September 1, 1995
Gr 6-8-Holly thinks her homicide-detective father is entirely too preoccupied with his work and should spend more time at home. Her attitude changes, however, when her boyfriend becomes the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his parents. Unable to believe that Cody could be guilty, she sets out to prove his innocence. A strange neighbor who claims to be clairvoyant, a spirit seeker, tells Holly that she, too, possesses supernatural sensitivities. As Holly revisits the scene of the murder and spends time alone with Cody, suspense builds. Then incriminating evidence against him is found and only at the last minute is the true murderer revealed. The situation here is highly charged and emotional, but the characters never quite convey the horror of the situation. Cody grieves and is upset, but never to the point of heartfelt anguish. Holly's attempts at detective work are intriguing but don't always ring true. At one point, she looks in the dead man's computer files to discover questionable business dealings. This is a step the police would surely not overlook themselves. In the last few pages, everything is neatly-if not too realistically-wrapped up. The supernatural elements in the story, while at times significant, are kept low key. In the end, Holly is left feeling more self-confident and dismisses any "super powers" she may have. This thriller is tightly plotted and moves like a made-for-TV movie. Middle schoolers will devour it and never notice the few aforementioned flaws.-Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
September 15, 1995
Gr. 6^-9. Nixon's latest pits Holly Campbell against her police detective father in a race to discredit a growing mountain of evidence and exonerate her friend/boyfriend, Cody, before he is charged with the grisly double murder of his parents. Holly is engaging, her investigative techniques are realistically within the capabilities of a teenager, and her crisis of confidence over Cody's innocence is endearing. Younger readers will enjoy her and her friends; older teens will probably find them all a bit too "good" to be true. Nixon has a nice, easy style and manages to keep the pace up even when it seems that not much is happening. The interactions with the spirit world are strained, especially since the author discredits them in the end, and the villain is far too obvious from the first moment he walks on stage, but the story is an easy, light, not-too-scary read for those attracted to the genre. ((Reviewed Sept. 15, 1995))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1995, American Library Association.)