THE GHOSTS OF NAMELESS ISLAND

As spectral visions and attacks escalate against a young seer of ghosts, old mysteries give way to new ones in this middle volume.

A gassy dog and a series of tongue-in-cheek auditions with therapists (“I didn’t hold the doll. I feel like he wanted me to hold the doll”) lighten the general tone, but West continues to lay out creepy encounters aplenty. Eerie noises and the terrifying touch of bony fingers in the dark add even more urgency to the efforts of 12-year-old Gus Greenburg to identify the ghosts resident in the decrepit mansion his mother is renovating. Because the mysterious disappearance of his dad has left both Gus and his capable but traumatized mom on the edge of emotional breakdown, there’s some urgency to their search for professional help. As it turns out, the old house holds more disturbing secrets to uncover—including clues to his father’s fate that lead to another cliffhanger ending. Still, Gus and his fragile parent have loyal friends to lean on, and by the close, the twin quests for ghostly backstories and a properly flexible therapist have taken promising turns that will keep readers involved enough to stick around for further developments. Skaffa’s infrequent but atmospheric illustrations mix comical spot art with images of a racially diverse live cast and a luridly spooky dead one.

Amid chortles and chills, this entry ably tosses new balls in the air to join those already there.