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| Ghost Hunting: True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena from The Atlantic Paranormal Society | 
 enlarge | Authors: Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, Michael Jan Friedman
Publisher: Pocket
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  96 reviews
Sales Rank: 7496
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 1
ISBN: 1416541136
Dewey Decimal Number: 133.1
EAN: 9781416541134
ASIN: 1416541136
Publication Date: October 2, 2007
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Product Description
The Atlantic Paranormal Society, also known as T.A.P.S., is the brainchild of two plumbers by day, paranormal investigators by night: Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. Their hair-raising investigations, fueled by their unique abilities and a healthy dose of scientific method, have made them the subject of a hit TV show: the SCI FI Channel's Ghost Hunters.Now their experiences are in print for the first time, as Jason and Grant recount for us, with the help of veteran author Michael Jan Friedman, the stories of some of their most memorable investigations. The men and women of T.A.P.S. pursue ghosts and other supernatural phenomena with the most sophisticated scientific equipment available -- from thermal-imaging cameras to electromagnetic-field recorders to digital thermometers -- and the results may surprise you. Featuring both cases depicted on Ghost Hunters and earlier T.A.P.S. adventures never told before now, this funny, fascinating, frightening collection will challenge everything you thought you knew about the spirit world.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 91 more reviews...
A Good Read.... September 25, 2007
77 out of 84 found this review helpful
For those not familiar with "Ghost Hunters," it is a TV program aired on the Sci-Fi channel on Wednesday evenings and it has become a very popular program. Two plumbers who work for Roto Rooter, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson from Rhode Island along with several other people run a paranormal investigation team called TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) in their spare time. Both Jason and Grant got into ghost hunting because of some paranormal experiences they had when they were younger which peaked their interests to dig deeper into this fascinating subject.
Since I am a fan of the TV program I decided to order and read the book thinking I might find some new material in it. There were many cases in the book which Jason recalls that happened in the early years when he and Grant first started TAPS - even before the now popular TV program "Ghost Hunters" came to be. So, in that sense I found some very good stories. Their first investigation of The Stanley Hotel is also documented in the book - which was very interesting to read about. Anyone familiar with Stephen King and his books know that The Stanley Hotel was the basis for King's novel "The Shining" which was later made into a movie with Jack Nicholson and later on in 1997 into a TV miniseries. As it turns out, The Stanley Hotel apparently is truly haunted and not just in King's book but in real life as well.
They also talk about some cases where they were "duped" into investing a "haunted" location because the owners of a home wanted to "cash in" on some fame at their expense and the hauntings turned out to be fake. Jason speaks about their approach to investigating a haunting and how they decide whether or not they feel a location or home truly has paranormal activity. There are many cases documented in the book - most of them are very short chapters but you get the highlights of the investigations including some on "possession."
My only criticism of this book is that I feel Jason Hawes was a little too liberal in his criticism of Brian Harnois. Brian is a former investigator/technician who worked with TAPS for a long while and was one of the first members of the group. He had some personal issues during his work with TAPS which caused some tension in the group. While I do agree that Brian had his shortcomings with TAPS, Jason "peppered" the book with remarks about these faults, much of which I felt was unnecessary in my opinion to include as part of the book. Jason does mention a few of Brian's "good points" but the bad outweighs the good and I just felt it really did not add that much to the book to keep bringing this up. I suppose Jason felt it necessary to add for "dramatic effect?" But the cases in the book are far more interesting than any problems Jason and other members may have had with Brian and the biting remarks just got old for me. In fact, this is the only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars.
Brian and Donna LaCroix (another former TAPS member) and a few other former members have now formed their own paranormal investigation group labeled "The Project" which is just getting started up. I wish them the very best of luck and success in this. :)
So, overall if you are a fan of "Ghost Hunters" or not familiar with it but enjoy reading stories of investigations of hauntings and paranormal activity, then by all means I highly recommend this book. I don't think you will be disappointed.
a good companion to the series October 7, 2007
40 out of 63 found this review helpful
Jason gives his take on a dozen or so TAPS cases. Some of these are prior to the Ghosthunter series. Others have been covered in the filmed episodes. Grant Wilson offers a few comments or short asides at the end of most chapters. Jason also goes a litle into the background of TAPS, the reasons why he started it and how he became sensitive to the paranormal, and a bit about Grant's reasons.
The book is reasonably well written and engaging, with enough tidbits and trivia to make it worth the purchase. If you're a fan of the series, or especially if you're a fan of Jason Hawes, it's a must have.
I'd say I'm more of a "watcher" of the series than a "fan" -- fan meaning to me more like "devoted groupie". I'm mildly interested in the paranormal - I like a good ghost story as much as anyone -- and I don't like the fake hyped up investigations done by other paranormal TV producers. Ghosthunters allegedly scientific approach initially attracted me.
That being said, when I first started watching, I was taken aback by the anger Jason kept displaying, particularly in the first couple of seasons. At first, I took this to be reality show hype, probably not true, a conflict garnered to boost ratings and ensnare watchers. Hype or not, Jason portrayed himself as someone who tended to use and abuse people -- Brian being the most obvious - to the point where they couldn't deal with him honestly. Then he complained when they lied or avoided him. It's a controlling thing, putting people in a no win situation. Jason addresses some of this conflict in the book. He admits that he appreciated Brian because he did the donkeywork (which was pretty obvious from watching the show), that he piled it on because Brian was enthusiasic and dedicated to TAPs. So, because Brian would do it, Jason took advantage of that. This appeared to be Jason's M.O. for certain types of people, but Brian got he brunt of it. It's not exactly estimable behavior for Jason to admit. And eventually the subject of it, being in essentially a no win situation, can't or won't take it any more. Brian predictably reached that point. Jason predictably found it impossible to let go of the expectation that Brian would continue to be his donkey and whipping boy. The recanting of all this in the book isn't too different from what was aired, but it doesn't improve on revisiting it. Reading about it is about as uncomfortable as watching it, both to see Jason continually lose it, and yet simultaneously carp about other's lack of professionalism. And to see Brian go back and forth, wanting to be part of Taps, but getting fed up with a role no one can take for long. We don't hear Brian's side, but it's interesting he left his abusive relationship with Taps to enter into another abusive relationship with a girl, then when that didn't work out, came briefly back to Taps. Some people just seek out bad relationships. While it's unfortunate for Brian, that doesn't quite excuse Jason from his role in being more of a problem than a solution, particularly since he also talks about what a family TAPS is supposed to be. It's also odd to hear Jason harp about professionalism, at the same time he recounts with glee how even in front of their clients they physically trip eachother up, grab or set eachother up to be scared and other so called jokes while "on the job". This seems at odds with their supposed professionalism. But Jason doesn't seem to recognise that. He tells this rather unestimable history with no self conciousness.
The book reinforces that what was seen in the series was not reality show hype meant to stir up ratings, but real contention. Rather than convincing me of Jason's virtues, it pretty much confirms my original impression from first watching the show, that Jason's a bit of a petty tyrant with a short fuse who needs some help himself. And that Brian goes from one bad relationship to another. Since Brian has apparently left Taps for a third time - at least he's not on the show this season, I'm not sure why this history is gone into in such detail. It doesn't convince, or reflect well on the teller. But for those that are interested in those personal relationships rather than ghost hunting, it's there. I'd rather TAPS just concentrated on scientific ghost hunting, and left out the reality show stuff. OTOH, from a viewer perspective, I'm finding GH kind of a snore without Brian's enthusiasm. They might as well be on a plumbing job for all the enthusiam the present team seems to have, even when they turn up "evidence". And if I see one more entity that looks like someone wearing a black sheet...
The book also gives Jason's impressions of other TAPS members, particularly singing Steve's praises. Interesting that it's okay for Steve to scream and run out of an investigation because he sees a moth, but Brian's "run, Dude" episode is brought up by Steve (when he sees Brian wearing a hat with that logo) as celebrating something shameful, when it seems there's enough unprofessionalism to go around in this group. Jason gives his perspectives on all this behind the scenes reality show controversy, why Steve is great, yada, yada, and Grant adds his asides as well. I can't say it made me any less uncomfortable with all these unnecessary tales out of school laced through every chapter, but for those that like that sort of thing, well, it's in the book.
One thing I missed in the book that I'd hoped to see more of was how TAPS handles quality control -- how do they protect their investigations and reputation from the scene or the evidence being tampered with. I tend to still be very skeptical, even though I've had a few unexplained paranormal experiences myself. With more experience, the bar should be continually being raised, and yet, just from watching the show, it seems like its being lowered. I had hoped for more information about the technical aspects of their investigations, perhaps stuff they didn't have time for in the show. There is some brief dicussion of the internal workings of TAPs business practices. There's nothing really about how the show is produced other than some discussions of events with camera and sound men. There's a real opportunity for that kind of detail in this book that wasn't in the show, but it's an opportunity that wasn't used.
Basically this book is pretty true to the title, it discusses a batch of cases, gives some few new details on some of the filmed ones, and plenty of tidbits, trivia and personal aides. There's not a great deal more background on scientific ghosthunting. Some of the cases described that were not filmed sound very interesting, even astounding, compared to more recent cases with far less "evidence", but the older cases, not being filmed, are just anecdotal for readers. That's one thing that the series can do that this book can't -- give the viewer the evidence. But this book makes a reasonable series companion -- if you like ghost hunting, there's some new details, if you like the reality show personality contentions, you get some of that as well.
Hunting For a Good Read? October 1, 2007
26 out of 33 found this review helpful
Jason Hawes and his partner, Grant Wilson, are the founders of T.A.P.S., The Atlantic Paranormal Society. Through this group of friends and experts, they developed a television show entitled, aptly enough, Ghost Hunters. This book is an off-shoot of the program, giving more experiences the two have shared and reliving moments from the show. Be prepared, though: it's much more than a simple retelling designed to make you hide under the covers!
Jason, along with writer Michael Jan Friedman, helms the majority of the chapters. He gives a brief insight into why he became interested in the paranormal, and how he was led to begin investigating things that go bump in the night. Jason and Grant approach ghost hunting from a scientific standpoint, and are often able to debunk "hauntings", many times using their own expertise as plumbers for Roto-Rooter to find the source of strange noises. However, there are a number of cases recounted here that could not be explained away, and it's those cases that make the most fascinating reading. Jason includes several cases that have been featured on the show, and while he essentially doesn't add anything new to them, it is nice to see in print how the episode's filming unfolded. He also adds in a story or two about people who attempted to fool T.A.P.S., and shows how the impostors were brought to light. All of this is given in Jason's uniquely good humored style (though he might argue that he's grumpy and not one to suffer fools, he does indeed come off as someone who is easy to talk with and knows what he's doing). There are plenty of behind the scenes bits showcasing the group's troubles and camaraderie and Jason is nothing but forthright when giving the details.
This is an easy read, and one sure to delight fans of the television show as well as those who enjoy learning about the paranormal. Included are a few pages of photos of unexplainable phenomena, and a glossary. I might have wished for a bit more on the cases that weren't televised on the show, but overall I found this well written and entertaining. This book delivers what is promises. Recommended.
 A Little Disappointed October 24, 2007
24 out of 29 found this review helpful
I've been a fan of the Ghost Hunters series, and intrigued by the work TAPS does for a long time. When this book was released, I was very excited to read it, but the end result was a little disappointing. The writing is fine, and you do find out something about Jason's personal experience (Grant still prefers not to discuss it), but the majority of the stories are basically re-caps of series episodes, and so if you've seen all their shows, it's like reading a synopsis, without very much additional info. I thought there would be more behind the scenes information, and although there were a couple of stories which were interesting, and took place pre-Ghost Hunters, on the whole, I just felt like I was reading a lot of info I already know. If you haven't seen the series yet, this would probably be a better, more interesting read, and make you want to see the show, to see the footage, hear the EVPs, etc... But if you have seen all the shows, you may be left a little bored.
nothing special October 15, 2007
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
There's not much content to talk about; one wonders how much fans of the show "Ghost Hunters" will get from the book.
"Ghost Hunters" is on the SciFi channel, hosted by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, members of the paranormal research group TAPS. This book is written primarily by Jason, with some additional quotes and material by Grant. The first chapters briefly deal with Jason's background in the paranormal and the beginnings of TAPS. A few TAPS members are mentioned by name, most notably Brian Harnois, who is roundly criticized by Jason several times. While I'm aware this plays into the drama aspect of "Ghost Hunters", I admit to being put off by the constant put downs.
In the first chapter, there is some discussion about TAPS' scientific methods and the equipment they use with the intent of bringing legitimacy to the field of paranormal research. The remaining chapters recount cases TAPS has gone on, both before and after TAPS became the subject of their "docu-drama" show. As everything is written from Jason's point of view, Grant's view is relegated to a small box called "Grant's Take" at the end of each chapter.
Those wanting more information about the scientific methods and equipment will be disappointed. Nothing beyond the first chapter deals with the scientific aspect of the show. The case chapters are only about 4-5 pages long, enough room to barely summarize the case and nothing more. For being a group supposedly dedicated to using the scientific method, absolutely no description of their use of the scientific method has been included at all, and precious little description of the equipment is included. In several cases, it's obvious that Jason has confused "technology" with "science."
The cases TAPS went on before the show began are notable for the amazing phenomena they allegedly saw, such as huge flying lights and objects rolling across entire rooms. Nothing like that has been caught on "Ghost Hunters" (yet), and one has to wonder why. The TAPS cases which have been on the show very rarely have any additional evidence or information beyond what we saw on the episodes.
The weakest point of the book is the photos. First of all, the "spooky photo insert" (as the cover calls it) has nothing spooky about it. Secondly, almost no pictures have anything to do with the cases in the book. Finally, the pictures are mostly double-exposure tricks of the camera or lighting. There's nothing legitimate about any of the photos. One picture of "ectoplasm" is absolutely ludicrous - if you turn it sideways, it looks suspiciously like a photo of an island in the middle of the ocean, as taken from an airplane. According to Grant Wilson's blog, they had no control over the photos and a second edition will have more accurate pictures. So how did the book get released with such weak, obviously faked photos in the first place?
The writing is rather pedestrian and uninspired. The difficulty level was much lower than I expected from the book. I don't mean to sound snotty in saying that, it's just that I had expected something aimed more towards adults.
This would be a nice book for kids and young adults. It's the kind of thing I read when I was young and just becoming interested in the paranormal. Fans of the show will probably like it as well, although as a fan I wanted something with more substance and insight.
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