28 Years Haunted
B. D. Prince
Ghastly Press (October 21, 2023)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
28 Years Haunted is a biography of Brandy Marie Miller, a psychic medium. In the first part of the book, we learn about her life growing up and the fact that these extrasensory abilities have run in her family going back at least five generations that she knows of. So, are we to believe that there is some kind of sport genetic coding that gets passed on through heredity like blonde hair and blue eyes?
Maybe.
Having been a geneticist earlier in my life, I did a little research. Apparently, according to reliable scientific DNA testing, a difference was observed in the intron (i.e., non-protein-coding region) adjacent to an exon in the TNRC18 gene (Trinucleotide Repeat-Containing Gene 18 Protein) on chromosome 7. This variation, an alteration of GG to GA, was found in 7 of 9 controls and was absent from all psychic cases. So, it appears that psychics are missing this variation, and this is thought to be a genetic marker of psychic ability.
Interesting.
In the second part of the book, Brandy takes us along on a few paranormal investigations with her colleagues at Detroit Paranormal Expeditions (DPX). Her first investigation was at Waverly Hills Sanatorium in my home state of Kentucky. She really jumped in with both feet on this one, because Waverly Hills is reputed to be one of the more haunted hot spots in the country. Next was Old South Pittsburgh Hospital in Tennessee, followed by the Ohio State Reformatory in Ohio and Eloise Psychiatric Hospital in Michigan. Her experiences at each are nothing short of hair-raising. And lest you think that paranormal investigators are especially brave, think again. Brandy does a lot of running away and hiding behind other people during some of these horrific haunts. Well, at least we know she’s human.
After this, we move into the last section, “28 Days Haunted,” which some of you may have seen on Netflix. The show put together three teams of 3-4 people with psychic abilities to stay locked away in a highly haunted building for 28 days. Odd number, I know, but the idea was to test Ed and Lorraine Warren’s (famous psychic investigators) “28-Day Theory.” The theory is this: To fully experience the full spectrum of paranormal activity in a location, investigators must remain in the haunted place continuously for 28 days, totally immersing themselves in the environment to establish a strong connection with any potential spirits present. There is no communication in any form with the outside world. (They were given walkie-talkies to contact the producers in the event of an emergency, though.)
So, for these investigators who, historically, had spent, at maximum, 24 hours in such places, this was a new idea, and possibly a dangerous one. But after some convincing, they all agreed. Brandy was paired up with a demonologist and a tech guy. At the last minute, they lost the tech guy and he was not replaced.
It was down to just the two of them to deal with the spirits and the technical end of things, as the story of the haunting of Madison Dry Goods unfolded—and what a story it was! A real page-turner.
My only problems with this book are twofold:
- The photography. Rather than placing all the photographs in a center section, on bright white, glossy paper, they were sprinkled throughout the book, and the color of the paper made them hard to see, or the photography itself was substandard (blurry), or both. Also, it would have been nice to have decent-sized photographs of the places they investigated and some photos of investigators that weren’t taken from 100 feet away. The photos were also far too small.
- A content editor would not have gone amiss. In the “28 Days Haunted” section, I really got tired of reading, repeatedly, about how tired Brandy was and how much she missed her family and friends, as well as her shouting, “I’m tapping out. I’m done” three or four times, then talking herself back into staying—all against her better judgment. These sections could have, and should have, been tightened up. There are also misused words that should have been caught.
That being said, the book is well worth reading. It draws you in and makes you feel like you’re a part of what’s going on. You’ll want to pick up a copy. Highly recommend!
4 out of 5 stars
