Help For The Haunted

“Part ghost story, part coming-of-age story, John Searles’ Help for the Haunted is a dazzling, dark portrait of a troubled family beset by the supernatural. Searles ratchets up the tension with every passing chapter, and delivers authentic and well-earned scares--all written through the lens of a lonely teenager searching for answers. The result is a novel both frightening and beautiful.” — Gillian Flynn An unforgettable story of a most unusual family, their deep secrets, their harrowing tragedy, and ultimately, a daughter’s discovery of a dark and unexpected mystery. Sylvie Mason’s parents have an unusual occupation—helping “haunted souls” find peace. After receiving a strange phone call one winter’s night, they leave the house and are later murdered in an old church in a horrifying act of violence. A year later, Sylvie is living in the care of her older sister, who may be to blame for what happened to their parents. Now, the inquisitive teenager pursues the mystery, moving closer to the knowledge of what occurred that night—and to the truth about her family’s past and the secrets that have haunted them for years. Capturing the vivid eeriness of Stephen King’s works with the compelling quirkiness of John Irving’s beloved novels, Help for the Haunted is that rare story that brings to life a richly imagined and wholly original world. From the very first page, it takes readers on a captivating journey, told in the heartbreakingly resonant voice of a young heroine who is determined to discover the truth about her family and what went wrong one snowy winter night.

It begins with a call one snowy February night. Lying in her bed, fourteen-year-old Sylvie Mason overhears her parents on the phone across the hall. This is not the first late-night call they have received, since her mother and father have an uncommon occupation: helping 'haunted souls' find peace. And yet something in Sylvie senses that this call is different from the others, especially when they are lured to the old church on the outskirts of town. Once there, her parents disappear, one after the other, behind the church's red door, leaving Sylvie alone in the car. Not long after, she drifts off to sleep, only to wake to the sound of gunfire. As the story weaves back and forth through the years leading up to that night and the months following, the ever-inquisitive Sylvie searched for answers and uncovers secrets that have haunted her family for years . . . Help for the Haunted is a psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, told in the captivating voice of a young heroine who is determined to discover the truth about what happened that winter night.

Vera Van Slyke was a paradox. One the one hand, she was a muckraking journalist who crusaded against Spiritualist mediums, convinced they were all frauds. On the other, she was a ghost hunter who fully believed that spirits of the dead haunt the living. "Ghosts are like cats," Vera explained. "They're real, but they hardly come when called."Lucille Parsell was a Spiritualist medium who had been defrauded by Vera. Eager to abandon that life, she agreed to share her professional secrets with the journalist. This led to an interview, which led to a ghost hunt-which led to a deep friendship between the two women. When Lucille began to chronicle her ghostly investigations with Vera, she became a Watson to a very distinctive Holmes.With as many laughs as chills, those chronicles cover 1899 to 1909 and comprise Help for the Haunted: A Decade of Vera Van Slyke Ghostly Mysteries. Join Vera and Lida as they prowl through lonely mansions, bustling theaters, and underground train tunnels to unravel the mysteries of the Great Beyond . . . and beyond!

Throughout history, people of all cultures have recorded ghostly and demonic experiences. But what can you do if you are experiencing paranormal activity? How can you clear your home of negative energy? Author Lori McDonald applies her years of paranormal investigation and advice to teach you what causes paranormal activity, how to discover and document it when it occurs, and how to eliminate it by blessing and clearing your own environment. No longer will you play the role of paranormal victim. Now you can take authority over your life and reclaim your home.

From the ghostly black horse of Sutton Forest to the butcher of Adelaide Street, a haunted Brisbane lift to the chilling experiments carried out by Doctor Blood of the North Kapunda Hotel, Australia abounds in spooky stories that are all unnervingly based in fact and tied to real places you can visit or avoid. In 100 Tales from Australia's Most Haunted Places, comedy writer and general scaredy-cat Ben Pobjie communes with the spirit world to send a shiver down your spine. A book best read with the light left on.

Over Forty Tales of Ghosts and Paranormal Experiences Founded as a harbor town to ship iron ore from the nearby mines, Marquette became known as the Queen City of the North for its thriving industries, beautiful buildings, and being the largest city in Upper Michigan. But is Marquette also the Queen of Lake Superior’s Haunted Cities? Seventh-generation Marquette resident Tyler Tichelaar has spent years collecting tales of the many ghosts who haunt the cemeteries, churches, businesses, hotels, and homes of Marquette. Now, separating fact from fiction, he delves into the historical record to determine which stories may be true and which are just the fancies of frightened minds. Hear the chilling tales of: • The wicked nun who killed an orphan boy • The librarian mourning her sailor lover • The drowned sailors who climb out of Lake Superior at night • The glowing lantern of the decapitated train conductor • The mailman who gave his life for the U.S. mail • More ghostly ladies in floor-length white gowns than any haunted city should have Haunted Marquette opens up a fourth dimension view of the Queen City’s past and reveals that much of it is still present.

Presented together for the first time, New York Times Bestselling Author, Heather Graham brings back three tales of paranormal love and adventure. Lovers and Demons Fleeing the unholy attentions of a creature of the night, Lenore Tyler, a ravishing Confederate smuggler, joins forces with a brave Yankee officer--and discovers ecstasy in the arms of her handsome, virile enemy. And I Will Love You Forever A beauty, overcome by war, triumphs in love when her strange dreams of a virile and ghostly Viking protector come true. Vanquish The Night Anne Pemberton, a beautiful Texas innocent falls under the haunting spell of a dashing exotic immortal, and is rescued from eternal damnation by the rapturous power of love.