The Black Heart Crypt
A Haunted Mystery
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library and coauthor of I Funny and Treasure Hunters, comes a series of spine-tingling mysteries to keep you up long after the lights go out.
Halloween is nearing, the one day of the year when the ghostly plane is close enough to the human plane to allow mischief and mayhem. But the ghosts who have their eye on Zack aren't thinking mischief, they are thinking murder.
In this fourth volume of Chris Grabenstein's popular Haunted Mysteries series, Zack must once again do battle with malevolent spirits. And with his usual pluck, and the assistance of three dotty aunts, he must save his town from a 200-year-old threat.
Once again Chris Grabenstein proves his mastery of the frightening and funny tale. Young readers, especially reluctant ones, have found an inspiration to read in Grabenstein's quirky characters and deadly situations.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the fourth book in the Haunted Mystery series, Grabenstein continues the saga of 11-year-old Zack Jennings, who is burdened by his ability to see ghosts. Things have gotten better since he's moved in with his father and stepmother, following the death of his troubled and unloving biological mother. But on Halloween, when the dead can "reach through the veil" separating them from the living, a family of ghosts called the Icklebys seeks revenge on Zack's family over a longstanding feud. To protect Zack, his witchy aunts, Hannah, Sophie, and Ginny, have also come to visit, adding their eccentricities and knowledge of their family's supernatural legacy to the mix. Grabenstein treads familiar territory with his strain of goofy humor, but his exploration of darkness and malevolence Zack's recollections of his mother's abuse, her tortured ghost, a wicked Ickleby patriarch who has "no qualms about killing children," and a character who is seduced by the forces of evil set off the cartoonish atmosphere. It's a well-plotted story with high-stakes consequences that should insure fans' continued investment in Zack's adventures. Ages 9 12.
