Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Release Date: February 8, 2011

The small town of Cryer’s Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn’t that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain.

When a second student goes missing—someone close to Kendall’s heart—the community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety, Kendall’s not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing, calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears she’s losing her grip on reality. But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at school—messages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit there—Kendall decides that crazy or not, she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t act on her suspicions.

Something’s not right in Cryer’s Cross—and Kendall’s about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

This book was creepy. Seriously creepy. Who thinks up these crazy stories??

I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. But then, I always love a good, chilling story. This is a short one-only 240 pages-but I thought the storyline flowed well. I didn't particularly care for how the story was written and the short, stilted sentences that were often used. However, I liked Kendall and Jacian's characters. In my opinion, they more than made up for the awkward writing style.

I liked the solid buildup of the story. Kendall's best friend Nico disappears and over the weeks he's missing, she develops a friendship with the most unlikely person. But then, as she's trying to come to terms with Nico's disappearance, she begins to notice writing on the desk Nico sat at during school. Not only that, but when she touches the writing, she hears his voice asking for help. Begging her to save him.

But, at the most crucial point--the climax-- the story kind of fizzled out for me. I kept thinking, "Really? That's it?? That was like, one page." However, the story was redeemed with the explanation of what really happened. It was, well, creepy.

If you are a fan of scary books, this is one to check out. It wasn't so much scare-your-pants-off as it was disturbing. I know I'll have this one on my mind for a while.

Happy Reading!

**I received this egalley from the publisher.