''Black Creek Crossing'' is a thriller

horror novel Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J. ...

John Saul John Saul (born February 25, 1942) is an American author of suspense and horror novels. Most of his books have appeared on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller List. . Biography Born in Pasadena, Saul grew up in Whittier, California, and grad ...

, published by

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

on March 16, 2004. The novel follows the story of teenage Angel Sullivan, who moves into a new house in a new town with her family, and she learns of a brutal murder that occurred in her new home, and begins to think it may be haunted.

Plot summary

Angel Sullivan is an outcast, unable to find any true acceptance anywhere - not at school and certainly not at home, where she's at the mercy of her alcoholic father's anger. When her aunt calls and the family moves to Roundtree, Massachusetts, everyone is hopeful that they'll be able to make a fresh start. Shortly after arriving Angel meets Seth, who is in a similar situation as he is also bullied by his schoolmates and has to put up with an abusive father. The two find solace in one another and it's through Seth that Angel discovers that her new home has a dark and sinister supernatural past that threatens to put an end to Angel and her family.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Black Creek Crossing'' was positive, with

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

calling it "remarkably gratifying". Book Reporter's Joe Hartlaub praised the book, saying that "Saul's ultimate strength in ''Black Creek Crossing''... is his ability to explore the world of adolescent angst, to get into those areas where the triple gratings of school, friends and family rub the skin of the psyche raw." Blogcritics.org praised the book, calling it "a respectable read, if not a home run."

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

panned ''Black Creek Crossing'', writing "the chills are few and far between in this lackluster, paint-by-the-numbers horror tale".Fiction review: Black Creek Crossing
Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 29 February 2012.

References

Footnotes

* 2004 American novels 2000s horror novels American horror novels American thriller novels {{2000s-horror-novel-stub