THE BEST book on history and the paranormal. Period.

     Most books about ghosts think nothing of presenting legend as fact. That’s especially true of books about Southern California’s ghosts, which tend to have Rudolph Valentino and Marilyn Monroe’s ghosts popping up all over Los Angeles.

     Craig Owens has thoroughly researched the history of each location and conducted serious paranormal investigations. Urban legends, provocation, and snazzy but questionable equipment…are blessedly absent.

     The hotels’ histories are presented up-front. They are concise while still being thorough, and avoid the dryness normally associated with history books. In regard to the hauntings, Owens deftly sorts fact from fiction and doesn’t shy away from debunking stories with no real basis or evidence.

     The book’s excellent photographs pay tribute to the locations’ histories and legends… The paranormal investigations following the shoots state simply what happened (and acknowledge debunked “evidence” like noises with a traceable cause, something many paranormal investigators don’t like to do), but you, dear reader, may draw your own conclusion….

     The level of detail is remarkable. In the case of the two most notoriously haunted hotels, Owens includes a list of deaths at the Hotel del Coronado and a list of just the Alexandria’s *strange* deaths (and were they ever strange!).

     Anything worth doing is worth doing well. This thick volume is exceptionally well done. — Amazon Review