Collier, James Lincoln. The dreadful revenge of Ernest Gallen.
Bloomsbury (St. Martins), 2008, 232p, $16.99, 978-1-59990-220-3.
A ghost comes to the rural town of Magnolia, intent on revenge and he wants young Gene Richards to help him achieve his goal, but Gene has other ideas.
The Dreadful Revenge of Ernest Gallen will haunt believers of ghost stories until the last page. Gene Richards, a young boy who lives with his mother and grandfather during the Great Depression. His life revolves around baseball and hanging out with his best friend Sonny Hawkins. Little do Gene and Sonny, and their friend Samantha know, but the sleepy rural town of Magnolia is hiding a secret, a secret that will soon be exposed thanks to an unknown, threatening voice that begins to haunt Gene. The voice belongs to an unnamed man and hints at untold power over Gene. The voice comes and goes and very quickly shows Gene that it can make him do anything that the voice wants him to do. The haunt eventually reveals to Gene that he wants him to kill his grandfather, a thought which horrifies Gene and which he does his best to resist. The voice also harasses other members of the community, causing deaths and accidents, all the while dropping hints to Gene that sets Gene, Sonny and Sam on an investigation to uncover a secret that involves the ghost and members of their families as well as an injustice that was never acknowledged. With Sonny’s help, Gene breaks free of the haunt’s power, but not without a great sacrifice for Gene. This first person narrative includes well-developed characters, a fast paced plot and an eerie, uneasy atmosphere that will propel readers to accompany Gene and his friends as they unravel the mysterious secret that has been unspoken for many years. Middle readers who are looking for a haunting ghost story will be mesmerized by the possibility of visitations from the other side. RZ
No comments:
Post a Comment