Fingerprints and Phantoms: True Tales of Law Enforcement Encounters with the Paranormal and the Strange by Paul Rimmasch

Hello my fellow bookworms!

Happy new year! I hope this winter has been treating you well so far. It snowed so much by me that I am feeling a bit of cabin fever. But, with more time indoors, I finally have baked some tarts and read some books! I have a good one to talk to you about today, Fingerprints and Phantoms: True Tales of Law Enforcement Encounters with the Paranormal and the Strange by Paul Rimmasch. 

As a fan of reading mysteries, paranormal stories, and the occasional true-crime stories, this novel will satisfy your reading craving for a bit of all three. Described as a "collection of law enforcement folklore," Fingerprints and Phantoms is a short, 112 page novel that you can binge read on a snowy day, or a sunny one for that matter. Each chapter is a short true ghostly story that has happened either to Mr. Rimmasch or someone he knows, making you wonder what really goes on after a crime was committed and what goes bump in the night.

Mr. Rimmasch is a crime scene investigator for Weber-Metro CSI, which piqued my interest, as I have an interest in forensics, though my background is more in psychology than biology/chemistry. While Fingerprints and Phantoms did not specify the scientific background of ghosts and hauntings, it does have a scientific-like method to each story, whether it is describing the evidence, examination, or the technology used. What I really love about his style of writing these short ghostly stories is that he provides insight to those who work in law enforcement and crime scenes - I learned quite a bit more than I expected to, and will most likely go and research this week. Mr. Rimmasch also provides a bit about the background of his career, as well as the ones of those whose stories he tells, so that we really have an idea of what happened at that point in time. 

Each chapter was riveting and I finished the novel within a few hours. Some stories were sad, others were creepy, but all will keep your interest and hope that there will be another novel coming soon. I highly recommend giving Fingerprints and Phantoms a read, especially if you are in for a bit of a scare! You can buy a copy on Amazon here.

About the Author:

Paul Rimmasch graduated from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, with a Bachelor's Degree in Forensic Science and a minor in Photography. He has worked as a crime scene investigator for Weber-Metro CSI for the past 19 years and is a three-time recipient of the Weber County Sheriff's Office Medal of Merit. Paul has certifications through The International Association for Investigations in latent fingerprint examination and forensic photography. He is currently serving as Utah's representative to the Western Identification Network Latent Fingerprint Committee.

Paul's first novel, The Lost Stones, was published in 2011, followed by a sequel The Lost Mine in 2015. Paul has also published scientific papers in The Journal of Forensic Identification and Ancient American magazine, and is also a contributing writer to KSL.com. He is an adjunct professor at Weber State University and is active in the training of law enforcement officers and crime scene investigators.