Haunted Crown Point, Indiana by Judith Tometczak | Rating: ★★★☆☆

There is one thing you should know before I start off my review: this is about my hometown.Which was equal parts thrilling and terrifying; even moreso, knowing that I would be posting my review online and in turn inviting the possibility of someone from said hometown onto my blog. Which isn't something I really fancy happening. Haunted Crown Point, Indiana, centers on the history of the city I grew up in and, frankly, I learned a few things I'd not known prior.

Which is always exciting.

Right off the bat, Tometczak makes her research known. The heart and soul behind the book is entirely her voice and the knowledge that she's come to possess. While a good portion of this book felt less like a ghost story and more like a retrospect on what makes the city, well, its own place, there was still something about it that kept my attention. While other supernatural-center non-fiction publications can almost feel like some deliriously dull campfire tale, Haunted doesn't take on that tone. It's quietly observation. It's got its turn in the historical department. More, it mostly asks the question and plays on popular ghost-stories.

I'd forgotten how much history the city had, if I'm being honest. This is of no fault of my own, and the way that Tometczak portrays it is pretty to the point. I recognized a lot of the stories. It would be impossible not to, even if you'd only lived there one. From the historical square, to an eerie old grave-yard, all the way to the high school that was demolished merely a few years before I was a teenager, Judith Tometczak takes you on a walk through of the city.

Well over a decade ago I, too, would often find myself allured by the mysteriously dreary and chilling atmosphere at so-called Gypsy's Graveyard. This location is one of the more prominent settings--and one that leaves you both puzzled and chilled.

(I do have to admit, I cringe every time I use that MASSIVE slur.)

Overall, I thought this was an interesting historical read. Albeit, a short one. I would have liked to see a bit more of a build upon the actual ghost aspect of it all, but I can't say that it wasn't enjoyable.

There was something nostalgic in it, and I quite liked when it embraced me.