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The Joy of Spooking #3
Sinister Scenes
Joy Wells is thrilled when Spooking—the terrible town on the hideous hill—is chosen as the location for a horror movie. She’s convinced the attention will finally prove that legendary author E.A. Peugeot set his creepy tales in her beloved hometown. And when a temperamental young starlet goes missing, Joy steps in to co-star alongside rock icon Teddy Danger. But Danger is delivering a terrifying performance that is entirely unscripted: Having rented a sinister old mansion in town, the aging musician has been possessed by a slumbering evil. In order to survive, Joy must turn once again to her old nemesis, Mr. Phipps. Old grudges and ancient curses collide as the true history of the terrible town is finally revealed.
314 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2011
5 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
P.J. Bracegirdle
5 books27 followersBorn in Montreal, P. J. Bracegirdle has done everything from keeping the stage door of a haunted old Scottish theater to pushing laundry carts along dark tunnels under an insane asylum. His last job involved pretending to write thick manuals nobody really read for products few people ever used.
"Becoming an author was my life's work," says PJB, "if, that is, a life's work can consist of staring off into space instead of attending to whatever menial task is expected of you.",
PJB now writes books for children, which is much more fun than writing for adults, he says. "Adults have an amazing capacity to suck the joy out of such noble pursuits as Reading and Writing until they resemble their favorite pastimes: Working and Suffering."
Not surprisingly, PJB recommends long spells of staring into space to others wishing to follow in his footsteps. "If you wait long enough and stare with sufficient blankness, things come into sharp focus that are completely invisible to others. Some are beautiful and moving, others are frightening and terrible. Happily, these are the very same things you need to write down as an author. Which is very convenient, I might add."
"Becoming an author was my life's work," says PJB, "if, that is, a life's work can consist of staring off into space instead of attending to whatever menial task is expected of you.",
PJB now writes books for children, which is much more fun than writing for adults, he says. "Adults have an amazing capacity to suck the joy out of such noble pursuits as Reading and Writing until they resemble their favorite pastimes: Working and Suffering."
Not surprisingly, PJB recommends long spells of staring into space to others wishing to follow in his footsteps. "If you wait long enough and stare with sufficient blankness, things come into sharp focus that are completely invisible to others. Some are beautiful and moving, others are frightening and terrible. Happily, these are the very same things you need to write down as an author. Which is very convenient, I might add."
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 2, 2020
In our final visit to Spooking, we learn the secrets behind horror author Ethan Alvin Peugeot's long-ago disappearance, the shadowy past of Octavio Phipps's family, and the connection between Peugeot, world-renowned aviatrix Melody Huxley, and the mansion at Number 9 Ravenwood Avenue where twelve-year-old Joy Wells lives with her parents and younger brother, Byron. Phipps has had a run of bad luck since escaping the evil Spooking Asylum in the previous book. Mayor MacBrayne fired him, and Phipps had to scrounge to gain employment at a seedy music store in the mall. His plans to renovate the town of Spooking on behalf of MacBrayne and the city of Darlington have failed, but hope reignites when a movie company shows up to film a major motion picture called Blackthorne Inn. Spooking is dark and eerie, ideal for shooting a horror flick, and since Phipps has lived there most of his life, MacBrayne hires him as a consultant to the production. If he does a good job, might the mayor ask him to rejoin his administration?
Joy Wells looks forward to graduating from Winsome Elementary in Darlington. Her classmates have always jeered at her for living in Spooking, all except Louden Primrose. She'd rather not attend the graduation dance, but her mother insists; how many of these opportunities does a girl get? While preparing for the event, Joy is contacted by movie director Templeton Cray and his assistant, Audrey Parker. Penny Farthing, the teenage star of Blackthorne Inn, cannot be found. She's suspected to have run away, but an immediate replacement must be found to fill her role, and Joy was suggested by none other than her former archrival, Phipps. Joy and her family are elated, though she isn't happy to learn the actor who will play her character's little brother is the prim and proper Morris Mordecai Mealey, Byron's super-articulate classmate who irritates Joy to no end. Their onscreen father, who in the movie is possessed by an evil spirit and goes on a murderous rampage, will be played by aging rockstar Teddy Danger, who used to be in a music group with Phipps and bears more than a passing resemblance to him. Joy might prefer a different cast, but she's eager to find out if she has the makings of a cinema star.
The script for Blackthorne Inn is based on a story by E.A. Peugeot, which makes participating all the more thrilling for Joy. But there's plenty of drama before the cameras roll. Audrey Parker has a romantic history with Phipps, dating back to their childhood in Spooking. He never believed she could love him, so he interpreted her every overture as a figment of his imagination, but may she in fact have reciprocated his feelings? Did he throw away happiness with the girl he loved? Yet Phipps feels certain they had no future together. The curse on his family, which causes the men to vanish if they depart Spooking, means Phipps is a prisoner here, unable to leave for more than brief periods. As Phipps deals with his conflicting emotions, Teddy Danger begins behaving erratically. Madame Portia, the eccentric gypsy from book one in the Joy of Spooking series, warns the rocker-turned-filmstar that malevolent spirits are after him, but the movie production team doesn't detect the change in Teddy until too late. A film about a maniac turns real when Teddy chases Joy and Morris with his axe, bent on doing serious harm. Can they survive long enough for someone to stop him? There are many mysteries yet to solve in Spooking, but spending time with Madame Portia gives Joy the clue she needs to discover the truth about E.A. Peugeot and Melody Huxley. Is it more shocking than Joy could have guessed?
Sinister Scenes isn't free of plot holes, but they don't mortally wound the book as they did the first two, Fiendish Deeds and Unearthly Asylum. There's a lot of story to resolve in these pages, and author P.J. Bracegirdle does his best work yet, weaving authentic emotion into the narrative. I didn't anticipate the big revelation about Peugeot, and though the friendship between Louden Primrose and Joy progresses slowly, I appreciate that. It feels real, a connection that both sides are wary to make even though both want it. You can build as satisfying a life in a backwater town like Spooking, dark and isolated from modern society, as you can in a thriving suburb or metropolis. Will Joy remain here all her life, or venture outward? It's a big world with endless variety, but she has time to learn who she is and what she wants. Ultimately, that's Phipps's journey as well; it took decades to complete, but as long as you're alive you aren't too old to backtrack and choose the path your heart yearns to follow. I'm not a fan of the Joy of Spooking trilogy overall, but Sinister Scenes is a decent conclusion, and the last several pages are my favorite part. This book did me some good.
Joy Wells looks forward to graduating from Winsome Elementary in Darlington. Her classmates have always jeered at her for living in Spooking, all except Louden Primrose. She'd rather not attend the graduation dance, but her mother insists; how many of these opportunities does a girl get? While preparing for the event, Joy is contacted by movie director Templeton Cray and his assistant, Audrey Parker. Penny Farthing, the teenage star of Blackthorne Inn, cannot be found. She's suspected to have run away, but an immediate replacement must be found to fill her role, and Joy was suggested by none other than her former archrival, Phipps. Joy and her family are elated, though she isn't happy to learn the actor who will play her character's little brother is the prim and proper Morris Mordecai Mealey, Byron's super-articulate classmate who irritates Joy to no end. Their onscreen father, who in the movie is possessed by an evil spirit and goes on a murderous rampage, will be played by aging rockstar Teddy Danger, who used to be in a music group with Phipps and bears more than a passing resemblance to him. Joy might prefer a different cast, but she's eager to find out if she has the makings of a cinema star.
The script for Blackthorne Inn is based on a story by E.A. Peugeot, which makes participating all the more thrilling for Joy. But there's plenty of drama before the cameras roll. Audrey Parker has a romantic history with Phipps, dating back to their childhood in Spooking. He never believed she could love him, so he interpreted her every overture as a figment of his imagination, but may she in fact have reciprocated his feelings? Did he throw away happiness with the girl he loved? Yet Phipps feels certain they had no future together. The curse on his family, which causes the men to vanish if they depart Spooking, means Phipps is a prisoner here, unable to leave for more than brief periods. As Phipps deals with his conflicting emotions, Teddy Danger begins behaving erratically. Madame Portia, the eccentric gypsy from book one in the Joy of Spooking series, warns the rocker-turned-filmstar that malevolent spirits are after him, but the movie production team doesn't detect the change in Teddy until too late. A film about a maniac turns real when Teddy chases Joy and Morris with his axe, bent on doing serious harm. Can they survive long enough for someone to stop him? There are many mysteries yet to solve in Spooking, but spending time with Madame Portia gives Joy the clue she needs to discover the truth about E.A. Peugeot and Melody Huxley. Is it more shocking than Joy could have guessed?
Sinister Scenes isn't free of plot holes, but they don't mortally wound the book as they did the first two, Fiendish Deeds and Unearthly Asylum. There's a lot of story to resolve in these pages, and author P.J. Bracegirdle does his best work yet, weaving authentic emotion into the narrative. I didn't anticipate the big revelation about Peugeot, and though the friendship between Louden Primrose and Joy progresses slowly, I appreciate that. It feels real, a connection that both sides are wary to make even though both want it. You can build as satisfying a life in a backwater town like Spooking, dark and isolated from modern society, as you can in a thriving suburb or metropolis. Will Joy remain here all her life, or venture outward? It's a big world with endless variety, but she has time to learn who she is and what she wants. Ultimately, that's Phipps's journey as well; it took decades to complete, but as long as you're alive you aren't too old to backtrack and choose the path your heart yearns to follow. I'm not a fan of the Joy of Spooking trilogy overall, but Sinister Scenes is a decent conclusion, and the last several pages are my favorite part. This book did me some good.
June 16, 2011
SO GOOD! The perfect note to end the series on. I love Joy, the mysteries and especially the redemption of Mr. Phipps. PJ Bracegirdle - you sir are a genius!
September 23, 2020
So, on the the 15th of August, I had some issues with the task-bar on my laptop. Instead of the usual task-bar that I loved, it was this ugly old-fashioned task-bar, from like the 1990's or something. I didn't like it, I had a headache, and I barely got to reading.
First, I restarted my laptop like ten to fifteen times. So, I tried to deal with it, but I didn't like it. It made everything else look odd and it was just ugly. However, I decided that what if I leave it off for a few minutes. I did that and it didn't work. So I decided, to update my computer, maybe it would go back to normal. The updates didn't update, but apparently there was some updates that needed to install.
So I did that, installed them, updated my computer, while reading with my headache in full throttle, while it updated. So it finished and there was my favorite task-bar back in place. I literally squee'd, eep'ed, in happiness.
Listen be learned, don't take your task-bar for granted until an 1990's like task-bar appears, again.
My reaction however was one of pure happiness, not the kind that I get when I did finish this book. The reaction I had was nothing.
The thing is that the reaction I had was finding out that Phipps and I growled. My dog, Biscuit, who was cuddling next to me, looked up at me, like "are you okay Bethany?" then he went back to resting his head on my lap. The thing is, Biscuit is a Doberman mix, so he's one vicious little thing, especially to my older brother. Biscuit loves me because I gave him attention.
Mr. Phipps has a three-legged dog named Oliver. Don't know what breed Oliver is, just that he's black and a 'mutt.'
I think P.J. hates dogs, punk rockers, and plastic surgery. There just seems malice whenever I read that.
I still hate Mr. Phipps. I don't care about his curse or his famous ancestors which came the fuck out of nowhere anyway.
Ancestors outta nowhere!
It doesn't change the fact that he feels guilt for the involuntary murders and attempted murders of people. He allowed Vince to die by bloodsucking leeches, allowed Felix to probably get lobotomized, and die in the sinking of the asylum.
He chopped down a submarine house with an old lady in it. Yes, he was trying to scare Madame Portia, but goddamn it, he broke her leg. Yes, he didn't know Bryon and Joy were in there, but goddamn it, he shouldn't have done it in the first place.
Phipps is so full of himself. He says the director should be kissing his feet for showing him the place in the first place. He doesn't want anyone to know that he accidentally killed two of his friends and tries to hide evidence. Yeah, let that sink in.
I don't care about him, he seems like a jerk.
Some of the scenes completely confused the hell out of me.
One minute Morris and Joy were by the Inn and the next thing they're in the cemetery.
One minute they're talking and they're doing a flashback scene in the middle of the conversation, and then reply.
One minute Joy doesn't want to go to the dance and then she willingly accepts.
In the beginning Penny Farthing disappears, but at the end found again, like P.J. realized that Penny is missing and hasn't been found. We don't know who took her or why.
There's Cassandra and Missy, who all of a sudden are buddy-buddy with Joy, which came the fuck out of nowhere.
Friendship outta nowhere!
Joy, all of a sudden knowing how to act?
Acting outta nowhere!
Right now, this will be the last kid-lit book to read. Until we meet again, kid-lit, until then...
Cinderella's Dress here I come.
First, I restarted my laptop like ten to fifteen times. So, I tried to deal with it, but I didn't like it. It made everything else look odd and it was just ugly. However, I decided that what if I leave it off for a few minutes. I did that and it didn't work. So I decided, to update my computer, maybe it would go back to normal. The updates didn't update, but apparently there was some updates that needed to install.
So I did that, installed them, updated my computer, while reading with my headache in full throttle, while it updated. So it finished and there was my favorite task-bar back in place. I literally squee'd, eep'ed, in happiness.
Listen be learned, don't take your task-bar for granted until an 1990's like task-bar appears, again.
My reaction however was one of pure happiness, not the kind that I get when I did finish this book. The reaction I had was nothing.
The thing is that the reaction I had was finding out that Phipps and I growled. My dog, Biscuit, who was cuddling next to me, looked up at me, like "are you okay Bethany?" then he went back to resting his head on my lap. The thing is, Biscuit is a Doberman mix, so he's one vicious little thing, especially to my older brother. Biscuit loves me because I gave him attention.
Mr. Phipps has a three-legged dog named Oliver. Don't know what breed Oliver is, just that he's black and a 'mutt.'
I think P.J. hates dogs, punk rockers, and plastic surgery. There just seems malice whenever I read that.
I still hate Mr. Phipps. I don't care about his curse or his famous ancestors which came the fuck out of nowhere anyway.
Ancestors outta nowhere!
It doesn't change the fact that he feels guilt for the involuntary murders and attempted murders of people. He allowed Vince to die by bloodsucking leeches, allowed Felix to probably get lobotomized, and die in the sinking of the asylum.
He chopped down a submarine house with an old lady in it. Yes, he was trying to scare Madame Portia, but goddamn it, he broke her leg. Yes, he didn't know Bryon and Joy were in there, but goddamn it, he shouldn't have done it in the first place.
Phipps is so full of himself. He says the director should be kissing his feet for showing him the place in the first place. He doesn't want anyone to know that he accidentally killed two of his friends and tries to hide evidence. Yeah, let that sink in.
I don't care about him, he seems like a jerk.
Some of the scenes completely confused the hell out of me.
One minute Morris and Joy were by the Inn and the next thing they're in the cemetery.
One minute they're talking and they're doing a flashback scene in the middle of the conversation, and then reply.
One minute Joy doesn't want to go to the dance and then she willingly accepts.
In the beginning Penny Farthing disappears, but at the end found again, like P.J. realized that Penny is missing and hasn't been found. We don't know who took her or why.
There's Cassandra and Missy, who all of a sudden are buddy-buddy with Joy, which came the fuck out of nowhere.
Friendship outta nowhere!
Joy, all of a sudden knowing how to act?
Acting outta nowhere!
Right now, this will be the last kid-lit book to read. Until we meet again, kid-lit, until then...
Cinderella's Dress here I come.
November 18, 2018
A fun, exciting finish to the series.
October 30, 2020
I really liked the conclusion to this trilogy...very satisfying c:
September 5, 2011
As the third and final installment of the JOY OF SPOOKING trilogy opens, Joy Wells is haunted by an inexplicable recurring nightmare. "Even if her fears about graduating were the cause, it still didn't explain the dream itself. What could plummeting into the sea possibly have to do with heading off to junior high?" Could junior high be any more terrifying than Joy's experiences in the delightfully creepy town of Spooking, which she is sure inspired famed classic horror author E. A. Peugeot? It seems likely that Joy's dream has a more disturbing source, and one closer to home.
SINISTER SCENES unfolds against the backdrop of an adaptation of an E. A. Peugeot story being filmed right in Spooking. It's a toss-up whether the disappearance of its young star or the upcoming school dance holds more horror:
"'What do you mean I have to go?' Joy demanded. 'Why?'
'Because if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life,' Mrs. Wells warned gravely.
Joy looked at her mother, wearing a pensive expression. Since Joy was already hoping for an unnaturally long life, she had to weigh the possibility seriously, she decided. So she began picturing herself as a housebound old woman, bitterly wishing she had shaken her booty in a hot gymnasium with people she considered mostly bullies and bozos.
It just didn't seem likely."
Seriously, Bracegirdle cracks me up.
Joy is possibly the last child in literature I'd expect to become obsessed with being in a movie (and I mean that as a compliment), but her abiding love of Peugeot makes her excitement in accepting the lead role seem natural. She is not initially excited about the movie, since rumor has it that the movie includes vampires AND zombies "...the two monsters even Joy couldn't stand lately, mostly because every girl at Winsome had somehow come under the impression that they made good boyfriends. Pale and pensive with six-packs, they craved not blood and brains apparently, but chocolate and kisses. Joy was outraged. What was happening to the world?"
Precocious Joy is a horror fan who prefers to dress up in the clothes of her house's former occupant, adventurer Melody Huxley. As the series has progressed, she has moved from singular loathing of everything Darlington to finding its good points, even making a Darling friend, but she has remained wholly herself. She still sees ghosts and monsters everywhere (because in Spooking, they ARE everywhere), and her sometimes misguided Gothic sensibilities add to the series' dry humor, but she is undeniably becoming more complex and less of a self-imposed outcast. She relishes her movie role with enthusiasm she once reserved exclusively for the macabre. But there is plenty of the macabre to be had during filming. Rock star and mediocre actor Teddy Danger, haunted by the creepy mansion that is his home-away-from-home during filming, undergoes a radical transformation.
Will Joy finally prove that Spooking was the home of E. A. Peugeot? Will she find out the fate of Melody Huxley? Will she even survive the trilogy? Good heavens, you don't think I'd tell you any of THAT, did you? Get thee to a bookstore!
I highly recommend starting Joy's adventures at the beginning, with FIENDISH DEEDS followed by UNEARTHLY ASYLUM. Although a Spooking novice could follow SINISTER SCENES as a standalone, there is so much character development (especially with the series villains, who become satisfyingly nuanced) throughout the trilogy, that skipping the first two installments denies you an abundance of backstory.
Source disclosure: I purchased this book.
SINISTER SCENES unfolds against the backdrop of an adaptation of an E. A. Peugeot story being filmed right in Spooking. It's a toss-up whether the disappearance of its young star or the upcoming school dance holds more horror:
"'What do you mean I have to go?' Joy demanded. 'Why?'
'Because if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life,' Mrs. Wells warned gravely.
Joy looked at her mother, wearing a pensive expression. Since Joy was already hoping for an unnaturally long life, she had to weigh the possibility seriously, she decided. So she began picturing herself as a housebound old woman, bitterly wishing she had shaken her booty in a hot gymnasium with people she considered mostly bullies and bozos.
It just didn't seem likely."
Seriously, Bracegirdle cracks me up.
Joy is possibly the last child in literature I'd expect to become obsessed with being in a movie (and I mean that as a compliment), but her abiding love of Peugeot makes her excitement in accepting the lead role seem natural. She is not initially excited about the movie, since rumor has it that the movie includes vampires AND zombies "...the two monsters even Joy couldn't stand lately, mostly because every girl at Winsome had somehow come under the impression that they made good boyfriends. Pale and pensive with six-packs, they craved not blood and brains apparently, but chocolate and kisses. Joy was outraged. What was happening to the world?"
Precocious Joy is a horror fan who prefers to dress up in the clothes of her house's former occupant, adventurer Melody Huxley. As the series has progressed, she has moved from singular loathing of everything Darlington to finding its good points, even making a Darling friend, but she has remained wholly herself. She still sees ghosts and monsters everywhere (because in Spooking, they ARE everywhere), and her sometimes misguided Gothic sensibilities add to the series' dry humor, but she is undeniably becoming more complex and less of a self-imposed outcast. She relishes her movie role with enthusiasm she once reserved exclusively for the macabre. But there is plenty of the macabre to be had during filming. Rock star and mediocre actor Teddy Danger, haunted by the creepy mansion that is his home-away-from-home during filming, undergoes a radical transformation.
Will Joy finally prove that Spooking was the home of E. A. Peugeot? Will she find out the fate of Melody Huxley? Will she even survive the trilogy? Good heavens, you don't think I'd tell you any of THAT, did you? Get thee to a bookstore!
I highly recommend starting Joy's adventures at the beginning, with FIENDISH DEEDS followed by UNEARTHLY ASYLUM. Although a Spooking novice could follow SINISTER SCENES as a standalone, there is so much character development (especially with the series villains, who become satisfyingly nuanced) throughout the trilogy, that skipping the first two installments denies you an abundance of backstory.
Source disclosure: I purchased this book.
October 17, 2014
I'm giving this four stars because all the things I loved about the other two books are still there. The characters, particularly Joy and Mr. Phipps, are so quirky and dark. The whole book is quirky and dark. I find myself smiling the whole time I'm reading, and I just want to visit Spooking and hang out with Joy. The author did a great job through the entire series making the characters consistent and full of life, and the town of Spooking as well. And of course, the E.A. Peugot thread going on.
The concept of this one is different, too. A horror movie being filmed in Spooking, and Joy getting the lead part when the lead actress goes missing in a graveyard--love it. Teddy Danger is in the movie as well, and, well, let's just say that he gets a little carried away. Mr. Phipps is up to his usual doing the wrong thing for the sort-a right reasons, and making you irritated yet totally sympathetic at the same time.
What made me knock off a star though: the sentence structure issue I had in the last book about drove me nuts in this one. I didn't detail it out before, and I won't now because it probably won't be noticed by most readers, so why plant it in your head, eh? But for me, urgh. No, I didn't take off a star for that last time, but this time it's combined with a massive info-dump about 2/3 of the way through the book. I won't spoil it for you--and yes, it was a twist I hadn't really seen coming--but when it did come, it was just told. For pages, just told. There really needed something breaking it up, and making it more interactive as this was a major revelation.
Anyway, I still, wholeheartedly, recommend this series. I know I'll be reading it again.
The concept of this one is different, too. A horror movie being filmed in Spooking, and Joy getting the lead part when the lead actress goes missing in a graveyard--love it. Teddy Danger is in the movie as well, and, well, let's just say that he gets a little carried away. Mr. Phipps is up to his usual doing the wrong thing for the sort-a right reasons, and making you irritated yet totally sympathetic at the same time.
What made me knock off a star though: the sentence structure issue I had in the last book about drove me nuts in this one. I didn't detail it out before, and I won't now because it probably won't be noticed by most readers, so why plant it in your head, eh? But for me, urgh. No, I didn't take off a star for that last time, but this time it's combined with a massive info-dump about 2/3 of the way through the book. I won't spoil it for you--and yes, it was a twist I hadn't really seen coming--but when it did come, it was just told. For pages, just told. There really needed something breaking it up, and making it more interactive as this was a major revelation.
Anyway, I still, wholeheartedly, recommend this series. I know I'll be reading it again.
May 13, 2015
this was a nice ending to the trilogy of Spooking... there seems to be the possibility of a continuation of another sort, but hopefully not... i enjoyed this book like the previous two... funny, scary, true-to-life, and cute...
September 14, 2011
Love love love. A bit sad the series is over actually. I love Joy and her brother, and I love how he wrapped up the series.
June 13, 2011
reviewed for SLJ
January 2, 2015
this book is really creepy at the end
February 24, 2014
A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, and definitely an improvement over the first book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews