On Dark Ground: Investigating the Haunted Monroe House

by Richard Estep

Indiana's Monroe House is a place of mystery, darkness, and strange occurrences. It has a reputation for occult rituals and violent paranormal activity that has sent visiting investigators running off into the night. The discovery of human bones in the basement, the identity of which remain unexplained to this day, may hold some of the answers. But the Monroe House holds its secrets close, and has been known to lash out at those who spend time within its walls. Join author Richard Estep, of TV's Haunted Hospitals, Paranormal 911, Haunted Case Files, and Paranormal Night Shift, as he and a small team of paranormal investigators are locked inside the Monroe House and delve into this ghostly enigma for themselves...

Genres: Paranormal, Horror

318 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2021

About the author

I'm a 48-year-old child who has no plans to ever actually grow up.

I make my living as a paramedic, clinical educator, for a busy hospital system and work as a street medic in a 911 system.

In my free time, I serve as the director of the Boulder County Paranormal Research Society, and investigate claims of haunted properties, people, and objects on both sides of the Atlantic. I love to read, particularly SF/Fantasy, history and historical fiction, the paranormal, and basically anything that piques my interest. I appear on the TV shows Haunted Hospitals, Paranormal 911, Paranormal Night Shift, Haunted Case Files, and several others.

I am an avid video gamer, table-top gamer, and love to build Lego. My wife and I are the proud humans of five adopted rescue cats and one smelly but adorable dog.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to lead investigations for people at this location and the author was spot on in not only his depiction of the history, but also the haunting aspect.

You can still investigate this location today (fantastic owners), but be prepared. It's a very dark haunting and you might just find that something has hitchhiked home with you.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the title it's easy to see that the book is about a single house but, as you read the book, you find that it may involve more than just the house itself.

There's also the Hitchhiker Effect where some of the energy (?) of the house can follow the person to their home and cause strange things to happen.

The book covers the history of the house, the finding of bones in a crawlspace, the various people involved in the investigations, the various pieces of equipment they used, the drained-battery effect which is so common to this type of investigation and the willingness to admit that sometimes absolutely nothing happens.

It notes that at some point it seems that some kind of ritual was done at the house and it didn't go well which might be the cause of all the strangeness in the house in the present.

One very positive thing is the way the study was done. If something strange happened the very first thing was to look for a mundane explanation. For example, the house settling in the cold of night could be the cause of some kind of sound rather than something supernatural

Another interesting thing is the concept of thought forms. Rather then something being the result of the activity of a ghost or a demon or something like that it could be kind of a residual mixing of the thoughts of people over the years that were in the house taking on a life of its own. That may sound odd but it actually makes sense.

A very fascinating book with a good approach to the study of something that might, or might not be, supernatural in nature.

[Dianna (SavingsInSeconds blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this audiobook, especially learning about the scientific approach to the Monroe House investigation. Author Richard Estep provided plenty of quantifiable evidence to balance out the emotional evidence. Some of the repetitive information was tedious by the end. The narrator had an odd manner of reading (for example, putting emphasis on the wrong words) that took away from my enjoyment. I think this is the first time I've read a Richard Estep book; will definitely be looking for more -- but hopefully a different narrator.

[Cheri Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed this investigation of the Monroe House.

I've never been disappointed or bored reading any
of Richard Estep's books. They're all interesting,
enjoyable and absolutely believable. I would love
to investigate haunted places with him if I was
of an age where I could. I've also enjoyed seeing
him on the paranormal show Haunted Hospitals.
There are still a few of his books I haven't read
and I definitely plan to get to them shortly!

[Shannon Pardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

An interesting read. I'm glad to see the author simply presents what supossedly happened during investigations without trying to tell you who or what it was, letting the reader make up their own mind. It would have been really fascinating had he provided links to some of his recorded data so that the readers could experience it themselves.
If you enjoy light reading about the paranormal, this is a good book to start with.

[Kathleen Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Every one of these books has been well written and thought full. While I consider myself to have a certain amount of scepticism regarding hauntings, I am also aware that there are strange things in this world that just can't be explained. I highly recommend every book in this series. All are interesting and well written, this being no exception. Does make you wonder about things. I sincerely hope there are more books planned.

[Claudia Loureiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read of Richard's. A brilliant read and a real page turner, once you start you just can't put it down. In particular the stories of other paranormal investigators are very interesting to help give a true idea of what is actually haunting the Monroe House. With a variety of ideas as to what haunts this location & why. Richard is a great story teller and without a doubt truly does his research on a location/haunting.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found out about this book from watching the episode of Paranormal Lockdown about the Monroe House and let me tell you, between that episode and this book, it makes me want to go and investigate it for myself. The book was very interesting and provided a lot more background and facts about the house and some parts made me a bit uneasy, looking over my shoulder to be honest. If you’re into this kind of thing like me, definitely add this to your TBR and watch that episode too!

[Nichola Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely balanced account

Richard has done it again! !! From the first page this book grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.
Well written and well balanced account of his and others experiences within the Monroe house.
Would love to visit and see for myself but unfortunately I live in the UK.

[Leticia Bushong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I have never heard of this place and once again I find Richard to be very informative about the haunting. I feel that somehow he gives the reader a personal experience in his investigations. He makes you think and not jump to conclusions about a haunting and that's what I like about him.

[Sarah-Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Dark Ground: Investigating the Haunted Monroe House

Another excellent book from Richard, well researched and entertaining. I read it in one sitting, Richard is very brave to spend time alone in the house, I certainly wouldn't! Looking forward to the next book.

[Brenda Ozog]

Very interesting book especially since I've investigated there numerous times. The author writes about his interviews, research and investigation techniques he used when investigating the Monroe House in Hartford City, IN

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read for sure! I did not know a lot of the information surrounding the home, and enjoyed the walk through and descriptions of the different investigations that occurred.

For those who enjoy a bit of paranormal, this is a great read.

[Videoclimber(AKA)MTsLilSis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My aunt lived on Monroe Street for years. Driving by the house is creepy. Everyone in the town has a story, something they heard or saw. I think it's pretty Awesome that Mr. Estep took the time to research and share what he found.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for my dad after we had done a ghost hunt at The Monroe House. I really enjoyed reading this after having been in the house. I knew the layout and had heard snippets of some of the experiences talked about in the book.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

dang good book

I love this book, it kept me interested the whole time! If you love old houses with hauntings then This book is for you! I highly recommend!