Lois Duncan knows how to keep a reader in suspense! She provides enough clues to keep you a step ahead of Rachel, as she tries to prove to her family that cousin Julia is not the helpless victim of tragedy that she pretends to be. As her lone ally lies stricken and unable to help, Rachel must act alone, and quickly, to prove her instincts about Julia are true - that her cousin is not just different, but troubled and capable of real harm. I was surprised to be drawn into this book so quickly. The reader, as an outside observer, is sometimes able to see things that Rachel cannot, which adds to the suspense. This was also frustrating - knowing that Rachel was right, while her family would not believe her. ( )

Lois Duncan has a knack of pulling you into her stories and feeling the angst and frustration of her characters. As with most of her other books that I've read, she's done the same here. I could actually feel Rachel's frustration and anger at how her family and friends totally accepted Julia and wouldn't believe Rachel. I was a good halfway through the book before I had a clue of how things were going to end. Great book, full of suspense and very creepy. ( )

Summer of Fear is for a person who doesn't get scared easily. Julia, who is supposed t obe a very nice cousin, is acting extremely strange after just one week. ( )