Psychic Sleuths: Esp and Sensational Cases (Hardcover)

by Joe Nickell (Editor) "Professional crime solvers achieve success the hard way: searching on hands and knees for trace evidence, interviewing countless witnesses, maintaining surveillance for days or weeks..." (more)
Key Phrases: Greta Alexander, New York, Bill Ward (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Do psychics have special powers, allowing them to succeed where ordinary police work fails? How often do the police actually enlist psychics in solving crimes, and what do they really think of these paranormal "experts"? These are just some of the questions discussed in this illuminating study of those who supposedly use extrasensory powers to help solve crimes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 251 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879758805
• ISBN-13: 978-0879758806
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #174,845 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Joe Nickell should take his own advice: do the hard detective work, July 19, 2007

By	Mary S. Kennedy - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In Chapter 8, of this book: "The Mythologized Psychic Detective: Phil Jordan", Jordan's version of the 'child lost in the woods story' was declared a "myth."

Mr. Nickell never did his detective work on this story, that is to contact the principles involved in the incident.

I know because I am the child's mother, and I was never contacted. And I also know for certain that scores of volunteer firemen and policemen were searching for my son unsuccessfully, in the wrong area for hours. The next morning, Phil Jordan arrived, asked me for a personal article of Tommy's, and with Tommy's little sneaker, as well as hand drawn map of the area (an area which Phil Jordan had never seen before), Phil walked directly to my son.

Would Tom be alive today if it were not for Phil Jordan's God given ability? Probably not.

Believe in Psychic ability or don't believe, it makes no difference, but please don't deprecate a miracle. Because of Phil Jordan, I held my son in my arms again. There is no way that I can ever thank Phil Jordan enough. That's no myth, it's a plain and simple reality.

9 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Survey of True Psychic Cases, April 16, 2000

By	James Martin (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

Ed Nickell has compiled an engrossing collection of crimes that used the help of psychics. Each chapter explores a case that was sensational and somewhere along the investigation a psychic got involved. Most of these cases deal with murders, some are solved and others left opened. However, none of the solved cases were helped by the psychics in any fashion. This skeptical and scientific book shows that the psychics' contributions are often exaggarated or made-up. At the end of the book are several appendices that show how little faith police forces really have in these psychics. If you ever wondered about the claims of psychic crimesolvers, read this book and get the whole story. You won't get it from the psychics.

2 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars SAVE YOUR MONEY, July 27, 2006

By	Avid Reader (Hammond, LA) - See all my reviews

unless you are a complete skeptic, you will find this book biased and lacking examples from the successes of using psychics as a tool in investigations. None of the legitimate psychics used by law enforcement officials claim to "solve" cases.