Customer Reviews

Haunt Hunter's Guide to Florida

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The American South has long been known as an area that has more than it's share of ghosts and haunts. This may be caused by the peculiar history of the South, or maybe it is the magical heritage of the many Celtic settlers who came to the area. I like to think however that it is simply because the South is such a lovely place that even the dead don't want to leave. Whatever the reason though, book after book has been published dealing with the haunts of Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and the Carolinas but with the exception of St. Augustine Florida has been very under represented. Now, thanks to Joyce Moore, those of us who plan vacations with the idea of visiting a few haunted sites have a new reason to visit Florida.

This book is written, exactly as the title suggests, as a tour guide to Florida's haunted locations. The author has taken the time to visit the sites she writes about and has an enthusiasm that shines through in her writing. She has even managed to catch an unusual image in one of her pictures that may well represent one of the ghostly subjects of this book. This is also a very well organized book with each chapter beginning with a basic history of the location in question followed by a history of the haunt and then a small section about other things to do while in the neighborhood. This last section more often than not deals with places to eat along with the specialty of the house. One often works up an appetite while chasing ghosts so this section is particularly appreciated. The most notable and praiseworthy thing about this book though is that each chapter contains accounts from people who have had first hand experiences with the ghost or ghosts who are haunting the location being discussed. This fact alone lends a great deal of credibility to this book.

On the downside, many of the stories in this book tend to lack depth and I can't help but feel that the book would have been better if a few stories had been dropped altogether so that the stories that remained could have been given more attention. Three or four of the stories included were on the weak side and wouldn't have been missed at all. For example, the Coral Castle is certainly a fascinating site but it's worth as a place to hunt ghosts is questionable. On the other hand, the story of the Artist House in Key West and particularly the house's connection with Robert the doll could have easily have filled several more pages. Just the very mention of that doll gives me the creeps for some reason yet the chapter dealing with it took up only two pages in this book.

This author's enthusiasm and her pleasing writing style make this book a very fun and educational read. She gives what appear to be very precise directions to the locations she writes about along with the number to call for more information. She has put a lot of time and effort into turning out a quality book and she has accomplished this in an admirable fashion. The often-overlooked ghosts of Florida have finally been given their due.

This was an interesting book to read. I have been intrigued to visit some of the places mentioned in this book. This is not a long drawn out book to read it is to the point. A little history mixed with a haunting!

Used this to choose sites to visit in FL. Also used it to tell ghost stories at a camp out.