My old log

 

My old blog disappeared. However, you can still old posts by clicking this link 

http://murdermysteryblogofjoie.blogspot.com/

To see more reviews check out the Blog Archives on your right.

The Ghost of Graylock (A Hauntings Novel) by Dan Poblocki

 

From Amazon:

Everyone's heard the stories about Graylock Hall.It was meant to be a place of healing - a hospital where children and teenagers with mental disorders would be cared for and perhaps even cured. But something went wrong. Several young patients died under mysterious circumstances. Eventually, the hospital was shut down, the building abandoned and left to rot deep in the woods.As the new kid in town, Neil Cady wants to see Graylock for himself. Especially since rumor has it that the building is haunted. He's got fresh batteries in his flashlight, a camera to document the adventure, and a new best friend watching his back.Neil might think he's prepared for what he'll find in the dark and decrepit asylum. But he's certainly not prepared for what follows him home.

My take:

I'm surprised that I liked this mystery made specifically for kids. Anyay, it turns out that the nurse never killed any of the kids .

Neil and his siter where sent to live with their aunts.Their mother was recuperating from a mental breakdown after being abandoned by her husband, their father.

Upom arrival at his aunts' place, Neil becomes obssessed by the Graylock Ghost legend of the neighboring abandoned asylum. Rumor has it that the abandoned asylum was haunted by the nurse who supposedly killed 3 patients.

After investigating the legend more thorougly, Neil realizes that the haunting was not made by the nurse but by one of the dead patients. 

The nurse was actually living in a senior home and was quite aware of the rumors surrounding her departure. After careful scrutiny they found out that the last patient who died demanded to be placed in the asylum after her mother died. He, along with his sister and 2 friends, realized she was escaping her step father who she suspected killed her mom. The murderer turned out to be one of their aunts' friends who always tried to help them anyway he can.

When they realized he was the killer who was about to murder them, the ghost of the girl helps them escape. The killer eventually dies.

After the end of the summer, Neil and his sister goes back to their mom who has fully recovered.

Everyone is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf

 

From Amazon:

Five contestants have been chosen to compete for ten million dollars on the game show One Lucky Winner. The catch? None of them knows what (or who) to expect, and it will be live streamed all over the world. Completely secluded in an estate in Northern California, with strict instructions not to leave the property and zero contact with the outside world, the competitors start to feel a little too isolated.

When long-kept secrets begin to rise to the surface, the contestants realize this is no longer just a reality show—someone is out for blood. And the game can’t end until the world knows who the contestants really are…

My Take:

This is the 2nd Heather Gudenkauf book I didn't like. There are 3 important characters in the book. The Owner, who was offering the 10 million dollar prize, her assistant and one of the contestants , a single mom with 2 kids, one with a medical condition and who is also dirt poor. 

The owner bullies and harasses the assistant while the poor assistant bears this persecution because she was saved in the past by the owner. She was sexually harassed by one of the bosses but was saved by the owner. During that time the owner was also an employee. They eventually left the company with the owner forming her own business and bringing the other girl as her assistant. Then the owner hatchd this new reality show wherein they invite contestants to participate. This shall be  live streamed and the one who finishes on top receives 10 million dollars.

When they started fielding the participants, they realize that one of the contestants was the man who almost raped the assistant. To make the story short, the owner, at the end, pulls the man with her and they both dove to their deaths after falling from the balcony. After the cops were called, a letter is given to the assistant wherein  the owner mentions she was dying and after paying all her debts 10 million dollars is left. The assistant is the sole heir of the owner. So the lucky winner was actually the assistant .

After the contest everyone goes back to their merry ways, seemingly unaffected financially by their departure from their work except for the mother with 2 kids. While trying to figure out how to pay her bills an envelope arrives from the assistant. She gives the mother a check for 1 million dollars.

It just wasn't as good as the other books of Heather, though as a stand alone, it was't bad at all.