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Haunt: Dead Wrong by Curtis Jobling (view source)
Revision as of 14:06, 1 September 2020
, 14:06, 1 September 2020no edit summary
|isbn=9781471115790
|website=http://www.curtisjobling.com
|aznuk=1471115798
|aznus=1471115798
Curtis Jobling must enjoy total recall of his youth: in this, the second in the series, he pulls you immediately into the mind-set of adolescent boys, with all its dramas, wishes and uncertainties. You enter effortlessly into this confusing, exciting and often side-splittingly funny world where banter is king and adults a complete puzzle, and the preoccupations of these thoroughly likeable young males become your own. They're utterly typical of the breed, so that you wouldn't be surprised to bump into Dougie at school (encountering Will might be a bit of a shock) but unlike many books about teen boys these two are not afraid to admit and enjoy the depths of their friendship, however much they may squabble over the little things. They're generous and good-spirited, willing to put their own concerns aside to help each other as well as others in their town, whether alive or dead, but there's nothing of the plaster saint about either of them. They're just really nice guys who've ended up in a bizarre situation.
There's sadness, anxiety and even fear in this story, alongside all the laughter. Dougie's dad is hitting the bottle pretty badly recently for some reason, and Will's not the only spook in town: some, like the Major, are okay, but there's a vicious spirit down at the railway station you wouldn't want to meet at night. In fact, for sheer nastiness you'd be hard -pressed to choose between him and some of the live humans Will and Dougie come across.
There's adventure aplenty in this book, with heart-stopping thrills, a spot of deadly peril and a mystery or two to solve. There's also a touching, quite unexpected ending which raises this story above the usual run of buddy-tales. Well worth a read.
[[Haunt by Curtis Jobling|Haunt]] is the first in this funny, fast-paced series. You don't need to read it to enjoy this book, but you'll probably want to! wE ALSO HAVE A REVIEW OF [[Haunt: Dead Wrong by Curtis Jobling|Haunt: Dead Wrong]]. For another book which combines fun, mystery-solving and ghosts, try [[Divine Freaks by Fiona Dunbar]].
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