Customer Reviews

Adventures in Paranormal Investigation

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"Adventures in Paranormal Investigation" is the latest collection of Joe Nickell's investigative essays from "The Skeptical Inquirer" magazine. Previous volumes include "Real Life X-Files: Investigating the Paranormal," and "The Mystery Chronicles: More Real Life X-Files."

Many skeptics approach the paranormal with a condescending and even insulting tone, implying that those who believe in paranormal phenomena are stupid or venal or both. Not surprisingly, it's awfully hard to get someone to agree with you if you begin or end your argument by insulting them. Nickell avoids this mistake, and he makes a serious effort to evaluate and test claims about hauntings, UFOs, alien abductions, ghost towns, Roswell, the Nasca lines, ghost ships, bleeding statues, crops circles, crystal skulls and a whole host of other pseudoscientifc "mysteries." Generally speaking, Nickell is not too hard on the people he disagrees with, with the exception of fraudulent psychics and healers who use "cold reading" and other unscrupulous methods to separate grieving or injured people from their money.

True believers probably aren't going to be convinced by this book, but for the most part they won't be put off by it either. Skeptics, on the other hand, will learn to think about unexpected phenomena in new and different ways. This book will give the card-carrying skeptic some new insights that will make those cocktail party conversations with "true believers" even more entertaining.

If you enjoy this sort of "gentle but insightful" skepticism, you may want to pick up some of Nickell's other books--among my favorites are "Unsolved History" (an updated version of "Ambrose Bierce is Missing"), "Secrets of the Supernatural," and "Entities: Angels, Spirits, Demons, and Other Alien Beings." In the same spirit (so to speak) are Brian Dunning's "Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena" and his ongoing "Skeptoid" podcasts.

Another fascinating collection from Joe Nickell. His background as a magician, private investigator & folklorist gives him the necessary skills to investigate paranormal events.

Nickell is refreshing in that he looks at all the facts before making a decision on the case, rather than attempting to squeeze the facts into a pre-existing hypothesis as so many authors do. This is a problem with authors on both sides of the paranormal fence.

My only quibble is that I would have liked all the cases to be longer. Many of the chapters would have benefited from more detail, & fuller descriptions of Nickell's investigative experiments.

A good addition to anyone's collection of books on the paranormal.

Mr. Nickell once again takes on the forces of ignorance, superstition, and gullibility in his usual deliberate and easily-understandable fashion. Highly recommended!

A great, if brief, collection of Mr. Nickell's studies of various paranormal happenings across the globe in the service of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine. The book will not convince true believers of their errors but skeptics will find his tales light and entertaining reading. Several times I would have liked a more thorough study or investigation done, or perhaps more of the author's thoughts and insights... I guess we'll have to wait for Mr. Nickell's next "real" book for that!