A Delightful Ghost Story

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

We never  actually  know the  name of the narrator,  but she is a woman who gives  hand jobs  for a living, but has recently  been  moved up to aura reader/spiritualist.  She enjoys reading ghost  stories.

One day, a woman  named Susan  comes into the shop. She thinks something  is wrong  with  her house, and tgat her stepson is crazy and dangerous.  She asks the narrator  to cleanse her house, but then weird things happen.

I enjoyed this  novella.  Ms. Flynn is the  type of writer that you just can't get enough of  her work. This will only take an hour or so of  your time, but it is worth every second.

Not a Cult Classic

Awake by Natasha Preston

Much like another book of hers I read, this could greatly benefit from an editor. Too many misspellings for my taste.

Scarlett can't remember anything before the age of four. This bothered her, but not too terribly until she met her boyfriend, Noah. Then one day after being involved in a car accident, she starts remembering things. What she learns is that her parents aren't her biological parents. No, they used to be in a cult, but when they saw that Scarlett's parents were going to sacrifice her for their salvation, they kidnapped her.

And then there's Noah. He's not supposed to fall in love with Scarlett. He is supposed to get her to trust him so he can take her back to the cult that she narrowly escaped as a small child. He falls in love with her anyway, yet still takes her back to the cult.

Will Scarlett be sacrificed? You'll only know if you take the time to read the book.

A Great Mystery

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

I was first introduced to this author three years ago, when I received Revolution from a student for Christmas. I loved that book, though her other book was only ok. This one was awesome.

Josephine Montfort is a high society girl in New York before the turn of the twentieth century. When the book starts, she is at boarding school, but being summoned home because her father has died. First, she is told that his death was the result of a gun cleaning accident. Then she is told it was suicide, and while trying to find out why he would kill himself, she finds out he was, in fact, murdered.

While searching for the truth, Jo meets Eddie, a reporter for a newspaper her father owned. He helps Jo to solve this mystery, as well as introduces her to "unsavory" characters. All of this can potentially destroy her chances of marrying well in New York society.

I don't want to ruin this for you, but I will say this: Jo solves the mystery. What that entails, you can read for yourself.

Dead and Buried

The Hiding Place by David Bell

Twenty-five years ago, Janet's brother, Justin, was murdered. She was seven, and he was four. They were playing in the park, and a black man, Dante, took Justin to the woods and killed him. Or did he?

Fast forward to the present day. Dante served his time, and has been released from jail. With it being the twenty-fifth anniversary, and the only murder in this small town of Dove Point, people are interested in what happened.

An old friend of Janet's comes back to town and asks her what she remembers from that day because he has been working on what he remembers that day. A random stranger comes to Janet's house late at night implying that Justin didn't die, and that he is Justin. The police revisit some questions that were never really answered back when the investigation was going on.

There were a lot of twists reading this one, and thankfully, there is some resolution at the end. The whole time, I couldn't help but empathize with Janet, who grew up thinking she was partly to blame for her brother's death. All the secrets that surface in this book, are what made it a good read.

Rugby Sequel

Stand Off by Andrew Smith

A couple of years ago, I read Winger by the same author. This picks up where that book leaves off. It's Ryan Dean's senior year at Pine Mountain, and he is forced to room with a twelve year old freshman. He hates it. He is still dating Annie, and still plays rugby, although this year he is not a winger, but a stand off, and the captain of the team.

Ryan Dean's biggest problem is that he never "got over" Joey's death. Not that anyone expects that really, but he never sought help coping with it, and now suffers from severe anxiety attacks in his sleep.

Over the course of this book, Ryan Dean comes to terms with his life, and finds a way to deal with things. This was every bit as enjoyable as its predecessor.

Creepy Third Part

Catacomb by Madeleine Roux

This is the third full installment of the trilogy that started with Asylum. In this one, Dan, Abby, and Jordan are headed to New Orleans because Jordan is moving there with his uncle. On the way, Abby is working on a photo essay that involves some nefarious characters, and the trio discovers that they are being followed.

Once they get to New Orleans, they find out more about Dan's bilogical parents, as well as how they died. Dan actually gets mixed up with the people responsible for their deaths, and harm comes to him.

While not as creepy as the first book in the trilogy, this one does have a lot to offer in the spooky department. It also ties things up nicely, so I doubt that there will be other books in the series, though I wouldn't be disappointed if there are.

Family Secrets

Never Come Back by David Bell

Once again, this author has impressed me. In this one, Elizabeth, a grad student, is called to her mother's house because her mother has died. As it turns out, her mother has been murdered, and the police think her brother, Ronnie, who has Down Syndrome, committed the murder. Luckily, Elizabeth has her uncle, Paul, and sometimes boyfriend, Dan, to help her through her troubles.

Things start to get weird for Elizabeth too. Her apartment is broken into, and the police don't want to believe that it is related to her mother's murder. She finds out she has a sister from her mother's unknown previous marriage, and that woman's father has come to Elizabeth asking for money. Not to mention Ronnie confesses to the murder and tries to kill himself.

So much goes on, and you just want to find out who murdered Elizabeth's mother.