I went and bought Mason Winfield’s book “Haunted Western New York”. I’ll say this: the guy has a strong knowledge of local history. His segments on each site aren’t too detailed, likely because there isn’t a whole lot to say that’s worth in-depth scrutiny. It does feel like he’s breezing over things more than once though, like I’m reading summarized notes instead of the full script. It was annoying to read at one point that I “would have to join” him on a ghost walk to hear the rest of a particular tale. Dude. I just paid you $15 for a 128 page paperback. I think I’ve been squeezed enough. Just tell me the damned ghost story.

Aside from that, he occasionally mentions “x zones” and “psychic residue”, all of which is hogwash and kind of spoils the festive atmosphere of a good local tall tale. Suddenly the author’s image becomes a fat guy with a pony tail and a holster for homemade ghostometers. Or maybe a room full of British adults swearing in the dark because they took a picture of dust.