cover image 13 Months Haunted

13 Months Haunted

Jimmy Juliano. Dutton, $28 (384p) ISBN 978-0-593-47589-8

In this inventive if belabored horror-mystery mash-up from Juliano (Dead Eleven), 22-year-old library clerk Piper Lowery visits a Clover Creek, Wis., middle school in October 2000 to collect entries for her library’s scary story competition. The spookiest of the bunch comes from a new student, Avery Wallace, whose mother, Susan, literally never leaves her side. Rumors swirl that Avery’s father and sister were killed by something haunting her former house—a tale that bears several similarities to Avery’s contest submission. During a shift at the library, Piper notices Avery avoiding the computers and reacting fearfully to an unseen presence. Days later, Piper finds the dead body of the classmate who bullied Avery, a dark mist hovering over the corpse. Terrified but curious, Piper investigates, documenting her findings and suspicions in her increasingly popular anonymous blog, but the truth is more spine-chilling than she or her audience can guess. Juliano’s premise is fresh, the central puzzle is intriguing, and a present-day frame narrative told by one of Piper’s distant cousins raises the stakes. Unfortunately, Piper never quite comes off the page, and Juliano oversaturates the book with unnecessary period detail. This aims high but falls short. Agent: Liz Parker, Verve. (Aug.)