Collins, Nancy A. Sunglasses After Dark. 1989
The novel opens in a mental hospital. One of the residents, Sonja Blue, has a history of violence and seems to inhabit the dreams of the staff and other patients. As it turns out, Sonja is actually a vampire, though not a typical one. There is a mysterious malevolent entity inextricably tied to Sonja known as The Other, but its exact nature is unclear at first. Through flashbacks we discover the brutal process by which Sonja became a vampire. The amount of vampire mythology the author is able to cram into a short novel is impressive. We learn that either saliva or sperm can transform a victim into a vampire, though the process isn't complete until a demon possesses the body. If this takes too long, the person is turned into a nearly brain-dead vampire called a revenant. Sonja has unique characteristics that allow her to an unusually powerful vampire over a short period of time. She uses this power to hunt other vampires and revenants, with the ultimate goal of destroying the vampire who infected her. This is a quick read, yet it is far from shallow. Sonja is on a mission to rid the world of an evil being but is capable of acts of extreme violence herself. The author weaves Sonja's past and present together skillfully, compelling the reader forward. Fans of vampire fiction will enjoy both the action as well as the strong mythology component in this dark novel.
Awards: 1989 Bram Stoker Award for best first novel
Mike Oetting, Hinsdale, PL

Cormier, Robert. The Rag and Bone Shop. 2001
Twelve-year-old Jason is savoring his first real day of summer vacation on Monday. Not exactly an outcast, he finds himself alone most of the time. Unlike himself, his younger sister Emma is very smart and he enjoys her company. She shows him things without making him look stupid. Brad Bartlett invited him over for a swim, but he knows the only reason he invited him was because their mothers were on a committee together. However, he heads off to Brad's, but gets caught up, as he often does, with Brad' younger sister Alicia. Jason has always enjoyed the younger kids and found himself working on a jigsaw puzzle with the bright Alicia on that fateful afternoon. He witnesses an argument between Alicia and Brad, but shrugs it off as typical. Soon afterwards, Jason learns that Alicia has been murdered with a blunt object and hidden in the woods. Added to the equation is a senator whose grandchild was in Alicia's classroom and wants a suspect and speedy close to the case. Trent is a policeman re known for his ability to get confessions out of suspects and is brought in to the scenario in which Jason is the suspect. Jason is brought in under the auspice of being able to help with the case. Despite his professional instinct that Jason is innocent, Trent pursues the confession under the pressure of the police and the senator and finally succeeds. The audiocassette carrying the confession is in his hands as he leaves his successful interview, only to learn that a suspect confessed-her brother Brad. Jason is let go home, Trent's reputation is ruined and life goes on. Or does it? Jason's mental torment snowballs as a result of the experience and culminates in a horrific deed.
APPEAL: Quick pacing, told in third person, mostly dialog, suspenseful, dark, ominous atmosphere, feeling of helplessness, loss of control. Doing what's right, high prices paid for doing what's wrong.

Geog setting: Monument, Massachusetts
Time Period: Contemporary
Series: N/A
SUBJECT HEADINGS:
Criminal Investigation-Fiction
Detectives-Fiction
Police-Fiction
Murder-Fiction

SIMILAR AUTHORS/TITLES:
Sullivan's Justice by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, Entombed by Linda Fairstein, An Hour To Kill by Karin Yapalater, Death At The Door by K.C. Greenlief, and Everyone Dies by Michael McGarrity
Copied with permission from Readers Advisory Service in the Public Library, 1997.Linda Conrath, Orland Park PL

Due, Tananarive. Joplin's Ghost. 2005
The premise of this book is that a young black woman in her twenties, an R & B musician, is haunted by the ghost of Scott Joplin. Portions of the book are set in the early 1900s with Joplin, but most of the book is set in the current day with the young musician, Phoenix Smalls. Ideas about suffering for your art, overcoming great difficulties, striving without getting recognition are all raised, but I felt the book was a great disappointment. Only a few moments near the beginning of the book were atmospherically creepy. The few sections from the early 1900s were more moving than anything set in the present, and I felt the handling of Joplin as a ghost was awkward if not outright disrespectful and off-putting.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie PL

Ellis, Bret Easton. Lunar Park. 2005
Genre: Psychological Fiction/Horror
Ellis' latest book completely blurs the line between fiction and reality. The main character, a writer named Bret Easton Ellis, is unsuccessfully trying to assimilate to family life when he realizes that his house is haunted, a character from his book, American Psycho, has somehow become a reality, and unresolved issues with his dead father are ripping his life apart. Additionally, there is an epidemic of missing 12-year-old boys, his stepdaughter's hideous bird doll seems to be slaughtering small animals and leaving scratch marks and slime throughout the house, and there is a monster in the woods. Bret's 12 year-old son seems to know something about the missing boys, but he won't talk. The furniture keeps rearranging itself and the bank that holds his father's ashes keeps sending him blank emails at 2:40AMthe time of his father's death. Readers know right from the beginning that Bret will lose everything he has.All you can do is observe how this happens and wonder what it all really means.Lunar Park leaves many things open to speculation. Is this book about fear or aging? Is it a cathartic way for a writer to lampoon and shed his past? There are probably flaws here, but the book is hard to put down. Ellis' writing is descriptive, nicely creepy, and caustic. The first chapter feels drawn out, but the story that emerges is well crafted.
Jennie Milojevic, Riverside PL

Goshgarian, Gary. The Stone Circle. 1997
An archaeologist, Peter Van Zandt, receives an opportunity to excavate a Stonehenge-like object on an island in Boston Harbor. Peter is at a low point in his life because he has recently buried his wife and from a scandal in his professional life. He grabs onto this opportunity to try and turn his life around. Eventually, they find an ancient church used by the Native Americans that pre-date all known structures in the US. Peter and his team are excited by the adventure. However, the owners of the island are less than thrilled because they would like to develop the land, but if there is real archaeological evidence to support the native inhabitants' claim all development must immediately cease and desist. It is not long before Peter starts to have strange dreams about a woman who is burned at the stake, his dead wife asking him to join her, and urging him to kill his five-year-old son. He starts to become disoriented and cannot tell what is real and what is not. One member of the team recognizes that something is not right and struggles to help Peter figure out the truth and urges him to take his son and leave the island. Peter refuses to go, but learns that the woman burned at the stake also lost her son and vowed to revenge herself against her persecutors. Peter becomes consumed by Brigid, the dead woman, and tries to kill his own son. Two of the team members try to stop Peter, but he manages to get Andy into the ancient church to kill him and be reunited with his wife. At the last minute, Peter realizes that the witch has tricked him, and grabs his son, and runs. A descendant of the witch still lives on the island and she sets fire to the compound and much of the church and dig is destroyed. Peter returns to the island nine months later convinced that the entire episode was merely a nervous breakdown, but the moment he steps foot on the island the whispers start again, and the book ends.
Lisa Korajczyk, Richton Park PL

Hambly, Barbara. Those Who Hunt the Night. 1988
In 1907, when someone human or vampire is killing off the vampires of London, a 300 year old vampire comes to an Oxford don (and ex-spy) and blackmails him into helping the vampires find and destroy their murderer. This was a fast paced adventure book. Characters and settings were suitably menacing and creepy. The book did not have an especially atmospheric tingle to it, being more plot than mood, but it was an enjoyable read. Followed by a sequel. Appropriate for high school age readers as well as adults.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie PL

Hambly, Barbara. Those Who Hunt the Night. 1988
Taking place in Edwardian London (the same era as the stories of Sherlock Holmes), this fine example of Hambly's writing is as much a mystery as it is a horror novel. Something is killing the vampires of London, and as they cannot investigate the crimes during the day they coerce a human, well-versed as a spy for the government, to do their sleuthing. While not terrifying so much as creepy, the vampires are well-drawn and their society fascinating.
Nancy Bent, LaGrange PL

Harwood, John. The Ghost Writer. 2004
Harwood's debut novel opens in Australia, where young Gerard Freeman ardently obsesses over his mother's stories of growing up on an idyllic English estate called Staplefield. After Gerard finds a mysterious manuscript hidden in his mother's bedroom, she beats him and refuses to speak of Staplefield ever again. To help staunch his disappointment, he begins corresponding with Alice, an English penfriend with whom he gradually falls in love. When his mother dies, the adult Gerard learns that the manuscript was a supernatural story written by his great-aunt Viola. Gerard travels to England to search for Staplefield and the elusive Alice, but only finds more of Viola's ghastly tales, which unsettlingly parallel his own family's history. A clever homage to Victorian novels (there are winks to Henry James and Charles Dickens throughout), The Ghost Writer builds its suspense slowly but effectively. Harwood embeds three of Viola's eerie Gothic short stories amid Gerard's narration, which ratchets up the spookiness factor considerably and helps blurs the line between what is 'real' and what is imagination. The result is a supremely atmospheric narrative that should appeal to fans of ghost tales, historical fiction and psychological drama alike. Recommended for adults.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale Public Library

Joyce, Graham. Dark Sister. 1999
British couple Maggie and Alex are renovating their Victorian-era fireplace when they discover a diary full of herbal lore hidden in the chimney. Maggie quickly becomes fascinated with the diarist, Bella, who practiced the ancient ways, and sets out to learn more with the help of a modern-day herbalist, Ash, and Old Liz. Soon, her experimentation with magic and herbs to make her "fly"awakens her Dark Sister, and her marriage and the lives of her children are threatened. This story is subtly creepy rather than terrifying, with a nice sense of foreboding and effective use of paranormal elements.
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange PL

King, Stephen. From a Buick 8. 2002
So what' the story on the car? That' the question Ned Wilcox poses to Pennsylvania state trooper Sgt. Sandy Dearborn, his curiosity piqued by the Buick Roadmaster sitting abandoned in a shed behind Troop D; barracks. The answer, courtesy of Sandy and several of his Troop D cohorts, fills the next 300 pages, and it isn't always pretty. People and animals who are near the Buick disappear, repulsive creatures from another dimension spew forth from its trunk, and it may even be connected to the death of Ned's father, a Troop D patrolman run over by a drunk driver during a routine traffic stop. The author deftly uses multiple narrators to spin the tale, giving each a distinctive and heartbreakingly human voice. Although the Buick's menace is quietly felt throughout, From a Buick 8 really is more character study than horror novel, with King meditating on the bonds of friendship and how humans persevere in the face of the unknowable. Recommended for adults.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale PL

Koontz, Dean. Frankenstein: Book One: Prodigal Son. 2005
Series: Frankenstein (1)
Genre: Horror
Imagine that the Frankenstein legend is real; Mary Shelley merely got it all wrong. So insists Victor Frankenstein, now living in modern New Orleans under the assumed name of Victor Helios. Having escaped from the angry masses without a single thought wasted on his first creation, the mad doctor has perfected his unholy art using the latest in modern genetics. Emerging as a pathological god intent on waging war on flawed humanity, Helios has created an army of engineered super humans. Members of his New Race have been inserted into all levels of society business, government, religion, and a wide array of less than glamorous jobs in the service industry. With their entire lives predetermined by their father and master, these creatures are waiting for the command to eliminate all traces of the Old Race. Meanwhile, a serial killer known as 'the surgeon' preys on women. Detective Carson O'Connor and her partner, Michael Maddison, have few clues regarding the identity of the man who is dissecting women, carefully removing a body part from each. When the killer unexpectedly begins to attack male victims, the whole case is thrown into chaos. This abrupt change in behavior is nothing compared to the confusion created by the third male victim, a security guard named Bobby Allwine. As expected, Bobby is missing a body part his heart&well, one of his hearts. Carson and Michael are thrown into the strangest and most dangerous investigation of their lives. Who was Bobby Allwine and why, or perhaps, how, did he come to have two hearts? Allwine's body and case file soon disappear. As Carson returns to Bobby's apartment, she comes face to face with the legacy of Victor Frankenstein. Just out of the corner of her eye, she catches sight of a large man, heavily disfigured and tattooed. He moves faster than she can comprehend. He has an amazing story to tell a story of medical experiments and hubris. His name is Deucalion and he was Victor's first manipulation of nature and(The story continues in Book 2: Frankenstein: City of Night and will conclude with Book 3 sometime in 2006.)
Jennie Milojevic, Riverside PL

Koontz, Dean. Odd Thomas. 2003
Odd Thomas, a 20-year-old short order cook is well liked by the residents of Pico Mundo, California, a small town in the Mojave Desert. Stormy Llewellyn is his soul mate, and one of a small group of friends who know about his psychic gifts. Odd can see dead people who haven't passed over, including Elvis, and solves a murder with the help of a girl's ghost. Evil spirits who feast on death gather in town before a catastrophic event, and Odd tries to stop the carnage. Light and humorous in parts, horrific and heartbreaking in others, a story that I couldn'tstop reading or thinking about. Excellent audio book, narrated by David Aaron Baker.Recommended for adults and older teens.
Brenda O'Brien, Woodridge PL

Laymon, Richard. The Traveling Vampire Show. 2000
This novel, set in the summer during the early 1960s, follows the actions of three teenagers after they learn about a one-night show starring the beautiful but deadly Valeria, purported to be the only known vampire in captivity. Rusty, Dwight and Slim are suitably intrigued, especially Rusty, who seems to be particularly hormonally enriched. Dwight, the main character, has feelings for Slim, the female lead, but is too self-conscious to act on them. Slim is resourceful, smart and brave, so it's not hard to see why Dwight would be enamored. Unfortunately, the traveling vampire show is for adults only, which is only the first of many obstacles lying between the trio and their goal of seeing Valeria. The three main characters and their relationships are unusually well-crafted for a horror novel, giving it the feel of a suspenseful coming of age story. At least that is the case until the climactic finish, in which Laymon reveals a truly horrific series of events that jar the reader out of any sense of wistfulness for youthful adventure. This novel will appeal to many readers of horror fiction, especially to those who don't mind graphic violence. Fans of strong female characters will find much to like in Slim, and everyone will root for Dwight, who acts selflessly in defense of his friends. While the characters and relationships will ring true to younger readers, some may find the violence and erotic content to be inappropriate for teens.
Awards: 2000 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel
Mike Oetting, Hinsdale, PL

Mieville, China. Looking for Jake: Stories. 2005
Macabre and imaginative short stories, most set in London, or an alternate London. This is a wide-ranging collection, varying in setting, mood, characterization, and length. In "Details" a young boy brings soup to an old woman every Thursday, and they talk through the door of hr completely white apartment. She sees too many details, and eventually they catch up with her. "Reports of Certain Events in London" is a collection of letters and documents about rogue streets that move through space and time. Recommended for adults.
Brenda O'Brien, Woodridge PL

O'Nan, Stewart. A Prayer for the Dying. 1999
The horror in this book is not supernatural but more on the order of the plagues of Egypt. War, fire, and diphtheria haunt our hero, Jacob Hansen. His small Wisconsin town, about five years after the Civil War, is struck with an outbreak of diphtheria. At the same time a long dry summer causes fires that are quickly approaching the quarantined town. Jacob, as sheriff, undertaker, and minister of the town feels responsible for the citizens bodies and souls. This is a small literary novel, not for everyone. The book raises many questions but doesn't really answer any.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie PL

Palahniuk, Chuck. Haunted. 2005
Genre: Psychological/Horror
Mr. Whittier, aged and wheelchair bound, offers struggling writers the chance to complete their masterpieces on a three-month retreat. Those willing to submit to his rules (no phones, no contact with the outside world) create a nightmarish world in an abandoned movie theater. Haunted is a collection of short stories, in which the retreat participants recount the tragedies of their lives, and a tale of the desperate measures they take to ensure their fame as survivors, or more importantly, as traumatized victims.

This is not a story for the faint-hearted. The characters' stories are violent and/or disturbing. They validate themselves through suffering. Not one of them seems to feel that they have any talent as writers because all participate in a self-destructive group mentality that requires entrapment, injury, pain, starvation and lies. They must be famous, but they are going to have to trick the public into caring. As time progresses, it's apparent that they were never trapped, never in any danger until they began to sabotage the retreat. Essentially, Haunted is an indictment of cruelty as spectacle and the cheap celebrity we heap on the injured and abused. It questions our need to watch disasters on TV, our obsession with reality shows, and any other dumb behavior that serves to make us feel closer to real victims who have truly lost something vital. Fans of Palahniuk's aggressive style will enjoy this book, but new readers may be put off. I found parts of this book to be quirky or just plain gross, but I really liked some of the short stories (particularly the one about Mrs. Reynolds, the cat's namesake).
Jennie Milojevic, Riverside PL

Plum-Ucci, Carol. The Body of Christopher Creed. 2000
When class freak Christopher Creed disappears, people in the affluent neighborhood react to the news in a variety of ways, leading the main character, Torey Adams, to re-evaluate nearly everything about his own life. This includes flashbacks to grade school years through high school with Creed. Personal relationships and friendships are shifted as he realizes most things are not as they had seemed. The story begins in a boarding school where Torey resides. He is sending out another e-mail with an attachment that chronicles the time since Creed's disappearance up until his own brush with horror that left him a victim of others' assumptions. The text of the attachment is revealed in the story where Torey's understanding and appreciation for others is expanded and matured, not without a great deal of pain. In the end, he is finally satisfied with a response to his many e-mails that offers Creed's disappearance not in death, but staying with compassionate family members that will allow him to grow up in an environment free from the pain of his past.
APPEAL: Universal teen to adult transitional pains. Affluent, good looking, gawky, pesty outcasts, tags for the poor, overweight, different-looking people. Moving away from current peer group as learning/growing process takes place until eventually finding oneself on the other side of the rumors being told to the rumor itself.
Geog setting: Steepleton, New Jersey
Time Period: Contemporary/current
Series: N/A

SUBJECT HEADINGS
Mystery stories, High School Students, Missing Boys, Peer Pressure, Emotionally Disturbed Teenagers, High Schools, Teenage Misfits, Bullying and Bullies.

SIMILAR AUTHORS/TITLES:
Edward Bloor/Tangerine, Gail Giles/Shattering Glass, K.L. Going/Fat Kid Rules the World, and
Todd Strasser's Give a Boy a Gun.

Copied with permission from Readers Advisory Service in the Public Library, 1997.
Linda Conrath, Orland Park, PL

Powers, Tim. Declare. 2001
This book doesn't fit squarely into any genre. It's an interesting mix of adventure and horror, effectively blending Cold War espionage and the occult. In 1963, the protagonist, Andrew Hale, is unexpectedly thrust back into the intelligence service after working for several years as an academic. The secret operation that ended his previous spy career was named Declare. It ended disastrously, with several agents dying and the objective unattained. Hale is asked to continue his work on Declare, picking up where he left off years earlier. Kim Philby, the notorious Soviet double agent, figures prominently in the story, acting as enemy, reluctant ally, and competing suitor to our hero. Interestingly, the first third of the book is largely void of supernatural references, focusing instead on the various complex espionage maneuvers by competing intelligence services involving Hale, Philby and a mysterious female agent named Elena. Once the stage is set, we start to learn about the focus of Operation Declare, which concerns powerful beings called Djinn, reputedly fallen angels. Suspense builds as Andrew Hale tries to complete his mission. This novel captures the intricate machinations of espionage well, and appears to have been well-researched by the author to dovetail exactly with Kim Philby's life. Fans of John le Carr who don't mind elements of supernatural fiction will find this book to be very enjoyable. However, horror fans looking for a fast-hitting, thrilling read should pick something else, because the pace is moderate, and the action sequences few. In addition, the supernatural elements seem to inspire more of a sense of awe than terror.
Awards: 2001 World Fantasy Award for best novel (tie)
2001 International Horror Guild Award for best novel
Mike Oetting, Hinsdale, PL

Saul, John. Black Creek Crossing. 2004
Chubby Angie looks forward to moving into her new home in Black Creek Crossing, an affluent new neighborhood. However, she soon learns that the original owner's wife and daughter were burned for practicing witchcraft and subsequent owners met with mysterious and/or violent death. Another 14-year-old outcast, Seth, befriends her and together (along with a black cat, appearing from nowhere, that has powers and knowledge far beyond the normal feline house pet) they investigate the mysteries of the house. With assistance from Houdini (the name they gave the mysterious cat) their sleuthing leads them to an old book of spells that they use to protect themselves from their persecutors at school and at home. The result of these protective spells leads to devastating events that erroneously point to the two teenagers as the culprits. Knowing that they will be falsely accused for the disasters, their next decision has an equally devastating effect.
APPEAL
High suspense, physical and mental cruelty, horror lurking on every page. Fast paced. Active dialog as main descriptor of events. Physical destruction is described in detail.

Geog setting: Roundtree, Massachusetts
Time Period: Contemporary
Series: N/A
SUBJECT HEADINGS:
Teenagers
Alienation (Social psychology)
Dysfunctional families
Paranormal phenomena
Family relationships
Gothic fiction

SIMILAR AUTHOR: Dean Koontz

Copied with permission from Readers Advisory Service in the Public Library, 1997
Linda Conrath, Orland Park PL

Simmons, Dan. Song of Kali. 1985
Robert Luczak, an American writer with an Indian-born wife, is sent to Calcutta to interview the poet M. Das, who has recently reappeared though he had been believed to be dead. Arriving in India with his wife and infant daughter, Luczak quickly becomes embroiled with members of the bloody cult of the goddess Kali. The sense of menace grows with every page of this book, which asks the question, can a city be evil? Recommended for adults and older YAs.
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange PL

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. 1897
First published in 1897, this quintessential vampire tale has inspired countless books, films and plays (although few adaptations have been fully faithful to the original). Written in the form of journal entries, letters and newspaper articles, the novel describes the battle between Transylvania's evil Count Dracula and a fearless band of vampire hunters, led by noble Dutch scientist Abraham Van Helsing. Although some readers may by turned off by the story's deliberate pacing and melodramatic dialogue, others will delight in the intriguing sexual subtext and creepy Gothic tropes gloomy graveyards, moonlit castles, howling wolves and innocent damsels in distress abound. Given its influence, this is an essential read for anyone interested in exploring the horror genre, and is recommended for adults and older teens.
Annabelle Mortensen, Hinsdale PL

Straub, Peter. Ghost Story. 1979
Three stories, which seem disconnected, all revolve around a young woman. In the first she says her name is Angie Maule. In another the given name is Ann-Veronica Moore, and in the third she calls herself Alma Mobley. The various storylines come together in a tale of escalating tension and terror, as the identity of the three women is gradually revealed. A real page-turner.
Nancy Bent, LaGrange PL

Straub, Peter. Lost Boy Lost Girl. 2003
Straub returns to some familiar characters, Tim Underhill and Tom Pasmore, to explore the death of Underhill's sister-in-law and the disappearance of his nephew, Mark. The story takes place in Underhill's hometown of Millhaven, Illinois where his estranged brother has stayed to raise a family. Nancy Underhill, brother Phillip's wife, mysteriously commits suicide and her family is struggling to come to terms with her death. Also during this time there is a serial killer loose in the town that is kidnapping and murdering young teenage boys. Mark becomes obsessed with his mother's death and is convinced that the creepy house down the block is somehow involved. He starts staying out late at night and breaks into the house one night to discover that it is the former house of a dead serial killer. The house has many secret passageways and he finds the instruments of torture used on many of the victims. He also feels the presence in the house and is determined to find out as much as he can. Mark enlists the aid of his good friend Jimbo and the two start to investigate the story of the house, and learn all of its secrets. One night Mark disappears and everyone assumes that the serial killer grabbed him, and his uncle Tim returns to help find the truth after he receives a mysterious email from Mark days after he supposedly disappeared. Tim learns that Nancy was related to the dead serial killer and that at one point his wife begged for help in stopping him for torturing his own daughter. At the time, Nancy did not believe her but later came to learn the truth that he did murder his own daughter. It is this spirit that haunts the house and drove Nancy to her death. Mark also came into contact with the girl, and it eventually managed to persuade Mark to follow her into another dimension so the two could live together. Mark manages to send his uncle another email to let him know that everything is fine, and the police capture the serial killer that has been using the old house as a burial place for all of his victims. Each chapter of the book has a different narrative and so the reader sees the story from numerous perspectives. Perhaps the reader should start with the earlier books to understand all the relationships in the books. Hardly any gore, but sufficiently eerie for most supernatural readers.
Lisa Korajczyk, Richton Park PL

Strieber, Whitley. Billy. 1990
The kidnapping of a twelve-year-old boy by a psychopath is the premise of this tense story. Barton Royal feels that he can be a wonderful father if only he could find the perfect boy to be his son. Billy Neary must struggle to survive in Barton's warped world until he can find a way to escape. The horror escalates as Billy begins to suspect that he is not Barton's first attempt at creating an ideal family&Recommended for adults and older YAs.
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange PL

Tryon, Thomas. Harvest Home. 1973
Ned and Beth, with daughter Kate, move from New York City to the small village of Cornwall Coombe in New England. While they refurbish the old house they've bought, they get to know their neighbors, all of whom follow the old ways of planting and harvesting their corn. As autumn approaches, and the festival of Harvest Home looms on the horizon, it begins to become clear that the "old ways" may not be as wholesome as they first appeared. A true classic of slowly building terror.
Nancy Bent, LaGrange Public Library

Tryon, Thomas. The Other. 1971
I first read this book as a teenager in the seventies and remembered it as deliciously atmospheric and creepy. Re-reading it as an adult I still enjoyed the book, although knowing the twist does take away some of the book's power. Set in rural New England in the 1930s, this is the story of two twins, one good, one bad, and all of the deadly accidents that befall family members who in any way cross one of the twins.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie PL