The Devil and Winnie Flynn

August 17, 2015
Horror movie buff Winnie Flynn starts work as a production assistant on the New Jersey–based edition of her aunt’s paranormal reality TV series, Fantastic, Fearsome, just months after her mother committed suicide. When Winnie, a skeptic at heart, discovers the words “Not a Suicide” written on her bathroom mirror, the 17-year-old longs to contact her mother again, and believes those on her aunt’s show can help. Together with the Devil Hunters, a ragtag band of teenagers specializing in the Jersey Devil, Winnie uncovers a lineage of relatives with magical abilities. In a story written primarily as a letter from Winnie to her best friend Lucia, the Ostow siblings (So Punk Rock) incorporate maps, transcripts, storyboards, and wiki pages to create a 360-degree view of reality TV’s inner workings. Upon learning of the supernatural abilities that both she and her aunt possess, the stakes get higher as Winnie realizes she may be a target herself. Pop-culture asides (“This is Real Housewives a go-go territory”) and sarcastic remarks lighten the mood of this terrifying and addictive novel. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.