Alex Van Tol

Children's biographies, a great way to get an idea of people I should know! I am actually now intrigued to read an "adult" biography of Dolores Huerta. Cesar Chavez was the compassionate face of farmworkers' rights but Ms Huerta was the unflagging nuts and bolts behind the scenes. Definitely a force to be reckoned with...

The title for Dead Man’s Curve by Alex Van Tol made me curious, so here I am, telling you about this horrifying novella. Like a true horror story, I knew it would not end well.

The kids were taking a shortcut home after the Halloween party. Hmmm, think something wicked this way comes.

After hitting someone or something and hearing a cry, they search the woods. Oh no, we all know not to go there!!

Blaire Witch meet Stephen King. I was already leery of clowns and this only reinforced show more it.

Wait..is that the house settling, or…

Alex Van Tol grabbed me, twisted me, not letting me go until I found all the answers.

Dead Man’s Curve was not what I thought it would be and the ending only confirmed Alex Van Tol’s ability to take a rollercoaster of a ride horror story to a frightening level. And, no, I did not figure it out until the very end. He totally surprised me and the ending left me flabbergasted. Great job, Alex!

I received a free copy of Dead Man’s Curve from Alex Van Tol.

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Meh hi-lo book about a couple of teens trapped in an old boat house who receive murder revelations from, yes, a Ouija Board. Elliot's first person voice is authentic and sometimes amusing but the premise is so far-fetched that all but most naive young adults will be put off. Most of all, it perpetuates an untrue stereotype regarding a harmless parlor game.

Caught for a prank he was not involved in, new-kid, good-boy Elliot must clean out the school’s boathouse with multiply-pierced, Goth girl, Shannon as punishment. They are serving their sentence late on a Friday afternoon and the boathouse looks creepy in the fading light which sets the stage for a scary story. A fairly predictable plotline follows with the polar opposites making assumptions about each other. After Shannon finds half of a best friend necklace, the door to the boathouse show more slams shut even though it was propped open with a brick. Shannon thinks she feels a “presence” in the boathouse and suggests they make a Ouiji Board to communicate with it. They discover the spirit of a murdered girl who demands that they solve the mystery of her death. Written for reluctant readers there are short chapters, a lot of dialogue, and short paragraphs with enough creepiness to keep readers on the edge of their seat. show less