The Haunting

September 15, 2023
Penny's sleepy little farming town hasn't been the same since it was terrorized by a masked killer who claimed five teenage victims last Halloween. That killer just happened to be the father of her ex-boyfriend, Nash, and afterward, Penny's parents forced her to break up with Nash. This October, everyone is on edge. Nash and his sister, Grace, are local outcasts, and when Penny finds another classmate's dead body while shopping for Halloween costumes in a party supply store, the proverbial pitchforks come out. As the body count rises, the townspeople quickly blame Nash and Grace. To take the heat off Nash, for whom Penny still has feelings, the two team up to try to figure out the killer's identity. But when it becomes apparent that the killer is targeting Penny, their mission becomes a matter of life or death. Suspenseful chases and mysterious sightings interspersed with an occasional dead body keep the pacing fast and consistent. The setting is reminiscent of Scream's Woodsboro, and Preston makes good use of spooky Halloween decorations. The character development is light, and readers will quickly become frustrated with the many poor choices Penny makes. The abrupt ending may irritate some, but slasher fans will nevertheless enjoy trying to figure out who the menacing person hiding behind a mask is. Penny and Nash are cued white; Penny's friends include some racial and religious diversity. A flawed but entertaining Halloween thriller. (Thriller. 12-18)

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December 8, 2023

Gr 9 Up-It's Saturday, October 23rd. Exactly one year since the start of a murder spree that changed Penny's small town forever. Even though she's been forbidden from talking to her ex-boyfriend, Nash, Penny can't help but feel a pull towards him as the anniversary of his father's deadly rampage approaches. Unsure of what to say, she writes and deletes text after text without sending one. But when she discovers the body of her classmate while shopping for a Halloween costume, everything changes. She finally connects with Nash as the entire town is gripped with fear and speculation runs rampant. As the body count begins to rise, it seems a copycat killer is on the loose. Penny keeps thinking she sees a figure in the same mask lurking nearby, but she doesn't trust her own judgment as she loses sleep, her appetite, and trust in the people she thought she could rely on. Though the reasoning behind the murders is explained, the abrupt ending lacks any sort of reckoning with the traumatic events of the preceding days. While some readers may not mind, others might be left feeling unsatisfied. Penny's friend Zayn is described as having dark skin and an Afro, Omar is described as Muslim with dark eyes, and Nash and Grace are described as having their mother's darker skin tone. VERDICT A secondary purchase for libraries where mysteries are in high demand.-Katie Patterson

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