TITLE Cryer's CrossAUTHOR Lisa McMann
PUBLICATION February 8, 2011 by Simone Pulse
READ June 11 - 12, 2012
Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer's Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she's not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world's sweetest boyfriend, behind.
But when Cryer's Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn't get close to... the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.
Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she's always loved, Kendall keeps up the search--and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can't stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried....
This book played out in my head like a low budget horror movie you find on Movie Central at 2 AM. The whole time you're thinking "this is going to be terrible" but you can't tear your eyes away and in the end you want to watch it again. I love these movies, and I really enjoyed Cryer's Cross. The entire time I was reading I was pinpointing different characters as the kidnapper and then halfway through the book went in a completely different direction than anything I could have ever guessed.
The unique characters along with the mystery are what kept me hooked in this one. I had never read about a character with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) but I have always been fascinated with the condition. Kendall was a very interesting person, she had to show up to school everyday before everyone to arrange the classroom to her liking and she had to check the doors and windows 6 times each before she could go to bed at night. The way that her mind worked as she over thought everything she did made for a very good read. I liked the setting that the characters created, the old farmers who sit in front of the local grocery store talking, her potato farming parents who were always hard at work and the new arrivals from the big city who serve to spice things up a bit. As a city girl myself I love small town stories because it's not something I am used to.
Jacian was a character I really liked as well, he wasn't happy about having to move to Cryer's Cross (population 212) and leave his friends and life behind (who would be?) But as he warms up to Kendall and becomes a big part of her life I really fell for him. He was sweet, understanding and a gentleman. The relationship isn't a quick thing either, it's a progression, which is always much better to read than insta-love. I like reading about people feeling each other out and figuring out who the other is before jumping head on.
This is a worthy mystery book that is pretty good at keeping you guessing. It's fairly short and can easily be read in one sitting. I definitely recommend this one for anyone looking for a little romance and a lot of mystery, this one just may surprise you.
