Shrapnel

“We carry secrets under our skin like shrapnel.”  Dylanie (Dylan) Reid is a 16 year-old girl, and if that doesn’t give her enough problems to deal with, she can also see and talk to ghosts.  Dylan has agreed to spend a weekend being filmed at creepy Oakleigh Mansion for the television show, “Paranormal Teens.”  There, she meets Ashley, who has precognitive dreams of the future, and Jake (nerdy, but cute), an empath who can sense other people’s emotions.  They are ostensibly there to learn how to control their gifts, but how’s a girl supposed to concentrate when an attractive boy AND a seductive ghost are demanding her attention?  In addition, the teens stumble upon a centuries old mystery that demands to be solved… and they just happen to have the unique talents required to do the job.  

Set in Mobile, Alabama, this story is both spooky and sexy and accurately depicts the sometimes flighty emotions of teenagers.  Once the kids get to the mansion, the mysteries and sexual tension begin popping up, and the action rockets along!  At first, Ashley’s role does not seem to mesh well with the others, but about halfway through the story her purpose becomes apparent.  Multiple side story lines and secondary characters may distract from the main mystery, but overall, Ms. Lawton has created an engaging gothic tale rich with atmosphere and history.

Leslie Stokes