Rating: 
Summary: First Of All, It's A Novel
Review: This book probably intends to confuse you a little- it did me- by purporting to be a newly discovered diary of a known eyewitness to events in the historically-documented "Bell Witch" case. In fact, it's a very good novel. Monahan takes the basic facts (or claims) that we have and fleshes them out artfully, with a narrator, dialogue, and a point of view that work beautifully well. The gripping story takes the horror and suspense genres in a unique direction, and lives up to the incredible source material. A small complaint: he tries to wrap things in a too-neat 1990s package for us at the end- the only false note he strikes here.The book left me very interested in this case, and my interest increased recently when I discovered close family ties to many of the people depicted here, including Elias and Sugg Fort.
Rating:
Summary: First Of All, It's A Novel
Review: This book probably intends to confuse you a little- it did me- by purporting to be a newly discovered diary of a known eyewitness to events in the historically-documented "Bell Witch" case. In fact, it's a very good novel. Monahan takes the basic facts (or claims) that we have and fleshes them out artfully, with a narrator, dialogue, and a point of view that work beautifully well. The gripping story takes the horror and suspense genres in a unique direction, and lives up to the incredible source material. A small complaint: he tries to wrap things in a too-neat 1990s package for us at the end- the only false note he strikes here. The book left me very interested in this case, and my interest increased recently when I discovered close family ties to many of the people depicted here, including Elias and Sugg Fort.
Rating: 
Summary: You have to read this!
Review: When I first saw the book, I couldn't figure out if it was true or not. Once I researched the Bell Witch, I was hooked and knew I had to read it. I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it. It is an excellent account of the era, and there are several surprises here, including the ending. It was definitely not what I expected it to be! I have been telling everyone to read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: JUST COME OUT AND ADMIT IT'S FICTION
Review: While this book was a fun read, I felt cheated because it's obviously fiction, but it's put forth as if it's fact. I don't know if this was done intentionally, as tongue-in-cheek, or if the author just thinks that readers are idiots.
If you enjoy ghost stories, you may like this story of a supposedly true poltergiest. If you prefer true tales, forget this one.
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