Convincing characters drive this understated but absorbing paranormal thriller.
A California teenage psychic faces an unseen menace among his fellow high-schoolers in Lafferty’s YA thriller, one in a series.
Ben Wolf has already made friends during his first summer at Windward Cove on the northern coast of California, where he and his mother inherited his late aunt’s house. But he’ll be mingling with all sorts of people in his sophomore year at Silver Creek High—like bullies, hotheaded jocks, and aloof peers. It’s not all bad, as he can always rely on his summer pals, Ab Chambers and Les Hawkins, and he grows closer to softhearted cheerleader Kelly Thatcher. A string of “freak occurrences,” including a disturbing bird attack, ensnares several of the Silver Creek students. Ben, whose clairvoyant abilities aren’t as strong as he wishes they were (“maybe I just sucked at the whole psychic thing. Sensing and watching was the best I could manage”), perceives someone’s unquestionable satisfaction when these occurrences end in injuries. He doesn’t know exactly who it is, but he has a suspect whose family history he and paranormal fanatic Ab delve into. Time is of the essence as these “accidents” soon escalate in intensity and threaten to target Ben and his friends. Lafferty excels at depicting a teen drama: The young cast is an eclectic bunch, some charming, some obnoxious, with many sporting vibrant personalities. As Ben gets to know other students at gatherings like the homecoming dance and post-football get-togethers, a malevolence slowly creeps into the plot. There are narrative stretches of uneventful scenes (including the first-semester holidays), and Ben’s general lack of worry (he doesn’t do much investigating) results in waning suspense. It’s in the latter half of the novel that the story really takes off, with a few shocking turns and sequences depicting Ben struggling to use his psychic ability to optimal effect. While Ben’s confident narration smoothly carries readers through the story, the best scenes center on individuals in peril as the narrative takes on a third-person perspective that feels like a brooding, evil presence.
Convincing characters drive this understated but absorbing paranormal thriller.Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2023
ISBN: 9798350926514
Page Count: 436
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Perhaps a more genuinely enlightened protagonist would have made this debut more engaging
Audrey Rose Wadsworth, 17, would rather perform autopsies in her uncle’s dark laboratory than find a suitable husband, as is the socially acceptable rite of passage for a young, white British lady in the late 1800s.
The story immediately brings Audrey into a fractious pairing with her uncle’s young assistant, Thomas Cresswell. The two engage in predictable rounds of “I’m smarter than you are” banter, while Audrey’s older brother, Nathaniel, taunts her for being a girl out of her place. Horrific murders of prostitutes whose identities point to associations with the Wadsworth estate prompt Audrey to start her own investigation, with Thomas as her sidekick. Audrey’s narration is both ponderous and polemical, as she sees her pursuit of her goals and this investigation as part of a crusade for women. She declares that the slain aren’t merely prostitutes but “daughters and wives and mothers,” but she’s also made it a point to deny any alignment with the profiled victims: “I am not going as a prostitute. I am simply blending in.” Audrey also expresses a narrow view of her desired gender role, asserting that “I was determined to be both pretty and fierce,” as if to say that physical beauty and liking “girly” things are integral to feminism. The graphic descriptions of mutilated women don’t do much to speed the pace.
Perhaps a more genuinely enlightened protagonist would have made this debut more engaging . (Historical thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-27349-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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