Nestled on the rocky coast of Massachusetts, Salem is a city steeped in history and legend. Famous for its witch trials, the storied North Shore seaport also has a dark history of smugglers and deadly fires. It is considered one of New England’s most haunted destinations. Inside Howard Street Cemetery, the ghost of accused witch Giles Corey wanders among the gravestones. Outside the Ropes Mansion, the ghost of Abigail Ropes can be seen peeking out of the windows. The Gardner-Pingree House on Essex Street is host to the spirit of sea captain Joseph White, a man whose murder in 1830 inspired literary giants like Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Join author and paranormal journalist Sam Baltrusis on a chilling journey through the streets of Salem as he chronicles the historic haunts of the Witch City.

Well, first things first – anyone who uses Ghost Adventures as a source gets a little side eye from me… That being said, I didn’t have an issue with any of the actual quotes from Nick (of Ghost Adventures).

Now on to what I really thought – I really enjoyed this compilation of locations/stories from Salem. I felt the writing style was solid – with any book that deals with history and legends you are going to get some dryness and dense sections, but I felt it was balanced really well between history and story telling. There were some instances where things were repeated which threw me a little, but the author did usually have a note that the subjects were referenced elsewhere in the book. The pictures that went along with the different sections were interesting and definitely added an element to the book as it was helpful to see named locations. Also, most of the sources sounded really interesting (besides Ghost Adventures) so I now have a list of other books I’d like to track down and pick up.

Happy reading!