by Jennifer L. Hotes
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Supernatural, Young Adult
Format: Kindle, Paperback

Four Tombstones: a Josie Jameson mystery (Volume 1) Jennifer L Hotes

Synopsis:

Fifteen-year old Josie, haunted by the death of her mother, leads her best friends to an ancient cemetery to make tombstone rubbings. It is Halloween, the night the barrier between the dead and the living is as thin as muslin. Convinced she will come away with proof of her mother’s spirit at last, the evening takes an unexpected turn as the teens gravitate four ways into the haunted grounds. Set against the backdrop of the rainy Pacific Northwest, four graves will be rubbed, touching off a series of events that will rattle their once mundane lives. From the lonely World War II hero to an accused witch, the people buried beneath the tombstones have stories that need an ending. The journey to unravel the mysteries leaves the friends wondering if the graves would’ve been better off left alone.

Review:

Four Tombstones by Jennifer L. Hotes is a fabulous story about a young teenage girl, Josie who is dominated by the death of her mother. She reaches out to her three friends, and the four of them embark upon an adventure that is both spine chilling and eye-opening.

On Halloween night, the spookiest of nights, Josie leads the group to an old cemetery to perform tombstone rubbings on various ancient graves. Each teen goes their own way and embarks upon their own unique supernatural experience. Among the ghosts that are encountered, researched and called up are a witch, a war hero, a baby and a priest. What follows is a story that leads the teens to self-discovery and realization.

Four Tombstones is a tale about the correlation between the spirits of the dead and how they resemble the lives of the teens. Each teen sees a part of themselves in the lives of the particular ghost that they are personally helping. They are tasked to help the departed to resolve their pending issues, so they can move on in peace. In the meantime, the teens find themselves relating to each of the spirits that they are dealing with, and as a result they move on to settle some of their own personal problems in life.

This book is both creepy and inspiring and encourages the reader to turn the pages quickly to discover the outcome of these four teenagers. It isn’t just a story about teenage anxiety and apprehension, but is filled with emotion while giving a depiction of teenage independence and growing self-worth.

Teenagers will see themselves in this novel’s ghostly characters. While, older readers will recollect feelings of the self-doubt of adolescence, the need to belong and the necessity of having a few close dependable friends. Jennifer L. Hotes has developed a series of fabulous characters. The four teens are very real, delightfully flawed and believable. Readers will love the teens and totally relate to their personalities and somewhat dysfunctional home lives that are common in this day and age.

Four Tombstones is filled with mystery, intrigue and the supernatural. This book is unique in every way, with an original paranormal premise and excellent thoughtful narrative. The dialogue between the characters is impressive while the descriptive writing had me on the scene watching on as the story unfolded.

Overall, Four Tombstones is a splendid novel about death, loss, family and the importance and strength of friendships. Teenagers will love this book and older readers will remember their own childhood trials and triumphs and will fully relate to it. We read how the living and the dead intersect in this smart, compelling read. The conclusion is very satisfying, as we see closure for the teens. However, the author has left it open for an exciting sequel which I hope to see come out soon. Get yourself a copy of Four Tombstones by Jennifer L. Hotes and experience a chilling supernatural thrill while being inspired. Highly recommended by Artisan Book Reviews

Purchase Four Tombstones by Jennifer L. Hotes @Amazon Here.

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