YA Novel Delves Into Summer After Graduation...With A Dash of Mystery and Horror...

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"Hey, the news is on! Maybe they will talk about
the Lighthouse killer...he was a tour guide, showing
people around the lighthouses in the area...This
doesn't say much more about him. The bodies were
found in his bedroom, under the bed! Gross! The
guy had about five bodies in his room. They were
still searching for other missing persons..."

Summer Shack:
  A Killer Vacation


By Kelli Sue Landon


Author of Nightmare at Camp Forrestwood
 Check out my review!




Landon's latest novel, Summer Shack, is lighter on mystery and more into friendship. Kimberly Foster and Deborah Walker had been childhood best friends, but when they moved on into high school, Deborah had moved on to a different crowd--kids from richer families who dressed the part and who were socially involved.

 

Kimberly's mother had left her family when Kim was young, so that she had grown close to her remaining family and soon had taken over care of the household, including cooking which she had loved. Her plans were to go to culinary school and continue this love, making it her career.

Deb had also had an early love and Kim had always been part of those activities. She enjoyed film making, narrating her many stories while Kim learned how to be behind the camera, taping Deb. Now Deborah was looking seriously at this early hobby for her career choice and had decided to film a documentary of the area where her parents had a summer cottage. With her parents blessing and as a graduation gift, they had given her a credit card and privacy for that summer vacation.


Kim didn't know whether she had been her last choice for a friend to accompany Deb--but she didn't care! She was going on the very first real vacation she had ever had! But she soon realized that during the many years when they hadn't been close, Deborah had changed and had been into things far outside of Kim's experience...especially when she started meeting her friends there from previous summers! 


And as they started touring the little town, they started hearing about the serial killer that had just been arrested, after bodies of his victims had been found in his beach cabin...and that cabin was very close to where the girls were staying! Deb immediately decided that her documentary should cover the life of that killer and that they should start by touring the place where he'd lived...


But when they got there, the first thing that happened was that the door was slammed and they were locked in...and it got worse from there...


While this story wasn't as exciting as Landon's Nightmare, young adults may find that there is much more to ponder as friendships are re-established and issues such as drinking, drugs, and relationships are explored. Adding the suspenseful mystery with a surprising {scary!} ending just adds more enjoyment, as each of the teen characters face past and present mistakes,  while looking forward to their futures! Heavy on teen character development is, in my opinion, what drives this book--what better way to help children learn than through peer experiences? Highly recommended especially for those in high school...


Book Received Via 
About.Me from Author




GABixlerReviews

Camp Site Murder Mystery for YA Great Action/Adventure Tale!

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The camp hadn't been used for awhile;
a murder had taken place nearby...
Then why were WE going there???

Nightmare at


  Camp Forrestwood


A YA Whodunit


By Kelli Sue Landon




This novel is fun to read. It reminded me of those family times when all the kids come together, start making wise-cracks, joking, etc. It didn't remind me of my schooldays, except that I would have probably been one of the nerds that always carried a book and read in the corner...LOL But then again, the main male and female characters both sounded a little like me, so, naturally I would enjoy it, right?

At least until they reached Camp Forrestwood...


Holly Jensen had just started at a new school. So far, she had only one friend, Erin who rode on the same bus. Both were seniors, but Erin hated school and often skipped when she thought she could get away with it.

When the senior camping trip was announced, Holly's mother wanted her to go, but Holly didn't want to go if she was totally on her own, so she kept asking Erin until she finally gave in. But then she skipped more school. It was during her absence that another girl became friendlier with Holly. Mindy was the one who told Holly about the murder that had occurred very close to the camp where they were going and that, even now, a young boy was still there that might have been involved...

Mindy and Holly began to make plans to spend time together. Mindy had found out that the sleeping quarters would be arranged alphabetically. That meant that Erin would probably be in another building. But since Erin had not been back to school, both Mindy and Holly thought she would bail out of going; Holly admitted that she had bailed on her before...

Holly was interested in Matt and Mindy finally got her to admit it. Fortunately, Matt would stay in the same building as well! Holly planned on taking advantage of the proximity to try to get to know him...

                                                                                      Wikipedia

But that planning was before it all started...

Erin came to school that morning and was upset that things were changed; she was fuming when Holly sat with Mindy on the bus, since she had asked her first. When they arrived and were quickly divided and sent off in different directions to the three separate cabins, Erin grew even more angry. Nevertheless, they all had to set off quickly. Each building would have just one adult chaperon and it was clear that no trouble would be tolerated--one boy was quickly returned home!

He was lucky that he was gone...

The first night was fun with the hotdogs, marshmallows and then singing started and, of course, scary stories... But then...

It was the teachers who started to disappear first, together with one girl who Mindy and others really didn't like. She was part of the elite group and always made sure everybody knew it. Of course other cliques had been formed but at least they talked to each other most of the time. For some of the students, they had been going to school together since grade school and knew so much about each other that they could tell much--or worse, publicly tease them about what had occurred when they were younger.

It was later revealed by a one of the students that he had seen a teacher and the girl making out against a tree. Both of the other chaperons were soon gone. All of the others began to see who else was missing and try to keep everybody together, but they were still in separate cabins. Finally they started to venture out to see who else was gone. They even continued to make plans for the dance that was to take place...

But nobody danced that night...

Although there is a tinge of horror to the tale Kelli Landon weaves, it is, indeed, more a whodunit. Within the senior class, there is so much tension between the students that nearly everybody had somebody to doubt or worry about.  Holly even worried that Erin had become so angry that she had gone on a rampage. Was it this one or that one... Readers will have a difficult time trying to learn about the potential "psycho" at the same time, they must keep track of who might have already become a victim. Actually, it is almost impossible to decide...at least it was for me! But maybe the young adults who read Nightmare at Camp Forrestwood will be able to better interpret the signals??? I highly recommend you try! Let me know if you figure out the who...and even more so, if you know the "why" before it is provided!

A great whodunit with a high recommendation! Enjoy!

Book Received Via
Bostick Communications


GABixlerReviews