Eyes of a Stranger

Marissa, a shy self-conscious girl with a twisted leg, is attracted to a strikingly handsome visitor to her uncle's carousel but begins to suspect that he is a psychotic serial killer

Grade 9 Up?Marissa, a physically challenged teen, lives by the rule "if you can't outrun 'em, outsmart 'em." This principle helps her to handle ordinary situations related to a weak leg and, ultimately, to elude death. As an attendant at her uncle's carousel, Marissa notices a "heart-wrenchingly handsome" visitor who brings a succession of pretty girls to ride on the twirling animals. Eventually, she suspects a connection between the man and the disappearance of several local girls, including her classmate Gloria. The man is, in fact, a serial killer who abducts and nearly murders Marissa. In a chilling climax the courageous girl saves herself through clear-thinking and resourcefulness. The symbolism of the carousel animals is strikingly fitting to the theme. The characterization is strong and the story line riveting. Yet, the ritualistic killings are so diabolical that the narrative is off-putting. A comment made by Gloria after viewing the horror classic, Nosferatu, "I don't know if I liked it, but it was sure creepy," could be said of Eyes of a Stranger as well.?Pat Katka, formerly at San Diego Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The girl-stalked-by-serial-killer plot gets a fresh twist with an inventive premise: Marissa, self-conscious because one of her legs is shorter than the other, learns there are a lot of people in the world more unbalanced than she is. An orphan, she lives with her Uncle Paul, who operates a carousel and restores carousel horses. When a stranger with brooding blue eyes begins bringing different dates each week to ride the glittering carousel, Marissa can't stop herself from developing a crush. However, when the young women start disappearing, she suspects that he might not be ideal boyfriend material after all. Fuzzy peripheral players (e.g., Marissa's friend Gloria, one of the victims) don't inspire much reaction from the main characters, and the townspeople don't put up the expected hue and cry when their teenage girl population begins a precipitous decline. In fact, Uncle Paul thinks it's a fine time to leave his niece alone while he goes on an extended business trip. But even without consistent tension, there's enough here to keep the reader going. Some violence, threats of pseudo-religious sacrifices, dismembered toes and an ice pick add chills without getting too graphic, and a terrific climax proves Heisel (Wrapped in a Riddle) capable of first-rate suspense. Ages 14-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

For Marissa, the ticket booth at her uncle's carousel is the only place where she can forget her crippled leg and the subsequent taunts and jeers of her classmates and strangers. She longs to find a boy who will see beyond her limp to the real person she is. When a stunningly handsome young man shows up at the carousel repeatedly, always accompanied by a pretty blond girl (but never the same girl twice), Marissa falls hard. In the meantime, several teenage girls in the area have disappeared. When one of her own classmates vanishes, Marissa faces the ugly truth that the man she loves is probably involved and takes steps to stop him. As a serial killer, neurotic Nick Farmer is no Hannibal Lecter, but readers won't mind a bit. There's enough suspense to keep them turning the pages, accompanied by plenty of blood and gore (much of it implied, all of it effective). Marissa is as gutsy as they come, battling in the cruel showdown hyperthermia and exhaustion as she out- maneuvers the creepy Nick. Heisel's first YA novel is a little pulpy, occasionally purple, and sometimes predictable, but it combines swift plotting and some especially horrible scenes to provide breathless entertainment to the end. (Fiction. 14+) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 9^-12. In a sexy horror story, a handsome serial killer is overcome by a teenager who is smart and brave. Marissa is lame, and when the kids tease her, she feels like Dr. Frankenstein's lurching monster. Where she feels safest is working her uncle's carousel, watching people on the beautifully carved animals. She is attracted by a blue-eyed stranger who brings a glamorous blond to ride the carousel with him. Then he brings another blond. Then another. By the time one of her school friends disappears, Marissa realizes she has seen her "Mysterious Stranger" with four girls who are now missing. Then he comes for her. There are lurid scenes, especially in the chapters that tell the story from the point of view of the killer, demented and purposive, as Marissa is strapped down in his car in preparation for his grisly ritual in the Oregon woods. Her escape is contrived; we know she'll get away. What is memorable is the tension, the inexorable buildup of terror, as the stranger comes closer and reveals his monstrosity. Hazel Rochman