shows up and gets all accounts the story begins to make more sense.
Not only is this book a great story, but Jason does a fantastic job educating the audience on paranormal activities. There’s also some advice throughout the book on things to do, and things not to do if you ever experience any paranormal activities. We learn that demonic paranormal activities take place in three steps: Infestation, Oppression, and Possession. The book does a great job taking us through the family’s journey in this order.
My favorite part of the book was the end, Jason adds chapters of analysis after he’s done telling the story. The analysis chapter guide us back through the story but from a professional point of view. He explains how, and why these demonic behaviors happened. In these chapter Jason also gives us insight on other cases he’s worked on. My favorite cases were the ones he worked with Ed and Lorraine Warren. The names sound familiar? You may know them from the Conjuring movies.
If you’re interested in horror, and especially in the paranormal I HIGHLY recommend this book. It’s a great case and super insightful.

[Derek L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So basically...

I loved this book. The only major reason why I knocked down the rating is because McCleod does some peculiar things with quotation marks.

And at the end when he's analyzing the story, he has a transphobic comment. I'm sorry not sorry but gender identity confusion isn't demonic. It just isn't. However, the one and only comment he makes about gender identity isn't grounds to dismiss the book as a whole and I'm willing to give this a pass. I hope, after years after this was first published, the author realized he was wrong.

Loved the book but it feels careless in terms of punctuation. Will be reading the next one!

[Sarah Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave it two stars because I did get into the story. However, the writing is subpar. The dialogue between some of the characters is a little ridiculous and the entire book was LITTERED with typos. My dad bought this for me as a gift and it was $35. Quite frankly, I don’t think this book is worth $12, let alone the amount being charged.

[G. Edweird Cheese · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a perfect example of a good story ruined by a bad writer. Jason McLeod should have gotten a ghost writer to tell his tale. It would have been a lot better. Instead of a novel, it reads more like a report. Filled with terrible dialog, and typos galore, Dark Siege is just terriable.

[morgan madden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was incredibly horrifying! Knowing it was a true story made it even scarier. I met McLeod in person at a convention and I know that he was being genuine when talking about his experiences. This book could use a bit more editing as there were multiple spelling and grammatical errors.

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this years ago. I guess I never put it on my Goodreads. I just came across it now and thought about it.