The Dreadful Revenge of Ernest Gallen

September 1, 2008
Gr 5-7-In this Depression-era tale set near St. Louis, Gene receives visits from some sort of specter, as if he is temporarily possessed by a presence that speaks to him in vague threats and riddles. When he learns that the death of his pal Sonny's father was preceded by a voice urging him to kill himself, Gene assumes that his specter is the same ominous being. This spirit urges him to solve a mystery many years old with little in the way of concrete clues. Gene gains the help of Sam, daughter of the local paper's editor, and the two find stories about the purchase of the old Toffey farm by oil speculator-con man, Ernest Gallen. Gene learns that the spirit of the con man wants revenge on the lynch mob that killed him as well as on Gene's grandfather, the judge who sent him to a low-security cell. The novel features mostly flat characterization and dialogue that subdue any real tension. Even the spookiest episode, in which the three kids explore the Toffey farmhouse and find a noose with a dressed skeleton on the floor, doesn't create an eerie atmosphere, and the story has several lapses in logic."Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2008
When Gene is first visted by a specter, he assumes that the strange vision is just caused by a case of indigestion. Soon, however, he becomes all too familiar with this spooky apparition, one that tells him that his father and grandfather were mixed up in a horrible crime that took place in the town of Magnolia when Gene was only a baby. Even worse, the specter wants revenge. Then Genes friends experience tragedies: Sonnys dad is killed on a construction site, and Sams dad is injured in a freak automobile accident. Both accidents occur after the men were haunted by voices. Together, Gene, Sonny, and Sam begin to investigate the supernatural terror, and encounter unexpected deaths, frightening clues, and a newspaper cover-up along the way. Collier has written an eerily weird and strangely believable historical mystery that will take readers back to the Depression, a time of sandlot baseball, Amos n Andy, lost jobs, downsized houses, and justice meted out by mob rather than the law. A complex, spooky page-turner for middle-grade readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)