Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

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. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I loved Cryer's Cross! I wasn't really sure what to expect, because I've only read one of Lisa McMann's books (Wake) and I wasn't a fan of the sparse writing style. But, Cryer's Cross was definitely more detailed which I liked.

I love spooky stories so I knew would enjoy this one. I liked that you don't really ever know what's going on and if the two kids disappeared due to a person or something more supernatural. And the creepiness is really subtle at first; almost too subtle because it doesn't start taking effect until after the halfway mark. Everyone was saying how scary Cryer's Cross was and while it was definitely spooky, I was never really scared. The ending was really creepy but I was a little confused because I was reading it so fast.

I thought that Kendall was a really awesome character. She has OCD, and it's the first time I've a read a book with a character with this disorder. Although, hers seems pretty mild and not at all like the ones on the tv shows. But anyway, it was a nice addition to Kendall's characterization because it's a tough disorder to have and it made it hard for her to cope with the disapperances of both Tiffany and Nico.

A new family moves to the town of Cryer's Cross, and Kendall becomes friends with the two kids, Marlena and Jacian. I loved these two. Marlena is really sweet and becomes friends with Kendall when she really needs it. And Jacian, whew! He was pretty hot and an excellent soccer player and really cared about Kendall. I really liked scenes with those two.

What was interesting about this book is that Cryer's Cross is tiny, which is lacking in a lot of books about Suburban America. Kendall and the other high schoolers go to school in a one-room classroom. I didn't even know they still have those. But I liked the small town feeling because it just seems creepier with all those open fields where someone or something could be lurking.

All in all, I really enjoyed Cryer's Cross. I think it could have been a bit longer to further develop the mystery, but regardless it was still nicely down and definitely creepy!

Rating: 8 out of 10.

FTC: read as an e-book on Pulse It.

2011/Simon Pulse/240 pages.