Why did hundreds of people line up bumper to bumper in rural Illinois to catch a glimpse of a scantily clad phantom along Kennedy Hill Road? What is the real history behind Independence Grove and Devil's Gate? This painstakingly researched book leaves no ghost unturned.
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About the Author
Michael Kleen is an author of legends, lore, and the paranormal, as well as a speaker for local Illinois history. He writes a monthly newsletter that highlights infamous places in Illinois through a unique blend of research and storytelling.
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More About the Author
Michael Kleen is a writer, historian, and folklorist from Illinois. He has a M.A. in History from Eastern Illinois University and a M.S. in Education from Western Illinois University. He is best known for his work about Illinois folklore, but he is also a freelance columnist and speaker on politics and popular culture. Michael has written several books, including Haunting Illinois: A Tourist's Guide to the Weird and Wild Places of the Prairie State, Paranormal Illinois, and Tales of Coles County. He is also the founder and proprietor of Black Oak Media, an independent publishing company.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Penny Bright
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book!
Finally, FINALLY someone has made the effort to truly dig in to the actual documented history of some of the "known haunted" places in Illinois. Micheal Kleen has proven that the ghost stories, legend tripping, and haunted-tours-by-armchair can still be fascinating and creepy when told with the facts instead of only the melodramatic folktales. While other books by some other authors are definitely as entertaining, they are truly fiction and serve only to propagate incorrect information.
And, even better - while pointing out some of these discrepancies, Mr. Kleen remains professional and does not throw anyone under a bus when talking about things others have written. All he does is clarify.
The places he writes about are still creepy, still fascinating, and still great to read...he just takes the time to throw in that much-needed dash of historical accuracy that is quite often missing in books like this. For me, a big part of the fun of books like this is the history of the locations, so this is a very refreshing find.
I plan on buying up a number of his other books as soon as possible!
Finally, FINALLY someone has made the effort to truly dig in to the actual documented history of some of the "known haunted" places in Illinois. Micheal Kleen has proven that the ghost stories, legend tripping, and haunted-tours-by-armchair can still be fascinating and creepy when told with the facts instead of only the melodramatic folktales. While other books by some other authors are definitely as entertaining, they are truly fiction and serve only to propagate incorrect information.
And, even better - while pointing out some of these discrepancies, Mr. Kleen remains professional and does not throw anyone under a bus when talking about things others have written. All he does is clarify.
The places he writes about are still creepy, still fascinating, and still great to read...he just takes the time to throw in that much-needed dash of historical accuracy that is quite often missing in books like this. For me, a big part of the fun of books like this is the history of the locations, so this is a very refreshing find.
I plan on buying up a number of his other books as soon as possible!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hi,
I just wanted to say that Mike Kleen's book is a stupendous example of what a perfect road guide to IL haunts is. Honestly, I am going out this summer road tripping and hitting the spots Mike writes about. He did a magnificent job on the descriptions of each haunt and really researches the sites personally. Congratulations on this one Mike. It's a must have for pro hunters or novice.
I just wanted to say that Mike Kleen's book is a stupendous example of what a perfect road guide to IL haunts is. Honestly, I am going out this summer road tripping and hitting the spots Mike writes about. He did a magnificent job on the descriptions of each haunt and really researches the sites personally. Congratulations on this one Mike. It's a must have for pro hunters or novice.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is pretty much like all the other paranormal places in the U.S. It's not better or worse than the others in this genre. I was hoping for something I had not heard of before, especially if it was close to my location. Evidently not much goes on in Southern Illinois.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than meets the eye...
The in depth background that Michael Kleen does on each location is great! I felt like I had a real historical understanding of each haunted spot after reading about it. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Carl Arndt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paranormal Illinois
This book arrived in great condition and in a timely manner. People have always been interested in this subject but it seems this genre has exploded in recent years. Read more
Published on August 8, 2010 by gvot
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