M. BLACKWELL

This book starts out very well, then gets silly. Then it gets sillier and the silliness takes off with a mind of its own until it's the silliness itself that has to be resolved. The book is a ghost story, set in Cape Cod, and the exposition leading up to the first sighting, is extremely well written. I was impressed with the author's ability, her grasp of the English language, her command over setting and mood. Unfortunately, the first ghost sighting sends this book in a new direction, that of a Scooby-Doo mystery, with a bona fide group of mystery solvers hitting the local library and folklorist to solve a 150-year-old murder. If I wasn't disappointed in the first genre shift, I was certainly disappointed in the second. The story climaxes and resolves as a fantasy, with witchcraft begetting pagan gods and involving the unlikely hero: the pet housecat. Had the cat spoken, I probably would have had to put it down, but fortunately she stops short of talking animals.

I would have to say that this is a young adult fantasy novel with the plot of a ghost murder-mystery story. It will doubtless appeal to many readers. I only wish the author would have utilized the reserved, moody prose from the beginning of the story throughout, and resisted her temptations to explore the cliche side avenues along the main road of her idea.

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)