Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphy

Welcome to Camp Killer

by Cynthia Murphy

Bestselling YA horror writer Cynthia Murphy makes her Barrington Stoke debut with a spine-chilling thriller about a summer camp gone deathly wrong.

When an American-style residential camp is set up in the grounds of an English stately home, the teenage camp counsellors are looking forward to a fun summer of activities.

But right from the outset, things don’t feel quite right at Camp Miller. Rumours circulate of a tragedy that took place in the grounds and there are unexplained sightings of a ghostly presence.

Then the incidents begin – a near-drowning out on the lake, a fatal fall from a cliff-face … Are these tragic accidents or is there something more sinister going on at Camp Killer?

Reviewed by bookstagramofmine on

4 of 5 stars

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Thank you, NetGalley and Barrington Stoke, for the chance to read and review Welcome to Camp Killer by Cynthia Murphey!

 

Welcome to Camp Killer is a fun short story (128 pages) that takes its cues from slasher movies. However, keep in mind that it is written for people 13 and above, so any adult reading and reviewing it may not be the right judge. We did read a lot in the Goosebumps series by RL Stine  that we came across as kids, so I'm pretty sure a 13-year-old can handle what happens in the book.  

 

The book's length also limits what it can achieve, but that's also part and parcel of the genre. None of us expected significant character growth in Goosebumps, and you can't expect that here either. That being said, a major shortcoming was that the novel made it far too clear that the incidents were the result of human interference and not a ghost's doing; had that been unclear, this book would have been given a full five stars. The movie 'A Haunting in Venice' based on the Agatha Cristie novel 'Hallowe'en Party' is an excellent example; we know that because it is an Agatha Cristie detective story, the end will not involve a ghost, but the movie doesn't allow that to become clear.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 November, 2023: Finished reading
  • 8 November, 2023: Reviewed