Genre: Suspense/Mystery
Eden grew up hearing about the terrible things that have happened at the abandoned beach resort on the edge of her town. It started years ago when the owner allegedly killed her own teenage son and then killed herself in prison. Years later, teens started sneaking in there and it led to two more suspicious deaths. Eden herself has struggled living in this town after her father swindled all of her friends’ parents and skipped town leaving her and her mother to fend for themselves. She has never gotten over how mean her friends were to her throughout her high school years. She does need money, though, so she agrees to be the assistant to a classmate who is an aspiring filmmaker. He wants to do a documentary on this resort and needs someone to come with him to haul equipment on the night the seniors plan to sneak in for their annual party. Eden is pretty sure she sees a mysterious woman in white, but can’t be sure if she really saw it or not. Meanwhile, the filmmaker says some truly bizarre things before rushing away to get some footage of one of the cottages. Shortly after he is found dead at the bottom of the beach cliff and it is ruled a suicide, but Eden knows there is more to the story. Her old group of friends is convinced something sinister is going on as well, with one even claiming that he has been followed by a mysterious figure and believes they are all going to be killed. Can Eden get to the bottom of it before they all start dying? Can she get them to really investigate the death of her friend? Is this place haunted or is there another explanation for why people keep dying on this property?
Readers looking for a suspenseful, spooky story will enjoy this title. It begins with Eden already being at the resort so the action picks up quickly and maintains throughout the story as more unusual things begin to happen. The truth about Eden’s past with her friends slowly comes to light as it becomes clear why they were mad, but also the lengths they would go to in order to keep her from ever forgetting what her father did. The ending is very exciting and satisfying, including a very unexpected final revelation once it seems all has been explained. Very entertaining and recommended for all types of readers, but especially reluctant ones.
Young Adult Book Reviews 