The Ghost Lab

How Bigfoot Hunters, Mediums, and Alien Enthusiasts Are Wrecking Science

By: Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling

Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell

A surprising and compelling journey into the business of paranormal investigation and the state of scientific literacy in America.

In 2010, a sleepy small-town business plaza in rural New Hampshire rented space to an unusual tenant: a ghost laboratory. The Kitt Research Initiative’s mission was to use the scientific method to document the existence of spirits. Founder Andy Kitt was known as a straight-shooter; and was unafraid—perhaps eager—to offend other paranormal investigators by exposing the fraudulence of their less advanced techniques. Kitt’s efforts attracted flocks of psychics, alien abductees, witches, mediums, ghost hunters, UFOlogists, cryptozoologists and warlocks from all over New England, and the world. And there were plenty of them around.

The Ghost Lab tells the astonishing story of the wild ecosystem of paranormal profiteers and consumers. But it also reveals how the twin scourges of declining scientific literacy and eroding trust in institutions have created space for armies of pseudoscientists to step into the minds of an increasingly credulous public.

With his distinct voice, eye for a story and ability to show how one community's experience reflects that of a society, Matt Hongoltz-Hetling crafts a powerful narrative about just how fragmented our understanding of what is real—and what is not—has become.

©2025 by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Hongoltz-Hetling [writes] with a dry and wry sense of humor reminiscent of Mark Twain… But under this gentle rib-poking, he has a serious purpose, namely, to investigate why, in the 21st century, in the wealthiest, most developed country in the history of the world, so many ordinary folk are so utterly lost to science that they devote tremendous energy to readily debunked and debunkable nonsense.”―Kirkus

“Fascinating.”―Booklist

Good story, questionable analysis

Well written and a great story, but the connections to society were an extreme (not credible) stretch tacked on to the story.