Ghostly Encounters : True Stories of America's Haunted Inns and Hotels

Rating:
Summary: A must read for Ghost Hunters
Review: Ghostly Encounters by Frances Kermeen is a must read for those interested in the possibility that death is only the begining and that just because you can not see them, does not mean they are not there. The Author takes the reader into her investigations as she explores Americas notorious Haunted Inns and Hotels for herself and the reader can be assured, of her ability to bring us into her investigations as if we were there ourselves but fortunately were not! She seeks out the truth and is not afraid to express her honesty,doubts, and most often fears with the readers in hopes of discovering the truth no matter what. Not since Hans Holzer has anyone made me doubt, that the cold chill i feel at night just might be someone reaching out from beyond the grave. I highly recommend this book and can not wait to read her next one.

Rating:
Summary: a travel guide to the unseen world
Review: Ghostly Encounters is a guide book to inns, hotels and public places that are said to be haunted. The author tells a little somehting about each huanting, and gives the phone number and address of the place so you can get started making your travel plans. For ghost hunters this is a pretty useful book. If you don't believe in ghosts and are merely intrested in spooky tales you can skip it. No pun intended but this book really could've used a ghost writer and a no nonsense proof reader. There are spelling and grammar errors and in places the writing is repetitive, and goes off the subject. Try Dixie Ghosts by Chris Coleman as an alternative.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful ghostly tour guide.
Review: Over the past few years every book and TV show dealing with the subject of ghosts has told the story of The Myrtles Plantation. As someone who follows this subject I must admit that I was sick of The Myrtles and had even noticed that one of the major ghost hunter organizations had called the hauntings at the old Louisiana plantation into question. As I started to read this book I found out that the author was a former owner of The Myrtles and was immediately turned off and figured I would not like this book at all. Still, I figured that I had paid for the book so I had just as well read it. I am very glad I decided to give Ms. Kermeen a chance.

There are some historical errors in this book that I hope will be corrected if there are any further printings. The author has a real problem with dates, especially those pertaining to the Civil War and these errors are grievous enough to cost the book a star. Having visited these places she writes about, her facts should have been more accurate.

Beyond the errors though this is one of the best ghost books I have read in quite some time. Kermeen's writing style is very good, especially for what I assume is her first book. Her stories are not old legends but are current and ongoing haunts and she gets the stories from living eyewitnesses. Written as part travel guide and part ghost story book, each chapter ends with a description of the Inn along with the address, phone number, email, and if applicable the web site of the property. There is also a section that tells the reader which rooms to stay in to be most likely to have a ghostly experience. There is also a section called, "Don't Miss" which includes some highlights of the town and especially the ghost tours that may be offered. Thanks to this section I found an activity at The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina that I will be checking into.

For anyone who likes ghost stories this will be a wonderful addition to your collection. If, like me, you like to visit haunted places, I can't recommend this book too highly. This is a treasury of haunted sites that are open to the public and where the staff will freely discuss the subject. I have been so close to some of the places Kermeen writes about but had no idea they were there. I wish this book had come out years and years ago.