I hate cliff-hangers!! Grrr!! But I am getting ahead of myself… in Skeleton Creek, Patrick Carman’s latest book, we meet best friends Ryan and Sarah right after a terrible accident that has left Ryan house-bound and forbidden from having any contact with Sarah. They came too close to discovering something scary and sinister that’s happened (or maybe happening) in their small Oregon town, Skeleton Creek. Separated and alone, Ryan works through his fear & trauma by journaling about what happened that lead to the accident and he communicates secretly with Sarah via emails and online videos. They know whatever caused the accident is still out there and they plunge back into the mystery, putting their lives on the line to uncover the truth.
Carman cleverly and seamlessly combines Ryan’s handwritten journal (the novel) with online videos and webcasts from Sarah (links and passwords appear throughout the book) to capture the reader and take us along with Ryan & Sarah as they dig for clues, discover who they can (and can’t) trust, and stay one-step ahead of the danger (most of the time). I really enjoyed the pace, the tone, and the mystery of the plot in this novel. About the cliff-hangers – I know I like a book when the cliff-hangers drive me crazy! I had 2: half way through the book, my laptop battery died and I didn’t have a power cord at home, so I couldn’t finish reading it until the next day and I wondered and fretted about what would happen in the next video; and the second came at the end of the book (I won’t give away anything) and it’s driving me crazy! So, I hope Patrick Carman has Skeleton Creek #2 almost done and can resolve the mystery soon! I’ll definitely be anticipating the sequel to this highly enjoyable story.
- Posted by Cori
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