CRYER'S CROSS BY LISA MCMANN

Cryer's Cross By Lisa McMann

Release Date: February 8, 2011

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 240

Source: ARC from publisher

Buy this book: Amazon

Synopsis (from Goodreads): The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. 

She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

Weird, creepy, and engaging. I spent my nights reading this book and sometimes I couldn't continue reading because it just got too scary. Kendall, the story's heroine, has OCD and Lisa McMann did a good job of giving us a little insight into what goes through the mind of someone with this disorder. Along with suffering from OCD, Kendall's best friend as well as another classmate disappear and the whole town is shaken. 

The writing, characters, and mystery was well done. The story had me still guessing right until the end and the relationship between the characters was real and believable. Lisa McMann does a good job of building suspense through her writing by creating a fast-paced, page-turning narrative. However, I found the story a bit disjointed. Despite the explanation of the forces that threaten the town the build up to the end was a slightly confusing.

Overall, despite some weaknesses, Cryer's Cross was suspenseful and well written. The characters are engaging and the mystery was well done. Be prepared to be scared!