Ghosthunting Maryland by Michael J. Varhola and Michael H. Varhola
This survey of hauntings in Maryland is part of a larger series of books, America's Haunted Road Trip. The books focus on states, regions, and cities in the United States. This book presents a lot of locations in the Old Line State. Maryland has seen a lot of historical events and figures that involve trauma and death, many from the American Civil War. The author traveled the state visiting sites, conducting interviews (both pre-arranged and spontaneous), and doing his own investigating, sometimes with help from members of ghost hunting groups like Maryland TriState Paranormal and Gabriel's Paranormal Society. He writes in an easygoing and personal style, telling what he did and experienced during his adventures.
What I enjoy in books with these types of ghost stories is learning the history of an area and reading dramatic stories of people's lives. I am not really interested in stories about using scientific equipment or identifying "spirit orbs" on photographs or getting reactions from people who claim to have sensitivity to the presence of the otherworldly. This book uses a lot of the "psychic investigation as narrative" storytelling. There are stories from history because that explains why areas might manifest supernatural phenomenon, but those stories are in service of the search for ghosts. So this book was not as enjoyable as other ghost story books in a similar vein.
The book ends with a travel guide giving a list of places to visit in Maryland, including some that weren't included in the narrative part of the book.
Mildly recommended--this isn't the sort of local ghost stories I enjoy the most.
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