Elements of a Haunting: Connecting History with Science to Uncover the Greatest Ghost Stories Ever Told

by Brandon Alvis, Mustafa Gatollari

Peek Behind the Scenes of Spine-Tingling Investigations

Join Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollari, stars of the hit A&E television show Ghost Hunters , as they delve into the methodology of their most compelling investigations. Within these pages, you will discover the fascinating history of six haunted locations and how it pertains to the events of each case, including details that have never been previously revealed. Elements of a Haunting covers the shocking secrets of the Athenaeum in Indianapolis, the Madison Seminary in Ohio, the Worley Hospital in Texas, the Glen House in Missouri, and the Original Springs Hotel and Galena Marine Hospital in Illinois. Learn how Brandon and Mustafa gather empirical evidence of paranormal phenomena, as well as the ethics, theory, and protocol they utilize in every investigation. The authors also include their groundbreaking classification system for ghosts and hauntings that is transforming the field of paranormal studies into a true scientific discipline.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal, Audiobook, Horror

264 pages, Paperback

Published January 8, 2022

Reviews

[Poptart19 (the name’s ren) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Two paranormal investigators (of the Ghost Hunters TV show) share their “scientific” investigative protocols & discuss several investigations they’ve done as a team. This book isn’t great, but it was decently entertaining & the writers come across as genuine people.

[What I liked:]

•I do love a good ghost story, so I did enjoy the case studies of some of the investigations the writers have done. I especially enjoyed the background & history of the places they investigated & characters they supposedly communicated with. (Their investigative rigamarole with barometric pressure detecting devices was much less exciting.)

•Both writers got into paranormal investigation due to personal experiences: for Brandon, it was a hope for an afterlife after losing two siblings at a young age; for Mustafa, it was childhood experiences with paranormal activities in his home. Both of them come across as very genuine people with a true interest in helping others. I’m glad this book wasn’t sensationalized.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I do personally believe in spiritual beings & have had experiences I consider to be supernatural. That said, I’m pretty firmly in the camp that science isn’t useful for investigating non-natural events & beings. The supernatural is outside the realm of what science can measure & explain, & so I’m highly skeptical of anyone claiming to “prove” their existence with science.

And unfortunately, this book falls into that trap. The writers state that if a phenomenon can’t be explained by natural causes, then there must be a paranormal cause. I disagree! Just because the writers didn’t find a natural cause (& tbf, they do try to rule those out first) doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist—there could well be one they just missed.

•I was interested in the writers’ classification system for different types of hauntings, but was disappointed because they never explained how they developed it. Why 6 categories, not more or less? How did they choose these? Why are these 6 relevant & important?

•There’s a section in chapter 4 where the authors discuss what hauntings might be—maybe spirits, or maybe energy imprints, or maybe time warps of living people—& this section is confusing. I’m very unclear on what the proposed link between barometric pressures changes & black holes is. It almost seemed like they’re proposing that black holes can cause time travel, but I’m not sure if that’s what they actually meant?

•Related to the above point, instead of quoting academic sources the writers quote news articles about scientific studies. Why not quote the actual studies & go to the primary source? The whole thing is just messy.

CW: suicide, murder

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

[G · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, first of all, these guys are not writers. I had never heard of them or their show before (and have no intention to look it up now), but reading this was a mixture of chore and punishment, with some helpless laughter thrown in. The prose is beyond clunky ("a long, narrow hallway punctuated by rooms once inhabited by the building's many residents"; "it was her longtime dream to one day be its owner, a dream that came to fruition like so many before her."; "The hallway was quiet and dark, no indicators on our device suggesting any environmental conditions had taken place."; "The fact that Galena was spared from the Ice Age is the very reason for its existence by mere geological happenstance."; somebody leaves home "for the glamorous life of a would-be Hollywood starlet", which doesn't sound all that glamorous to me; there are "photos of the disembodied dress", whatever that may look like, and people always, ALWAYS come in "throngs"), we get some terrifyingly weird grammar ("Or Tom Rogers, so full of hope and energy to promote the hotel, but slowly seemed to lose his mind to apathy?", "Being that I was wearing a body camera, I knew I must have captured what I saw"), and while it's always fun to show that you know some Pretty Big Words, it helps to know how and when to use them... or at least employ an editor. (Also, just to get this out of the way, dear Brandon and Mustafa, "phenomena" is the fricking PLURAL, and "phenomenon" the SINGULAR FORM, NOT the other way round! Okay? Look it up! Please! This stays true even when you use the wrong word about 2,864 times.)
There are plenty of sentences that don't even make sense to me: "Many people hide under the guise of ParaUNITY in order to enlist others to participate in their self-delusion and fortify bubbles of not having their evidence challenged." So they enlist others to fortify their bubbles? Or they fortify them themselves and the others are just there for the self-delusion? How exactly DO you "fortify" a bubble? And what does that even mean, "bubbles of not having their evidence challenged"?!? HELP! Every now and then you come across phrases that read like the work of Google Translate; e.g. a mother fears that her son has died "when she stopped receiving letters from him after a nearly two-year hiatus." Huh? "The spooky stories impeded work on the building from ever happening." Wait, what? Apparently, as a ghost hunter you can expect to come across some enterprising felines, too: "there were throngs of dead pigeons whose limbs were brutally torn apart from intruding cats decorating the building's hallways". So, er, there were decorating cats? Who sported dead pigeons' limbs at one point, before having them brutally removed?

Second, nothing about this book is scientific. Nothing. It's not even close to science, even if you're flexible enough to regard stuff like astrology or homeopathy as within in the bounds of scientific thinking. What these guys did is arrange some types of "sightings" into lists they then declare as definitive and totally scientifically sound. That's kind of like a seven-year-old drawing a map of where the glitter unicorns live, and the purply shimmery unicorns, and the unicorns with wings. It doesn't mean anything. Not even if you happen to be a fellow hardcore unicorn freak. Brandon and Mustafa break their classification system down into "Classes", and those classes further down into sub-categories, all of which sounded like they had read a bit too much E.F. Benson... all those Grey Ladies and returning murder victims and guilty spirits. In fact, that whole Ghost Classification business felt a bit like parody to me. It's not even well thought out; you can have a "Grey Lady" in your home, or a "Murdered Apparition", or, um, a "Bound by Loved Ones", I guess. "Ooh, what's that sound? Oh, that's just our Bound by Loved Ones. It's a Class Three Restless Spirit, you see."
B&M call this "structure and protocol"; I'm tempted to call it something else entirely. I mean, one location's list of suspected hauntings includes "Possible inhuman entities that are reportedly known to shack up in hospitals." "Reportedly known"?! By whom? Is it even possible to "reportedly know" something? And isn't this more a case of "believed by some"?
The whole book could have been a funny-as-hell send-up of all those Totally True Hauntings!/Ghost Hunting 101 books out there; it's all there -- the fake-humble hubris, the It Happened To Us personal backstories straight out of Yeah Right country (be prepared to give your suspension of disbelief muscles a grueling workout), the unwavering belief in ghosties that colors everything they encounter, the whole Real Dudes chumminess of the enterprise, the home-made super-serious "scientific" lingo, the super-duper equipment, also totally "scientific" (because who can argue with "science", right?)... But of course it's all so very, very serious. They even do quotes, with footnotes, because this is a book of science. So we get treated to quotations from HP Lovecraft's The History of the Necronomicon, and the Cliffs Notes version (!) of House of the Seven Gables, and of course "Leonardo DiCaprio's character in The Departed" ("families are always rising and falling in America"). Oh dear.

As for the promised "greatest ghost stories ever told", well, nothing in here was even remotely scary (or great). It was all, "Haunting XY is supposed to go on here. Person YZ lived here in the past. We undertook some stupefyingly exhaustive research (i.e. talked to that dude or read those totally old newspapers) and came to the conclusion that without a doubt, Person YZ is causing Haunting XY." That's it! That's literally it!
To "confirm" their findings, these guys "talk" to the presumed entities, and of course those entities answer. It's too bad they never have anything to say. If you're willing/able to buy into this (I certainly had my problems), you're left with the uncomfortable feeling of the banality of it all. Apparently, according to those two experts here, we tend to stay around after death, and, er, that's it. We have nothing new to add, despite the fact that we've passed that final metaphysical frontier -- we stay who we were, we don't get more interesting, or earn any kind of insight or whatever, and we certainly don't have anything new to offer. If you were a doctor, you remain a doctor, and when asked you utter doctorly things. Same if you were a bore during your lifetime, or an innkeeper, or a sufragette. Because, you know, you only ever are one thing; apparently the afterlife is a place of underwhelming complexity peopled by some very simple souls. This book should be enough to put you off any ghost hunting ideas once and for all, because even if you do stumble across some undead medics or housemaids, they're guaranteed to bore you to death with their uninspired small talk from beyond.
Not the kind of scary I was looking for.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s difficult to review this book because it seems like it would be a review of the TV show, Ghost Hunters; many of the stories in this book are based on episodes of the show and what was found on those investigations with a few anecdotes to give it a personal touch. I enjoyed the section in the beginning that detailed how the conducted their investigations and the scales they use to keep everything classified. I like that the scientific method plays into their investigations but the ghost stories have been told before (and documented on TV) so I didn’t feel like there was anything new to learn from this aside from their stories on how they got started that were offered in the introduction. Still, the stories were interesting enough to get me through a day of work so it wasn’t a total loss.

I received a copy from #NetGalley and #RBMedia for an honest review.

[Matthew Carter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was interesting in reading this because the authors said this contains groundbreaking research. I wasnt impressed. In fact their classification system was just odd. Another review on this page pointed out how the authors didnt even explain how they came up with their 6 different classifications. What's fishy about this is that I read a book years ago by Chris Bores that also came up with a classification system very similar to this one. It's like they took the same list and swapped out the titles so they wouldnt get caught. If this is true, this is shameful since yeah, they dont even back up why there are 6 classes or how they come to that conclusion.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this the greatest, most compelling book about the evidence of ghosts that would convert even a skeptic like me? No.
Despite that, are ghost hunting shows kind of a guilty pleasure?
Was it kind of fun to read? Yes.

Read this mostly for research for a character who wants to be a ghost hunter - gave me some great ideas and I had a really good time with this book overall!

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Elements of a Haunting.

I'm not a fan of reality shows, whether it's about a crew looking for ghosts or a bunch of privileged ladies with Botoxed faces gossiping about each other over a martini lunch, but I do love reading about ghosts and hauntings.

I really enjoyed Elements of a Haunting and the passion and dedication the authors, the lead investigators of Ghost Hunters, have for their work.

First, the authors describe what led to their current professions; the both of them suffered personal tragedies that led them to wonder about the possibility of life after death.

As a result, this pursuit for answers about life beyond death had led them to paranormal investigations, but significantly, their desire to elevate their profession to a more respectable status.

Second, they are wholly dedicated and determined to use old school research, science, tools, technology and third party industry professionals to discover the cause of the hauntings they are tasked to investigate/

Mr. Alvis and Mr. Gatollari outline their rules, the scientific equipment and the protocol they've established as professional paranormal investigators for nearly two decades.

What I especially love was their honesty, their forthrightness, and the utmost respect for each location they visit during their investigations.

The authors also bust many myths about their work; it's not easy.

It's a lot of work, and not just the heavy equipment they lug and all the data they track.

Before they visit each location, copious research is done on the location and background of the place they're investigating; they need to take into account the historical context, the locals, the atmosphere, the weather....it's a detailed list and demonstrates how serious Mr. Alvis and Mr. Gatollari are about their work.

The style and tone of the writing is never too serious or too jokey; there's some light humor, but never rude or disrespectful.

The writing sounds like how Mr. Alvis and Mr. Gatollari may sound in real life. I've never seen Ghost Hunters but I can imagine their rapport and camaraderie.

My only caveat was I wished there were more photos, especially of the locations they investigated. Of course, I'm reading an ARC and that might change in the final product.

I actually Googled each of the locations in the book as I was reading.

This was a fascinating read; I wasn't scared but I did get chills.

It almost made me want to be a paranormal investigator myself....maybe not. It's a lot of work. I'd rather read about it instead.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never seen an episode of Ghost Hunters but if I do stumble across the series at some point, I will be happy to watch it. I have read many books, participated in numerous ghost walks and lived in a haunted flat in London England. While open to the possibilities, I still have a healthy skepticism largely because of the hyperbole and over dramatization that has been the stock and trade of those whose goal is to scare us.

The two authors are refreshing. I was intrigued by the background of how they ended up in the unusual profession of ghost hunting through personal experiences and how they bonded as partners on the A & E series. Their methodology is fascinating. They go in trying to find all the reasons why the “hauntings” can be explained away. They do not grab hold of the stories and urban myths that often surround these places. They look at the history but look beyond the most thrilling and chilling answers. They use equipment and science to eliminate everything that is not paranormal so that what is left is what defies explanation.

I found their techniques in dealing with the spirits when they do make contact compassionate. Rather than going right for the gory detail, they respect the feelings of the entity with whom they are dealing. They are not looking for the spectacular and therefore they get some solid results. The book is written in chapters where they look at the stories behind the location and both the living and dead people with whom they will interact. In spite of the language being a bit coarse at times, it is well written and a fascinating and quick read. It would make a good addition to your ghostly library. Four and a half purrs and two paws up.

[Raegan · Rating 1 out of 5]

*I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

DNF'd @ 34%

If you are a paranormal fan you might want to skip this one. It focuses more on science than apparitions. I was extremely bored and it seemed like it never got to the point. If you really like the show or the guys then this would be for you.

I found the guys unlikeable. They were rude. And they clearly aren't writers but just entertainers.

For example, the book said the lady should have been able to defend herself from getting killed because she was 5'6 and 150 pounds.

Example 2, when slave ghosts were mentioned the guy said their work shaped our country for the better. And he said the ghost said "thank you" in reply. I don't think there is any benefit of slaves and it is insensitive being as they didn't have a choice.

All-in-all, this wasn't what I thought it would be.

Thank you Tantor Audio for the audiobook review copy!

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I don't think I've seen a single episode of Ghost Hunters, and while I remain skeptical, I admit I'm a sucker for a good ghost story. It was interesting to know about the behind the scenes details and the research that goes into the investigations seen on the show, but ultimately this book wasn't about the ghosts as much as it was a info-dump, and a rather dry one at that. If you're interested in the minutiae of ghost-hunting, this will probably be a great book for you. If you want to hear some interesting stories about hauntings and ghosts, well, this might be a good book for you, but there are probably some books out there that will be a better fit.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Llewellyn Worldwide for the opportunity to read and review Elements of a Haunting.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't nearly as riveting and spooky as I had hoped. I thought I'd be racing to find some of their TV episodes but I have no desire. They appear to be likable and believable but while some of the technical aspects may be interesting to them (and maybe a few others), reading the details was a bit tedious and dry.

[Adelaide McIntyre · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love history, I love ghost hunters, so this should have been a slam dunk.

I was just so bored. Rarely am I almost put into a reading slump but just one book, but I fought tooth and nail to get out of this book and be able to keep reading.

[CaraDico · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you to Llewelyn Worldwide, Brandon Alvis, Mustafa Gatollari, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/el...


“Now I know what a ghost is. Unfinished business, that’s what.”

― Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses

I have been watching paranormal reality shows, such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, for two decades. I am a huge fan of these reality shows and devour them when I have a moment to watch. I have also loved reading about ghosts and hauntings, whether the story is true or fictional. This was a fantastic book about being behind the scenes of some of the greatest episodes of Ghost Hunters, when it was on A&E.

Alvis and Gatollari begin the book with their backgrounds and what brought them into the world of the paranormal. They both suffered tragedies in their lifetime that led them to wonder about life after death and what happens when someone dies. Mustafa Gatollari talks about a house that he lived in that he believed was cursed.

According to a research firm out of Ventura, California, 8 out of 10 Americans believe in life after death. Another 9% said life after death may exist, but they were uncertain. Those are startling statistics. The authors dive into research about different belief systems associated with hauntings and their findings go back more than 100 years. The search for answers led them both to investigate the paranormal, but also to do it in a respectable way, looking for other things that may cause what is believed to be a haunting.

In Elements of a Haunting, they go behind the scenes of several popular episodes, including the “Gray Lady”, a haunted hotel and a haunted hospital. They are very honest and descriptive of what happens behind the scenes and whether they believe it is a haunting or natural elements causing the disturbances. In two of those places, it surprised them that it was a haunting rather than something else. They use old school tools and research to investigate such as data loggers and tracking changes in the environment that could cause something to seem like a haunting but had natural causes.

The style of their writing is straightforward, but there is some cursing and a lighter tone, which makes the science of the book easier to read. There are parts where it feels clunky but they write like they talk, and science becomes simple to understand. Their speech also reflects their camaraderie and friendship, which is apparent in every episode of Ghost Hunters. I enjoyed reading this, particularly about the episodes that I have seen on television, as I have always wondered what happens behind the scenes.

[Heather Daughrity · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapter of this book gives us the personal backgrounds of the two authors, Brandon and Mustafa of Ghost Hunters fame, detailing their journey to becoming paranormal investigators.

The next few chapters get all kinds of scientific, explaining different theories of just what exactly supernatural manifestations might be, cataloging the various equipment used in "ghost hunting", and finally giving us the system that the authors have come up with for classifying different types of hauntings (do you have a grey lady, a shining boy, or an elemental...).

We are then presented with half a dozen chapters each covering an investigation of a particular haunted place. Many of the places (and the investigations themselves) will be familiar for fans of Ghost Hunters (the newer version, with Grant but not Jason). The chapters give several pages of fascinating history on each place and then several more pages of (sometimes fascinating, sometimes not) details on the actual investigation.

This book will be loved by fans of the show, by people just getting into paranormal investigation, or by authors wanting a reference for writing a good ghost hunting scene.

For the most part I liked the book. There are definitely times when the authors come across as a bit condescending and other times when there too much repetition which bogs down the flow of the writing. But these things aside, the stories of the places they have visited and investigated are truly interesting and some of the theories and ideas they propose will definitely make you think.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never watched Ghost Hunters but I was intrigued by what goes on behind the scenes at these paranormal shows. Likes the authors, I’m a sceptic who wants to believe, so their approach to their investigation was fascinating. It’s so interesting to learn how they research not only the historical context, the history behind the buildings, the people involved in the past and the present, living and dead, how they rule out rational explanations to the phenomena they experience and how they keep an open mind. They are not trying to convince anyone of anything, just explaining how they planned some of their investigations and what happened, not shying away from the hauntings that they debunked. Some parts were really creepy, while others were heartbreaking. I was surprised that the audiobook was not narrated by the authors. Michael Butler Murray does a great job and it’s always clear which member of the team is speaking. Fans of the show will really love this book, but even newbies will enjoy it.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/# Tantor Audio!

[Charessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skipped and skimmed a few sections because I was getting bored but I got some good entertainment out of this one. I really enjoyed Brandon and Mustafa's anecdotes about their investigations and the history of some of the places. I also appreciated they doubled down on the Original Springs Hotel simply having awful wiring and highly conductive water (I worked there for a spell, have investigated it myself with friends, and got nothing out of the experiences).

I wish they had more photos but I'm sure that's their way of trying to get readers to watch the episodes, because I did end up writing the episode list down to follow up on the evidence they wrote about. I used to watch the show regularly but fell out of it, only watching for certain locations now (like the Original Springs). This book didn't make me chomp at the bit to watch it regularly again, but it did make me curious about some of what they were recollecting.

Honestly,the professionalism and methodical approach to the field is something I wish more "ghost hunters" did. They should probably read this book (though I don't know about following the classification system--it doesn't seem really helpful, in my opinion).

[Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book because I am fascinated with ghost every since I was a kid. I remember watching the original Ghost Hunters with my parents when it first came on. Then I watched all the other paranormal shows that followed. Then when Ghost Hunters came back on with Grant and a new team, I was so excited. Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollari were two of my new favorites on the show.

Now on to the review: This was a very easy book to get into and very easy to understand. You can tell both Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollari very knowledgeable in their field. Even thought they were knowledgeable, they wrote the book that even the newbie could understand. I can also see others that are experts learning from this book as well. I can't to see what Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollari accomplished in this field.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher letting me read and review this book.

[Kenny Biddle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected a lot more from this book, based on the title (which is less than accurate). This is nothing more than the typical ghost hunter rehashing the same stuff, adding in cherry-picked bits of non-related science information, to make it appear they are doing something they're not - which is bringing the paranormal into the realm of serious scientific study. The authors are ignorant of the work that has come before them, making bold statements that they are the ones leading paranormal investigation into science. In fact, the authors hijack previously published work in what they promote as a classification system they (mostly Alvis) developed on their own. When it comes to investigating paranormal claims, this book does not deliver relevant or proper methods, often contradicting themselves when it comes to following their own rules. You'll learn more critical thinking skills from watching an episode of Monk or Columbo than anything in this book. Save your money, skip this book.

[Teresa Grabs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ghost Hunters (TV show) is definitely no Ed and Lorraine Warren, but they never really aimed to be. Elements of a Haunting allows Brandon and Mustafa (two members of the TV show) to explain, in their own words, what brought them to the paranormal and, eventually, the show. Their story shares some of the scientific methods they use and then highlights several cases that aired on the show. All in all, it was a decent read and would interest fans of the show (to a certain degree) but as someone who has read a lot of cases of hauntings, it left something to be desired. I can't fault Brandon and Mustafa for my complete lack of interest, but it was a rather bland read.

Thank you NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

My rating: 1 of 5 stars, did not finish.

I love ghost stories. Books, TV shows, you name it, I consume it. Unfortunately, I decided a long time ago that I didn't trust Grant Wilson and by proxy, I didn't really trust his new team of Ghost Hunters. What few episodes I did watch, I didn't really care for any of the team, and now in their book, they come off as annoying and none of their "greatest ghost stories," are really all that great.

Also, might I suggest hiring someone who actually writes for a living to write anything else for you? Rambling sentences, cliches, and some really poor phrasing just annoyed the crud out of me.

I couldn't make myself finish it.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

[Yamini · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has a great start and gets very engaging as you dive deeper into the stories. The investigation techniques were something that I was wowed by!
There are a handful of incidents that will give you goosebumps.

Though I did have a few turnoffs when I felt no connection with a few areas of the book (because they looked like fillers).

The overall reading experience of this book was average, but I do have second thoughts that maybe I enjoyed this a little less because of the narration. It might result in a different opinion if one reads the book instead of listening to it,

[Ingrid Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the science behind ghost hunting. Believers or skeptics, both sides of the argument are made here.
It can become a bit dry and goes on longer than you think it should, but the audiobook makes this a much easier read.

The narrator Michael Butler Murray did little to distinguish between the voices of Alvis and Gatollari but that did not impede the book at all.

Thanks to @netgalley, tantor audio, Brandon Alvis, and Mustafa Gatollari for the opportunity to listen to this audio in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Stacy Bruton · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a big fan of the show ghost hunters and of the paranormal, I thought I was going to love this book. I unfortunately found it repetitive- I had hoped that the book would cover more aspects of the classification system with lesser known cases from the show, but it didn’t.
As far as the audiobook, I was not a big fan of the audiobook narrator. I tend to listen to my books on 2x speed and this narrator was difficult to listen to on the higher read rate and made me not want to pick up the book as often.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an audio arc of Elements of a haunting.

[James Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elements of a Haunting is a historical guide about ghost-hunting. The authors discuss their own experiences and attempt to categorise all types of hauntings.

This isn't a bad book, but the writing style left a little to be desired for me. The content was interesting, but I found it difficult to read.

Thanks to Brandon Alvis, Mustafa Gatollari, NetGalley, and Llewellyn Publications for this copy.

[Tony Ross II · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clunky albeit somewhat entertaining look into the background and behind the scenes of ghost hunting. I appreciate the author(s) attention to detail on their equipment and methodology, as well as calling out frauds who fake results or think anything is a ghost.

There are some silly parts in here as well as no scientific basis for some of their tests. If you don’t believe in ghosts, this book won’t convince you that they exist.

[Vnunez-Ms_luv2read · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have watched the show “Ghost Hunters” a few times. I have to say this book gave me the same thoughts when seeing the show. Not good, not bad. The book dragged a lot and overall, was just not that interesting to me. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest thoughts. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

[Kaitlyn Whitten · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75🌟

I actually found this book to be quite fun and interesting! I have watched the show, which I would recommend, so the inclusion of the episodic information was fun for me, though I could see how that may be less interesting to those that haven't watched it. There was slight repetition, but overall I found it quite entertaining.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of, Elements of a Haunting, by Brandon Alvis and Mustafa Gatollani. This is a really great read, I learned a lot. There was a lot of ghost stories, history's of hauntings, and such. There is a lot of information on hauntings. I really enjoyed this book.

[OjoAusana · Rating 4 out of 5]

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* pretty good read, i don't think i realyl learned much for this book about the science behind ghosts but i did get to hear some cool cases so that was still good!

[Natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

So terribly bored with this one. Review to come.

[Sara Evraets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart, educational, professionally done. Love this book. Every ghost hunter should read this