Almost everyone has seen or read the book by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist. The Exorcist is the story of a mother who asks for help, from two priests, for her little girl who has been possessed. I can't forget the "Spider-walk" scene when Linda Blair walks like a spider down the stairs, or the scene when Linda's head twists around her neck. Based on actual events...Or was it? Enter Troy Taylor, a resident of Illinois, author of over 130 books. Troy writes about the paranormal and things that go bump in the night, both the legends and the history. Troy wrote a book about the most famous exorcism in the United States, but his book isn't fiction. It is the true story about what happened in St Louis in 1949, “The Devil Came to St. Louis.” The movie has a girl as the main character, but in real life it was a boy, who is called Robbie to protect his identity (someone else released his name but Troy, true to his word, kept the identity a secret). We follow Robbie’s torturous journey from the Washington D.C./Maryland area to St. Louis, and back to Maryland. It is said that Robbie heard strange scratching noises in the floor and he and his bed would levitate. His demeanor would change and he often became violent. His parents looked for help and, as they did so, scratches appeared on Robbie’s stomach, spelling out words. Robbie had his good days and was like any other child, playing games and being happy. But, at night he couldn’t sleep and strange things would occur. A Jesuit priest aided Robbie in his fight against the demon. The priest battled continuously to save the boy. The battle was intense and disturbing. Robbie was eventually freed from the demon. My synopsis is brief and does not do the story justice. While reading the accounts of this story, many people may find it hard to sleep at night. Troy interviewed the witnesses who were still living and went through countless records, articles and other documentation to find the true facts of the story. However, Troy presents the facts and lets the reader decide what is and isn’t true. The debate will probably continue forever, but one thing we do know is that this horrific event left a scar on everyone involved and maybe on everyone who reads this book. I highly recommend it.