Mr. Elliot O'Donnell seems tireless in his exploration of the
supernatural, and the results which he gives us in his latest volume Rooms of Mystery (Phillip Allen, 8s. 6d.) are enough to make the nervous terrified at the idea of spending the night in any strange inn or country house or even of parking cams, after dark, in unfamiliar garages. Some of the ghost stories are straightforward enough, being mere records of legendary haunts, but one which tells of a lady whose hand was gripPed, under the bed-clothes by " an icy cold, large and rather hard hand," which lacked a middle finger is particularly blood- curdling, the more so because she discovered, after an explor- ation of the ghostly arm, that there was nothing at all ahoy the elbow, horrid though the spook - tales are, the storm
of monstrosities—enormous toads and beings, half-goat, half- human, are even worse. Mr. O'Donnell records his own experi- ences in a manner so casual as to be almost lackadaisical, and by this means heightens the effect of his sinister stories. Dabblers in the occult, sceptics, and investigators of the psychic will find much to interest them in this packed volume which contains accounts of many hoaxes as well as gennine experience. Those who are merely in search of thrills Will soon be sated ; indeed it is recommended that these should take the book in small doses, say one half-chapter at bed- time, otherwise the„ accumulation of horrific matter . may act as a drug rather than a stimulant.
Previous page
