Title: Scritch Scratch
Author: Lindsay Currie
Genre: horror
Similar books: The Ghost in Apartment 2R by Denis Markell
Mothman's Curse by Christine Hayes
Rating:
lacking in atmosphere
Summary (provided by publisher): Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She's a scientist, which is why she can't think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she's made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There's something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour...he's gone.
Claire tries to brush it off, she must be imagining things, letting her dad's ghost stories get the best of her. But then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. The number 396 appears everywhere she turns. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her.
Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something...and Claire needs to find out what before it's too late.
My opinion: What an excellent title for a horror story. Just reading those words, one can imagine the creepiness of hearing an unexplained scratching sound in the walls or the ceiling. It sets us up for a highly frightening atmosphere. And then rather lets us down. There are plenty of frightening events, of course, but there's no slow build, no constant underlying dread. The plot is pretty solid, teaching us about the history of Chicago tragedies. We have a cast of characters working together to identify and pacify the ghost and free them from the haunting. I like many of the elements, it's just missing that one vital piece.
More information: Scritch Scratch releases September 1
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
No comments:
Post a Comment