The Haunted Heart of America: In-Depth Investigations of the Villisca Ax Murder House, Myrtles Plantation & Other Frightful Sites

by Logan Corelli

An ironing board jumps off the wall and flies straight toward an investigator's head at the famous Villisca Axe Murder House. Shadow figures rise out of the ground and run between the gravestones of a haunted cemetery. The mischievous spirit of a deceased child pulls the blankets off an investigator, humming a song from the other side the whole time.

Featuring investigations of famous paranormal hotspots like Waverly Hills, Myrtles Plantation, and The St. James Hotel--as well as many lesser-known though equally fascinating locations--this riveting book details years of creepy stories, hair-raising experiences, and intriguing physical evidence from one of the heartland's most experienced investigators.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, History, Horror

218 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2018

Reviews

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between you and I, I thought Peter Venkman was telling a furphy when he said he had a PhD in parapsychology, but that’s the exact qualification the author has. I knew from watching American TV growing up that American colleges and universities have much more interesting subjects than we do in Australia, but parapsychology? I definitely would have studied at least one subject in that field if it had been on offer.

So, besides his PhD in parapsychology, the author has a doctorate in metaphysics and is also an ordained reverend (yes, his bio confirms he’s performed exorcisms, although there are none in this book).

This books provides some basic historical background for some well known American haunted locations, including Waverly Hills Sanitarium and the Myrtle Plantation. Then the author gives their impressions of each time they’ve investigated them.

If you were to ask me if I’m a Mulder or Scully, I’d tell you I’m both. I want to believe but I also want the science to back it up. Considering that to label something paranormal means that current scientific knowledge doesn’t have an answer for it, I’m fully aware that I want to have my cake and eat it too, but I’m okay with that.

Without fail, I wanted to scream, ‘Have you not studied Horror 101?’ every time the group of investigators decided to split up. I also may have groaned each time someone got an impression, a “feeling of unease” or “a strange sensation”.

I got a playful, innocent feeling at times and a scared, threatened feeling at others.

Vibes weren’t exactly the kind of evidence I was looking for.

Speaking of evidence, there were some times the author said they recorded voices and said what they heard. At other times, though, it was claimed they recorded … something, but never specified what. Then there were the times someone heard a voice but no one else did, or someone heard a voice but it wasn’t picked up by the recorder. I would have loved to have been given a link so I could listen to these recordings myself.

There were some photographs included in the book that were said to be showing a ghostly face or other spooky occurrences. The quality of the photos in the copy of the book I read weren’t good enough for me to decide one way or the other. The photo I most wanted to see but was not included was the one that showed a disembodied eye.

I never felt like I knew anything significant about any of the other investigators. Most were only introduced by name, although some of the early introductions included a brief description. We had an “experienced and innovative” investigator and a “mysterious” one, but “talented” Michelle was also “the most beautiful investigator I had met at the time”. I didn’t know whether to be offended on Michelle’s behalf for having a label attached to her that had nothing to do with her skills. I also wondered, yet at the same time didn’t care, who now holds the title of most beautiful as it’s implied Michelle has been demoted.

I did appreciate that the author was willing to say that at times nothing happened or, if something did happen, there was no way to prove that it was supernatural. The writing style, though, was very dry. There was a lot of ‘this happened, then this happened, then this happened and then we went to bed’. The emotion that you’d expect to accompany occurrences like feeling someone was tugging on your shirt or voices coming from nowhere weren’t evident in the writing.

It was frustrating when the author said they saw or heard something significant but they didn’t have any equipment with them to record it, or when they witnessed something while in a group but decided for whatever reason not to mention it to anyone at the time.

If it was me, I’d be asking everyone around me if they saw or heard it too. I’d want the confirmation that I wasn’t hallucinating. I’d also want someone to freak out with. Believe me, if I ever witness something supernatural, no one will be able to accuse me of being casual about the experience.

Because everything was written in such a matter of fact way, it was difficult to become invested in each suspected haunting. At no time was I caught up in the atmosphere, so I was comfortable reading late at night in the dark. I never felt the need to look over my shoulder or turn the lights on.

Content warnings include mention of death by suicide.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications for the opportunity to read this book.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'm torn with this one. There's lots of cool things in this book and the story itself is great but the writing isn't the best. Also... it reads very clunky and almost in a way, like a textbook and that is just boring. There were some investigations that could've been left out and I felt more details would've been better in others. Overall, this isn't a bad book, it's just not my cup of tea.

*Thanks to NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review*

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book about paranormal experiences the author had while doing paranormal investigations with his team. The experiences are his own and some of the descriptions sent chills up my spine. I enjoyed the book a lot and would like to read more by this author on his more current investigations.
Pub Date 08 Apr 2018
I was given a complimentary copy by Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Figgy]

Review to come.

In the meantime...

Corelli feels like an open and honest reporter of events, and at times this means a whole investigation might go by with very little worth mentioning.

This book did, at times, have me checking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being watched by something otherworldly, but at other times I had to push through because it could be a little less than thrilling. Part of this problem was caused by the feeling that these are just the author's notes from the time of investigation... more akin to a report for one's own memory than an anecdote or recounting for events for those not present at the time.

The writing was at times rather clunky and wooden, and someone definitely needed to edit this book more thoroughly. There were SO MANY grammatical and spelling errors, but also WAY too many instances of the reader being given too much information where it wasn't needed, and other information was not given any context for readers who were not there at the time of the investigation.

I'm also not sure this lives up to its sub-heading of "In-Depth Investigations" as each felt like a brief rundown rather than an in-depth exploration... especially as some of these locations warranted only one or two visits (including one of the famous locations named in the title).

Despite the issues, I did enjoy this one, and I definitely appreciated Logan's seemingly very honest and not over-sensationalised as in some other paranormal books.

But can I just ask... why were there no investigations in this book beyond about 2008? Is this in an effort to seal a second book-deal?

*shrug* I'd probably read a second book.

[Bookish_predator · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmmm, recently I've been reading more about hauntings and supernatural occurrences so when I came across this on NetGalley and was approved for a copy I was very excited, I want to know more about this sort of thing and the experiences that people have and when I read that it's going to be a creepy read with hair-raising experiences, I believe that I'm gonna get just that. Sadly it was not to be.

It just wasn't for me, I found it too slow and boring in parts and was happy when I'd finished reading it.

Sorry.

*Huge thanks to Logan Corelli, Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of issues here. Full review to come.

+++++++++++

That cover though...

I was perusing NetGalley and once I saw this cover, I had to have it. I was also drawn to it because of the subtitle referring to Villisca. I've been to that house and can confirm 100% it is haunted. I am always interested in reading about the experiences of others who have ventured there. I visited during the day and it was creepy AF. I can't imagine what it would be like to spend the night.

The problem with this book though...is almost everything else. The subtitle itself is a bit misleading. Many of the investigations are not in-depth, and I feel like the Myrtles Plantation was placed on the cover to catch peoples' attention because it is so well-known. There was hardly more than few paragraphs about it, and not much evidence collected. That was the issue with a lot of the places the author discussed. There were some investigations he could have left out of the book entirely. I understand he likely included some of those places to show that not every investigation will yield evidence, but there were so many that it was repetitive and unnecessary.

Check out the rest of my review on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Argh, this was an awkward one for me! As soon as I saw it on Netgalley, I couldn't click request now fast enough (thank you so much for quickly agreeing to me reading this book, it was much appreciated Netgalley/the Publisher) however, once I got into it I had a few issues.

The first is the clunky writing. I did this. Then we did this. This happened. It's not really BAD writing per se, it was just hard to read. I'm kind of odd in my choice of writing; overly flowery and I'm turned off, simple and I'm itching for a thesaurus just to break it up. Essentially the point of the stories got through, but the execution could do with some work.

Also for a book about ghosts and hauntings that leaned towards there is definitely something out there, I felt like there were a few too many 'we did this but nothing happened' moments. I guess it makes the stories more real, but it wasn't very exciting most of the time. There were definitely a few really good accounts there, and I got shivery through some of them, but not all of them were as good.

All in all I felt like this was a good subject for a book and I learned about many mysterious places in America. Generally I like these kinds of books, and mostly I read Australian haunting stories, so the difference and newness was refreshing. I think perhaps it could do with some tweaking; maybe in later editions after this is published next year. Three stars

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the views of a paranormal investigator. The author didn't try and persuade you to believe in the paranormal, he just wrote about his experiences with the unexplained. The notes on the places he has been and the things that happened to him and his teams are very interesting. The author also gives some of the history of the places which is nice to have. Over all this book was very interesting and enjoyable.

[Rebecca Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Logan Corelli’s The Haunted Heart of America: In-Depth Investigations of the Villisca Ax Murder House, Myrtles Plantation & Other Frightful Sites is a good and quick read about the author’s paranormal investigations in both familiar and little-known haunted locations across America. If you’re a fan of the paranormal, you probably will enjoy this book because it gives some new and exciting experiences. However, if you don’t have prior knowledge of the paranormal, the book can be confusing because the author uses specific lingo which he rarely explains. Although I like the book, I wish the writing was more cohesive because the style bogs down the book.

I like that each chapter is subdivided into investigations and ends with a summary of Corelli’s final thoughts on the location. I also really like that he focuses on well-known locations like the Waverly Hills Sanatorium as well as lesser known places like the Arapaho Cemetery in Oklahoma. I also appreciate that he includes when paranormal incidents do not happen, and this makes his sometimes spine-chilling experiences more plausible.

However, Corelli’s writing style needs work. It is sometimes so choppy that it can detract from the reading experience. Additionally, he provides insufficient history on many of these haunted locations. I don’t need excessive descriptions, but more background information would have made his experiences more interesting. Additionally, some of the chapters seem incomplete and it’s like reading an outline instead of an actual chapter. Furthermore, I really would have liked Corelli to spend some time introducing and reminding readers about the members of his paranormal team. Many times, he simply lists the people with him on his investigations and I often have no idea who these people are.

If you like reading about paranormal investigations, this is a decent book. However, if you are just getting into the paranormal, I don’t think this is the book for you. Because of the lack of historical background on the haunted locations as well as the minimal explanation about paranormal lingo and equipment, this book seems more for seasoned readers. If Corelli improves his writing style and provides more detailed description and historical information, I will definitely read more of his work because his experiences are interesting and sometimes spooky.

Thank you to Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating: 2 out of 5 stars, it was okay.

I love ghost stories and paranormal shows on TV. I didn't love this book though. The locations were interesting, but the writing wasn't. And I was completely turned off by some of the author's comments, especially in his first paragraph about their Waverly Hills investigation, "...and the talented Michelle (who was the most beautiful investigator I had met at the time)." Seriously?! I did a mental double-take. Absolutely unnecessary to comment on someone's appearance!

I struggled to get through the rest of the book, only plowing through the Villisca Axe Murder House & the Myrtles Plantation (The Myrtles actually tripped a pet peeve of mine, presenting Folklore as fact.) because both locations are fascinating to me, but they didn't really contain anything new.

I did like the fact that Corelli was up front about one ghost hunting trend, the pay to play locations. This is a good thing, so we can all look at any "evidence" a little more skeptically, since it's in the locations' best interest to be haunted.

All in all, the writing didn't really draw me in, and I didn't really feel like the book added any new information or evidence of the paranormal. It certainly didn't feel "In-Depth."

*I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

[Arkrayder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from NetGalley and Llewelyn Publications in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you! 😀

I generally read paranormal type books to learn a little about the history of whatever particular country or area the account is concerned with. So I like it when a well researched history of the particular haunt is included before the account of the investigation. To me it adds credence to the author. They’ve spent their time learning about their intended paranormal investigation site and know the recorded history of the site and any tales which are associated with it. It also gives the reader a baseline to start from. There’s none of that in this book. The writing is clunky and random names are dropped into the narrative as if the reader should already know who the members of the paranormal team are already. A little background on each would be nice. Also not much seems to happen in these investigations, nine times out of ten the author relates that a question was asked or an experiment was carried out with no result. The book reads like a raw outline of what should be a more detailed, scientifically based book. Disappointing.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book received from Goodreads Giveaways.

I loved this book even though many of the places mentioned were ones that I have read about multiple times. The book focuses on the investigations this author did both on his own and as a part of a paranormal group. He was very truthful, if nothing happened he so, if something went utterly wrong with the investigators, he mentioned that as well, and if he believed he caught something paranormal he went into quite a bit of detail on how he investigated those happenings. I know that most places that are supposedly haunted have been investigated ad nauseam by just about every paranormal group out there including the ones with their television shows. So for those who enjoy this type of book, they can get boring, however, there are enough new places mentioned that it kept me entertained and made it enjoyable. I do suggest reading this book if you're a fan of the genre, especially for a spooky October read.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

At the time of this review, I'm only 85 pages in, but I don't think there's anything that will change my mind about what I think of this book. I'm gonna attempt to finish this book, but my god, it's a slog.

The biggest flaw about this book is its tone and writing style. When one goes to read about hauntings and potentially scary locations/events, you'd expect the author to provide some intrigue, yes? Well there's none of that. Absolutely no personality and even a lack of personal reflection when it comes to describing the events. Corelli had said that this book was "not an official report or case log, but simply my own personal diary of each location" in the introduction, (which was a section that was actually engaging!), so I had expected some sort of individuality. That was not the case. The book reads dryer than a desert. I had more fun reading Wikipedia pages and articles about the locations than his own personal accounts.

And I had no attachment to any of the people he traveled with or visited a site with. His descriptions of them were pretty much non-existent or superfluous (e.g. describing a woman as "the most beautiful investigator I had met at the time" as her only attribute). This trend was also present in everything he described - I didn't feel immersed in the story of the locations he visited so I looked for additional information online. I had no real picture of what these places looked like, so again, I'd turn to the internet for more context.

Corelli also does a piss poor job describing his own emotions/feelings. As an investigator, maybe he isn't as phased about seeing the paranormal (understandably), but I really didn't see any personal reflection nor introspection. Where's the meat? Sure, the textbook-like descriptions of what LITERALLY happened is informational but where is the thought-process behind the "professional"? He has these "mini reflections" at the end of each chapter about whether the place he visited was haunted or not, but that was pretty much it. And he says the same thing about each place, and doesn't bring up anything new/fascinating.

I really should've read the reviews for this book before I purchased it. Definitely a regret.

[maddie patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best ghost-hunting book I've ever read, not the worst.

I appreciate the author sticking to smaller haunted sights, and not just focusing on the larger, more popular sights most books on the paranormal talk about. I can also appreciate how he was upfront in saying "yeah nothing happened" at some of the sights/investigations.

However, this runs into the trap that many books on ghost hunting, in particular, run into, which is just stating what happened, with minimal description. As previous commentators noted, there was a tendency for the author to be like "We heard some knocks. Then we got some activity on the EMF meter. Then we got tired and went to bed." I would have appreciated a more in-depth description of the knocking they were catching. There were also several references to capturing images that could be compelling on film, and yet very few pictures were included in the book. While I'm sure some of this was to keep production costs down, it would have been interesting to see more of the evidence that the author claims to have captured.

Finally, perhaps most egregiously, was the story of the Myrtle Plantation. In this story, the author describes Chloe (one of the alleged spirits) as a "house servant". I have a lot of complicated feelings about the booming ghost business around plantations, but this just stepped over the line for me because Chloe was enslaved. She was a slave. Doesn't matter what she did to the Myrtle family, the violence that they enacted on her and her family by the nature of enslaving them is inexcusable, and I hate that the narrative around her story has been "evil slave woman kills baby!!1!!" By calling her a house servant, the author washes down the horrific nature of chattel slavery in America and in some ways exempts the slave owners from properly being looked down upon for this evil, evil act they did.

[MKF · Rating 1 out of 5]

I chose this book because of the cover and because it mentioned the Villisca murder house. It's hard getting books on Villisca at my library so I was surprised they bought this and was first in line.
The first thing I noticed was that the investigations were not very in-depth as the cover states. It felt like the author just rushed over the history of each location which takes so much away from a place. Another thing I hate is when legends are told as fact and the ghost haunters are searching for ghosts who probably never existed at all. This is a fault with almost all paranormal books which causes me to give lower ratings.
Warning bells started going off when the author mentioned paying to investigate certain sites. I understand paying for hotels and such places but others such as Waverly seemed to point to one conclusion. Businesses are making a fortune claiming that places are really haunted and promoting it.
Now to turn to the actual investigations in this book. Many times the author claims he never experienced anything the whole time they were there (hmmm maybe the place isn't haunted). Other times it was things he and others saw or experienced at certain places. None of these can be corroborated with the others mentioned so it shouldn't be taken as real evidence. The author mentioned capturing EVPs at different places but rarely mentioned what it was they had actually captured or rather or not it was paranormal. The same with photos that had been taken showing ghosts. Very few made it into the book and the ones that did were not the best quality so the ghostly object captured could be many things.
The author mentioned convincing skeptic's about the paranormal at the end of his introduction. I am still a skeptic so better luck next time or your next book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.
While I found I do not believe almost off of what is said in this book, there are some parts that I could half believe. I'm one of those that usually needs to see it for myself to believe in it. Though, having said that, this was still a fun read. The writing was a bit choppy, like paragraphs were point form type style though that didn't bother me too much and I got more use to it. I liked that I did know of some of the places mentioned, they were interesting to read. But I also find it interesting that the places that there seemed to be more going on, were the places that the author could not tell us readers the exact location of. This easily could be just a coincidence but still. It makes me wonder about how genuine it all is. If you take the story lightly and not be all so serious about it, it's, as I mentioned, a fun and interesting read. It's enjoyable but I'd only recommend it if your in the mood for a silly, bit of fun, type of a story. Unless of course you are a firm believer in Paranormal then I reckon you will really enjoy this.

[Taylor Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure how to rate this book. I liked the selection of sites that Logan had visited, but as for the actual contents of the book itself, I have to say it was subpar.

First off, there were so many typos and grammatical errors. I am a bit of a grammar freak but surprisingly that didn't bother me the most. It was the inclusion of unnecessary information and the organization of the contents that made this book hard for me to read. There would often be a full paragraph dedicated to some small detail that was irrelevant to the investigation.

But, everyone is their own critic. I just happen to be a difficult reader to please. Overall, I did find parts of the investigations to be interesting, obviously the parts with paranormal findings were exciting. I would reccomend this book to someone that wants a good example of real life investigations from someone that started out from the bottom. Aspiring paranormal investigators should give this a read.

[Belle Meri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am ambivalent on how to review this book. I did like it. It's a nice read, but it's not what I expected either. Far from being "in-depth" investigations, it's merely anecdotes about various haunted places which Mr. Corelli has investigated in the mid-western United States. It's an enjoyable read but there's no detail as to the setup, investigative protocols used, or even the results. He just tells you that such-n-such happened, we confirmed that no one could do it, and moved on. Or he'll state that they got an EVP but then often doesn't tell you what the EVPs are. So, while a decent read in itself, it's not what I expected or anticipated reading. So, three stars for readability but that's it.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know me you know I love Ghosts!! I love reading about true haunting's more then any other thing. This book is filled with accounts of true paranormal encounters that Logan Corelli has had during his many paranormal investigations.

I am a bit torn on how to rate this book. It is my favorite subject but the book was a bit dry. Some of the stories probably could of been totally omitted from the book while others needed more in depth coverage, while others were written a bit to much text book style. The stories were great for the most part though. I wish I had of been along with Logan for many of these sites.
I received this bo
ok from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

[Jessica Del Fino · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I'm being totally honest here, I have to admit that I skimmed through some of this book. Not because I wasn't interested, but because much of it reads as a log, with detail by detail of what was said and done, and by whom. I, of course, was more interested in the results. But this book reads like a combined paranormal travel guide and a beginner's how-to on investigations, so if I had the money and equipment, I might set off to visit some of these places. The Villisca Murder House and the Logan County Memorial Hospital would be first two stops. Thank you, Netgalley, Llwellyn Worldwide and Logan Corelli for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

[Alisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a giant fan of ghost stories and urban legends and we try to go to at least one allegedly haunted place every time we travel. As a result I was super excited about this book. It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be though.

The overall premise was good and I was interested in a lot of the spots the author talked about. For me it wasn't in depth enough and I felt like a lot of the information was glossed over. The writing was a bit clunky and I think a good editor could have improved this book a lot. The bones of it was good but the execution was lacking imo.

**ARC provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Videoclimber(AKA)MTsLilSis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish that there had been more to some of the investigations. I loved the fact that not all the places investigated were haunted. I appreciated the honesty and avoiding the "everything is haunted" vibe you get from many of these type books. I hope the author keeps investigating. I would have liked to see some of the pictures talked about in the book.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read an Advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Logan Corelli takes us on a journey through the heartland of America and some of the 'ghostly haunts.' There is great history here and a decent background of the areas provided.

While I enjoyed the book, I felt as though much of the perceived evidence was forced or exaggerated. I enjoy a good ghost story, so I appreciated the historical background of the houses, as much as could be provided, which is a great jumping off point for anyone who wants to do some background investigation on the locations named (all but the mysterious church which has no location).

[Diana Maculan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Putting aside the somewhat choppy writing style, as has been pointed out by others, I enjoyed this book. I appreciate reading about haunted places, not only their stories and history but as have been investigated by individuals. Corelli is writing from first hand experience. Some places had more activity than others, which is how it is in real life when you conduct a paranormal investigation. I am familiar and have visited some places noted, with my own experiences and evidence backing up Corelli's findings, while others I will now place on my list of possibilities as a result of this book.

[Shiloh Wall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, I really did. However, the writing is more akin to a middle school book report thrown together at the last minute in the hopes of getting a passing grade. The investigations were somewhat laughable and amateurish as he seems to conveniently 'forget' his equipment to record, leaving the reader with no choice but to take him at his word that 'such and such' happened.

I expected better from a Llewellyn publication.

[Athena Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *
This was an interesting read about paranormal investigations. I enjoyed reading about the different places they went and the experiences they had encountered.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting in terms of the paranormal aspects, but the writing style was very weak and needed significant editing.

[Leigh Soldan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rec'd this book courtesy of Goodreads. Loved it! This is right up my alley. Many of the stories I had heard of before but thought it was so interesting to read the details.

[Jessica]

A decent enough attempt at a scientific examination of alleged haunted sites. The writing was a bit bland, but I was intrigued about several of the locations.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good thing I don't believe in hauntings