The Demon of Brownsville Road

A Pittsburgh Family's Battle with Evil in Their Home

By: Bob Cranmer, Erica Manfred

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Cranmers seemed fated to own the house at 3406 Brownsville Road. As a young boy, Bob had been drawn to the property, and, just when the family decided to move back to Brentwood, it went up for sale. Without a second thought, they purchased the house that Bob had always dreamed of owning.

But the family soon began experiencing strange phenomena - objects moving on their own, ghostly footsteps, unsettling moaning sounds - that gradually increased in violence, escalating to physical assaults and, most disturbingly, bleeding walls. Bob, Lesa, and their four children were under attack from a malicious demon that was conjuring up terrifying manifestations to destroy their tight-knit household. They had two choices: leave or draw on their unwavering faith to exorcise the malicious fiend who haunted their home.

Now Bob Cranmer recounts the harrowing true story of the evil presence that tormented his family and the epic spiritual war he fought to save everything he held dear.

©2014 Bob Cranmer and Erica Manfred (P)2014 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"I would say it's one of the scariest places on Earth!" ( People

Blaming demons won't fix your troubled family.

Boomer guy's family falls apart. He blames evil spirits conjured by a jazz-age abortionist. The author spends most of the book talking about himself. He also spends time untangling light switch cords and rosary beads left twisted up by what must be the least ambitious demon in the history of haunted houses. I feel a lot of compassion for this family and their many troubles, but the only demons here seem to be in the minds of unhappy parents and children who desperately need a therapist--not an exorcist. I found this book very depressing and frustratingly paced. The narration reminded me of every dreary educational film I saw in high school. Thumbs down.

Off topic and self-aggrandizing

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I think you'd enjoy it more than I did if you really love aimless memoirs, if you don't mind this man "tooting his own horn," so to speak.

Don't misunderstand me. I don't have to have a book about the paranormal be intense and terrifying. I loved Gary Jansen's "Holy Ghosts," and it didn't contain anything about malevolent forces. But it was because Jansen drew some pretty thoughtful and surprising conclusions about the haunting in his home. I don't feel like Cranmer did in "The Demon of Brownsville Road." He spent so much of this book recounting his family's and his own accomplishments in the military, politics, and religion as if he were trying to "buy" credibility to his story.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Maybe "Paranormal Intruder," or "A Sudden Light."

Which scene was your favorite?

The only story out of this book that really was worth reading to me was his son's first encounter with many entities in his bedroom, the "blue room" that seems to be the heaviest spot of activity. His description of their appearance was interesting, but it only took up one very short paragraph.

What character would you cut from The Demon of Brownsville Road?

The author. I don't think I would get along with this man very well. He is so caught up in telling the reader about how much he has accomplished in life. I am patient with authors seemingly going off-topic for a bit in order to tie it in and clarify their meaning or further polish their story. Cranmer didn't. He wasted practically the whole first half of the book telling you how amazing he was in the military, how he could have been a great clergyman (or really a great "anything" he wanted to be), how he made enemies by cleaning up the corrupt police force, how he almost single-handedly stopped an illegal gambling ring in his hometown. He gives proof of his own ego in how, in one moment of family drama, he and his son got into a fight one night that was "instigated" by the demon. He is just embarrassed to death that all of the local news crews showed up on his lawn to document his arrest. But by his description of it, he is almost proud of the fact that he is such an important person that the news crews would even show up at all, that he gets so much attention, even if it is negative attention.

For this reason, I almost feel cheated. I feel like he should have titled it "Bob Cranmer: A Memoir" or something to that effect. I bought it because I wanted a story about a haunting, and it only half (or less) that. It was about his life, and he gave so much unnecessary and exhaustive context. It just felt useless.

Any additional comments?

I don't feel better or satisfied for having listened to this audiobook.

An immodest life story

Essentially this is a vehicle for the author to proselytize his biblically based message. He has made a number of unresolved attempts at being a preacher in his life so it would seem this book afforded him a platform to realize that long desired goal. Secondary to the many witnessings to the power of Jesus are the rather cringe inducing plaudits he finds time to lavish on himself. It will suffice to note his claim in an interview that owing to his stance in a tragic case of police brutality on the behalf of the black victim, he is; "a hero in the Black community to this day!" I felt that I had paid ( the price of the book) for not a lot more than the privilege of reading the ins and outs of this man's ego. I got the strong sense of the authors honesty with regard to the details and his sense of personal integrity, an admirable quality so sorely lacking in many modern people but though I admire his sense of personal honor and decency, this does not, for me make especially entertaining or satisfying reading.

BORING

I am on chapter 5 of this book and I am still waiting for something exciting to happen. Too much background information on things that are not relevant. This is a great book to fall asleep to.

Scary, disturbing, believable story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would highly recommend it. I didn't agree with the other reviews that said he was preachy; I thought he was just telling the facts and what he believed, I didn't feel like he was trying to talk anyone into converting to his religion.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked them all for different reasons. They were a family in turmoil but their love for each other was very evident.

What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He wasn't too dramatic; just stating the facts.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved that the family and even the dog and cat stuck together and fought together. I also liked that he gave the history of himself, his family, the house and the land.

Any additional comments?

It's a good mix of history, love, and horror.

Fascinating, horrifying, and ultimately inspiring

Would you consider the audio edition of The Demon of Brownsville Road to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but I was quite UNimpressed with the narration. I'm actually wishing I'd just gotten the print version of the book, since it seems fairly well written. Difficult to tell from this performance, however.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's reading style is extremely monotonous, lacking in inflection in a most unnatural way. Every sentence sounds exactly the same, regardless of its structure or emotion. I made it through the audiobook because the story was very interesting, and because the dry, robotic style of the narrator allowed me to tune him out for most of the book, but there were still many points where I was jarred out of the story by his odd inflection, or lack thereof.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

I was fascinated by the author's description of the Passionist convent and order

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful story, and appears to be decently written, but I simply cannot imagine why/how they cast this narrator.

Awesome Book

Loved it! The end where Bob explains and re-sums up the story really makes it worth the wait. I am a disabled veteran from the Iraqi war and have had some spiritual experiences myself. God is GOOD!

More boring and tedious than scary

Way too much information about the author's life and achievements and not enough regarding the haunting. It was too 'cut and dried' and devoid of any suspenseful descriptions that make a ghost story memorable and interesting. As another reviewer stated, it was more an autobiography than a tale of the supernatural.

This book seems to be an ego stroke...

I enjoyed the supernatural side of this book. Unfortunately it is overshadowed by the story of a man who spoke very little about anyone in the story except for himself and his grand life as a politician. Ew...he speaks of himself as the savior of Pittsburgh. Little to no humility about himself but very much criticism of others in the book. Including his wife and family. It’s unfortunate that such an interesting story has a gray cloud above it....and it is the main character and his large head! Get over yourself dude. You ruined the whole book attempting to tell your own story with little care of others or content.

Egomaniac

This guy is so full of himself & annoying that it ruins the story. I enjoyed this book for comical value, some scary parts.