Spook

What happens when we die? The bestselling author of Stiff and Packing for Mars “makes a clever investigator and a thoroughly entertaining, if skeptical, tour guide.” (Janet Maslin, New York Times)

“A hilarious look at misadventures in paranormal research. . . . Surreal, fascinating, at times absurd” (Boulder Weekly).

“What happens when we die? Does the light just go out and that's that—the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my laptop?”

In an attempt to find out, Mary Roach brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die.

“Roach makes herself a wry, enjoyable character throughout the book’s escapades . . . a clever investigator and a thoroughly entertaining, if skeptical, tour guide.” —New York Times

“Reading Spook is like attending a lecture who is equal parts Groucho Marx and Stephen Jay Gould, both enlightening and entertaining.” —Sunday Denver Post & Rocky Mountain News