Tom Hoyle

Scary book in which Adam is pursued from birth ( at the stroke of midnight in the Year 2000) until present day where a cult believes that if he turns 14, he will destroy them. The cult, led by a sociopath called Coron, have eliminated every child born on the first of Jan 2000. Adam is the last one they are sent to kill but through sheer will and cunning, he seems to escape.
Set in London, the book is creepy in that Coron is completely insane, and yet he seems to attract the lost to him. He show more even infiltrates the police force so that when an attempt on Adam's life goes horribly wrong and his adopted parents are injured, Adam is suddenly the prime suspect in an attempted murder case as the result of the cult cop's influence. Only Adam's childhood friend Megan and a strange boy called Simon ( who is a cult escapee) seem to believe that he is innocent. Gripping, suspense , violent and full of psychological terror, this is an interesting story that would of had more stars had the author not waffled around so much! show less

This is not part of the Thirteen/Spiders series but a stand alone horror book. A group of English boys are sent to Australia to participate in the Ultimate Bushcraft camp where they learn survival skills and then as a group travel through remotest parts of the outback. We know something has gone terribly wrong as the story begins with one boy George Fleet typing up a statement about the incidents. His story is then interspersed with the raving thoughts of a madman - a psychopath who show more systematically murders each of the boys as they go along. We, the reader, must figure out if George is the murderer ( the police have him in custody so they think he is) or, if he isn't, which one actually is. There are all the usual red herrings and set ups as the boys try to work out whether the deaths are accidents or something more sinister.
I won't give it away, but I figured out who the psychopath was and his accomplice about half way through. It will be interesting to see if the young adult readers do.
This book reminded me a lot of the teenage fiction I grew up with in the 80s from the USA....group of kids off the grid, picked off one by one....you know the deal. show less

This is not a genre I particularly enjoy, but I found the premise of 'Spiders' interesting, and am glad I took a chance. Hoyle creates a word which is both recognisably realistic, and disturbingly different.

The protagonists are loyal, intelligent and courageous, with lots for younger readers to admire and discuss.

I wondered if the book might have been more aimed at boys, but I think both genders would enjoy it.

This is not a genre I particularly enjoy, but I found the premise of 'Spiders' interesting, and am glad I took a chance. Hoyle creates a word which is both recognisably realistic, and disturbingly different.

The protagonists are loyal, intelligent and courageous, with lots for younger readers to admire and discuss.

I wondered if the book might have been more aimed at boys, but I think both genders would enjoy it.