Book Review of "The Haunted One" By Jay Bennett

This is a suspense story about Paul Barrett and Jody Miller. Paul is a life guard, and Jody is the girl he likes. The book starts out suspenseful. Paul receives a phone call from Jody after she had drowned. Paul tried to save her, but he couldn't. Now, Jody is out to haunt Paul until he dies. In the first chapter, the author catches the readers attention by starting with Jody haunting Paul. When Paul threatens suicide, Jody is happy because she wants him to die so she will be at peace. She calls Paul a murderer because he let her die. She claims he didn't try hard enough to save her. In the next chapter, Bennet starts at the beginning and gives readers the background information. The chapter starts with Paul being hired as a lifeguard. When Paul sat on his stand on the beach, he spotted Jody and continued to watch her. He felt like she was some kind of goddess. He also noticed that she walked like a ballet dancer, which she was. However, they didn't speak to each other. It was as if they lived in two separate worlds. In chapter 11, Jody is drowning and Paul tries to swim out to her to save her. He pulled her out of the water and to the shore, but it was too late. This ends Part One. Part Two begins with "The Haunting" when Jody returns in spirit to haunt Paul. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens to Paul. Does he commit suicide? How does Jody stop haunting Paul, or does she? This is an excellent book for young adults or adults who enjoy suspense stories. It is well written. Like all of the other books I have read by Jay Bennet, his chapters are short. Some are one page and others are more than one page. The dialogue also varies in length. It is a quick read and one that readers will have a difficult time putting down. Jay Bennett is an excellent author of suspense for young adults. Other excellent authors of suspense for young adults are Joan Lowery Nixon and Lois Duncan.

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