De Crossbones is het superspannende vervolg op Skeleton Creek Ryans dagboek. Bij dit tweede en laatste deel horen negen filmpjes, die op www.skeletoncreek.nl zijn te zien via speciale toegangscodes in het boek. Dit is griezelen nieuwe stijl!

00012721

In my review of Ghost in the Machine, I rejoiced in the fact that the Skeleton Creek series was resolved and happily finished. I loved those books, don't get me wrong, but I hate reaching the end of a novel to find a cliffhanger, especially when a sequel is not yet published. So imagine my surprise to find a third book in this seemingly finished series. Every loose end was neatly tied up, so how could there be another book? If one could ignore the obvious back-stepping and stumbling around that the author had to do to justify another installment to an already resolved plot, this book was sufficiently engrossing. If one isn't an adult, this book is probably worthy of five stars. Its problems, I suspect, are only a result of my critical adult eye. While not as frightening and suspenseful as the first 2, this one was a pretty good young adult mystery story that I was able to read in 3 hours. The lack of nail-biting suspense may be due, again, to my adult skepticism. So if you're a teen, don't accept my 3 stars; jump in. And if you try to avoid novels that end in cliffhangers, this one's safe. The author seems to have realized that he may want to continue on with the exploits of Sarah and Ryan but has chosen to give this novel a satisfactory resolution just in case he doesn't want to. This strategy is laudable and I appreciate it! Young Adult authors, take note!


( )

The Skeleton Creek saga continues. Well done and lots of suspense. The videos in this one have an annoying whistle when Sara pronounces her "s" sounds. Distracting, but still a good read. ( )

Patrick Carman's writing in the series Skeleton Creek never ceases to spook me, and Crossbones is no acception. The book has no others like it, Patrick Carman's innovation is amazing.

From the mysterious town of Skeleton Creek to the haunted locations that Sarah risks her life in, every moment is a breath-taking scene of anticipation and harrowing chills.

The book is terrifying, but I find that with a lot of horror-based books sacrifice their plotline for scary scenes, but not with Skeleton Creek. Sarah is travelling America to uncover the Apostle's videotapes, Ryan is plugged in Skeleton Creek, and the ghost of Old Joe Bush has escaped the dredge.

It is thrilling all the way through, and you need to read it. ( )