Official Review: Spookiest Lighthouses: Discover America'...

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Spookiest Lighthouses: Discover America's MOST Haunted Lighthouses" by Terrance Zepke.]

Having lived in New England for a number of years, I have a special place in my heart for the beauty of the lighthouse. Spookiest Lighthouses by Terrance Zepke is an easy to follow written tour guide to lighthouses that have documented paranormal activity. I enjoyed reading the author’s introductory remarks about lighthouses in general. It was a great overview of their usage and technological changes over the years from using fire and candles that required constant tending by a lighthouse keeper to today’s automated lights.

The author has chosen the ten most haunted lighthouses in the United States from Florida to Maine and coast to coast. Each section begins with detailed information for visitors, including a direct link to the lighthouse website for additional information. This is followed by a brief history of each lighthouse beginning with when it was built up to its present day usage and condition. The author’s style of writing is concise and orderly making it very easy to follow.

Then comes the good stuff; the ghost stories. Each lighthouse has a unique and tragic history associated with it that has given rise to numerous sightings and unexplained occurrences. I love that the author included references to the various shows on SCI-FI and the Travel Channel that have investigated and found evidence of some unusual activity. Each lighthouse has a different and unique tale (actual ghost sightings, people feeling a ghostly presence holding them down, hearing footsteps and other noises and even a ghost who helped fix the lighthouse in an emergency).

The pictures of each lighthouse are beautiful and I found myself referring back to them as I read the ghost tales (for example in the story about execution rocks; the picture shows very clearly this rocky shoreline). The last section of the book included brief blurbs about a few other notable lighthouses that may be haunted as well.

The book is definitely a brief overview and not an in-depth historical analysis; with three or four pages devoted to each of the ten lighthouses featured. However, I think it is a great handbook or travel guide to anyone interested in either ghosts and paranormal sightings or lighthouses in general.

I would give Spookiest Lighthouses: Discover America’s MOST Haunted Lighthouses by Terrance Zepke 4 out of 4 stars. It is a concise and practical guide and a well written quick read. I would recommend this book to history buffs, paranormal enthusiasts and lighthouse lovers everywhere.

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Buy "Spookiest Lighthouses: Discover America's MOST Haunted Lighthouses" on Amazon