Customer Reviews

Strange Tales of the Dark and Bloody Ground: Authentic Accounts of Restless Spirits, Haunted Honky Tonks, and Eerie Events in Tennessee

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

 

 

I buy and read books about ghosts on a fairly regular basis and have found that there is seldom a proper balance between the ghost story itself and the history of the possible haunt. Some authors breeze along with one ghost story after another never quite giving the reader any real idea of what may have caused the haunting. Other authors spend most of their time telling the reader why the place might be haunted and then spend only a paragraph or two on actual sightings of the ghost. It is rare indeed to find a book that seems to have the mix just about right and Christopher Coleman has given us one of those rare books.

As Coleman glides from one area of Tennessee to another he lays just the right groundwork and then tells us a good ghost story. His writing style is great and I actually found myself a little spooked while reading some of the stories. It didn't help my state of mind when I found that two of his stories were about ghosts in my home county. Coleman of course covers the well known ghosts of Tennessee, like the Bell Witch and the Chapel Hill lights while at the same time giving a lot of space to some obscure ghost stories that were completely new to me. Also, anyone who plans to visit the Volunteer State would do well to read this book whether they are interested in ghosts or not for Coleman does a good job of catching the spirit (no pun intended) of the state. After all, what's a trip to Tennessee without some exposure to Elvis, country music, Confederate soldiers, and of course Jack Daniel.

I was about to deduct a star because Coleman has included some UFO, Spontaneous Human Combustion, and other tales that have nothing to do with ghosts. I noticed however that the title gave the author wiggle room there and since the book is so good I decided five stars were indeed deserved. I don't know how I missed reading this book for so long but I am glad I finally got around to it and recommend that you give it a try also.

I really enjoyed this book. Being from Tennessee I have been to many of the places in the book inluding Adams Tennessee home of the Bell Witch. This was a well researched and facinating book. I would recommend this book to any one interested in this subject.

This book was really well researched and presented. I did not find it particularly scary, only interesting. A lot of the information was presented in historical perspective and then "oh by the way, there may be a ghost there now". Being from the North I found the terminology and quaint sayings peppered thoughout the book a little irritating. So if you are looking for some Tennessee history with a dash of legend and ghost stories then this book might be for you. Otherwise, read Haunted Homeland.