The Ghosts Of Now by Joan Lowery Nixon

Title: The Ghosts Of Now
Author: Joan Lowery Nixon
Published: May 1986 by Laurel Leaf
Genre: Mystery/Horror
How I got the book: I bought it

Summary:

It’s Friday night and Angie Dupree is alone in the house when the phone rings. “Your brother is dead,” whispers a voice. At the hospital, Angie finds Jeremy in a coma from which he may never recover.

Angie is on her own trying to piece together the events of that horrifying night. Her family is new to town.What could Jeremy possibly have discovered that led him so deeply into danger? Angie won’t rest until she finds out. But she doesn’t know someone is ready to do anything to stop her. . .

My Review:

Joan Lowery Nixon was a favorite author of mine when I was younger. She was a great writer and her books were always quick reads. I picked this up again mostly for nostalgic reasons, but since I could barely remember the story, it was like reading it for the first time.

Angie and her family move to Texas after her father gets transferred from his job. It’s not the first time they’ve packed up and left their lives to live a new one temporarily before their father gets transferred again. It’s hard for Angie and her brother, Jeremy.

Like most “new town” stories, Angie and Jeremy aren’t too happy with the move. Angie is in her senior year of high school and plans on moving back to her original hometown for college. This is just a temporary home for her.

Jeremy meets a new friend and goes out one night, no one knowing where he went. He ends up in a coma and Angie takes it upon herself to find out what exactly happened that night.

Angie gets in over her head, like how most of these stories go. She meets a guy who knows everyone around town and he helps her. They investigate together before coming across the truth in a semi-anti-climactic ending.

While it was a good story, the plot did feel a little cliche to me. There weren’t enough changes to the I’m-new-in-town-I’m-going-to-crack-open-everyone’s-secrets kind of plot.

I enjoyed Angie’s character a lot. Once her brother was in a coma, it kind of opened her eyes. She realized her and her family weren’t exactly a “family.” They were just four people living in the same house.

She also got more aggressive as the book went on too. It was fun to see as she yearned to know what happened more and more. She was a sweet character, but it ended up being more about revenge rather than just knowing the truth.

Del, the boy who helps Angie, was an okay character. He was the typical, I’ll-sweep-you-off-your-feet-because-you’re-new kind of guy. He helped Angie a lot and was a nice guy. You even think he has something to do with Jeremy’s accident for a little while.

Overall, the characters weren’t too bad. There was a small cast of characters, but it fit nicely.

This book is short and sweet and nicely written. The story is straightforward and simple. The actual writing tells the story nicely, but there’s not a lot of tension to it. Still, it was enjoyable to read.