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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You May Think Twice About An Upcoming Visit, October 4, 2007
This review is from: Haunted Richmond (Paperback)
Pamela Kinney's life has been far from normal, at least by most people's standards...
Growing up, her mother predicted - with perfect accuracy - such events as the deaths of relatives or the re-emergence of old friends. Kinney herself had numerous brushes with ghosts during her upbringing, including witnessing transient spirits in haunted houses and waking up in the middle of the night face-to-face with apparitions standing beside her bed, scowling at her while she slept. She even felt the lingering presence of a cat that she had previously put to sleep as its ghost hopped on her bed and pranced around, just like old times.
Nothing that she's experienced, though, comes close to the encounters described by others in Haunted Richmond, a chilling account of the history - and present - of the Cradle Of The Confederacy. In it, Kinney provides a detailed overview of the many unexplained phenomena that continue to befuddle residents and visitors alike, as well as the history that helps frame the legends in proper light.
Kinney makes special mention of the following claim of parapsychologists: those who are killed suddenly, in tragic or traumatic circumstances, can cause hauntings to occur. Taking the violent, deadly, and oftentimes brutal history of Richmond into account, that claim is a grave understatement. Kinney presents compelling back stories of tortured slaves, children dying in catastrophic fires, and lovers slain in defense of their beloveds. She also cites the grave atrocities endured by prisoners, Civil War soldiers, and Native American tribes. All these events give rise to the various ghost sightings in abandoned houses, at hospitals, and even on state highways throughout the region.
Rather than a trumped-up collection of ghost stories designed to scare the bejesus out of fireside Boy Scout campers, Haunted Richmond is a thorough, informative, well-researched account of real history and its real consequences. Makes for perfect late night reading - just make sure all the windows and doors are locked first.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't bother, May 3, 2008
This review is from: Haunted Richmond (Paperback)
This book was given to me as a gift because I am both a lover of Richmond, Va. - particularly Hollywood Cemetery, and interested in the supernatural. What a disappointment! It is not only badly but carelessly written and there are too many inaccuracies to pass without comment. The section on Hollywood Cemetery is rife with errors (Sherwood Forest was Tyler's home, not Monroe's, Jeb Stuart is at the other end of the cemetery from Jefferson Davis, not "next to him", etc.)and the writing is sophomoric. Where there may actually be supernatural activity, why put it in the lunatic fringe category by repeating such absurd stories as the iron dog changing direction? (Cue bad scary movie music). I couldn't go on with the rest. Some of the pictures are nice.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, May 14, 2008
This review is from: Haunted Richmond (Paperback)
Haunted Richmond, by Pamela Kinney is a tour guide through Richmond, Virginia. It relays stories, legends, myths, and historical facts that dispatch supposed haunting or ghostly lore in the area.
Pamela Kinney is a published author of fiction, horror, fantasy, paranormal romance, and science fiction- under the pen name Sapphire Phelan. She resides in Chesterfield, Virginia with her husband, Bill and pet cat and dog.
I didn't find anything that would make this book stand apart from others in its genre. That's not to say it wasn't interesting, it was. However, it followed the path of others of its kind. It gave supposed accounts, tales, and sightings, along with pictures.
At times the wring could be a bit understated. It tended to jump around a bit, as well. If giving the history and then moving on to the myths or stories, I feel it best to stick to that format and not go from one to the other and back again. Some of the pictures left something to be desired, such as: The Haunts of Richmond Tour, The State Capitol, and the Coulters Theatre Seat. There were a few comma errors and typos throughout the book.
The book had some very strong elements to it. The pictures of: The Vampire Crypt, Confederate Granite Pyramid, The Dooley Mansion, and the Castle Thunder Prison were outstanding. The stories: Byrd Theatre, The Terrible Fire, The Catastrophe at the State Capitol, and Hollywood Cemetery were particularly interesting and well written. At times, the humor added was a delight, like in the story of the Berkley Plantation. I think the most interesting aspects to me were the historical facts that the author credits. This made the book stronger in a way that even if you do not believe in the paranormal, the tragedies and history behind some of the locations are fascinating to read about. She also gives specific addresses and websites in case you want to visit them. If you are going to be in the Richmond, Virginia area, I'd recommend taking this book along with you.
Kelly Moran,
Author and Reviewer
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