You get the ending first. We are told that Billy Zeets figured out who had been kidnapping and killing young boys. Then Billy goes back and tells his story from the beginning.
Billy has a rough life. He admits to stealing and sneaking out after curfew. He knows a lot about everyone in the neighborhood, and it's because of that he figures out who this really awful guy is. A couple kids have disappeared. And a couple have been found dead. A couple are still missing. Billy knows some of them. He's enemies with some of them, but then, Billy has lots of enemies.
His father has no job, and their house is about to be taken away. Billy works so hard at odd jobs to make money to keep their house, but there's no way he can make enough. Billy puts himself in danger trying to figure out what is going on when he discovers an empty house with all the windows blacked out. He knows there is a man that drives an old car, and Billy sees this car parked at the empty house. How can he prove that this guy is the kidnapper/murderer?And that is all the details I'm going to give you about the story.
Ask the Dark is a compelling tale that moves at a great pace. The main character is Billy, and the secondary characters aren't that well developed, but they aren't that important. Billy is telling the story, and the story is his. The only slight difficulty that some readers may find is that the book is written in dialect, which I know is a problem for some readers, especially reluctant readers because they have to slow down.
The end is worthy of some discussion. The impressions that people have of us usually don't change. Unless you become a hero--then everyone forgets all your faults.
Ask the Dark is an exciting and mysterious read that all teens and even adults will enjoy.
Published by Clarion April 7, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
256 pages
Rating: 4/5
Oooh, I absolutely love your review!! I have an ARC on my Kindle and I'm supposed to be reading it right now but I've been distracted by Colleen Hoover and her books. Haha! Your review makes me excited to read this though! I love the idea of getting the ending first!
ReplyDeletePearl @ AsteriskPearl's Book Blog
i tried to read this book and I couldn't get the flow because of the speech of the main character. but I liked the start of the story. I am going to get this on audio.I am really excited to raed it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing an amazing review - I do like the sound of this one so I might check it out sometime soon. I haven't read a mystery book in a while.
ReplyDelete<3 Benish | Feminist Reflections
This was a quick and suspenseful read and I became very attached to the voice of Billy, a good-hearted kid put in unsupportable circumstances who does the best he can. I loved that Billy's best ended up being pretty darn good. Lots of action and thrills, a good detective story, and a heartwarming ending.
ReplyDeleteMarlene
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