If you love horror, how can you not be at least a little curious about a book titled CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD? Really though. You know all you need to to get started. Alright, I'll tell you a little more, but I don't want to ruin anything so you won't see any spoilers here.

Quinn and her father move to a small town called Kettle Springs (not sure they ever tell us what state the town is in) where he's accepted a position as the town's new doctor. The town seems to be stuck in a Norman Rockwell painting, or at least the adults seem to think it should be. The kids Quinn makes friends with seem to be pretty normal teenagers- too cool for the town and just want to have fun. Come to think of it, Kettle Springs kind of reminds me of the town in Footloose. So what do kids do to blow off steam? They have parties in vacant barns. Those barns are in cornfields. See where this is going?

This book was a ride! Like a roller coaster, it takes some time to get to that peak...but once the clinking of the chain stops, the screaming starts and doesn't let up from there. There are some twists and turns...at least one I absolutely didn't see coming. The first part of the book never feels unnecessary, but the pace is definitely slower than the second half. I didn't have any issues getting through the slower parts though as I really wanted to know what was going to happen next.

I'm not totally sure why this is YA? Yeah, the characters are teenagers and I can see where teens might relate Quinn or her friends more than adults do, but there's nothing YA about the horror or gore. There are some brutal kills in this book that would feel right at home in any other horror novel your parents didn't want you to read when you were younger.

So why not five stars? There are parts of this book that I think are timely and relevant, and I would I wish the author leaned harder into those moments. I think there was an opportunity to really "go there", but that may be an unpopular opinion. What's there gets the job done. When you read it, you'll know what I'm referring to, but I wanted more. Also I'm not entirely sure the antagonist's motive worked for me, but it may work for you. Neither of those things would stop me from recommending this book.

This is my first slasher and my first Adam Cesare novel (looking forward to checking out his other work), so I can't compare it to another any other slashers. But as someone that reads horror novels in general, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope it's not the last time we're in Kettle Springs.

Clown in a Cornfield - Likewise Book Reviews

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