Ghosts of the Northeast (2002) David J. Pitkin 396 pp. Indexed Softcover  $18.95 Here is an enlightened book aimed at young adults of the 21st Century, individuals who know that life and consciousness extend beyond the body. Pitkin has transcended the old “fright genre” of books about ghosts. His over 202 researched stories aim to offer deeper spiritual understanding of life by exploring events dealing with death. Gone are the traditional, simplistic images of malefic evil-bent shades. As the author esteems a new generation of seekers for “what is really going on in life,” and has an extensive metaphysical background as professional intuitive, he can offer many ghosts’ unresolved struggles, difficulties that you may share. These tales from New York State, New England and Canada were compiled from hundreds of first-person interviews and the author’s (often accompanied by gifted psychics) journeys. The reader can discover many of the issues that can prevent the dead person from “resting in peace,” but instead, cause the restless consciousness to seek some resolution to problems from the just-ended physical life. Famed ghost story author and authority, Dr. Hans Holzer, said of Pitkin’s efforts: “Ghosts of the Northeast by David J. Pitkin is a painstakingly accurate collection of true ghost stories in which Mr. Pitkin, a teacher by profession and a resident of the area he writes about so knowingly, reports the true experiences people have had with the denizens of the Other Side, who somehow have not yet found their way to that world…the book is genuinely fascinating and lovely.”   BB “novelist 13” from St. Joseph, MO wrote:  This is one of the best true ghost books that I've ever read, and I've read many. I would rank it high in my top ten. I thrilled to every page and had a terrible time trying to put it down even when my husband begged me to turn off the light and go to sleep. The information was presented concisely and deliciously, and I savored every chilling drop. But it gets better still as this is no book that you're apt to read in a single sitting and wonder what it was that you just ingested. This is a bounty of numerous spooky tales that will hold you enthralled with enough terrifying entertainment for a feast. Most of the stories are even accompanied by photos, a rarity in ghost books, which helps the reader visualize the haunts. In all, I can't recommend this book highly enough to ghost story enthusiasts who're looking for a good read and a bedtime chill. You'll gladly devour this book and wish you had more!

	Haunted Saratoga County (2005) David J. Pitkin 318 pp. Indexed  Softcover $17.95 A native of Saratoga County, NY, author David J. Pitkin has compiled a book of over 120 true and researched stories from what he calls “America’s most haunted county.” No other American county has yet surfaced as many documented tales of entities surviving bodily death. In Saratoga County, centuries of Native American warfare preceded centuries of striving by immigrants who came seeking fortunes and health from the county’s forests, fields and springs. The county became a famed vacation center replete with wide-open gambling, thoroughbred horse racing, and yet busy mills and shops that provided struggle and earnings for ordinary citizens.       NOT ALL THESE SOULS LEFT SARATOGA COUNTY IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEATH From a City of Saratoga Springs story: “…in the cellar they were not in total darkness…the glowing, vaporous shape began to flow as a drifting fog…instantly chilling the men. Astonished, they could only gape as the vague mist began to sway…when it moved slowly toward them, the men scrambled out of the cellar, aware that the shade was following them. In the brightly lit hallway, the apparition seemed to disappear, but when Stone turned down the gaslight….” From a Village of Waterford story: “While they accumulated funds for renovation, they closed and shuttered the old house. Already in poor shape, the blinds and barred door created an air of mystery about the place, and soon, passersby claimed to see lights moving about inside the structure. A neighbor, remembering The Carpenter’s Curse, circulated the old tale, and perhaps embellishing it in the process, created such fear that the haunted house was avoided thereafter by local folk. As the building gained more and more of a fearsome reputation, nobody even considered renting from the parents, no matter how cheap the price. Neighbors were known to go out of their way to cross the street instead of passing in front of the house.”

	New York State Ghosts, Volume 1 (2006) David J. Pitkin 364 pp. Indexed  Softcover   $19.95 From the Adirondacks to the Catskills, from The Big Apple to the orchards on Lake Ontario’s shores, from the Allegheny Plateau to the Tug Hill Plateau to the Helderbergs, and from Lake Champlain to Cassadaga Lake to Canandaigua Lake, ghosts exist. They always have, as long as human beings hunted, farmed, worked and lived in the region now called New York State. Here are 130 new ghost stories gleaned from the highways and byways of the Empire State, both in big cities and small hamlets. People lived and died, and many of them have not yet gone to an eternal reward as we understand it today. Existing in a purgatory of timelessness, they struggle to deal with unresolved issues that plagued their life in the body. Many of them cannot forgive themselves or others for some deed, misdeed or failure. Pitkin, often accompanied by talented intuitives, chases down legends, rumors and certifiable tales of “the remaining ones.” Sci-Fi Freeek wrote: Proof that Upstate New York is full of the living dead. This region is always creepy... read this book and you will know why. Great book! AH in Boston, MA wrote: This is a very full 352 pages of all kinds of hauntings around the state of New York. There is no lack of any area you might be interested in: haunted houses, inns, offices, and public buildings. The writing is well done and appropriately mixed with verbatim firsthand accounts. I especially like that Mr. Pitkin includes a photo with most of his entries so it's easy to picture the settings as he describes them in detail. With its wide variety of interesting accounts, I'd definitely recommend this book. Anniefromlongisland wrote: Great reading; knowing that these stories came from "real" people! We all experience happenings from the unknown--now someone has finally put together a bunch of great readings--all of which happened in New York State and Long Island!!