Little Creeping Things

Cassidy has been trying to forget her past since she was seven years old. She was in a fire that killed her friend, though she cannot remember the specifics. However, some of the girls in town, the bullies, won’t let her forget, especially Melody, who has a deeply personal reason to hold a grudge and make sure Cassidy never forgets. Cass is in the woods when she hears Melody talking to someone. Melody turns up missing the next day. The worst part is that it seems that Melody’s disappearance follows a plan Cass had written in her little notebook, which is now so inconveniently missing. Scared that she’ll be blamed or that no one will believe her, Cass decides she’ll do her own snooping, but it may cost her her best friend or even her life.

This twisted debut has the edge-of-the-seat terror that is the hallmark of great horror, including a character who can’t always see that the best way to help is to run away from trouble. Cass’s inability to pin down the killer brings her reliability into question until the surprise conclusion. Readers who enjoy April Henry and Megan Miranda should add this to their TBR pile.