"The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.
For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.
With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again."
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published January 8th 2013 by Razorbill
Hannah lives in a peaceful suburban town, but is haunted by the past. Literally, haunted. Her best friend died 6 months earlier to anorexia, and is hangin' around haunting Hannah. As if this isn't enough for poor Hannah, there's an avian disease killing off the birds and small children, the town is in the middle of a huge heat wave and there's a serial killer murdering young girls. Wait, what?
I had to stop here and think a while. On one hand I love me some serial killers, on the other, why write about killing kids? If Brenna Yovanoff hadn't hooked me already I would have quit reading here, but my curiosity won. Hesitantly, I read on...
Hannah and her ghostly friend become obsessed with the murders. Between research on the deceased girls and contacting them in the afterlife, Hannah begins a small (but adorable) relationship with the local bad boy, Finny Boone. Finny is an interesting character, in my opinion. He is quiet and relatable, yet mysterious. Hannah begins to question how well she really knows this boy and why are the police so interested in him? I'm hate to leave you hangin' here, but trust me, you won't know what's coming next, so you'll just need to read it for yourself!
This was actually my first novel from Brenna Yovanoff but it took me a while to figure out how I felt about this story. Usually I can't stand to read about children dying, but the classic murder mystery combined with ghosts and a sweet, little romance was a perfect combination and she did a wonderful job. I look forward to reading more novels by this author in the future. I actually have one in line to read next :). Highly, highly recommended, 4 1/2 stars.
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