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by Elaine Mercado Introduction by Hans Holzer 
A convincing and chilling true account of a haunting
In accounts of hauntings, I look for several characteristics. A book of this type should have a reliable narrator and internal consistency; the experience of the haunting should be verified by independent researchers; there should be a history of unexplained events, unknown to the current residents of the house before the event began to manifest, and before the residents began their inquiries. I consider these the minimum requirements for a satisfying account of a haunting. I am pleased to say that this book contains each of these. The author, Elaine Mercado, R.N., speaks honestly and authoritatively; the events in the house were investigated by none other than Hans Holzer and a medium with whom he works, Marisa Anderson; there were indeed sightings and unexplained events prior to the Mercado's occupation of the house. I also find it doubly satisfying if the story be told well, and if it has the shape of a good narrative. Readers of this book will be pleased to find that Mercado is indeed a very good writer, one who understands the importance of tone, the humorous aside, and foreshadowing. I started this book early one afternoon and finished it early the next morning, driven to continue reading by Mercado's hints that the mystery would continue to unravel and that the haunting would intensify. Whatever one's opinion about spirits may be, it is disquieting to consider that invisible intelligences are all around us, and I jumped out of my skin any time the silence was broken for the following week! This book is indeed suspenseful, well-written, and convincing. And the author and her family must be commended on their bravery and perseverance. Events such as those related in this work are unsettling to those unfamiliar to hauntings, and braver folk than the author have fled phenomena such as these. Mercado instead chose to deal with them, which led her to come to a wider understanding of the universe in which we live. And perhaps even more interesting is the fact that she was not convinced entirely by the interpretation of events and the definition of ghosts provided by Holzer and Anderson during their investigation of this haunting: she became more open minded as events progressed. She is to be congratulated for her courage and her willingness to learn, and thanked for having written a gripping and informative account of a true haunting. |
