Book Review: Dark Force

Title:  Dark Force-The Terrifying and Tragic Story of the Bean Family
Author:  William "Bill" Bean, Jr.
Website:  http://www.billbean.net/

I kind of had it in my head that for the sake of brevity, I was only going to publish reviews here that specifically dealt with tri-state area paranormal lore.  However, I've chosen to include this story, as I was able to meet the author recently...and it happened in Maryland, which is close enough! LOL

This past April, I blogged about how myself and several other members of HPIR were in attendance at The Original WV Paranormal's Conference for the Cure.  Bill Bean was the keynote speaker for the event, and was there to tell his story.

The Bean Family saga largely reached the public thanks to being featured on the show, A Haunting.  The show chronicled one family's personal hell as their dream home turned against them...and turned them against each other before a young Bill Bean finally confronted the entities that were so obviously in control.

Dark Force is a written account of those events.  I've read several views that comment on the juvenile-style of writing and the lack of details.  While I cannot dispute these claims, I do think such a presentation works in this book's favor.  This is not a sensationalized account of a haunting--it doesn't hold the same Hollywood drama that was played up in the episode of A Haunting.  Rather, it is written as a factual, straight-forward account of events by someone who lived them first-hand.  While I would have loved some additional facts and details to gain a better insight, I think this story NEEDED to be told this way.  It shows how anyone can find him/herself in a similar situation.  More importantly, it shows how these events really became such a part of these people's lives to the point where despite a lasting tragic residue, it was something that simply...WAS.

Having said that, it doesn't make the Bean story any less horrifying.  Although written so matter-of-factly, one can still easily get a sense of the horror the family went through, its emotional toll on them, and a true look at the human psyche, as the family struggles to make sense out of what is going on, and defy all odds by staying in the home as long as they did.

I won't go into any plot details, because I don't want to ruin the story, but I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book.  A word of caution, however:  I'd go through the author's website:  it is listed there for $20, while it is going for $48 and up on Amazon.  I was lucky enough to receive my signed copy and chat a bit with the author at the Conference for the Cure. He is an extremely kind and considerate man, and has used his life events to reach out to others.  This book is just one way he is doing so.