Review: Ghost Files by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Michael Jan Friendman

Ghost Files: The Collected Cases from Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits
by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson with Michael Jan Friedman

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (September 13, 2011)

Some intriguing cases readers will find in GHOST FILES include:

• What did a paranormal investigation uncover at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, the hotel built in 1903 that inspired Stephen King’s The Shining?
• What is the chilling history behind the Rolling Hills Asylum in Batavia, New York?
• What happened when a man was overcome by an evil entity as Jason and Grant surveyed his home?
• How can a Connecticut woman seem to exist in two places at once?

In this hair-raising omnibus, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (T.A.P.S.), reveal the memorable and spine-tingling cases featured in their smash-hit collections, Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits. From their never-seen-on-television adventures as budding paranormal investigators to the behind-the-scenes accounts of heart-pounding supernatural encounters featured on their popular show, these fascinating and frightening real life tales that will keep readers up at night. GHOST FILES is a paranormal adventure led by two seasoned guides that will grab readers’ attention from beginning to end.

Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson are the stars of the hit SyFy television show Ghost Hunters and the cofounders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (T.A.P.S.). They are the New York Times bestselling authors of two books of true stories about paranormal phenomena, Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits. They are also authors of Ghost Trackers, the first novel in a new series. Jason and Grant live in Rhode Island with their families. Michael Jan Friedman lives in New York.

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If you enjoy the Ghost Hunters television series or just stories of hauntings in general then you will probably enjoy this book. It is actually an omnibus of 2 already released books, Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits, so if you haven't read them already you can get this 2 in 1 version that I find to be convenient. The lengths of each recounting of investigations vary but are generally between 2-5 pages long. With 560 pages total, that means there are A LOT of stories. Many of them I recognized from episodes of their show, however the second half of the book is filled with stories that weren't on the show, including a "lost" episode that was taped but never aired (one of my favorite stories).

I 'm a fan of Ghost Hunters and now I am a fan of their books! For the most part there is a good variety of stories including hauntings, background information on the T.A.P.S. , the crew members, and equipment and investigative techniques. There is a lot of good insight into what it takes to be a ghost hunter. I do wish that there were more hoax stories though. The lengths people go to to get on the show probably get ridiculous sometimes and would be amusing to read about. Some of the stories were short and to the point with not much happening; others are full of evidence of possession, demonic entities, human spirits, etc. Occasionally it turns out that instead of a ghost the person who contacted the guys from T.A.P.S. has a medical problem or some bad plumbing. Those stories are interesting to me because I don't get how they didn't consider that before jumping to the conclusion that there must be a supernatural explanation. As much as I am a skeptic I do have to admit that some of these stories are creepy and make me wonder if ghosts really do exist. Dark masses, moving furniture, voices that seemingly come from nowhere... if not ghosts then how could some of these things be explained?

4/5

I received this book for review. Any opinions expressed are my own.