There are a lot of people who write accounts of hauntings after interviewing people. The stories can be interesting if they go into the person's feelings during their experiences. However, the mention of "people have heard footsteps" or "someone heard a voice" doesn't convey the emotion of an experience.
In the book "Haunted Portsmouth," the author relied mostly on the second or third hand stories from others in this book, and there was much more history of houses than hauntings. Sadly, by the time I was half way through it, I was anxious to finish it just to be done.
A HIGHLIGHT - Oddly, the one location in the book that held my attention and left an impression did not have a chapter of its own. Instead, it was the second half of a chapter about one particular street. I wish the author just made the location it's own chapter. The haunted place is the Sise Inn on Court Street in Portsmouth. The author did a good job of explaining its history of an affair gone wrong, and how over time, the actual people in that relationship are not exactly known for sure. There's mention of a male and female ghost haunting the property now. It would have been helpful to include a photo of the couple who first inhabited the home to give a feel for the time period.
The only other story that stuck out was a former Irish Pub where former employees reported being afraid to go into the basement or second floor because of an unseen entity.
If you're seeking history of Portsmouth houses and people in history, this book will provide those. But if you're looking for a lot of ghostly activity, it's limited here. If you're sensitive, visit the city, go in and out of the historic properties and see what you feel.
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