BEHOLD THE BONES

Following Beware the Wild (2014), Candy and the supernatural swamp have unfinished business.

Practical Candy, determined to leave small-town Southern life and bumpkin stigmas behind her, wants nothing to do with the supernatural happenings of the local swamp. But after her birthday—a strange family celebration, as Candy is the latest to be burdened with their family curse, in which a new bearer is born the same day the last one dies—the ghostly activity starts picking up. This frustrates supernatural-repellent Candy, the only one who can’t see ghosts or the Shine. It also lures in the King family, headed by a ghost-hunter television star and including three kids: a small child, a reckless teenage girl, and the prerequisite attractive new boy who will—as one does in paranormal novels—eventually warn Candy to stay away from him as he shouldn’t be trusted. Happily, the romantic storylines are secondary to Candy’s wonderful friendships and familial relationships. At a huge, fancy party thrown by the Kings, a spirit arrives and Candy banishes it, giving her an unwanted reputation and attracting attention, as the town is plagued by more and more ghosts. What to do? Ghost-handling fame would ensure that Candy would never be taken seriously anywhere else. Candy’s practical motivations combine with a witty, inventive narrative voice, creating one heck of a heroine.

Shines with spooky Southern charm.