In A Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting [Hardcover]

Ray Garton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1992

An intriguing account of the Snedekers' encounter with the world of the supernatural describes the family's move into a converted Connecticut funeral home and their battle with sinister, inexplicable phenomena. 25,000 first printing. Tour.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Villard; 1st edition (October 27, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394589025
• ISBN-13: 978-0394589022
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #408,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, January 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: In a Dark Place (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this book in the library years ago. I have always been interested in accounts of supposedly 'true' hauntings and this book turned out be my my absolute favourite to date. I have since read it 3 times.

It really is compelling. I'm sure there are many people who feel they are true afficionados of hauntings so I challenge you to read it and place your opinion on it here.

This is the only book I have read that actually bothered me and I couldn't put it down.

Whether Ray Garton has embellished on the happenings I don't know. I know a film was made, changing the name of the Snedekers but it was apparent it was the same family. The film is totally wishy washy compared to the book though. A lot is left out and in my opinion you don't get the same feeling that you get from the book. I loved it. It still scares me to this day and I have been searching ever since for more stories like this, which is shameful of me because it means someone else will have been through what the Snedekers went through. I have to say it grabs you from the start. Its such compelling reading. I recommend it. I don't usually scare easily when reading, but this one did it.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overhyped Nonsense, October 21, 2002

By 

nada - See all my reviews

This review is from: In A Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting (Hardcover)

I read this book thinking it would be the pinnacle of the true horror genre. While it is readable, its not as great as the bandwagon would lead you to believe. Here we have a family who moves into a haunted house with their fourteen-year-old son Stephen and his siblings. Stephen has cancer which robs him of physical strength and will. He must undergo debilitating treatments, presumably making him even more susceptible to possession. Stephen and his brother repeatedly complain to their parents about weird events in the house. These complaints are never sufficiently investigated though the parents later admit to experiencing some of the same phenomena. Instead Stephen is labeled a slacker by his stepfather who comes across as weak, insensitive, and a redneck of monumental proportions. His world seems to revolve around going to work and guzzling beer. Some of the events here defy credibility. For instance, Mrs. Snedeker's two nieces move in with the family for awhile. By now she knows her home makes the House of Usher look like a stroll in the park. But she encourages the girls to visit, keeps quiet about the haunting, and then allows them to be traumatized repeatedly. Her younger niece wisely decides to leave. Inexplicably Mrs. Snedeker approves of the older girl staying on until she is actively assaulted. Keep in mind also that the Snedekers have several other young kids living in this turmoil. Which begs the question: Would you remain in a place filled with evil demons intent on raping and pillaging your family which includes a son fighting cancer? Most people would find a way to get out. Depression far outweighs the chills here. Imagine a huge cauldron boiling over with sickness, evil, and disgust and you have this book. It's possible that the Snedekers were sabotaged by demons. Such things do exist in this world. But they seem so dysfunctional and their responses were so inappropriate, so bizarre that the whole scenario strains credulity.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frightening, creepy, disturbing. A real nail-biter., February 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In a Dark Place (Mass Market Paperback)

This book, In A Dark Place, is, without a doubt, the best book I have ever read. It's exceptionally written, terrifying, and unsettling: just to think that such a thing could really happen to a family like the Snedekers. The most frightening thing, for me, was Stephen's transformation from a happy, normal boy into the dark, brooding, evil person he became, as he was, in essence, posessed by these demons and spirits in the house. I still wonder if he's ok now. The description in the book is so vivid, and I felt as though I was there. With the spirits in the basement, the voices that were heard, all of it. Stephen, Carmen, and the whole Snedeker family, I wish you the best of luck in the future. I highly recommend this book to anyone, who, like me, is an unofficial, though truly dedicated, ghosthunter.