As I dive deeper into my reading journey, I’ve decided to start reviewing the books I read. This book I found in a post from threads of someone’s to read pile. “Clown in a Cornfield” by Adam Cesare was the perfect way to wrap up my spooky season in October 2024.
The story begins with a father and daughter moving cross-country to escape the grief of losing their wife and mother. Cesare masterfully sets the scene, showcasing the generational divide in this small town. The build-up is slow but engaging, and when the slasher elements kick in, the pacing picks up dramatically, making for an easy and fun page turner.
The cast of characters in this book is relatively small, but it fits well with what you typically see in a horror novel.
Quinn Maybrook is the protagonist, a teenage girl who moves to Kettle Springs, Missouri From Philly, with her father, Mr. Maybrook. They came to Kettle Spring so he take over the practice of the town’s only doctor.
Rust Vance is the neighbor boy who is noted as being a small town kid.
Cole Hill (yes, I was excited until he is actually named Colton) is the rich, rebellious bad boy with a reputation.
Janet Murry is the Queen Bee of the group—popular, powerful, and always using her phone to film something.
Tucker Lee is Cole’s best friend, fitting the stereotype of the big, tough jock and stereotypical “line man.”
Ronnie Queen and Matt Trent are the school’s “power couple,” always seen together, seemingly the perfect pair.
One minor flaw for me was the focus on a group of high schoolers, which is a common trope in slasher stories. However, it was written well enough, that someone outside of that age group, still kept engaged. It may also be my fault for not doing research on this book before diving into it, as this book does fall in the young adult horror genre. While the book doesn’t break new ground, it offers a fun premise and enough mystery surrounding the town and Frendo the Baypen clown to keep it enjoyable. It’s a great choice for horror fans or anyone looking for a thrilling read during the spooky season.
I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, but I plan to take a break and explore some other books first before diving into the series. After a quick search on the book, it looks like this has a movie, so I will be watching that and hopefully reviewing that also.
Have you checked this out? Let me know how you felt about it. I would also love to hear any awesome spooky book or non spook book recommendations!
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