The Dead and the Dark

L.A. transplant Logan Ortiz-Woodley, the 17-year-old daughter of two famous married TV paranormal investigators, the ParaSpectors, is grudgingly spending the summer after graduation in her adoptive fathers’ hometown of Snakebite, Ore. But something is wrong in insular Snakebite, from the inhospitable weather to the inhabitants’ simmering, almost tangible rage. When beloved high school athlete Tristan Granger vanishes a week after Logan’s family returns to investigate mysterious occurrences in the homophobic town, Logan’s emotionally distant father Brandon becomes the prime suspect. And as even more teens begin disappearing without a trace, it will take skeptical Logan, alongside Tristan’s guilt-stricken, psychic girlfriend Ashley, to uncover the truth of who or what is haunting Snakebite. Though the book’s pacing is hampered by unnecessary time jumps and the characters (largely defaulting to white) can feel shallow, Gould’s supernaturally spooky debut is filled with all manner of creepy inventiveness—a mixed bag that makes for an intriguing read. Ages 13–up. [em]Agent: Claire Friedman and Jessica Mileo, InkWell Management. (Aug.) [/em]