Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week.

The featured book this week is Defending Jacob by William Landay

• Hardcover:432 pages
• Publisher:Delacorte Press (January 31, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0385344228
• Source: Publisher (BEA)

Every parent likes to believe they know their child: what kind of person they are, what they are/are not capable of. What happens when it turns out that you didn’t know your child quite as well as you believed?

Andy Barber is a well-respected Assistant District Attorney in the small Massachusetts down where he, his son Jacob, and his wife Laurie reside. They are your typical suburban family, content with their lives.

One morning things change.  A boy who attends the same middle school as Jacob is found murdered, stabbed to death on a path in the woods that leads to the school. Since it has the potential to be a high-profile case, Andy accepts the case. He joins the police in interviewing the students about the deceased. One individual suggests he check out what is being said about the crime on Facebook. When he does, he sees that Jacob’s best friend implicates Jacob in the crime, reporting to have seen him with a knife. He takes this news at face value: it appears to be just a bunch of kids posting their opinions on social media. Nothing to be worried about. Yet, he’s completely shocked by what happens next: Jacob is arrested for the murder. For obvious reasons, Andy is put on paid leave, removed from the case completely.

As the case builds and evidence is introduced, the Barber family begins to become unraveled. Andy and Laurie want to stand behind their son, want to believe he’s innocent of the crime. When Andy reveals a secret about his own family it all begins to crumble away. Andy & Laurie, normally an extremely close couple, begin to become strangers to one another. They, Laurie in particular, looks back at Jacob’s childhood. Were there any indicators that he may predisposed to this sort of anger?

In a whirlwind court case, Andy and Laurie stay by their son’s side, posing a united front, at least in appearances. In the back of their minds, they can’t help put wonder: How well do I know my child? Just how far will I go to protect him?

Defending Jacob is without a doubt one of the most suspenseful, emotionally-tolling books I have read in some time. As the mother of a middle-schooler myself, I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do in the Barber’s place? Just like the Barber’s, I believe I know my child. Yet this book inspired me to learn more about my own child, the emotions he’s feeling, the relationships he has at school. It generated quite a lengthy, but healthy and important discussion with my son, one that will continue.  Assuming life is grand, everything is perfect isn’t the way to live life, as the Barber’s unfortunately learn.

What was truly memorable about this book was the way Landay was able to pace, to portray, the unraveling of the Barber family. Laurie was always the one people turned to when they had a problem, she always had a perfect demeanor and could withstand anything. The true impact of the trail is unveiled through Laurie and the physical and emotional toll it takes on her. Throughout the book, Andy comments on this:

“She had lost so much weight that her hipbones protruded, and when we were together she spoke less and less. In spite of it all, I never softened in my determination to save Jacob first and heal Laurie later.”

And later during the trial:

 ”She never stopped defending Jacob, never stopped analyzing the chessboard, calculating every move and countermove. She never stopped protecting him, even in the end.

This last line plays a very poignant role in this storyline, sort of a foreshadowing of what is to come.

Bottom line: Defending Jacob is a tremendous read: memorable, thought-provoking, intense. I stayed up until the wee hours of the night to finish this one; I couldn’t bear to step away once I got involved in this story. This is a book that will resonate within you, change your perceptions of life and love, forever. Without a doubt, this book will be added to my favorites of 2012 list. Highly, highly recommended.

Frightful Friday: Defending Jacob by William Landay is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback:288 pages
• Publisher:Harper Paperbacks (January 17, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 006213437X
• Source: Publisher

New female Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison is struggling to gain the acceptance of the chauvinistic Scotland Yard detective squad. She’s put in her time, unfortunately this isn’t recognized by the men she leads nor those higher up.  Tennison is forced to work in an extremely hostile work environment. Still, she’s quite desperate to succeed in this incredibly political squad, desperate enough to put her work in front of everything else, including her personal life.

When the body of a prostitute is discovered, Tennison’s battle must be put on hold. The body appears to be that of Della Mornay but it doesn’t take the squad long before they realize the body has been wrongly identified, mainly due to the true brutality of the killing. This woman is merely the first in a spree of killings by a truly sick individual. It becomes a race against the clock: will Tennison and her squad be able to put an end to the killings before another woman is brutally murdered?

I’m ashamed to admit it, but when I accepted these books for review, I wasn’t aware that the Prime Suspect novels were made into television shows, let alone a shortly-lived one here in the states. Perhaps seeing this version of Jane Tennison would have provided me with a better outlook on her character.

I can completely sympathize with Tennison and her struggle to burst through the glass ceiling hanging over the Scotland Yard detective squad. But frankly, I despised her character. Yes, she was strong, unfaltering, dedicated…but perhaps it was too much. The portrayal of her dedication to rising above those her were trying to hold her down made her seem like a completely selfish and uncaring bitch. Working in a man’s industry, I can get how hard it is to rise above but I think Tennison’s character went a bit too far, not caring who she hurt on her struggle to climb the ladder to the top.

Additionally, I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story. It just didn’t flow well for me, I couldn’t get immersed in the story and my feelings about the main character hindered the experience even more. I found having to reread pages, not because I’d skimmed but because it didn’t seem to connect. At some point, however, I finally got immersed in the story, able to put my feelings about the main character aside. The procedural part of the investigation was pretty spot on. Although the reader is pretty sure they know the identify of the perp, the investigation is compelling enough, the individual’s pure evil chilling enough, that this is all overlooked.

Despite my feelings about Tennison’s character, I think Prime Suspect is the first in a series I can find myself enjoying, looking forward to the subsequent books in this series. Recommended.

• Paperback:256 pages
• Publisher:Harper Paperbacks (January 17, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0062134396
• Source: Publisher

When the body of a young black female is found in one of London’s poorest districts, Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison knows she has her work cut out for her. Not only is she still caught in the drama of the lack of respect provided to her by the detective squad, but the city is already in a pretty brutal racial battle.

They believe the body to be that of a young woman missing for several years. Even the girl’s mother is convinced the body is that of her daughter, claiming that items found with the body are her daughter’s. Further forensic testing disproves this, meaning yet another innocent young woman has been killed. Tennison and her squad have to trace the history of the property on which the body has been found.

It isn’t until a cast of the victim’s face is made that Tennison is able to get any headway (no pun intended) into the investigation. They uncover series of particularly brutal unreported assaults and with that a truly sick individual, set on ruining Tennison’s reputation. The detective squad is hit with endless accusations of brutality, not surprising considering the racism that runs pervasively through the squad. Can Tennison rise above these personal attacks and finally bring to justice a man who had been brutalizing young girls for years.

Given my apprehension over the previous book in this series, I can’t deny I was skeptical about how I would feel about A Face in the Crowd.  It didn’t take me long to get over these feelings for I became almost instantly wrapped up in Tennison’s most recent case. Aiding in my new perspective was the “toned down” Tennison, not nearly as blood-thirsty in her attempts to rise to the top as she was before.

Additionally, I found myself caring about her character a bit more, actually rooting for her when she stood up for herself against those in power. This new and improved Tennison is a woman not to be messed with, a woman not only dedicated to her job but those citizens whom they protect.

Given the nature of the crimes, the depictions of the acts are quite brutal. I found myself getting queasy at some of the descriptions, if that gives you an indication of the severity. This book isn’t one that I would recommend to just anyone for this reason. That said, I’ve become quite invested in Tennison’s character and find myself hoping that she finally gets the recognition she deserves. Recommended…with caution.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this series of books. Please check out the tour page for the other stops in this tour.

Prime Suspect/A Face in the Crowd by Lynda La Plante is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
• Hardcover:352 pages
• Publisher:Putnam Adult (January 24, 2012)
• Source: Publisher

Krista is a first generation Hispanic-American.  When she goes off on a trip with her boyfriend and doesn’t return when planned, her mother doesn’t worry. Nor does she worry when she receives a call demanding money for her daughter’s release.  She assumes her daughter has run off with her boyfriend, Jack, and gotten married. When days go by with no word from Krista and reluctant to call the authorities, she calls Elvis Cole, whom a recent newspaper article refers to as the “World’s Greatest Detective.”

Cole soon learns that Krista and Jack have unwittingly gotten mixed up in an illegal immigration ring. Coyotes, individuals who require immigrants to pay exorbitant amounts of money to cross into the States, often are preyed upon by Bajadores, criminals who attack other criminals. These bajadores kill the coyotes and hold the immigrants hostage until their families are able to pay the ransom. Some families are able to pay the ransom  while others have already given everything they have to get their loved ones across the border. In this world of illegal immigration, no lives are safe. Oftentimes, once the bajadores receive their money they kill their hostages anyway, having no reason to let them go free.

Cole, realizing what danger Krista and Jack are in, immerses himself into this incredibly dangerous crime world and is taken hostage himself. His partner and friend, Joe Pike, scrambles to rescue Cole (as well as Krista and Jack) before it’s too late.

Taken is the 15th book of the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series and Crais’ skill at pulling at the heartstrings of readers while simultaneously making their heart race is tremendous. I was quite impressed at Crais’ unique take on illegal immigration, a side of a dangerous trade that we don’t often learn about. It’s not frequent that we are exposed to a world so deadly and unforgiving.

The one thing that I feel affected the pacing of this book in particular was the timeline; rather than telling what took place in a linear timeline, Crais jumps around, some chapters before and others after Cole is taken. I found myself flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself of the timing of that particular chapter. Ultimately, it wasn’t that big of a distraction; after I was in a few chapters I was able to pick up on the jagged timeline.

As with his past books, Crais allows us to see a softer side of his seemingly strong characters. After Cole is taken, Pike feels vulnerable, void of control over what happens to Cole. He immerses himself in things that he does have control of, but seems quite out of place an inappropriate given what is going on around him, like feeding Cole’s cat.  This sense of vulnerability in Pike is heartwarming; while the two friends/partners are tough-skinned there really is a deep friendship there.

Fans of Crais’ writing (known as Craisies) will once again be rewarded with another stellar Pike/Cole novel.  Those new to the series won’t be lost if this book is their first introduction to this dynamic duo, but I warn you: you’ll want to go back and read all the previous books in the series as I did when I read my first book. Additionally, in Taken, Crais brings back characters from previous books, characters I hope to read more about in the future. Highly recommended.

Review: Taken by Robert Crais is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week.  Feel free to grab the button and join in!

This week’s Frightful Friday book is The Chalk Girl  by Carol O’Connell:

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (January 17, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0399157743
• Source: Publisher

School children on a school field trip to Central Park come across a young girl. She’s bright-eyed, red-headed and appears to be okay other than the blood on her shoulders.  She dismisses this, stating that it fell from the sky when she was looking for her uncle, who had turned into a tree. It isn’t until later that police, including Special Crimes Detective Mallory, begin finding bodies hanging from trees.

Mallory has just recently returned to the force after a three-month “leave.” She feels a close bond with the little girl, Coco, due to their similar history. Mallory, too, was a “found” child, fostered by a police detective, spurring her interest in law enforcement.  Due to her childhood, she’s quick to form bonds with others with attachment disorders.  It’s not long before they learn that Coco has a disorder called Williams syndrome, giving her a fairy-like appearance and the desire to form close attachments with complete strangers.  The man she refers to as her uncle isn’t her uncle at all, but a man who abducted her after her grandmother passed away.

The discover of Coco uncovers murders spanning back nearly two decades and a series of deep secrets kept hidden thanks to good, old-fashioned blackmail. The serial killer responsible for the current crimes is referred to as The Hunger Artists, for all of his victims are found close to death due to starvation.

The Chalk Girl is a multi-faceted thriller. Not only is it an investigation of a serious set of crimes, it is also a psychological examination of Mallory herself. While this is my first Mallory novel, I felt I learned a great deal about this incredibly rich character.  She has quite a history, largely influenced, in my mind, by her difficult upbringing.

Additionally, it is an examination of the life of a troubled set of children. Each chapter begins with a statement by a character named Ernest Nadler from his childhood. It isn’t until much later in the book that the reader discovers Nadler’s connection to the other victims mentioned.

As mentioned, this is my first Mallory novel.  I can’t wait to dive in the other nine novels in the Kate Mallory series. Mallory is a no-nonsense, incredibly strong female character. I can’t wait to trace back her history with the New York City Police Department, to see how her character has evolved over the years. Recommended.

Frightful Friday Review: The Chalk Girl by Carol O’Connell is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Hardcover:416 pages
• Publisher:Atlantic Monthly Press (January 3, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0802120172
• Source: Publisher

Clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill and detective Carol Jordan make quite the dynamic team. The work they’ve done together to put away dangerous criminals makes them the envy of their coworkers. One individual, however, has forever changed & affected their careers, their very lives: Jacko Vance, a former celebrity and truly evil person. Jacko is imprisoned, never to walk the streets again. So they think…

Vance has a unique way of influencing people. With help from inside the institution he is imprisoned, as well as outside, Vance is able to escape, desperate to destroy the lives of those individuals who put him in jail. Including Tony and Carol. They don’t know who Jacko will strike out against, they just know it will brutal and painful. Meanwhile, the team is also on the hunt for another serial killer, responsible for the murders of multiple prostitutes.

The Retribution is the seventh book in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series of books, but my first introduction to McDermid’s writing. In my opinion, this book serves as a good introduction to the characters.  While new readers miss out on a great deal of the character’s history, The Retribution does a pretty outstanding job and describing the characters and giving an introduction to who they are, including brief snippets of the past incidents that have influenced them.

I can’t believe I waited so long to read McDermid’s books! I hate to use the term “unputdownable” but I was so absorbed in the storyline and the characters that I couldn’t bear to take a break from reading. As mentioned above, we learn a great deal about the character’s past, specifically Tony’s childhood and his unloving and emotion-free mother (which just happens to play an important role later on in the book).  Additionally, the pacing is perfect, lasting throughout the entirety of the book.  This is an author I plan on devoting a lot of my reading time to. Highly recommended!

The Retribution by Val McDermid is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. Feel free to grab the button & join in!

This week’s featured book is The Innocent by Taylor Stevens:

• Hardcover:352 pages
• Publisher:Crown (December 27, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0307717127
• Source: Publisher

In the follow up to The Informationist , Vanessa Michael Munroe returns for yet another mission, this one hitting a bit closer to home.  It requires her to once again take a step inside the cult world, this time to rescue a young girl.

Eight years ago, five-year-old Hannah was abducted from her school, taken across the border into Mexico, and into the arms of The Chosen.  For the past several years, members of the cult have moved her from country to country to hide her.  A group of childhood survivors of The Chosen, now in their thirties, have survived life outside the cult. They see the “outside” world isn’t as it was portrayed by the cult leaders, and they are desperate free Hannah from the abusive conditions of the cult. They turn to Munroe, realizing they have to put faith in someone that doesn’t trust them in order to get Hannah back.  The line “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” comes into play in this novel quite a bit.

Realizing first-hand the conditions of living in a cult, Munroe agrees and heads to Argentina. The mission is at the request of her best friend Logan, a man that has been there for Munroe through thick and thin.  Munroe is a seriously wounded individual, nightmares about her past plague her nightly. Her fate would be far different if it were not for Logan.

Assuming the role of a donor to The Chosen, Munroe is able to get inside the cult’s compound and see just how “brainwashed” the member are, especially the children. They have been warned of the dangers of the outside world, told that individuals on the outside are lying and deceitful, set against putting an end to the cult. For many, the cult is all they know; they’ve become ingrained in the teachings and take what they are told to heart.  When Munroe is able to locate Hannah, she doesn’t have the easiest time in convincing her to leave. Hannah is now a teen, her formative years spent hearing the teachings of the cult over and over again. Despite knowing some of the actions of the leaders seem wrong, she is told that her compliance is her duty and her way of showing love and respect to the leaders.

Several scenes throughout the book are quite disturbing: male leaders touching the children inappropriately, older female children being led off to be raped by the older leaders. Certainly not a light read, but coming from a a former member of a cult herself, the author gains credibility and credence immediately.

While not as “action-heavy” as the The Informationist  I really appreciated seeing the weaker side of Munroe. Despite her strong appearance, she really is a damaged individual and in The Innocent, her stability has reached an all new low. Her obsession with knives, her determination to stop at nothing to complete a mission, is all a way for her to deal with her incredibly troubled past.

As with The Informationist , in The Innocent Taylor Stevens portrays an incredibly unique storyline, well developed (and slightly disturbed) characters, a fantastic, fast-paced thriller. This is book that will entice you from the beginning, the action carrying through to the conclusion. I cannot wait for more from this author, she’s quickly become one of my favorite female thriller authors.  I’m excited for the next book in this series, The Doll, due out in 2013.  Highly recommended!

Frightful Friday: The Innocent by Taylor Stevens is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback:304 pages
• Publisher:Berkley; Original edition (January 3, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 0425245837
• Source: Kaye Publicity

White House chef Olivia Paras has been tasked to work with her nemesis, White House Sensitivity Director Peter Everett Sargeant, on an off-site event for the First Lady. This task, already seemingly unwieldy due to the tense relationship they share, is worsened when they discover the bodies of one of the First Lady’s assistants and the Chief of Staff. 

Olivia has quite the history of becoming involved in murder investigations. It isn’t intentional; she’d much rather stick to her duties in the White House Kitchen. As if all of this isn’t enough, she’s also dealing with other issues: Paul, the head usher, is taking a leave of absence to tend to his sick wife, his replacement is less than stellar; Virgil, the First Family’s personal chef and his “holier than thou” attitude is interviewed and leaks information to the press. Least of all is her pitiful excuse for a love life.  She’s been “seeing” someone but the relationship seems to be going nowhere. Finally, the reputation of Sargeant is at risk when it appears as though he’s making mistakes in his duties. Despite her initial feelings about Sargeant, Olivia decides to help Sargeant find out who is behind all of the seemingly innocent mistakes that keep popping up in the planning of this event.

Not surprisingly, it doesn’t take long before Olivia gets in over her head and her life, as well as Sargeant’s, is put at risk. She’s forced to endure a 24-hour protection detail from the Secret Service when it’s obvious that some high-ranking official wants her dead. Can she and Sargeant pull off this high-profile event without winding up as victims themselves?

The fifth book in the White House Chef series, reading Affairs of Steak is like being reunited with old friends! I can’t tell you how much I missed reading about Olivia’s antics, the goings on of the White House kitchen, and more. This series is truly a delight! While food doesn’t have as big a role in this book as in others, it is still an engaging and entertaining book. I love that it is set in Washington, D.C.; I can imagine the scenes and locations (even the invented ones) as if they were right in front of me.  Olivia’s character is an outstanding one: she’s courageous, incredibly strong and independent, redeeming and refreshing qualities for a female character to have.

As indicated, this is the fifth book in a series. While you can theoretically start reading at any point in the series, I do recommend starting from the beginning in order to get a true feel for the characters.  Highly recommended….I now must wait impatiently for more from this author!

Review: Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length:9 hours and 6 minutes
• Program Type:Audiobook
• Version:Unabridged
• Publisher:Iambik Audio Inc
• Source: Publisher

In a dystopian 1930′s America, archivist Arthur Puskis discovers a duplicate file in the Vaults, a dark, desolate underground hall containing the city’s criminal justice records for the past seven decades.  Puskis has devoted the last twenty-seven years of his life to the Vaults and he holds a sort of reverence for the power and honor the Vaults hold. To find a duplicate file throws him off base, the existence of this second file is impossible. The name on the file: DeGraffenreid, a man convicted of murder but apparently hasn’t served a day of jail time. What throws him off is the differences in pictures in the files.  Which one of these men is DeGraffenreid? Obsessed with the perfection that is the Vaults, Puskis attempts to track down more information on DeGraffenreid’s case.

The reader meets Private Detective and socialist union leader Ethan Poole in the process of attempting to blackmail a prominent leader with incriminating photographs for the purpose of getting said leader to agree to the demands of the union. This first impression isn’t exactly the best, but the overall opinion of Poole changes when he accepts an assignment to track down the location of a desperate woman’s son.

Frank Frings is a journalist scrounging up sources and evidence of corruption in the office of Red Henry, the city’s mayor.  Unknown to Frings & Poole, they are hitting up the same source.  Frings, Poole, & Puskis are initially strangers, brought together by one case of deep corruption.

I’m unique in that I both read and listened to the audio production of The Vaults. In the print edition, there is a vibrancy in many of the characters that just isn’t quite carried over into the audio production.  Agreeably, Puskis is a lone, almost hermit-like man, the majority of his time spent in the Vaults. The narrator, Michael Agostini, does a stellar job at portraying the voice of Puskis.  Unfortunately, the tone he uses carries over to the other characters as well. Frings and Pool are completely unlike Puskis in personality. They are more animated, “alive” than he is. It’s a shame that these characteristics of these two men didn’t carry over into the audio book. Oftentimes, the pacing of the book lagged, mainly because the lack of expression in the narrator’s voice.

That said, I highly recommend The Vaults itself, in print format. It covers a wide range of subject matter, including political corruption, and is reminiscent of classical novels dealing with class struggle. I look forward to reading more of Toby Ball’s work, he has quite a bit of potential in him!

Audiobook Review: The Vaults by Toby Ball is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade; 1 edition (November 1, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0451235266
• Source:  Publisher

In the third of Karen White’s Tradd Street novels, psychic realtor Melanie “Mellie” Middleton is forced to move in with her mother after she discovers her mid-19th century Tradd Street home needs additional work.   Joining her is her latest house guest, Nola, Jack’s angry and distraught teen daughter.

Feeling guilty for everything Nola is forced to deal with, Mellie agrees to take Nola under her wing in an attempt to ease her transition into a new home and family. Nola isn’t alone, however.  Her mother, Bonnie, is a constant ghostly presence.  When Jack’s mother gives Nola an antique dollhouse, the supernatural activities increase.  When Nola indicates that she recognizes the dollhouse, a model of an actual home in Charleston.

When they track down the home the dollhouse is modeled off of, Melanie and Jack are introduced to a family of prestige and wealth…and decades of buried secrets.  The dolls within the dollhouse, small representations of the family members are angry, and for good reason. To make matters worse, they are luring Nola into their dark world of despair.

Heartbreak, murder, deceit, The Strangers on Montagu Street has it all.  Fans of the Tradd Street novels will appreciate the return of Mellie and Jack, their relationship full of sexual tension. Their dysfunctional relationship adds to the storyline, unrequited love plays a key role in this novel. The ending indicates more books in this series; I cannot wait to read what White comes up with next.

As indicated, this is the third book in a series.  While White makes an attempt to provide sufficient back story to readers new to the series, I believe that, in order to understand the characters and their history, it is imperative to start at the beginning.  Highly recommended.

Review: The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback:224 pages
• Publisher:First Second (June 7, 2011)
• Source: Library copy

Anya is a student at a private school. She’s not proud of her Russian heritage; her family moved to the United States when she was five and Anya’s worked quite hard to get rid of her accent.  When introducing herself to others, she often Americanizes her last name, another attempt to escape her heritage. Her mother, on the other hand, wants her to embrace it; she arranged for Anya to attend this specific private school because a Russian boy of the same age was enrolled there.

One day, as Anya is walking through the park, Anya falls into a hole. She meets the ghost of a young girl who died in 1918. The girl, Emily, claims to have been murdered. She’s been hovering over her remains, unable to separate herself from the bones that remain. When Anya is rescued, Emily is able to “escape” due to one of her bones finding it’s way into Anya’s backpack.

At first, Emily is a welcome relief in a sort to Anya. She offers her the companionship she lacks, even assisting her in her school work, social life, and wardrobe.  Soon, however, Emily becomes a bit obsessed with Emily’s life, living it as her own in a sense. When Anya get suspicious she does a bit of research into Emily’s past, discovering that she isn’t the person she stated she was. Anya must find a way to detach Emily from her life before things get out of hand.

Anya’s Ghost is more than just your average ghost story, it is also a coming of age tale, in a sense.  Anya is a teen, insecure in her appearance and her identity. She has a curvy body and she’s desperate to fit in with the “in-crowd.” specifically one of the popular boys who seems to show an interest in her. Through Emily, and the experience she has with her, she learns to embrace her heritage, her identity, her being.

As this is a graphic novel, the illustrations are important.  Brosgol does a tremendous job detailing the emotion, the “feel” of the book by using gray-scale, not just black and white, to illustrate the story.

 All in all, Anya’s Ghost is a graphic novel that would appeal to fans of several genres, including mystery, horror, young adult, etc. How can you resist a book that Neil Gaiman refers to as “A Masterpiece?” Highly recommended.

Mx3 Review: Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol is a post from: Jenn's Bookshelves. Reproduction of this content is forbidden unless approved through prior written consent.