Black Creek Crossing

Last updated
Black Creek Crossing
Black Creek Crossing by John Saul.jpg
Hardcover edition
Author John Saul
Cover artistPhil Heffernan
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Thriller Horror novel
Publisher Ballantine Books
Publication date
March 16, 2004
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages368
ISBN 0-345-43332-7
Preceded by Midnight Voices  
Followed by Perfect Nightmare  

Black Creek Crossing is a thriller horror novel by John Saul, published by Ballantine Books 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.

Contents

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 calling it "remarkably gratifying". [1] 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." [2] Blogcritics.org praised the book, calling it "a respectable read, if not a home run." [3]

Publishers Weekly panned Black Creek Crossing, writing "the chills are few and far between in this lackluster, paint-by-the-numbers horror tale". [4]

Related Research Articles

Tabitha Jane King is an American author.

<i>Everville</i> Novel by Clive Barker

Everville is a 1994 fantasy novel by British author Clive Barker. The second in the Books of the Art series, it follows the 1989 novel The Great and Secret Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libba Bray</span> American writer

Martha Elizabeth "Libba" Bray is an American writer of young adult novels including the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Going Bovine, and The Diviners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keir Graff</span> American novelist and literary editor (born 1969)

Keir Graff is an American novelist and literary editor.

<i>Candyfloss</i> (novel) 2006 novel by Jacqueline Wilson

Candyfloss is a novel written by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt. It was first published in 2006 by Doubleday.

<i>Vesper</i> (novel) 2011 young adult novel by Jeff Sampson

Vesper is a young adult paranormal novel by Jeff Sampson, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books, in January 2011. It is the first book in the Deviants series.

<i>Perfect Nightmare</i> (novel) 2005 novel by John Saul

Perfect Nightmare is a psychological thriller novel by John Saul, published by Ballantine Books on August 23, 2005. The novel follows the story of teenage Lindsay Marshall, who is abducted from her home while her family is in the process of selling it.

<i>The Manhattan Hunt Club</i> 2001 novel by John Saul

The Manhattan Hunt Club is a thriller horror novel by John Saul, published by Ballantine Books on July 31, 2001. The novel follows the story of Jeff Converse, who is falsely convicted of a brutal crime and finds himself trapped in a secret society called the Manhattan Hunt Club.

<i>Midnight Voices</i> 2002 novel by John Saul

Midnight Voices is a thriller horror novel by John Saul, published by Ballantine Books on May 28, 2002. The novel follows the story of Caroline Evans, who moves with her new husband and children into a new building, which they begin to believe is haunted.

<i>The Devils Labyrinth</i> 2007 novel by John Saul

The Devil's Labyrinth is a thriller horror novel by John Saul, published by Ballantine Books on July 17, 2007. The novel follows the story of Ryan McIntyre, a teenage boy sent to a Catholic boarding school, where strange deaths and mysterious disappearances begin to occur upon his arrival.

<i>Malice</i> (series) 2009 novel series by Chris Wooding

Malice is a two-book young adult series that was written by British author Chris Wooding and illustrated by Dan Chernett. The first book, Malice, was released on October 1, 2009, and the second work, Havoc, was released in October of the following year.

<i>Dear Blue Sky</i>

Dear Blue Sky is a 2012 American novel written by Mary Sullivan, the receiver of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award and a St. Botolph Club Foundation Award. The story is split into short chapters, and told in the perspective of Cassie, an American girl whose brother volunteered to fight in the Iraq War. This book is recommended for ages 10 and up.

<i>The Hate U Give</i> 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African-American girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city. Starr becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil. She speaks up about the shooting in increasingly public ways, and social tensions culminate in a riot after a grand jury decides not to indict the police officer for the shooting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiffany D. Jackson</span> American YA author and horror filmmaker

Tiffany D. Jackson is an American author and filmmaker. She writes young adult fiction and makes horror films. She is best known for her NAACP Image Award—nominated debut novel Allegedly.

<i>Hello Lighthouse</i> Picture book by Sophie Blackall

Hello Lighthouse is a picture book written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. The book tells the story of a lighthouse and its last keeper and was well received, winning the 2019 Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, Blackall worked hard on the design of the book. The writing and illustrations were meant to complement each other noting the change and consistency of the sea.

<i>Scary Stories for Young Foxes</i> 2019 childrens novel

Scary Stories for Young Foxes is a 2019 children's book written by Christian McKay Heidicker, with illustrations by Junyi Wu. The book, published by Henry Holt and Company, was first envisioned to be similar to some of the Berenstain Bears' scary stories, but was rewritten into a collection of tales based on classic horror stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracey Baptiste</span> Childrens horror author from the Caribbean

Tracey Baptiste is a children's horror author from the Caribbean who uses folk stories in her novels.

<i>The Turnout</i> 2021 mystery novel by Megan Abbott

The Turnout is a mystery novel by Megan Abbott published August 3, 2021 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. That year, it won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller.

<i>The Ogress and the Orphans</i> 2022 childrens book by Kelly Barnhill

The Ogress and the Orphans is a children's book by American writer Kelly Barnhill and published on March 8, 2022, by Algonquin Books. It counts the events of a small fictional town, where the library is burned down and an orphan goes missing, which leads to its citizen blaming an ogress who had just moved in.

<i>The Daughter of Doctor Moreau</i> 2022 novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a 2022 novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It is loosely based on The Island of Doctor Moreau, an 1896 novel by H.G. Wells. The novel received critical acclaim, with reviewers particularly praising its exploration of feminism and colonialism. The novel received nominations for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Novel and 2023 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

References

  1. Book Review: Black Creek Crossing Booklist. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  2. Hartlaub, Joe. "Black Creek Crossing Bookreport review". bookreporter.com. Retrieved 14 November 2007.
  3. Book Review: Perfect Nightmare Blogcritics.org. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. Fiction review: Black Creek Crossing Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 29 February 2012.

Footnotes