DARK MEMORIES by Jeffrey S. Savage

There are things in the darkness—things much worse than the tracks and abandoned pieces of equipment that trip the children up and gash at their feet and legs—things that brush silently past them, touching their faces before disappearing again.

1977—In the sleepy Town of Twin falls, Colorado, what starts as a carefree school picnic ends in tragedy when six children disappear into an abandoned gold mine. Six enter the dark void—and days later, only five emerge. After an arduous search, the hunt for the last child is called off and the mine entrance is blasted. Little Frankie is left behind, alone in the darkness.

He is coming.

2011—Police Chief Cal Hunt’s investigation into the recent string of bizarre murders in Twin Falls takes a chilling turn when he learns that each of the victims was a survivor of the Seven Stars mine incident. Cal realizes that they share a dark secret—the truth about what happened to Frankie.

To drag them deeper.

With time running out for the remaining survivors, Cal must face a killer that defies all logical explanation. Because no matter how Cal analyzes the facts, there is only one conclusion: A supernatural force is reaching out from the depths to reclaim those who escaped more than thirty years before. And it will not rest until it takes them all . . .

Into the darkness

First line:
"What do you mean you can't find the children?"

And that is how you start out a horror novel. 
Three things I liked about this book:
1. Jeff is a good, clean writer
2. He develops his characters well
3. He had a few red herrings in this story to throw off guessing who was the killer

This is a darker book of Jeff's. It wasn't so scary that I couldn't sleep at night but I did tense, once or twice, when I heard a mysterious noise outside. 
In the 1970's, six children were lost in an abandoned mine; only five were found alive. The story that unfold in 2011 is sad, horrible and scary. Cal, the local police chief, has to solve one mystery after another and is chilled by the clues tracing back to the tragic mine accident. 
Who is cold enough to kill? All signs point to the poor, dead boy who was buried forever in the mine when the authorities blew up the entrance. Has he come back from the dead to exact revenge on those who left him behind?
Or is there something deeper, more evil happening?
I recommend this book if you enjoy a good, clean, scary book.
I don't recommend this book if you don't like the supernatural and demons.


Rated: PG 15
V: Scary, tense moments. People murdered (but not graphic)
L: No
S: No

Liked:
Cal
Touch of romance

Disliked:
No solid clues as to the real killer
Demons

(I'm rating this lower only because it is dark).
3 1/2 STARS

CASE FILE 13: ZOMBIE KID by J. Scott Savage

You hold in your hands a very dangerous record.

I have collected every side of the story and every piece of evidence on case number 13. Now, in this file, you will find all you need to follow the dark adventures of Nick, Carter, and Angelo, three boys who possess an unhealthy obsession with monsters, in a town so grisly, so horrific—

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're telling it all wrong, dude. You make it sound like it's a scary story.

Ahem. Well, Nick, it is a scary story. In this volume alone, there are voodoo queens, graveyards—even the dreaded Zombie King himself.

Yeah, but there's also the part where Angie gets mashed potatoes all in her face, and the part where I use my cool zombie powers to—

All right, point taken. Now, if you don't mind . . .

You hold in your hands a very dangerous, very funny record, detailing the hilarious adventures of three boys who have an awesome obsession with monsters. This is the first volume. Read on if you dare. . . 

First line:
"Please relax and make yourself comfortable."

BOY BOOK ALERT! 
Boys of all ages will love this book. It has puns and grossness and zombies. Seriously, what boy can pass that up? My 10 year-old loved, loved, loved it. And told me I HAD to read it.  So I did. But I decided to give said child a chance to review this book for me. Take it away, Zachariah!

"I thought Zombie Kid was awesome because there were zombies in it. I liked it because it was funny and creative. My favorite character was Angelo because he's the oldest one and he likes reading. Pretty much without him, Nick would still be a zombie forever. I liked the magic and ideas and scenes people probably wouldn't think of."

And there you have it. Honest, hard review from a fourth grader.


Rating: G
V: No
L: No
S: No


Liked:
Unique story

Disliked:
Nothing

4 STARS