I have been interested in the paranormal as well as Chicago folklore, legends and history for as long as I can remember. I have also always been interested in solving mysteries and that is probably why I had started a career in law enforcement. I was a gang/narcotics investigator for the West Chicago Police Department in DuPage County and had retired in 2005 after I was involved in the fatal shooting of a suspect.
One of my goals in life was to write a book someday and that's when I came across Schiffer Publishing in Atglen, PA. They had been soliciting book ideas from individuals who were interested in writing about local/regional legends and the paranormal. I had come across a bookmark advertising that was in one of their books that I had come across when browsing the local book store. I put together a proposal and roughly two years later you have Chicago's Haunt Detective.
The book covers my own experiences with unexplained phenomena and research into some well known Chicago legends such as "Resurrection Mary" as well as strange Chicago cases such as the case of Teresita Basa, who was instrumental in solving her own murder and the case of Barbara and Patricia Grimes whose unsolved murders are still in the Chicago "cold case files"
The book also touches on some less well known topics such as the case of John Annerino and the Guardian Angel Spirit Church, modern ghost hunting techniques featuring "Paranormal Research of Illinois" and the use of psychics in criminal or missing persons cases in which psychic Mel Doerr of Mount Prospect was very helpful in assisting me with research for the book.
The book was a blast to research and write and I look forward to my next book with Schiffer which is in the works and will concentrate on a ghostly architectural tour of the Chicago area.
I am in the process of setting up book signings at local book shops and other outlets and you can check for updated information at my website HauntDetective.com under the Haunted Events section. You can also purchase the book on Amazon.com
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