The Girls Are Never Gone

Gr 7 Up–A horror mystery that will keep readers guessing until the end. Dare Chase enjoys all things supernatural, but she’s never experienced anything supernatural herself. She’s visited supposedly haunted places, sat in the dark all night waiting to feel or see something, and has even starred in a YouTube show, all to no avail. However, a new project is calling and after a breakup with her boyfriend, her costar on Strange Virginia, Dare decides to start a podcast documenting her experience at Arrington Estate, the place where Atheleen Bell mysteriously drowned. Under the guise of volunteering to help renovate Arrington as a museum, Dare packs her ghost hunting gear in hopes to discover what really happened to Atheleen. The story is a little slow to start but interesting enough that readers will stick around until it heats up. Dare is a Type 1 diabetic and information about how she lives with this condition is sprinkled throughout. She is also bisexual, but her sexuality is not at the forefront of the story even when a relationship blossoms. All characters are well written and developed and added details make them feel authentic. Not for the faint of heart; some grisly descriptions are included. The race of most characters is not mentioned, but one character has light brown skin and is half Puerto Rican.