The Crimson Key (The Visitor's Series Book Two)

SUSPENSE/THRILLER:  Seventeen year old Brylee Branson can see dead people, most of them in her own house. The spirits of the Brown family still haunt her home, unable to leave and forever trapped by the curse of the Mayhew sisters, two powerful witches. When the curse befalls Brylee’s best friend and boyfriend, she must find a way to save them before they are forever trapped.

The Crimson Key is the second book in a series, but can be read alone. The mystery is good, with an unexpected twist. The ghost scenes in this novel are often quite creepy and well-written. Unfortunately, between these bursts of great scenes are long sections of prose that lack depth and are mostly the main character telling what happened. The reader loses the sense of being in the story, and is instead flatly told a series of events, with nearly every thought and feeling unnecessarily explained. The plot line sags heavily in the middle, with not much other than a few ghostly encounters really happening. It drags down what would otherwise be a quick thriller. 

Warning:  Parents should be aware this YA book contains a fair amount of language as well as sexually active teens. While these love scenes are not shown in detail, they occur as the teens sneak around, and the girl’s parents are mostly portrayed as clueless stereotypes who don’t know a boy sleeps in their daughter’s room every night. 

Stephenia McGee