Debbie Felton

I read this book as an electronic advance reading copy provided by Edelweiss, and I have submitted my comments to the publisher via that web site.

The author seeks to find evidence of serial murders within ancient Greek and Roman history. Unfortunately the historical records are flawed and incomplete, so the author has set herself a difficult task. I remain unconvinced. There is a lot of talk about how Greek and Roman histories, mythologies, and folk tales "suggest" or "imply" the mark of what modern readers would identify as a serial killer. Nothing definitive is proved here, which I found frustrating. Recommended more for fans of true crime and less for a general audience.… (mer)

This was a fascinating treatise on the role of ghost stories, specifically haunted houses, in the literature and culture of the Ancient Greek and Roman cultures, and how such lore effected later Western concepts of ghosts and hauntings. Felton delves into the classical literature to explore how these elements originated. Focusing on the specific examples of stories surviving from the works of three classical authors, Plautus, Pliny, and Lucian; each story illustrates tropes that remain familiar to the modern reader; rattling chains, secret murders, and even an element of the tongue in cheek in ghost stories. I loved learning about as a student of Latin, I also found the discussion of the numerous synonyms and names for ghosts, spirits, hauntings, and other spooky things to be particularly interesting. All in all, Felton's study is extremely informative on the history of the ghost story, and her evocative writing makes even the driest topic of folklore shine.… (mer)