Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy.

That’s my one-word review of Bonechiller.

(Probably you could have figured that out yourself, right? I mean, it’s pretty much all right there in the title.)

Danny and his dad move around a lot, trying to escape their memories of Danny’s mother, who’s gone now. This time they’ve ended up in Harvest Cove – “tucked away in the Big Empty that makes up most of Canada…Turn off Highway 11, north of Barrie, then follow the road as it goes from paved to gravel to dirt. If you’re looking for somewhere to hide, this is it.” It’s winter, and the town is empty (it’s a summer cottage town), and cold, and dark. Danny’s accumulated a small group of rebellious friends and they’re spending their time doing things that skate the edge of legality.

One night, on his way home, Danny is attacked by a creature that is like nothing he’s ever seen before. It can’t be real…can it? Inuit legends and town rumor point to an old, old evil that’s never been confirmed. Danny’s pretty sure he’s just confirmed it. But can he get anyone to believe him? And even if they do, what can anyone do about it?

This book is, again, really creepy. McNamee really knows how to chill your blood – his writing is really suspenseful and he’s got a way of making you feel like you’re really inside the main character’s head. I read this one before bed and ended up being really sorry – in a good way!

Older content: not much. The characters like to use the insult “you’re a pussy,” and the expression “cop a feel” is used more than once, but no one actually cops a feel and the language doesn’t get any worse. There’s some kissing, but nothing more than that. There’s definitely some violence, but it’s not very graphic.  I was really impressed that this book managed to be as scary as it did without having a lot of graphic violence.

Publisher: Random House

Pub date: September 9, 2008