true story – Manda Kay Writes

Have you ever lived in a haunted house? Would you know if you did? Do you believe in ghosts? It doesn’t matter. They don’t really care.

This time around, it was a true story about a true haunting you’ve probably heard of even if you aren’t into the stuff. It happens to be the inspiration behind the A-lister horror movie, The Conjuring. That’s right. The clap-clap ghost.

At least that’s how I remember the movie.

Since then, it’s been the subject for paranormal investigators, including Ghost Adventures doing a special on the house and the haunting within its four walls. I’m talking about the book House of Darkness, House of Light, written through the eyes of Andrea Perron, one of the sisters who lived through the haunting and saw firsthand its effect on her friends and family members. It’s the first of three in the series, and if the other two are anything like the first, I’ll likely read them in the future.

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So a quick little spoiler-free rundown of what to expect if you decide to take this on (which I hope you do): There is a family with so many girls that I honestly had trouble keeping track of which one was which (but names confuse me anyway and I have a hard time of keeping track of characters when there’s more than one or two so that’s my own shortcomings). They have some issues where they live, so they move, if a little bit unwillingly at first by all parties. A nice old man holds the house of their dreams for them, and things seem too good to be true.

And then, out of nowhere, flies. So. Many. Flies. Things move, sometimes when no one is there to witness, other times in front of an audience. Whispers in the room when the house is empty. Figures standing in the shadows. You know, your general haunted house rigmarole.

What sets this book apart from the rest is the way it’s written. I have a soft spot for prose written like poetry, and that’s what this is. There is so much description that it makes me feel like I’m there with the family experience every movement and every sound for better or worse. Also, I feel like personal experience hauntings are a dime a dozen, but there are a very small handful that have had such a huge impact on not only paranormal investigations, but on the entertainment industry of today. There’s ghost stories. And then there’s hauntings. You feel me?

Spooky scary spooky scary – Photo by Ryan Miguel Capili on Pexels.com

My only complaint about the book is there was no ghost clap-clap ghost, and my spooky little heart wants to believe that the clap-clap ghost exists and isn’t just a cheap (albeit good) scare for the silver screen. Granted, there’s more to the story that I haven’t touched yet. The clap-clap ghost could be real still. Or I could just be remembering the movie wrong. If I am, hey, Hollywood, wanna make a movie about spooky clapping? 😉

If I had to rate it, I’d give this baby a straight up 9/10. So much more good than bad in this one.

And now, I turn to you, void. This time, I have an unrelated question. Do you prefer these book reviews to be short and sweet like this one? Or would you rather me go more indepth like past reviews? I’m genuinely curious. I’ve been doing this for a year, and I still don’t really know what I’m doing. Thoughts? Questions? Complaints? Want me to shut up? Get in the comments below, or send me an email. Let’s be friends! Or enemies. Or frienemies!

Sleazy deals. Vicious murders. Sharp clothing. Crime bosses and the high life. Who doesn’t love a good mafia story?

Philip Carlo had the privilege of interviewing the notorious Richard Kuklinski—The Ice Man—before his death in early 2006. He compiled the man’s story into a book that has since been made into a movie by the name of The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer.

And hot damn, is it a good read.

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Richard goes into detail of not only the atrocious murders he committed both for the mafia and for his own kicks, but also delves deep into the life he led before he was a house name in the underground. The reader gets a good look at the man behind the killings and a glimpse into the disturbing way the mind of a sociopath works.

The book talks about his home life growing up and the hardships he faced between an almost absent mother and a mean drunk of a father, pointing out where in the mess of childhood trauma his life took a turn and led him down the path of cool hatred and hot tantrums. He recalls his first kill as a young boy and the satisfaction he received from getting away with it, and his fondness for bloodshed by any means necessary only grew.

Richard was enthralled with crime and indeed almost all the reading he willingly did was books and magazines about just that. He was interested in the different ways people committed heinous acts and what they did wrong that ultimately got them caught.

Does that sound familiar, void? 😉

That’s right, I see you, you serial-killer-in-the-making – Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

As he grew older, he met his wife, Barbara, and started a family with her with the intention of turning his life around. But every time he tried, he’d get an itch that an honest day of work couldn’t scratch. He couldn’t keep up with bills and Barbara’s expensive tastes on his daytime salary, not to mention his excessive gambling tended to get him into trouble.

What better place to turn than to the people who pay you the big bucks to do what you love?

And, fuck, he was damn good at what he did. He experimented and perfected all sorts of different ways to kill people, whether the method be knives or guns, rats or his own fists. But poison, oh, poison was something on a whole other level. Chemicals were one of his favorite toys, and his love for them would eventually lead to his demise.

I’m not going to spoil it for you. There is a TON of information in these 400 pages to digest, and it’s worth every minute. Some chapters are rougher than others just for the sheer brutality, but it’s a fascinating read, and definitely something every true crime buff should pick up.

If I had to rate it, I’d give it a 9/10. The only reason for this is some points about Richard’s life they repeat over the course of several chapters. Certain ideas that the author wanted to really drive home, like the fact his family never had any idea about what he was doing, could have gotten away with being mentioned once or twice instead of repeating basically the same paragraph again and again and again. However, if I were just casually reading it here and there (you know, instead of shoving my face in it all at once), I would have appreciated the reminders, so I don’t judge it too harshly on that point. All in all, it was a damn good read and if the mafia piques your interest like it does mine, you’re going to love it.

Alright, void I scream endlessly into: Who is your favorite true crime villain? I gotta say, before all this it was John Wayne Gacy. But after reading this book, I don’t know. I think Richard Kuklinski is a close second. His mind is horrifying and I am here for it.

Tag: true story

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