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Grave's End | 
 enlarge | Author: Elaine Mercado
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  106 reviews
Sales Rank: 21652
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 6 x 0.5
ISBN: 0738700037
Dewey Decimal Number: 133.12974723
EAN: 9780738700038
ASIN: 0738700037
Publication Date: May 1, 2001
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Product Description
A True Ghost Story
"You leave us alone; we'll leave you alone."
When Elaine Mercado and her first husband bought their home in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1982, they had no idea that they and their two young daughters were embarking on a thirteen-year nightmare.
Within a few days of moving in, Elaine and her older daughter began to experience the sensation of being watched. Then came scratching noises and weird smells, followed by voices whispering, maniacal laughter, shadowy figures scurrying along baseboards, and small balls of light bouncing along the ceilings. From the beginning of the haunting, "suffocating dreams" were experienced by everyone except the younger daughter. These eventually accelerated to physical aggression directed at Elaine and both the girls.
This book is the true story of how one family tried to cope with living in a haunted house. It also describes how, with the help of parapsychologist Dr. Hans Holzer and medium Marisa Anderson, the family discovered the tragic and heartbreaking secrets buried in the house at Grave's End.
I struggle to open my eyes, but achieve nothing but frustration and failure. I am not asleep. I am fully conscious, in a state of panic unthinkable during the day intolerable in the dark of night, held prisoner by some tortured, invisible presence, insistent on abruptly invading my slumber. The more I struggle toward freedom, the more I am pushed into the mattress, perspiring, heart palpitating, a scream involuntarily silenced within my throat. Some nights I experience my skin being stroked while I fight to regain control of my body, my sight. Thank God, this was not one of those nights. Tonight it lets me open my eyes, shaken but unviolated, frightened, but not as frightened as I know I can become.
First Runner up for the 2001 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for Best Biographical/Personal Book
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| Customer Reviews: Read 101 more reviews...
 Great spooky read September 10, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Whether you are a believer or not, this would be a great evening's entertainment during the Halloween season.
The writer experienced it all--and what a haunting! It has myriad elements. I can see why she thought she was going crazy. Fortunately she got in touch with Hans Holzer and the source of the mystery was revealed. A long-hidden tragedy from 1850 lay beneath their old house buried in a mine shaft.
If you think you have a little spirit problem, and it doesn't involve the alcohol type, then read up on this little gem. And from what I've read of similar books, GRAVE'S END is much better written than most of the genre by the person who lived in the house. But then, medical professionals generally do have a knack for expressing themselves well. Yes, an RN is considered a professional.
VERY ENTERTAINING book.
 Great first-hand haunting account August 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
First off, I'm not a believer in the religious sense. Despite the number of various claims made for hauntings and poltergeists across the world, the sheer inability to scientifically quantify any of it means that if you believe, you're trusting your gut rather than your rationale. To me, when you actually think about the allegations made about what ghosts are doing, it's quite silly - if they can make loud noises, rattle doors, occasionally manifest themselves, and so on, why do they have SUCH trouble getting their message across? Cue "experts" on the matter to come up with arbitrary rules to cover-up the fact that we really, really have no idea what the hell is going on.
Anyway, to some of you, the above will mean a "not helpful!" click on my review and moving on. But to others, this will be exactly the type of review you're looking to read. I've been reading a number of these books recently for a project I'm working on, and to date Grave's End is the best. The writing isn't perfect, there's no real tidy resolution in the end, and no definite answers reached. But Mercado's book smacks of authenticity, and that's what has probably bowled over the 100+ reviewers so far.
Mercado is frank about her life with her daughters, her (soon to be ex-) husband, and the relationships that come into her life. As the ghost occurrences begin, they are more annoyance than something to embrace. The main issue seems to be sleep paralysis, which happens on sometimes a nightly basis. But there are other very inexplicable events, such as floating objects and lights throughout the house.
Throughout the book, Mercado naturally portrays herself as someone who just wants some explanation and peace, and even when Hans Holzer and his psychic Marissa show up, she voices the exact same reservations I had - OK, they pulled some names out of the air, and some history, but there's NOTHING to back up their claims. If you are at all skeptical about your doctor - you ask any and all questions to be sure you're healthy, right? - you should be a thousand-fold times more with someone who claims the ability to communicate with spirits. I don't dismiss this possibility, but I also don't readily embrace anyone to do the job (which it seems many people do) anymore so than I would run to a random person without any research and say "cure me!" Ultimately, the one questionable part of the book occurs when the experts step in to do their thing. But the preceding is a very haunting experience that goes over 10+ years. Mercado even addresses the problem she has with ghost movies, when people don't just vacate their homes, then discusses how difficult this actually is to do in reality.
I have only a few hesitations in believing Mercado's accounts. First off, in the number of years that this stuff was going on, despite floating objects and lights and specters and so forth, I CANNOT believe she didn't keep a camera handy to document the events. The fact that there is no picture record available for the sheer number of incidents is the biggest question looming over this book. At one point, her brother brings in a video camera, and right as a mist shows up, the footage gets blurry...but even this is more proof than not that something is going on.
Second, I have read a number of haunting books involving, oddly, divorce and children, and a lot of events occur solely to the children. While I can believe Mercado's account, I'm very suspicious of the psychology in children undergoing a divorce, and the sudden ability to get a lot attention by claiming to see ghosts in your bedroom. I have no proof either way, but I can only trust the kids on their word through Mercado, and really, this isn't enough. 10 year olds are capable of playing elaborate games.
Finally, sleep paralysis plays a huge roll in the events that happen, and I think this merits an examination into the phenomenon alone. Could, say, an intermittent carbon monoxide leak (something that wasn't as heavily worried about at the time the book was written in the 1980's and early 1990s) have played a huge role?
This is a book that will really make you wonder about the things she encounters. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a "true haunting" book, especially those who are not necessarily ready to eat up any ghost story they come across as true.
Grave's end August 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a must read. I believe one of the best paranormal/haunting stories I have read. The writer covers every detail of the disturbances and constantly keeps you on edge. I couldn't put this book down
A frightening good read July 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
GRAVE'S END is the true written account of one family's struggles with living in a haunted house. Soon after Elaine Mercado and her family move into their Brooklyn home in 1982, paranormal activity begins to occur. At first there is simply the strong sensation of being watched, but things gradually begin to stir and increase with intensity as secret places within the house are explored and a few renovations take place.
After reading several brief accounts of real life experiences with the paranormal I decided I wanted to read something a bit more in-depth and it seems that Elaine Mercado has left no stones unturned with the brave sharing of her many encounters. Every time I'd scratch my head in doubt she'd quickly lay them to rest, leading me to believe that what she says is undoubtedly true. She's very consistent with her story and even voices her own doubts and unanswered questions after her house is cleansed by parapsychologist Dr. Hans Holzer and medium Marisa Anderson.
GRAVE'S END is probably the first book I've read that's actually given me nightmares and made me want to sleep with the lights on at night. So whether you believe her story or not, Elaine's got you covered if your looking for something chilling to read.
A MUST READ July 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have read this book four times thru the years I love it so much. It is the perfect haunted house book and very believeable. Some people wonder how she could keep living in a house like that, but I understand her because I also lived in two haunted houses myself and you can become sucked into them and sometimes even miss the excitement when you do leave! I love elaine's style of writing and just wish I could find another book as good as this one again. Thanks Elaine for your story.
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