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Chasing the Dark

Encounters with the supernatural

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Chasing the Dark

By: Ben Machell
Narrated by: Richard Attlee
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About this listen

 'One of the best books about the paranormal I have read... Uncannily good' DANNY ROBINS

'A fascinating testimony to our nervous hunger to map the hazy, haunted territory at the edges of the rational... engrossing, entertaining and distinctly unsettling' SARAH WATERS

'Shiversomely eerie... so impressive in its research and remarkable in all it uncovers' TOM HOLLAND

Late one evening the telephone rings, and on the line is a stranger. They tell you that your nine-year-old son gave them your number. Your heart stops. You tell them that your son has been dead for almost 20 years. They know this, they say. He wants you to come and see him.
Ghosts. Poltergeists. Psychic powers.
What do you do when reality begins to fray around you? Where do you go when science cannot explain your experiences? The Society for Psychical Research was founded to tackle these very questions and to shine light on the shadowy world of the supernatural. Distinguished members have included prime ministers and Nobel Prize-winning scientists.

But the most prolific of all the SPR's paranormal investigators was a young British naval officer named Tony Cornell. A rationalist and a sceptic he became haunted by a wartime encounter in India that changed everything . Between 1950 and 2010 he became perhaps the world's most prolific investigator of psychic phenomena and paranormal events. Alongside his colleague, the psychologist Alan Gauld, they combined the roles of detectives, exorcists and psychiatrists, returning time and again to the unsettling spaces that exist on the very periphery of our tidy, rational lives: Ghosts. Poltergeists. Psychic powers.

Drawing on a previously untapped archive of Cornell's case files, which survive as a unique repository of encounters reported by ordinary people, Chasing the Dark is the compelling story of our relationship with the supernatural. What do these atmospheric and often chilling cases teach us about who we are, and the anxieties that consume us? And why do the dead still find ways to make themselves known?©2025 Machell Lees Limited Europe Fantasy Great Britain History & Culture Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Technology & Society Haunted Paranormal Ghost Heartfelt Psychic Fiction

Critic reviews

A fascinating testimony to our nervous hunger to map the hazy, haunted territory at the edges of the rational. An engrossing, entertaining and distinctly unsettling read
Shiversomely eerie... so impressive in its research and remarkable in all it uncovers
One of the best books about the paranormal I have read. A gripping, thought-provoking, brilliantly researched journey between belief and scepticism. Uncannily good
Entrancing... elegantly thrilling
Combines deep research with descriptions that are as vivid and potent as any in horror fiction (Luke Turner)
An absolute masterclass of scares... Each case is absolutely dripping with suspense as Machell gently leads you through the pages, tweaking your every nerve on the way. You may find yourself propelled through this book, but it's equally rewarding to read one story at a time. Either way, this book should be at the top of your winter scares reading
This fascinating book charts our uneasy relationship with the supernatural... Ben Machell's book is captivating, gripping, insightful and - like its central character - humane and non-judgmental
Compelling... spooky stuff: perfect reading for Halloween (Ysenda Maxtone Graham)
Distinctly unsettling
All stars
Most relevant
This is an unusual book, which seems to have been marketed as something slightly different to what it actually is, perhaps because it’s difficult to pigeonhole and people like tales of the supernatural. If it had been a history of the SPR, a straight biography of Tony Cornell, or simply an account of the cases he investigated, it would have been much less absorbing to listen to.

It’s not frightening, but it is eerie, sad, touching, nostalgic, and immensely interesting. Like the author, I found myself feeling great respect for Cornell, and I think with this book, Ben Machell has done him justice.

The narration is excellent.

Thoughtful and absorbing

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There are a lot of mediocre books on the paranormal - this, on the other hand, is a rare example of a beautifully written and well reasoned one. If you are after gullible cheap thrills this won't be your thing. If you want a measured look at a fascianting man's life in paranormal research - alongside the often surprising outputs of that research - get stuck in.

One of the very best books on the paranormal

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This book is more about the men who investigate the paranormal than the actual paranormal events. It’s interesting enough but I would have preferred more accounts of the paranormal.

Good performance

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A straightforward account of a life in the paranormal. Vaguely sordid in the way that tales of poltergeist seem to be. Feels like the seventies again. Somewhat disappointing.

Curiously dated

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I loved this. The snippets of case reviews were fascinating and the social history approach to the subject matter was a really engaging angle. It also felt like a personal insight into the characters of the SPR. Would recommend.

Charming yet throughly researched.

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