Frightmares by Eva V. Gibson

Most of my posts are for middle-grade fiction, but this book is for young adults.

What worked:

The death of an actress at a horror show is the basis for a murder mystery. Dave discovers Bethany’s body during his performance but the corpse is gone when he returns with a co-worker. He doesn’t report anything to the police with no evidence of a crime so he initially questions his own sanity. Nuggets of corroborating clues help Dave understand he’s not crazy and he’s assisted by an eager, new friend named Maya. She gives him the motivation to continue investigating but Dave is the one with all the knowledge of the events and characters.

Setting the story at a business dedicated to presenting bloody, ghastly scenes is perfect for this book. Dave’s performance is to dismember Bethany’s body while other rooms in the building display equally disturbing scenarios. The dismal atmosphere is further embellished by the poor condition of the property. Faulty lights, broken machines, and props held together with duct tape help to create the atmosphere of the deteriorating building. Much of the action takes place at night or within its dark walls which adds to the eeriness. Dave is living alone for a couple of weeks which contributes to his feelings of isolation and vulnerability. The climax occurs on a dark and stormy night.

After Dave discovers Bethany’s dead body, he starts to hear multiple voices in his mind. Bethany’s voice questions and motivates him but he must also deal with his own thoughts while he deals with stress. He compares them to little versions of himself sitting on each shoulder offering conflicting advice. One version is called Chill Dave while the other is Anxiety Dave. The internal dialogue sheds light on Dave’s thoughts and occasionally adds humor to the story. Despite his persona as a guy with his act together, inside he’s filled with dread and self-doubt. Dave’s had a crush on Maya for years but it only adds to his angst when she gets involved.

What didn’t work as well:

The story moves slowly for a murder mystery as Dave doesn’t uncover any significant information during the first half of the book. This time is balanced by his budding relationship with Maya who is all in with tracking down a murderer. Many of their decisions are questionable when compared with sane logic but their choices only help to build suspense and drama awaiting at the end.

The Final Verdict:

The plot doesn’t have as much violence as one might expect but that’s not to say it doesn’t have any; the climax has plenty. I would prefer the case to move a little faster and provide more viable suspects. The potential killers are limited to the approximately ten characters working at Frightmares. Overall, the book should be appealing to teens but it’s not the kind of story I enjoy.