When Kayla takes possession of Colby’s body and demands to know her killer, Jade must solve the mystery. Although never charged, the prime suspect has always been emo artist Donovan, Kayla’s last boyfriend and the same guy Jade finds attractive. An instant source of gossip at school, Jade discovers that the most popular girl, Kayla Sloane, died from unnatural causes-a push down the stairs-the previous year in the same home her family purchased. Their new home definitely offers more activity-paranormal activity that is.
Jade Kelley, 17 named for one of the gemstones her deceased jewelry-setter mother collected, is thrilled that her family (father, stepmother and younger stepbrother, Colby) is finally moving from its rural surroundings to the bustle of the Boston suburbs. The spooky details remain entertaining, though, and the hat-tips to Rebecca (openly acknowledged in the book) will add interest for knowledgeable gothic fans.Harrington returns to the genre of Lois Duncan with spine-chilling results. Unfortunately, the relationship with Donovan, Kayla’s ex and Jade’s immediate crush, is formulaic to the point of being ludicrously predictable, and the fact that their romance is overtly based on her pity (“I wanted to fix him,” she says longingly, and refers to him as a “broken boy”) is creepier than Kayla’s ghostly antics. Jade’s negotiation of the school social dynamics has some interesting touches, including her friendship with the ultimate nerd and her quasi-friendship with Kayla’s former second-in-command those dynamics, Kayla’s secret diary, and some upfront hints will allow some genre veterans to guess the murderer up front but never make it too obvious. This is cheesily written good ghostly fun, complete with poltergeist mischief, freezing drafts, and a young child’s unknowingly portentous reports. In fact, Jade has become aware of Kayla’s chilling and manipulative presence, and she’s horrified when Kayla takes over Jade’s beloved little half brother with a threat: if Jade doesn’t find Kayla’s killer, the ghost will keep Colby forever.
She’d rather be in her old home, especially when she finds out that her new house only sold so cheaply because that’s where the reigning queen of last year’s junior class suffered a fatal accident-or was murdered. Senior year has brought Jade to an upscale Boston suburb, where her family has just been fortunate enough to move.
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