One house left

Ralph (Secrets Never Die) puts a harrowing twist on a familiar tale of teens exploring urban legends in this grim and suspenseful horror novel. Sixteen-year-old new kid Nate Campbell has a plan for his first day at Montgomery-Oakes High: "keep quiet, small, easily ignored," and turn away anyone who attempts to befriend him. That works until classmate Max and her friends ask Nate to join their club of misfits, the Hell Chasers. The teens share a passion for testing the reality of local myths, which Nate finds ironic, as he and his family used to live near Murder Road; as the location of numerous violent deaths over nearly a century, it has solidified into a terrifying legend. Together, the Hell Chasers investigate the tales of Murder Road by searching for its rumored patron, the Hiding Boy. But when they finally happen upon this demonic nightmare, it becomes clear that not all of them will make it out alive. As mystery and terror overlap, expectations are subverted, and character allegiances are altered. A romantic subplot somewhat lightens the pervasive gloomy atmosphere. Max has brown skin; most other characters read as white. Ages 13--up. Agent: Pete Knapp, Park & Fine Literary. (Aug.)

Carnage follows 16-year-old Nate, even as his family settles in a new town and he begrudgingly makes new friends. The first deaths on Cherry Tree Lane, later dubbed "Murder Road" by the locals in the town of Belleview, happened in 1963. Over the years, through the murders that followed, legend told of the Hiding Boy, who partnered with evil to curse the street and its inhabitants. After Nate and his family move away from Belleview, he lands at Montgomery-Oakes High, where he meets the self-proclaimed Hell Chasers: Max, Tyler, and Seb. This group of friends is obsessed with investigating urban legends, and they invite Nate to join them. Even when these legends seem to come to life, the teens boldly go after the most gruesome of them all: the Hiding Boy. It's back on Cherry Tree Lane that these tales go from spine-tingling to shocking and bloody. Ralph keeps readers on tenterhooks, and they'll wonder why Nate's family moved away, if what the Hell Chasers experience is actually real, and what truths lie behind the characters' relationships. Seb and Nate are white; Max has brown skin and straight black hair, and Tyler is Black. The climactic scene is fittingly chaotic and blurry, creating a contrast with the tightness of the rest of the writing in this well-drawn story. A suspenseful, grisly tale that's sure to appeal to genre fans. (Horror. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.