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