The Last Witness

October 1, 2019
Five friends travel to Black Cairn Point, but only two come back. Heather, Martin, and Dougie set off to celebrate Dougie's birthday with a camping trip to an isolated coastal spot in Scotland together with Heather's best friend, Emma, and her annoying new boyfriend, Darren (the one with the car). If Heather's crush on her friend Dougie didn't already make things awkward enough, the dynamics are further disturbed by Darren's confrontational demeanor, which spurs tension and divides the group. Then things take a turn for the worse when one of them goes missing after they find an ancient burial site. One year later, while the only other survivor continues to suffer from the aftereffects of the trip, Heather is still struggling to tell the truth about what happened in an attempt to prove both her innocence as well as her sanity. With a narrative that alternates between then and now, this atmospheric novel straddle the line of the supernatural while keeping up with its teenage protagonists' lives. Readers know from the start that something has gone terribly wrong during that trip, but the author deftly keeps the tension going, efficiently playing with horror tropes and unreliable narratives as the two timelines ultimately converge. All characters seem to be white. A suspenseful thriller that will leave readers guessing until the end. (Thriller. 14-adult)

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October 14, 2019
Hoping to get closer to her friend and crush Dougie, 16-year-old Heather agrees to a camping trip on the Scottish coast’s remote Black Cairn Point. Heather; her best friend, Emma; Emma’s combative boyfriend, Darren; and their friend Martin entertain themselves with campfire tales of pagan rituals and a boozy game of Truth or Dare. Later, Heather, Dougie, and Martin discover an ancient burial site on a nearby hill, where Dougie unearths a strange brooch. But after a heated confrontation with Darren, Martin stalks off and doesn’t return, setting off a shocking series of events. A year later, Heather and Dougie, who is in a coma, are the only survivors, and Heather’s story has convinced investigators, and her family, that she was responsible for her friends’ disappearances. She must now come to terms with the past, or, if she can’t persuade the authorities of her innocence, forfeit her future. McFall (the Ferryman trilogy) compensates for a predictable setup and stereotypical characters with the foreboding, isolated beach setting, even if a shocking final twist doesn’t feel fully earned. Ages 14–up. Agent: Margot Edwards, Margot Edwards Rights Consultancy.

December 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Heather joins her friends Emma, Dougie, and Martin on a camping trip to Black Cairn Point in remote coastal Scotland. Unfortunately for Heather, Emma's boyfriend Darren is their driver, and the lovebirds spend all their time kissing and drinking. Left on her own, Heather deals with a crush on Dougie while trying not to hurt Martin, who has feelings for her. While exploring the area, the teens discover an ancient Druid burial mound and unearth a mysterious brooch. Back at the camp, tension between the boys rises. In the middle of a sudden storm, the teens realize that Martin has disappeared. The group separates to search for the missing boy, but the situation grows darker still. Heather finds Emma crying alone on the beach, having witnessed something pull Darren into the sea. Heather suspects the ancient brooch has something to do with their misfortunes, but before she can return the artifact, she, too, has an encounter with the evil among them. The story alternates between Heather being interviewed by a psychiatrist about the events that led her to a psychiatric ward, being accused of murder. The pacing is mostly adequate, but does lag a bit with Heather's romantic interactions, which are a bit out of place amid the more terrifying moments. Overall, however, it's a worthwhile read. VERDICT A page-turning tale with just the right amount of creepiness for readers who enjoy suspense and dark evildoing. Give to fans of horror and psychological thrillers.-Sandi Jones, Wynne High School, Wynne, AR

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November 15, 2019
Grades 9-12 Heather was a normal teenager who hoped a camp-out at a remote beachfront would let her get closer to her crush, Dougie, while spending quality time with her closest friends. None of them anticipated dealing with more than wet firewood and cold mornings. But after disturbing an ancient cairn, they are hunted down, one by one, by a supernatural force demanding vengeance for their transgression. A year later, Heather is one of two survivors, with Dougie in a coma and her desperate to convince everyone that she's innocent of her friends' murders. Taking cues from teen thrillers like Cabin in the Woods and Scream, McFall has crafted a taut story of survival that should appeal to fans of supernatural suspense. The narrative unfolds through flashbacks of Heather's story told to her psychologist, creating tension between the account of her ill-fated camping trip and the question of her legal innocence. While a few of the plot twists test the credulity of the story, the book nevertheless delivers a fast-paced tale that is hard to put down.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)