Christmas Killer - Softcover

Windsor, Patricia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0590433105 ISBN 13: 9780590433105

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks, 1992

Synopsis

Nancy is missing, but not for Rose, who, each night, sees the missing girl in her dreams and begins to dread going to sleep at night. Reprint.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 8-12-- Rosecleer Potter's terror begins with schoolmate Nancy Emerson's disappearance just before Thanksgiving; Nancy has been missing for several days when she appears in a dream to Rose, and offers hints as to where her body is located. Rose indirectly passes the information along to the police, and as they investigate, they discover a pattern to the murder of girls during the Christmas season. The only clue is a plastic poinsettia found on each body. Although she knows that her own life is endangered by her probing, Rose perseveres in her psychic attempts to contact the other dead young women. Side themes examine the empathetic connection between Rose and her twin brother and society's predilection to judge unfairly people with mental problems. Rose is a strong, likable character and the female chief investigator, Detective O'Hara, is an admirable role model. A bit more gruesome than most YA mysteries, this one is well plotted and has sufficient clues for astute readers. It's definitely not for the fainthearted, but fans of Joan Lowery Nixon's Whispers from the Dead (Delacorte, 1989) will be equally thrilled by Windsor's chiller. --Jeanette Larson, Texas State Library, Austin
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Rosecleer's heartbeat stopped for a few days when she was in the womb; as a result, she has a heightened sensitivity to the supernatural. Recently, she has become the receptor for beyond- the-grave communications from a serial killer's most recent victim; Rose's twin brother Jerram, to whom she has always been close, feels excluded from these missives. As news of her skill gets around their small town, Rose becomes the murderer's next target. Rose's point of view dominates, with periodic inserts offering insight into the killer's motives; readers who believe evil-twin theories will not be disappointed--nor will those who like a concluding twist. Windsor's pacing and characterizations are steady and sure, bringing an atmosphere drenched in horror to the holiday period. Although Rose's combination of intelligence and preposterous naivet‚ will give some pause, fans of Christopher Pike-like thrillers will find this good and eerie. Hints point to a sequel. (Fiction. 11+) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0590433105
• ISBN 13: 9780590433105
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272