Haunting Blue by R.J. Sullivan

Damnation Books, 2010
ASIN: B004E9U7D8
Available: Trade paperback & multi-format e-book

Ghosts are one of the overlooked monsters of the paranormal out there these days, likely because it’s hard to make a ghost sexy (I mean, without totally ripping off the movie Ghost.) Luckily, RJ Sullivan doesn’t even try. Haunting Blue is a fun little horror novel about a blue-haired punk girl forced to move to small town Indiana who immediately gets tied up in the town’s big urban legend. It has a classic ghost story/urban legend feel, that escapes the trap of cliché, and is still very tantalizing. It’s also got the only climax at a theme park that I’ve enjoyed other than Zombieland.

Sullivan makes good use of his teen lead’s heavy mix of feelings and sense of worthlessness without making this an issue book. Also, the involvement of a geek hero and a D&D tabletop “date” scene amused me to no end. Haunting Blue is a solid read, it moves well, sweeping readers up in the heroine’s conflicts, be they mundane or ghostly. Recommended for sure, especially for readers looking for a good ghost story in a vampire and zombie world.

Contains: violence, language, sex