Haunted Key West by David L Sloan

by David L. Sloan

Discover Haunted Key West! Ghosts, ghouls and legends come to life in Haunted Key West with 10 tales of Florida Keys spirits and the haunted history of Bone Island. Is Ernest Hemingway still haunting his former home? Who is the lady in blue that appears by the old hanging tree? What is the ghost of Applerouth Lane searching for? Find out this and more in David L. Sloan’s Haunted Key West.David L. Sloan is the leading expert on South Florida hauntings. He is the founder of Key West’s Original Ghost Tour and author of 10 books including Ghosts of Key West and The Key West Bucket List. Sloan has hunted ghosts and created Ghost Tours in Newport, RI, Fort Lauderdale, South Beach, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua. He has lived in 4 haunted houses and appeared as a ghost expert on History, Biography, BBC, Travel and Discovery.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Ghost Stories

Mass Market Paperback

First published December 13, 2011

Reviews

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very uneven; some stories had straight forward retellings, other were written as if a fiction story with made up dialog and such. Those were less successful for me. One story had a missing part of a sentence-- maybe more, who knows? There were some interesting tidbits tossed in without a lot of information. Some of those were more intriguing than the stories but not enough detail to decide. It felt sort of thrown together to make a book.

[Brian Bundesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Very interesting stories, the book walks us through some very quirky Key West characters, and some really creepy and crazy stuff. One of the many layers to the Key West story. Definitely worth a read if you like this type of stuff.

[Meri Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book of 12 ghost stories and numerous local spooky legends. The stories rely mostly on first-hand accounts and are supplemented with quite a few pictures. I thought many of the stories would have benefitted tremendously from more historical information or details. The personal stories are important, but where's the background?

There were several places where it seemed like a page, or at least part of a sentence, was missing from the text, and that is a major oversight, especially for the new-and-improved edition. For example, page 42 ends with a period, but page 43 begins in the middle of a sentence.

Still, there are some interesting and unique stories herein, like "The Watcher," which is told, rather charmingly, from the perspective of the ghost, and the author's own séance experience, which is different from any other I have heard yet.

[Annie Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I finally finished reading this.
I honestly would have finished it sooner, if my work schedule hasn't been so hectic.

I had picked this up in the Key's when my sister, and our friend when on a girls trip. I live 4-6 hrs away from Key West, and some of my family members used to live there. Key West is a VERY haunted town, and it has so much history. The first thing you learn is, there are more dead, than there are living. Yes, that is a fact.
Between the original Native Americans who lived there first, the Civil War, Yellow Fever, Shipwrecks, etc.
Yes, all three of us have actually experienced or seen something paranormal there, as most residents have.
Despite the place being haunted, it is so worth going, at least once. It is so beautiful, and it is great to learn about FL's history.

[Hayley Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up the book at a bar gift shop in Key West visiting my spouse’s grandmother here in Florida. I found the section written in the perspective of a ghost as silly. It was overall a very quick read, 128 pages total including the title page, editor’s information, authors note, preface, table of contents, and plugs for the author’s other books. So all in all it’s roughly 112 pages, plus my copy had 8 blank pages in the back for some reason.

It’s a good enough read to pass the time.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommend this book. I liked other books of his much better. The stories were very brief. This read to me more like what you would hear on a ghost tour. It was too brief to get into. I would have liked to know more. I wished the pictures were labeled of what you were looking at better. But it was a fun read.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked more detail to the stories, with more back stories (and fewer printing errors - the copy I bought at the Hemingway Bookstore had several pages with missing sentences), smaller print, more pictures and more depth, but as a pamphlet of interesting things about Key West, it was pretty good.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting recounting of the local ghosts of Key West. Been to there numerous times and the next time I will check out the locations mentioned in the book! Might even book a place on the ghost hunt tour!

[Georgiacyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I expected. After going on a ghost tour in Key West last year I wanted to find a follow up book. Some of the most famous stories are missing, so they may be in the author’s prior book. But this book provides a variety of quick synopses of some of the stories we heard plus a few more.

[Tammy Konarska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

I love Key West, so reading this book was really interesting! Each story was very intriguing. This is the second book I’ve read by the author and they both great

[Teresa Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

Vacationing in key west and look forward to the ghost tour! To believe or not to believe......that is the question

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read!

[Peggy Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining

I found this to be a fun read and can't wait to visit several of the places that are mentioned in the book. However, I think I'll skip the seance.

[Angie EVilsiser · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring

[Jeff J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The haunted history of Key West.

[Diane Funk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick read.

[Lisa Harraden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spellbinding!

Enjoyed reading this book in the quiet evening hours. I’ve only visited Key West once, but I enjoy the history of the area.

[Jessica Hangartner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish it was longer. One page started in the middle of a sentence.

[Patrick Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very light read bought while in key west. Cool to see I was eating and drinking in a lot of haunted places!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a nice improvement from the first (Ghosts of Key West). This one contains new stories (except for the story of Count Von Cosel, which is copied and pasted just with more pictures) more detail and even more pictures than the original book.

Well worth the read if you're planning on or are vacationing in Key West. It gives you a little background on some iconic landmarks around the area.

I also recommend taking the ghost tours offered down there, it's spooky fun. Particularly the trip to see Robert the Doll in the middle of the night.