January 26, 2009

Ghosts of Hollywood III
By Marla Brooks
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (February 2009)
Pages: 160 - Price: $14.99

Review by Lee Prosser - leep@ghostvillage.com
Ghostvillage.com review

Ghosts of Hollywood III is an entertaining trip through some highly unusual hauntings by a writer who intimately knows the terrain! Marla Brooks and her ghostly celebrities will intrigue you from beginning to end in this excellent book.

What gives Marla Brooks an edge is the fact she has lived in Hollywood, California, all of her life, and she does know where the bodies are buried and where their ghosts reside. Following an insightful introduction, there is a section titled "Gary Cooper's House," which covers an in-depth investigation of this film legend's home. There are other ghostly urban legends which include La Llarona, the Wizard of Oz hanging, the white lady of Elysian Park, ghosts of the Los Angeles Times, Marilyn Monroe's haunting of Westwood Memorial Cemetery, Elke Sommer's house, Jean Harlow's House, the Hodiak Haunting, the Barrymore Estate, Pickfair, the Joan Crawford House, the George C. Page Museum, and numerous streets which are alive with ghosts including the Black Dahlia.

Two intriguing chapters cover the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the Ambassador Hotel. There is enough good haunting material in this book to keep you occupied for a great all-night reading adventure! A Famous Last Words and Glossary sections are included. Contributors who were involved in visits included David Wells, Victoria Gross, Barry Conrad, Scott Michaels, Kenny Kingston, Mark Nelson, Michael J. Kouri, and Barry Shainbaum.

Like Marla Brooks' previous Ghost of Hollywood series, this one is well-written, provocative, and has a touch of genuine spookiness about it! Maybe one of these days she will get to meet the ghost of western film star Randolph Scott!

For an entertaining reading experience, and some valid and valuable insights into hauntings, ghosts, and the paranormal, this book will be a great joy! Congratulations to Marla Brooks on a well-written, accurate, and enjoyable ghost tour.

Marla Brooks is the host of her own radio show on the ParaX radio network, "Stirring the Cauldron." Those readers interested in learning more about Marla Brooks can find her at her Web site which is: http://hauntedwriter.com.

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