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SECOND VERSE by Jennifer Walkup

SECOND VERSE

by Jennifer Walkup

Pub Date: Oct. 1st, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-935462-86-6
Publisher: Luminis

A supernatural murder mystery with a love interest rooted in the past and present.

New to the town of Shady Springs, Lange quickly learns that Halloween is a serious event for this sleepy town, especially when it comes to The Hunt. The Hunt is a simulated murder mystery put on by the seniors at her school, the Preston Academy of Arts, to challenge the underclassmen’s ability to solve the whodunit. Although not keen on the blood and gore of The Hunt, to get in the holiday spirit, Lange offers to host a séance on the Friday the 13th that falls before Halloween. To up the séance’s creep factor, Lange decides to hold the event in the barn of her 200-year-old farmhouse, which has seen its fair share of violence, including the murder of an entire family. During the séance, the teens are visited by a spirit that conveniently binds Lange with Vaughn, her secret crush, in a mission to uncover the past and find a present-day killer. Although at times the text takes dark twists and turns that may feel graphic to susceptible readers, it is tempered by mundane teen concerns and a budding romance.

A fast-paced thriller best read with the lights on.

(Suspense. 14 & up)