Ghost Hunters of New England

by Alan Brown

Readers tag along with the author and ghost hunters on exciting and frightening investigations of places throughout New England, in a collection of fascinating, startling, and sometimes humorous accounts of ghosts, hauntings, and other supernatural phenomena. Original.

166 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2008

Reviews

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the same qualifications apply to this book as to the last one I reviewed. Like at least some other open minded ex-academics, I wonder about ghosts. I also want non-biased information about Ed and Lorraine Warren. I was directed to this book as a source by an academic author that dealt with the Warrens. It does, but it doesn't add much beyond what you can get from reading their own ghost-written books.

So, what is this book (instead of what it isn't)? It is a catalogue of ghost hunting organizations in New England. The television show Ghost Hunters propelled such groups into public consciousness, and many, following Jason and Grant, believe they are using "science" to prove ghosts. Others care less about this than about helping people who live in haunted houses. Now that's cool. Science, however, does not deal with the supernatural for a reason. No amount of tech will equal science. But I digress.

Some of these groups are interesting, while others are garden variety ghost chasers. The writing is lackluster. The groups responded to the same set of questions and each vignette begins quickly to feel like it's formulaic. Some of the websites listed have disappeared, and probably some of the groups have disbanded after Ghost Hunters left SyFy. Will the reader learn something? Most likely, yes. Will it be helpful? Probably not. I wrote about this book on my blog (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) but nobody commented on it or "liked" it. I suspect the book didn't get much circulation. If better planned it could have been somewhat intriguing.

[q-bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

borrowed from the library, need to pick up again. Got through the Connecticut chapters of the book :0)

EDIT: Read through the book! Ghost Hunters of New England is filled with direct stories from ghost hunting groups across New England. Not a page turner, but a good list of groups and information to reference for those interested!

[Mandy Huot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very helpful and interesting read. I liked how every interview followed a similar format, and the web addresses were given for each group. Very interesting read, glad I came across it in the library.