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Wicked Strange: Your Guide to Ghosts, Monsters, Oddities, and Urban Legends from New England
Go legend hunting with explorer of the unexplained Jeff Belanger, visiting haunted places, where monsters lurk, and other roadside oddities.
“Legends have always run deep in New England—thankfully, Jeff Belanger is here to uncover them and bring them to life. This collection of mysteries, secrets, and folklore from America’s birthplace is as illuminating as it is fascinating.” —Josh Gates, explorer, host of Discovery’s Expedition Unknown
Wicked Strange is a journey and a celebration of all the things that make New England like no other place on earth. In a time when so much of the world is becoming homogenized—as big-box stores and chain restaurants move in and so many communities lose their identity—we still have these legends. They belong to specific towns and streets. These are stories locals will share with you . . . if they trust you.
This travel guide takes readers on a journey to the strange and frequently unseen world that is often right under their noses. Covering numerous haunted places, environs where mysterious creatures have been spotted, areas where unusual events have happened, eccentric locals, and roadside oddities to explore, noted expert of the strange Jeff Belanger is your guide to all that’s local and strange. Haunted locations from all over New England are The Haunting of Conimicut Lighthouse—Warwick, Rhode Island Maine’s Sistine Chapel—South Solon, Maine Edith Wharton’s Haunted Mansion, The Mount—Lenox, Massachusetts Emily’s Haunted Bridge—Stowe, Vermont The Sleeping Giant—Hamden, Connecticut The Haunted Mt. Washington Hotel—Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
New England is also full of monsters and devils that lurk in the woods, lakes, and seas. Explored are some of the best known and most obscure, including Lake Champlain’s Champ; the Cumberland Vampire of Rhode Island; Gloucester’s Sea Serpent; the Black Dog of West Peak in Meriden, Connecticut; and the Flying Moose of Maine.
Also covered are unusual events, such as UFO sightings (Connecticut’s UFO crash at Bantam Lake / Betty and Barney Hill’s UFO experience), and roadside oddities, such as the World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet (Burlington, VT), Boston’s Big Steaming Tea Kettle, and the literal Fork in the Road of Westport, MA. Wicked Strange takes you off the beaten path, revealing a hidden world right under your nose. Come journey through the towns, hamlets, and hills that hide the strangest of history. Uncover the wickedly strange.
“Legends have always run deep in New England—thankfully, Jeff Belanger is here to uncover them and bring them to life. This collection of mysteries, secrets, and folklore from America’s birthplace is as illuminating as it is fascinating.” —Josh Gates, explorer, host of Discovery’s Expedition Unknown
Wicked Strange is a journey and a celebration of all the things that make New England like no other place on earth. In a time when so much of the world is becoming homogenized—as big-box stores and chain restaurants move in and so many communities lose their identity—we still have these legends. They belong to specific towns and streets. These are stories locals will share with you . . . if they trust you.
This travel guide takes readers on a journey to the strange and frequently unseen world that is often right under their noses. Covering numerous haunted places, environs where mysterious creatures have been spotted, areas where unusual events have happened, eccentric locals, and roadside oddities to explore, noted expert of the strange Jeff Belanger is your guide to all that’s local and strange. Haunted locations from all over New England are The Haunting of Conimicut Lighthouse—Warwick, Rhode Island Maine’s Sistine Chapel—South Solon, Maine Edith Wharton’s Haunted Mansion, The Mount—Lenox, Massachusetts Emily’s Haunted Bridge—Stowe, Vermont The Sleeping Giant—Hamden, Connecticut The Haunted Mt. Washington Hotel—Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
New England is also full of monsters and devils that lurk in the woods, lakes, and seas. Explored are some of the best known and most obscure, including Lake Champlain’s Champ; the Cumberland Vampire of Rhode Island; Gloucester’s Sea Serpent; the Black Dog of West Peak in Meriden, Connecticut; and the Flying Moose of Maine.
Also covered are unusual events, such as UFO sightings (Connecticut’s UFO crash at Bantam Lake / Betty and Barney Hill’s UFO experience), and roadside oddities, such as the World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet (Burlington, VT), Boston’s Big Steaming Tea Kettle, and the literal Fork in the Road of Westport, MA. Wicked Strange takes you off the beaten path, revealing a hidden world right under your nose. Come journey through the towns, hamlets, and hills that hide the strangest of history. Uncover the wickedly strange.
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 2, 2025
7 people are currently reading
3747 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Belanger
49 books131 followersJeff Belanger is one of the most visible and prolific researchers of folklore and legends today. A natural storyteller, he’s the award-winning, Emmy-nominated host, writer, and producer of the New England Legends series on PBS and Amazon Prime, and is the author of over a dozen books (published in six languages). He also hosts the New England Legends weekly podcast, which has garnered over 5 million downloads since it was launched.
Always one for chasing adventures, Jeff has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, he’s explored the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, he’s searched the catacombs of Paris, France (where he encountered his first ghost), he faced his life-long struggle with basophobia on his birthday by going skydiving, and he’s been ghost hunting all over the world from a former TB asylum in Kentucky, to medieval castles in Europe, to an abandoned prison in Australia.
Jeff got his start as a journalist in 1997, where he learned how to connect with people from all walks of life. For his work, he’s interviewed thousands of people about their encounters with the profound.
His books include the best sellers: The Call of Kilimanjaro, The World’s Most Haunted Places, Weird Massachusetts, Our Haunted Lives, and Who’s Haunting the White House?. He’s a noted speaker and media personality. He’s spoken at MENSA’s national conference, has given a prestigious TEDx talk in New York City, and provides dozens of live lectures and programs to audiences each year.
Belanger has written for newspapers like The Boston Globe and USA Today, and has served as the writer and researcher on numerous television series including every single episode of Ghost Adventures (25 seasons and counting), Paranormal Challenge, and Aftershocks on the Travel Channel, and Amish Haunting on Destination America. He’s been a guest on hundreds of radio and television networks and programs including: The History Channel, The Travel Channel, Biography Channel, Reelz, PBS, NECN, Living TV (UK), Sunrise 7 (Australia), Bell (Canada), The Maury Show, The CBS News Early Show, CBS Sunday Morning, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates, National Public Radio, The BBC, Darkness Radio, Australian Radio Network, and Coast to Coast AM.
Always one for chasing adventures, Jeff has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, he’s explored the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, he’s searched the catacombs of Paris, France (where he encountered his first ghost), he faced his life-long struggle with basophobia on his birthday by going skydiving, and he’s been ghost hunting all over the world from a former TB asylum in Kentucky, to medieval castles in Europe, to an abandoned prison in Australia.
Jeff got his start as a journalist in 1997, where he learned how to connect with people from all walks of life. For his work, he’s interviewed thousands of people about their encounters with the profound.
His books include the best sellers: The Call of Kilimanjaro, The World’s Most Haunted Places, Weird Massachusetts, Our Haunted Lives, and Who’s Haunting the White House?. He’s a noted speaker and media personality. He’s spoken at MENSA’s national conference, has given a prestigious TEDx talk in New York City, and provides dozens of live lectures and programs to audiences each year.
Belanger has written for newspapers like The Boston Globe and USA Today, and has served as the writer and researcher on numerous television series including every single episode of Ghost Adventures (25 seasons and counting), Paranormal Challenge, and Aftershocks on the Travel Channel, and Amish Haunting on Destination America. He’s been a guest on hundreds of radio and television networks and programs including: The History Channel, The Travel Channel, Biography Channel, Reelz, PBS, NECN, Living TV (UK), Sunrise 7 (Australia), Bell (Canada), The Maury Show, The CBS News Early Show, CBS Sunday Morning, FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates, National Public Radio, The BBC, Darkness Radio, Australian Radio Network, and Coast to Coast AM.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 9, 2025
beautiful pictures and fun stories about places you can still visit today
October 12, 2025
This book is a delight! Frank Grace's stunning photos are the perfect match for Jeff Belanger's beautifully researched stories. Together, they've conjured a magical mix of both familiar and lesser-known oddities, haunts, and legends. Belanger also incorporates primary sources, which makes this history nerd very happy. The stories are bite-sized, so you can devour a legend or two in just a few minutes when reading time is scarce. There's something for everyone here!
October 12, 2025
Loved it. Read a lot of Jeff’s books over the years and he usually nails it. If you like paranormal stuff then you can’t really go wrong. This one is definitely worth checking out
October 28, 2025
It was a good read.
December 14, 2025
Cute, fun book about New England legends.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews