Customer Reviews

Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts : Haunted Lighthouses, Plantations, and other Other Sites

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My favorite stories were Body in a Barrel, Presence at Hampton Plantation, and the Keeper's Daughter. The author did a fine job of including details regarding her investigations--right down to microfilm, newspaper clippings, parapsycologists, professional ghost hunters, detectives, eyewitness sightings, etc. My twelve year old son even loved it. He showed it to his teacher and she read some of the stories to the class!

I've lived in South Carolina most of my life and never heard many of these stories. I love 'Sunset Lodge' and 'Murder at Cape Romain'! Great accompanying photos and sketches.

Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts is just what it said it is on the cover - stories about haunted lighthouses, haunted plantations, haunted historic sites, people who went missing, mysteries and other unknowns. But at just over 150 pages there is very little meat on the bones. It took me only a few hours to read and each story is nothing but a simple story - no details, just the simple facts that take up two or three pages.

This is a good collection of tales, some about ghosts, others just folklore. It is intelligently but simply written and allows for easy reading. Some of the tales do not give an exact location and most do not become too elaborate. Great book for a teenager interested in folklore. Will provide enjoyable, quick reading for adults interested in the subject that want an easy read.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, young or old, who loves a good ghost story, especially when it's told so well by a native Carolinian who has obviously spent many years researching and collecting her own favorite tales and who delights in sharing them with us. Some of her stories give you chills, some touch your heart and others make you think, late at night,
"Something really is out there!!".

For more intriguing tales also don't miss Terrance Zepke's "The Best Ghost Tales of North Carolina" and "Best Ghost Tales of South Carolina", which include not only marvelous regional ghost tales, but also explicit directions to the actual ghost-sighting sites; stories from the winners of her "Ghost Watch" contest and even detailed and fascinating instructions for conducting your own ghost hunt!

Perhaps we could cast a spell on Ms. Zepke to keep her searching for more enticing ghost tales to share with us in the near future. She is definitely the best!

I was disappointed in this book! The writer simply failed to interest me with her tales. The stories, which were only about a page or two each, seemed to be written more for a child rather than an adult; they were too short and lacking in detail. I read a few of the stories and then tossed the book aside. My greatest regret was that I'd paid nearly 10 bucks for this book. There are many other much better true ghost story books out there. If you're looking for some truly chilling tales, start with Haunted Heartland, Historic Haunted America, or USA Weekend's, I Never Believed in Ghosts Until...

It is far easier I suppose to write a book that is mostly about the legends of a particular area than to do the exhaustive work involved in trying to talk to witnesses. The best ghost books are quite frankly the ones where the author has spent hours and hours talking to people who have claimed to have had a ghostly encounter. These are the stories that send a chill up your spine because if it happened to these people it could happen to you. In this book there are a few of these stories, but not many. Most are legends that contain phrases like, "since that time people have reported," or, "shortly after that people started to." In short, most of the stories in this book are not overly convincing. There are also numerous historical errors to be found in this book but then most people who buy this book are looking for ghosts, not history.

On the other hand, Ms. Zepke has a very nice writing style and the book is an easy read. With just a little more legwork she could turn out some really excellent ghost books. Her chapter about Alice Flagg is a superbly told story and includes stories from current day ghost hunters. Still, while the back cover warns the reader to, "Prepare to Be Scared!" there is very little here to scare anyone. There are even a few chapters that mention no ghost at all.