56 pages • 1 hour read
Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent's Search for Hope and Justice
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Important Quotes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, animal death, emotional abuse, cursing, graphic violence, and child death.
“I couldn’t. I was seeing something difficult to comprehend—an evil spirit hiding in a human body, daring me to expose it.”
(Chapter 1, Page 6)
In this passage, Hilland recalls his first sight of John Smith. The description of Smith not as a person but as an “evil spirit hiding in a human body” frames the central conflict as a metaphysical battle rather than a standard criminal investigation, laying the groundwork for the book’s synthesis of the spiritual and material in police work. It also establishes Hilland’s intuitive approach, which predates his relationship with John Edward. The word choice—that this spirit is “daring” Hilland—sets up the personal, adversarial nature of their dynamic from the outset.
“These women in the photos were strangers to me, but I felt an immediate, emotional, all-encompassing need to help them. As if they were urging me to.”
(Chapter 1, Page 10)
This moment of internal monologue reveals that Hilland’s motivation transcends professional duty, becoming a deeply personal calling. The phrase “As if they were urging me to” introduces a supernatural undertone to his quest, foreshadowing his eventual, unconventional partnership with a psychic. This quote establishes the obsessive drive that is central to the theme of The Cost of Chasing Justice, as this “all-encompassing need” will soon take precedence over his family life.
