Blur (Blur Trilogy #1)

by Steven James

Overview

The isolated town of Beldon, Wisconsin, is shocked when a high school freshman’s body is found in Lake Algonquin. Just like everyone in the community, sixteen-year-old Daniel Byers believes that Emily Jackson’s death was accidental. But at her funeral, when he has a terrifying vision of her, his world begins to rip apart at the seams.

Convinced that Emily’s appearance was more than just a mere hallucination, Daniel begins to look carefully into her death, even as he increasingly loses the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.

What’s real? What’s not? Where does reality end and madness begin?

As Daniel struggles to find the truth, his world begins to crumble around him as he slips further and further into his own private blurred reality.

Full of mind-bending twists and turns, Blur launches a new trilogy of young adult thrillers from Steven James, a master of suspense.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477847275
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	05/27/2014
Series:	Blur Trilogy Series , #1
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	885,569
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Steven James is the bestselling, award-winning author of nine thrillers. This is his first suspense novel for teens. When he’s not writing or traveling, you’ll find him trail running, playing disc golf, or drinking really strong java at a coffee shop near his home at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in eastern Tennessee.

Editorial Reviews

James cranks up the creep factor.” —Booklist

“If you’re looking for a book with a good whodunnit plot, likable characters, and a story that will make you heart beat a little faster than normal, then this is your book!” —Book Nerderie

“Blur is a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you on your toes and guessing throughout the book.” —Lily Bloom Books

“Full of mind-bending twists and turns, Blur launches a new trilogy of young adult thrillers from Steven James, a master of suspense.” —Night Owl Reviews

From the Publisher

2014-03-03
A teenage girl is found dead in the local lake. There's no sign of foul play, but Daniel Byers has a hair-raising experience that causes him to think there's murder afoot. When Daniel attends Emily Jackson's funeral, the last thing he expects to see is her ghost pleading with him to solve her murder. After this supernatural opening, Daniel embarks on a clunky whodunit that scarcely raises the pulse. The key to a good mystery is pacing and stakes, but instead, James provides uninspired melodrama and red herrings to spare. It is never clear why Daniel needs to solve this case, and the hocus-pocus that prods him along comes off as hokey rather than eerie. As sleuths, Daniel and his friend Kyle make for a dull pair. Inane girl troubles and run-of-the-mill family issues are poorly integrated, feeling like padding that distracts from the maniac on the loose. The book's lone highlight is the ending, when all is revealed in an absurd confrontation that cribs from the best pulp noirs of the 1930s and '40s. This ending jars with the rest of the book, but the camp on display supplies a much-needed shot in the arm. Overlong and underthought, it's a mystery best left unsolved. (Mystery. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews