Title: Policing the Paranormal

Author: Paul Hope

Genre: Non-Fiction, True Haunting

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Commonwealth of Virginia has witnessed some of the most dramatic events of U.S. history and is known to be rich with haunted locations and paranormal activity. But what most people don’t know is just how paranormally active Virginia is, especially within the center of the Commonwealth’s most politically prestigious location, the Virginia State Capitol. Unlock the secrets of exactly what goes on after dark in the same buildings our State legislators and officials frequent. Learn from the testimony of police officers and other credible witnesses the exciting and sometimes terrifying disturbances that appear to frequently haunt the rooms and corridors of several locations within downtown Richmond’s Capitol Square. From the haunted State Capitol and Supreme Court buildings, to the intense poltergeist activity experienced in the Executive Mansion, you’ll be shocked by the compelling events that were kept secret – until now!

In Policing the Paranormal, author Paul Hope tells us about the hauntings going on in Virginia, especially in the Virginia State Capitol. Since I’m not an American, and have been nowhere near Virginia ever in my life, I started out knowing absolutely zero about the Virginia State Capitol Building or its surroundings, but I got a good impression from it based on Paul Hope’s descriptions. And well, even if I hadn’t, I’m not here for a sightseeing tour – I’m here for some ghost stories. And boy, I definitely got enough of those.

Paul Hope was a police officer himself, who worked the graveyard shift in the Virginia State Capitol Building. So some of the stories are his own, others he heard from colleagues. He tells all the stories in a down-to-earth style, which makes them sound all the more believable. The stories aren’t over hte top either, they’re what you’d expect from a standard type of haunting. Creeping doors, disembodied voices, you know the drill.

As a downside though, it took about thirty pages before I felt really invested into the book. It had a slow start. But once I passed those first thirty-so pages, I just had to keep on reading.

A solid read for fans of true ghost encounters. The writing needed some work here and there, but I enjoyed it.