Ruth Baron

Ruth Baron has written a thoroughly enjoyable book. Given that I am neither a big fan of horror stories nor of tales of unhappy misfits, this is high praise. It helped that the protagonist, Jason, has a better sense of humor and more common sense than most. He’s likable, and his world is filled with both teens and adults who are basically decent people who sometimes behave poorly. It’s not a story that makes you cringe or a world you can’t wait to leave. The horror aspects center around the creepiness of a dead friend on Facebook and while there are scenes you might not want to read while alone on a dark stormy night, Baron shows class as she avoids inserting anything truly disgusting just for shock value.
What surprised me most is that the book is also very much a crime novel, and a well done one at that. There are only so many options to explain a Facebook relationship with the dead, after all, and most if not all of them involve some kind of a crime. Baron crafts a clever solution to the situation and adds a twist or two to keep the reader guessing. It’s a fun read for mystery lovers of any age.… (mehr)

17-year-old Jason is thrilled that he has finally found the perfect girl... the only problem is that it is through facebook and Lacey is hesitant to meet up with him. When Jason discovers that Lacey supposedly died in an accident a year ago, his once boring, mundane life is thrown for a curve. With the help of his best friend, ladies'-man Rakesh, and a collection of characters from Lacey's past, Jason is on a mission to rescue his damsel in distress. Interesting twists of plot and a captivating read. If you are looking for a good "horror" story, this book falls short. I would classify it as more of a murder mystery suspense novel.… (mehr)

I have never been a sociable person and will admit that I tend to hide from big crowds. I am not one to boast about having more than a couple of close friends, but have never complained. Like many others, I have used Facebook as a tool to meet new people. Some share the same interest as myself and some just kind of showed up. I have never bothered to validate whether or not the friends that I have on Facebook are who they say they are. I have always taken that for granted. Occasionally I hear a story about a girl who runs off to meet a man she met on Facebook and later ends up missing. Although they are tragic stories I usually forget about it after a couple of weeks. This story was a reminder that not everyone on Facebook is who the say they are. It is a book about a young man named Jason who finds himself in love with a girl he met on the internet. She is his ideal dream girl that is friendly, smart, and shares the same interests. Through several months he establishes a relationship with her and wishes to make more of it. However, one day while on the computer he stumbles onto her obituary. Like most people he is horrified and begins a journey into both fantasy and betrayal. He learns that a person cannot solely trust an internet website to really get to know someone. A person has to get face to face to really see how that 'friend' is in life. Often the person is nothing like the image that we have created in our minds. Thus, leading to disappointment and sadness.

I had a hard time keeping my interest in this book. I liked the concept of the book and I understood the important message that the author was trying to convey. However, I found it too be rather confusing with the flow of characters and the scenery in the book. There were too many people to follow in the book and not enough time for me to grasp everything. As soon as I was beginning to see the bigger picture it would crumble before me and begin to reshape. I thought the book was action packed and had a lot of suspense. The characters were colorful, but I could barely tolerate the main lead. It seemed like every other person was an angry loner or a pissed off jock. I am going to have to pass on recommending this book. I am a huge lover of the paranormal, but this book is not paranormal at all. The cover is misleading and does not accurately portray what takes place in the book. I do not want to give anything away so I will not disclose anymore of the story, but you are going to have to make that choice on your own when it comes to reading this book. I would check it out at a library before I purchased my copy.… (mehr)