Review 97: The Books of Curt Rowlett

Labyrinth13,
Riding on Your Fears,
and The Curse of Palmyra Island
by Curt Rowlett
Copyright: © 2008-2009
Lulu.com
$11.99-$14.99 Paperback Editions

For years, I was a true crime buff.  I still possess more useless knowledge about some of America’s infamous serial killers than I care to admit to.  Give me a good “true” ghost story or A&E/ Travel Channel historical haunting feature or reality ghost hunting show and I’m glued to the television for hours. So, when Curt Rowlett approached us with his three books devoted to mysteries, murder, and the occult, I immediately wanted to read all of them!

Labrinth13 is my favorite of the three, and covers the subject matter of the other two books which I will discuss in this review as well. L13 is divided into three sections: Occult, Crime, and Conspiracy.  There is an outstanding introduction where Rowlett explains how this book was born out of a website he created by the same name to record his research while preserving his artistic integrity and capturing a reading audience.  Rowlett even goes into great detail to explain where the title came from, giving a nice explanation as to the fear behind the infamous number 13 while citing a long list of historical events and information related to 13 including classical composer Arnold Shonberg who suffered from triskaidekaphobia which is a fear of the number 13.  And he had a right to be afraid of it.  He was born on Friday the 13th, and died on Friday the 13th and 13 minutes before midnight!

Vampire fans will enjoy the first chapter of the Occult section where Rowlett explores the history of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and how Stoker might have also been inspired by unknown vampiric history that took place on American soil. This is based on newspaper clippings found in Stoker’s papers about a Rhode Island vampire named Mercy Lena Brown who might have inspired Stoker’s character named Lucy. Rowlett also covers werewolves in another chapter for those of you who enjoy lycanthropy over vampires.

Rowlett does an excellent job of weaving his research and theory into nice tight chapters that move at a decent pace, definitely keeping the reader interested, and also cause a few chills along the way.  Take this opening paragraph as an example, from the story about a strange visitor to Edgar Allan Poe’s grave:

For over 50 years since 1949, on the night marking the anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birth, a mysterious man-in-black has entered the cemetery where the master of the macabre lies buried, and, making his way through the dark shadows to Poe’s grave, he places a partial bottle of expensive French cognac and three blood-red roses there, presumably as tokens of admiration and in tribute to the great author. This ritual completed, he then slips away into the night as quietly and as mysteriously as he came. The identity of this dark stranger — dubbed “The Poe Toaster” by observers — has never been revealed.

My favorite chapter in the Occult section is Chapter 8, where Rowlett covers several “uncanny occurrences” in small sections including an odd tale about Mary Shelley and her deceased husband’s heart, one about Mark Twain and a Ouija Board, and another coincidence concerning Poe and the unfortunate fate of a literary character and two different real life men all named Richard Parker. Writers will also enjoy the frightening tale about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and one man’s “insane” passion for words.

Part 2 of the book, Crime, starts off with an extensive piece about the Zodiac killer, followed by focus on Charles Manson, David Berkowitz, and the Process Church and what role Christianity and Satanism both played in bringing fear to America during the late 70s and early 80s.  Rowlett lays out some fascinating research on symbolism and how it also played an important role during this time.

Part 3 of the book, Conspiracy, begins with a bizarre look at how our government might have been involved in mind control and creating programmed assassins. Rowlett focuses on several well known gunman including Sirhan Sirhan, Lee Harvey Oswald (a favorite subject of mine in high school), James Earl Ray, and Mark David Chapman, pointing out their political ties, military background, and literary tastes. Rowlett also points out the odd rise of serial killers in the 1980s may have very well been “a stockpile of sleepers who woke up too early.”

Consider that for the most part, serial killers tend to prey on the so-called “undesirables” of society, such as prostitutes, drug addicts, homosexuals, and other targeted minorities of the ultra-right wing. (The FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit has stated that as many as 150 serial killers may be operating undetected in the United States). Serial killers, like mind-controlled sleepers, outwardly appear normal to the rest of the world, but also seem to be acting under a programmed obsession to kill, usually in the same way, over and over again, as if trying to fulfill some sort of mission that is echoing around in their heads.

I have to commend Rowlett on his research and attention to detail.  The notes, resources, and appendix of this book is well over 100 pages.

Rowlett’s book, Riding on Your Fears, is a 67 page essay and more extensive look into the Manson Family and the murders they committed.  Rowlett mentions Manson quite a bit in L13 and discusses in great detail the effect Manson might have had on the hippie movement.

Could Manson be considered a true counter-culture revolutionary? Was he a well-intentioned, but ultimately misunderstood guru whose followers took it upon themselves to murder for him? Or was he, as the prosecutor at his murder trial portrayed him, simply a crazed cult leader and career criminal? This book contends that Manson is a varied combination of all of those things.

Through research and interviews, Rowlett points out several mysteries behind Manson, his “family,” and the infamous murders he’s still known for today.Rowlett also discusses  several rumors and urban legends that have followed Manson over the years.

I have to admit I had never heard of Palmyra Island before reading Rowlett’s book, The Curse of Palmyra Island. It’s a small South Pacific atoll which is shrouded in mystery much like the Bermuda Triangle. It has a long history of strange events, supernatural occurrences, and murder. Much of Rowlett’s 72 page essay is featured in L13, but in this book Rowlett also covers the history of the island along with a map and beautiful illustrations.

Rowlett cites a book called And The Sea Will Tell which focuses on a sailing couple, Mac and Muff Graham, who were killed in 1974 on the island by another couple who were inhabiting it. Rowlett was later contacted by and given the chance to interview a lady named Sharon Jordan who actually discovered the remains of Muff Graham washed ashore on the island seven years later. Mac Graham’s remains have still not been found to this day.

When I see things like this in the news, or read of a murder in the newspaper, I’m always the one who questions everything and usually suspects the most bizarre and unusual thing to have happened. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Curt Rowlett’s work because of my fascination with such stories.  He is truly a well versed student and expert of the supernatural and occult.

If you are a fan of such writing, theories, mysteries, and more, then you can visit Curt on the web and read more of his work at labyrinth13.com.