The Dead and Buried

The Dead and Buried

by Kim Harrington

Jade's a small town girl in a big, new town, which means new cliques at school, new gossip, new teachers, a new home, and her first ever brand-spanking-new ghost.

It turns out that the only reason Jade's dad and stepmother could afford their amazing new home is because someone had died in it just months before.

And that someone didn't leave with the body.

Now Jade must not only deal with all the usual problems a new senior in a new school must cope with, but she now must also figure out who murdered the girl who lived there before.

If she doesn't catch the murderer soon, her little brother could suffer at the ghost's hands.

Final thoughts: Harrington has an interesting take her on Du Maurier's Rebecca, though it might have been nice if she hadn't brought up the original work within this one.  Once I knew what was up, I got distracted by trying to figure out which character was which in comparison, though that shouldn't be a problem for people who've never read the classic.  Jade's a bit bland as a character and I never really feel for her situation.  Her brother's cute, but only randomly there and more inserted as a plot device than an actual character.  I never really felt much for Donovan and Kane because they just didn't have much of a presence.  It's a simple story that really could have been fleshed out more, but still does a decent job maintaining interest.

Rating: 3/5