I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Four teenagers are heading home after an evening of fun.  Driving down a mountain road, the car hits a young boy on a bicycle.  The teens panic; Barry, the driver, is eighteen and considered an adult.  If they report this, he’ll do jail time.  The four agree, somewhat reluctantly, to keep the accident a secret, but Ray and Julie are deeply troubled about it. Ray insists on at least calling 911 to try to get help for the boy.

That was a year ago.

Julie, once a bubbly cheerleader, has become a more somber, studious girl.  Helen’s life has only changed for the better: she’s a TV personality with her own apartment away from her struggling family. Football hero and only child Barry has finished his first year of college and is looking forward to a backpacking trip to Europe, away from his doting parents. He’s also more than ready to put some distance between himself and Helen.  They aren’t sure about Ray.  He left town after the accident, headed to California.

Then Julie gets a letter with no return address.  “I know what you did last summer” is all it says.  Is it a prank—or a threat?

Back in the day, mystery titles for children were mostly those featuring sleuths such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Hardy Boys, or the Three Investigators.  There were a few others, including a personal favorite, Brains Benton. From there it was on to adult authors like Agatha Christie.

Then a few authors began writing books that were edgier, books about real teens who found themselves in dire situations. I Know What You Did Last Summer came out in 1973 and created quite the stir. These teens had committed a crime! They mention smoking pot! They drink beer! (None of which is portrayed.) They have a stalker who means bodily harm!

This was definitely not a Nancy Drew book.

Naturally, this attracted the attention of Hollywood who optioned the novel for a movie.  Duncan was thrilled. When the movie opened, she was in the theater with her popcorn ready to see her book on the screen. She did wonder why there a man with a hook.

She soon found out.

She didn’t even eat her popcorn.

Former teen librarian Pam Neal said Duncan wrote an apology to all her fans, regretting that her suspense novel had become an urban legend slasher film. In an interview Duncan said she was “horrified.” The violence was sensationalized, which was particularly painful because Duncan’s daughter Kaitlyn had been shot to death by an unknown person just a few years before the movie.

Now the rebooted version of the I Know What You Did Last Summer is in theatres and from all reports it bears even less resemblance to the book than the first movie did.  I decided it was a good time to go back to the source material, so I picked up a copy of the book, albeit a slightly altered version.  In 2010, Duncan revised her book a bit, adding mentions of things like cell phones and GPS which didn’t exist back in 1973. She changed the war in the background to Iraq instead of Viet Nam, and made a few other changes to suit the times. Of course, that was fifteen years ago; there are a few things that seem slightly dated now but not so much that it took me out of the story.

Overall, I think the book has held up well. While more modern books may have grittier plots, the core parts of the book—the characters and the suspense—still work for me. This was a groundbreaking book in YA literature, one that led the way for such authors as Joan Lowery Nixon, Holly Jackson, and Karen McManus. It makes me sad that the novel is so little known.

As for the movie, I’ll pass.

Moonlight & Misadventures

 

 

Welcome back to Kevin Tipple! For more reviews and news of interest to mystery fans and authors, check out Kevin's Corner, the award winning review blog. Kevin is also an author, and his latest short story The Damned Rodents Are Everywhere appears in the May 2021 issue of Mystery Weekly Magazine.

 

Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery and Suspense opens with a powerful tale by Joseph S. Walker titled “Crown Jewel.” Keenan Beech has brother issues. Specifically, twin brother issues. Xavier has now taken something that rightfully belonged only to Keenan. Xavier knew how to stick the knife in--figuratively-- and Keenan intends to restore balance by getting back what is his. At least, that was plan before everything got so very complicated.

 

Twins and their relationship are also a major part of the following story, “The Ballard of The Jerrell Twins” by Clark Boyd. Whether Darrell and Terrell really are or are not twins is not the question. The real question here is the accepted idea that two heads are better than one. In this case, they may not be as neither one is all that smart. That is apparent before the mystery, the nitrous oxide, and many other things come to light.

 

Tammy Lee Swanley sets up to watch Lombard’s Jewelry as “Tammy Loves Derek” by Bethany Maines begins. She has history with Derek Lombard. The same Derek Lombard coming out of the jewelry store as he is locking up for the night. She has a plan. In fact, she has a five-step plan to gain wealth. That plan is now in motion.

 

Lorretta Bremer with two little ones and an important job to do she has her hands full in 1921 as she rides a train from Camden to Atlantic City. You do what you do when you are a widow and on your own. Things are hard. Finding a body in her hotel room makes things so much worse. The fact that the body is of Roger MacNair who had hired her for dictation and typing at the convention is going to be a huge problem in “Moonset” by Jeanne Dubois.

 

After reading “Reunions” by John M. Floyd, you may think again about striking up a conversation on a plane. Larry Taylor did just that, helped out Roger Farnsworth by paying for his drink, and things went into motion.

 

Uncle Kenny has a plan, but Josh O’ Leary does not want to hear it. Uncle Kenny’s plans are never fool proof-- even when he claims they are-- and often result in long prison sentences. Uncle Kenny is sure his plan will absolutely work this time because they will keep it in the family in “A Currency of Wishes” by Kate Fellowes.

 

Gwen, as a child, started lifting items here and there. The barbie doll was the first treasure in “Cereus Thinking” by Tracy Falenwolfe. She lived with her grandparents, Don and June, who never leave the campground they run. Manatee Playground Campsite is her home and she lifts treasures from those folks who tick her off as they come through while on vacation. By the time she is of legal age, she has long since realized she needs to get out of there. Leroy Lafontaine might be her ticket out.

 

Readers go back in time to the early 1930s in the next tale, “Just Like Peg Entwistle” by Robert Weibezahl. In the time of the big studios and controlled access to movie stars, the sudden death of Peg Entwistle was huge news. Was it a suicide? Was the death of the young actress murder? What really happened is the subject of this tale.

 

The trio is out in the swamp hunting for a lost treasure in “Scavenger Hunt” by Michael A. Clark. It was lost in February 1958. All these decades later, the three are deep in the Wassaw Sound with the faint city light glow of Savannah far to their south. Lit by moonlight, the search is on.

 

It is back in time again with the next short story, “My Night with the Duke of Edinburgh” by Susan Daly. It is the fall of 1951 and Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip, will soon arrive in Canada for a royal tour. The group of college students in Toronto want to make some sort of symbolic public statement regarding Canada’s sovereignty as a nation. Exactly what kind of statement and the repercussions of their act are the theme of this tale.

 

She had a pretty good idea of who her big brother was, warts and all, and now Oliver is “Dead on the Beach” by KM Rockwood. At least, she thought she knew everything. But, what she is being told regarding his death does not make a lot of sense. She starts asking questions. As any reader should know, not only do snitches get stiches, asking questions can get you killed.

 

Mom is dead and now Uncle Peter wants his share of what the daughters have coming to them. Not that there is a lot in “Madeline in the Moonlight” by Susan Jane Wright. Mom was an artist and a bit eccentric so pretty much what you see is what you get. Peter, being Mom’s baby brother, has no claim but he certainly is pushing things.

 

Murder is hard and messy work. Especially when you use a sledgehammer. It was well worth it in “Not a Cruel Man” by Buzz Dixon. Cleanup should be easy.

 

Angie Kritt is more than ready to shut down the old tavern for the night. It has been a long day and she is very much ready to go in “12 miles to Taylorsville” by C.W. Blackwell. Once she gets rid of the last few guys from the logging crew, she can do a couple of things and get home. That is until Meena shows up terrified and on the run.

 

Old Man Harper is some sort of creepy perv who likes teen girls. At least, that is what everybody at school says. Everybody knows what he is and want him gone. Katy, Ron, and Grace-Rose have decided to give him a push on to somewhere else in “Chicken Coops and Bread Pudding” by K.L. Abrahamson.

 

Peter Hayes puts in a lot of unpaid hours. In “The Promotion” by Billy Houston, that hard work is finally going to pay off. One way or another.

 

Just before the power went out, the police got an alert from the security system at the library. Officers Grabowski and Tyler are dispatched in “The Library Clue” by Sharon Hart Addy. A broken basement window means they have to check it out.

 

The plan is the thing in “Ill Met By Moonlight, Proud Miss Dolmas” by Elizabeth Elwood. Teaching Drama and English is hard enough due to the actions of some students who think they are entitled. Some want to ignore the rules. They seem to have found an ally in the new principal, Martha Dolmas, who has never taught a class in a day of her life.

 

Being a public health inspector is a hard job. Having an overbearing and incompetent boss, as was present in the preceding story, just makes things worse.  In “The Moon God of Broadmoor” by M. H. Callway, Liz gets reminded that her job means she has to shovel some stuff. Figuratively and literally.

 

The last tale is “Strawberry Moon” by Editor Judy Penz Sheluk. All she wants to do is cross the border into the US. Unfortunately, she is dealing with a United States border guard that likes his power a little too much.

From the complicated and powerful opening tale to the twist ending in the last one, the twenty stories in the book are all good ones. Moonlight as well as misadventure in a variety of ways plays a major role in all of them. So does more than a hint of madness in many of the tales. In some cases, things happened as they always would because of the nature of the folks involved. In others, the plan failed sometimes in surprising ways.

 

Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery and Suspense is an anthology that features many complicated reads. Every tale selected is a good one and well worth your time.

        

Moonlight & Misadventure: 20 Stories of Mystery and Suspense

Editor Judy Penz Sheluk

http://www.judypenzesheluk.com

Superior Shores Press

https://www.judypenzsheluk.com/category/superior-shores-press/

June 18, 2021

ASIN: B094DT4366

eBook

299 Pages

 

Editor Judy Penz Sheluk sent me a digital ARC of the book with no expectation or promise of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

Outsider: A Novel of Suspense by Linda Castillo

 Once again we are delighted to have Kevin Tipple back with a review.  Please check out his own blog, Kevin's Corner,  for more reviews, recommendations, and news for both readers and writers.  

 

 

She was lucky to have escaped with her life when the intruders came for her that cold and snowy night. She had been ready and had a plan, but as often happens with plans, things went sideways from the point her door crashed inward. She fled into the night and by sheer luck survived and got to the vicinity of Painter’s Mill, Ohio. There is one person there she knew long ago that might help her now: Kate Burkholder.

 

That one person is Chief of Police Kate Burkholder. Many years ago, Kate Burkholder and Gina Colorosa were friends. Good friends who first met by happenstance, bonded, and soon went through the academy and joined the force together. Once employed as police officers, their inner natures took over, and what had been a close friendship frayed and then broke irretrievably.

 

All these years later, Gina Colorosa is a wanted fugitive and in a world of trouble. She desperately needs Kate Burkholder’s help. Can Gina be trusted?

 

Outsider: A Novel Of Suspense by Linda Castillo is the latest in her long running series featuring Kate Burkholder. It is also a heck of a good read with a lot going on at different levels. Part mystery, part police procedural, and with a lot of reflection about how our inner nature as well as our experiences shape us to be the people we are now, the read powers along at a steady pace to the inevitable violent conclusion deep on a snowy winter night.

 

Even when you see it coming one hundred pages out, that final confrontation is very intense. Outsider: A Novel Of Suspense by Linda Castillo is an intense very good read and is strongly recommended.  Unlike earlier books in the series where it was best to have read the preceding books, this one can be read and enjoyed by readers new to the series.

 

Outsider: A Novel Of Suspense

Linda Castillo

https://www.lindacastillo.com/about_linda.html

Minotaur Books (Macmillan Publishers)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250142894

ISBN#: 978-1-250-14289-4

ARC (available in hardback, eBook, and audio)

320 Pages

 

 

 

 

I received an ARC of this book by way of winning one in a Goodreads contest.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2020