reviews

For some books, the haunting is in the story itself: shadows moving, footsteps in the night, the chill of something unseen. But with Doug Owen’s The Unholy Silence, the haunting runs deeper. This is not just a ghost story; it is a memoir of survival, faith under fire, and the silence that eats away at families when suffering is hidden from view. Reading it was not just unsettling — it was profoundly human.

The Memoir Voice That Pulls You In

Many paranormal books lean into spectacle. Doors slam, objects fly, and the reader is asked to suspend disbelief. Owen takes a different path. His voice is confessional, often raw, and it feels like he is telling his story across the table rather than from behind a stage. The details of financial hardship, medical emergencies, and fractured faith ground the narrative in lived reality. When the supernatural intrudes, it is against a backdrop of ordinary struggles, and that makes it all the more convincing.

Research as Credibility

One of the things that impressed me most was Owen’s use of researched detail. He writes about rent law, medical diagnoses, and the equipment used by ghost hunters with the precision of someone determined to understand what was happening to him. Far from being “dry,” this professional register gives the story backbone. It reminds the reader that the haunting was not just felt, but examined, questioned, and recorded. In Britain, where we often downplay depression or trauma with a stiff upper lip, this honesty resonates. Silence is not just an American problem — it is a universal one.

The Erosion of Family and Faith

At the heart of the book lies the family itself. The most chilling moments are not always the doors opening or the shadows moving, but the way those events slowly erode trust, love, and faith. Claudia’s changes, the arguments, the silences — these human fractures hit harder than any EVP recording. Owen captures how the haunting didn’t just shake the walls, it shook the bonds of marriage, of faith, of survival itself.

Interludes as Breathing Spaces

The decision to weave interludes throughout the book is inspired. They give the reader moments to pause, reflect, and absorb before the next wave arrives. Sometimes they are reflective, sometimes ominous, but always they add texture. They keep the book from being relentless while still pushing the story forward.

The Silence That Remains

The epilogue leaves no easy answers. There is no neat victory, no exorcism that ends the terror once and for all. Instead, the book closes in silence. It is not peace — it is the weight of everything unspoken, pressing down. That restraint makes the story feel all the more authentic. Trauma, whether supernatural or not, rarely ends with tidy resolution.

 This book shook me to my core. It’s not your typical haunted house story it’s raw, deeply personal, and terrifying in a way that lingers long after you close the book. The fact that this is a true account makes it all the more disturbing. The silence from the Church and friends was almost more haunting than the paranormal events themselves. A must read if you're interested in spiritual warfare or real life horror
What I appreciated most about The Unholy Silence was how grounded it felt. This wasn’t a sensational ghost story; it was a father desperately trying to protect his family while everything around him crumbled. The fear is real, but so is the love, the confusion, and the faith. Unsettling, emotional, and eye opening-horror. 

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2025Verified PurchaseDoug Owen’s The Unholy Silence is a gripping, emotionally charged journey into the unknown that had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The fear and tension are palpable, and Owen’s vivid storytelling made me feel every moment as if I were living it myself.

What stands out most is how authentically the author conveys his experiences. His writing is both compelling and chilling, drawing readers deep into the world of the paranormal. Whether you're a firm believer in the supernatural or a hardened skeptic, this book demands your attention—and just might change your mind.

The Unholy Silence is more than just a collection of eerie encounters; it's a deeply personal account that blends emotion, suspense, and mystery in a way that’s both haunting and unforgettable. If you're interested in the paranormal or enjoy real-life horror stories, this book is a must-read.

 

 What impressed me was the emotional honesty. Beyond the hauntings, this is a story of a father trying to protect his family, of a man questioning his faith, and of isolation in the face of ridicule. Strip away the paranormal, and you still have a heartbreaking family memoir of resilience and loss. 

 This book shook me deeply. Owen doesn’t shy away from showing how his Catholic faith was tested and, at times, left unsupported by the Church. The silence he describes from religious leaders feels as terrifying as the manifestations themselves. For believers, this story is both a warning and a call to vigilance. 

 While I remain doubtful about demonic forces, Owen’s storytelling is undeniably powerful. The psychological unraveling of a family under extreme stress is compelling on its own. Even if you interpret the events through a non supernatural lens, the narrative remains a haunting exploration of fear and faith under pressure.

 

 The Unholy Silence is a chilling and deeply personal account of one family’s struggle with terrifying paranormal forces. Doug Owen’s honesty makes the fear and isolation feel real, especially as faith and sanity are pushed to the edge. Unsettling, raw, and unforgettable this is a must-read for fans of true hauntings. 

 Absolutely chilling from start to finish! The fact that this is a true account makes it even more terrifying. Doug Owen takes you right into the heart of this family’s nightmare, and I felt the tension and fear with every page. The descriptions of ghostly apparitions, demonic voices, and psychological torment gave me goosebumps. This isn’t just a haunted house story it’s a deep dive into spiritual warfare and how darkness can creep into everyday life. Highly recommended for fans of real life paranormal accounts! brand as a thought leader in your industry.

 The Unholy Silence is more than a haunting it’s a descent into spiritual and personal darkness.
Doug Owen tells his family’s story with raw honesty, showing how the supernatural bled into every part of their lives.
The demonic voices and shattered mirrors are terrifying, but the true horror lies in the silence of friends, of the Church, of reason.
What makes this book powerful is how it reveals the toll on faith, family, and sanity, not just the eerie phenomena.
It’s not about victory but about the cost of enduring forces beyond human strength.
Every chapter feels heavy with dread and yet deeply human, a memoir that unsettles while it compels.
I recommend it to anyone who seeks true paranormal accounts that cut deeper than ghost stories. 

 If this were fiction, it would already be terrifying. Knowing it’s a memoir makes it bone chilling. The image of an evil presence mocking his daughter is pure nightmare fuel. It reads like a psychological horror novel, but the knowledge that it’s real lingers long after you close the book. manuscript, I've got you covered.

Evil can find a foothold anywhere.

I was impressed by the amount of documentation Mr. Owen had collected about the haunted house he and his family lived in. It was organized neatly and included detailed information about the multitude of ways that experience traumatized not only him, his wife, and their two young daughters but a long list of visitors who had the unfortunate experience of visiting that property. Their stories repeatedly corroborated each other and often added new layers of meaning to what the Owen family already knew or suspected about their beautiful but menacing property.

This book would have benefited from another round of editing. I noticed multiple sentence fragments, run-on sentences, punctuation errors, and compound words that should have been written as two individual words. It was distracting and sometimes produced phrases or sentences that I had to reread in order to understand what the author was trying to communicate. As enticing as the storyline itself was, these issues happened frequently enough that I didn’t feel comfortable giving the higher star rating I would have otherwise chosen.

It was so unnerving to learn about the spirits in this house that I was only able to read this tale in broad daylight. This was not a case of someone jumping to conclusions after hearing one strange noise at night without investigating what caused it. The primary entity the author described was intelligent, dangerous, and chillingly methodical in the steps it took to attempt to destroy everyone who crossed its path. Few things are more horrifying than true life experiences with something evil, after all.

The Unholy Silence was terrifyingly scary in a good way.

 Great sound quality and narration. If you like spooky like me then give this one a try! You will not be disappointed!