Review of Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Release Date: Feb. 8, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 233 pages
Author Website: http://lisamcmann.com
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Rating: 2.5 stars
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary: 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.

Review: When I was a teenager, I loved reading horror. As I got older, those same books that I used to enjoy began really scaring me. This is the first horror novel I have read in a really long time and I am happy to say I was not overly creeped out. Cryer’s Cross is a mildly scary read, however, the mystery behind the disappearances overshadows the creepiness and adds to the suspense.

Kendall’s character was interesting. I don’t think I ever read a book where the main character has OCD. Jacian is the silent, brooding type which I usually like, but he is just too brooding and comes across as an angry jerk for a good portion of the book. Without giving away any spoilers, there is sort of a love triangle and I don’t like how it was handled. It bothered me for the majority of the book. I also think the resolution to the romance/love triangle is a cop-out.

Cryer’s Cross is a quick read and if you like suspense but really don’t care one way or the other about the romance, you may like this book. It also appears to be a standalone novel which is a great thing for you if you don’t want to wait year after year to find out what happens.

Content:  Language (including multiple uses of the F-bomb), some violence