Once Upon a Dark November

by Carol Beach York

A high school freshman with a crush on her English teacher, Katie enjoys her job doing housework in his house until a murder in his family has Katie fearing for her own life.

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Mystery, Fiction

98 pages, Library Binding

First published November 1, 1989

Reviews

[Grace Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol Beach York for the win!! Seriously, has this lady ever written a bad book?? I breezed easily through this slim volume, but savored each sentence and masterful turn of phrase from her. Her books are for the more discerning YA reader, AHEM! 😄🙌🏼

Our protag Katie is 14 and has a canary named Binky (cute!!) And has a crush on her graying English teacher (eww!). She lives in a quiet yet eerie town which is so vividly painted in your imagination by CBY's beautiful descriptions. The Fall atmosphere in the thick blanket of fog that envelops the town is palpable.

The book starts off with a prologue throwback of a terrified child being punished by their asshole Auntie which immediately made me think "BITCH NEEDS TO DIE".

Well when Auntie is indeed murdered, all suspicion is cast upon the creepy and weird cousin of Mrs. Herron (Katie's English teacher's wife). Katie works for Mrs. Herron twice a week as a home helper, and like, LIVES for any chance meetings with her crush Mr. Herron (gross). But when Creepy Cousin unexpectedly comes for an extended stay with the Herrons, he gives Katie the heebeejeebees and even Mrs. Herron darkly declares "No good will come of this visit." 💀💀

Creepy, foreboding and ominous, CBY tells a simple tale really beautifully and I was sad when the book was over. If you read this book, tell me if you guessed the ending...TBH I was a little shocked 😱😱

And dude, that last line of the book. Utterly chilling. Bravo to this little 98-paged book that totally enraptured me.

5 out of 5 yanks of the bathrobe belt around abusive Auntie's neck. Trust me...she deserved it. 💀

[Nattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nearly perfect mystery. Don't discount this book because the main character is 14. All 98 pages of this book is thrilling and fab! Quick read made even better because it is actually good. Chilly and outstanding and beautifully descriptive.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The "dark" part of this title is not kidding. The prologue implies that a child accidentally dies from heatstroke after being locked in an attic closet by their aunt (to teach them a lesson about being naughty), and by the end...well, we'll get there. In a detailed spoiler section, because I need to talk about how bonkers it gets.

I was drawn in immediately by the beautiful descriptive writing, the charming small-town setting, and of course, the irresistible "cute English teacher" trope. (May I just say, I can't think of a better after-school job for a young teenager than being hired by his wife as a mother's helper a couple of days a week. Getting paid for household chores -- not too difficult; satisfying -- AND the eternal hope of a glimpse at your crush in his natural habitat/maybe even chatting with him?)

Things go along pleasantly for a while, nothing out of the ordinary until the Herrons' Weird Cousin Martin comes to stay with them out of the blue, imposing for no apparent reason and for who knows how long. No can figure out why, since this weirdo doesn't seem to have a job or plans to do anything, rarely talks or expresses emotion of any kind, and generally just lurks around the place, vexing Mrs. Herron and creeping Katie out.

AND THEN THINGS TAKE A DRASTIC TURN.

Old Miss Gorley, the sort-of-creepy old lady in the mansion on the cover, who lives alone and has always given Katie a chill feeling even though she doesn't really do anything mean, turns up strangled to death. Her body is found in the attic closet. (DUN DUN DUN) And Cousin Martin -- her nephew -- has disappeared overnight, so obviously he did it. Shame no one can find him; he must have disguised his appearance and skipped town.

One day not long after, Katie comes home and no one else is there yet. "Hm, this feels unsettling, better make sure all the doors are locked," she says to herself, but on her way to check the back door WAUGH HERE COMES SOME DUDE IN A FRANKENSTEIN MASK, READY TO DO ANOTHER MURDER. She barely escapes with her life, fleeing down the street until she runs into her mom, who takes her straight to the police.

Then a whole mess of secrets comes out.

Katie recognizes the Frankenstein mask, for starters (and here's where my jaw dropped in shock as the author cycled back to a clue from the VERY beginning that I didn't give a second thought). She saw it when she and Mrs. Herron were putting costumes away the day after Halloween -- it had a rip in it. But how would Murderin' Cousin Martin have known where the Halloween costumes were, since they were packed up and hidden in a trunk behind other boxes?

WAIT. Remember how, on the morning of Miss Gorley's murder, Katie saw her dishy teacher standing outside the house and went across the street to say hello to him, only to realize she'd mistaken him for Cousin Martin? Martin was wearing a coat very similar to Mr. Herron's, and an oddly bright scarf that wasn't like Martin's style at all, but that was obviously just coincidence.

"Katie, did you ever see Cousin Martin and Mr. Herron together?"
"Well, there was that...actually, now that you mention it...OH NO."

So it turns out that the Herrons cooked up this really elaborate plot of making up an imaginary cousin -- which Mrs. Herron made sure Katie heard all about so she would be a good witness -- because they were tired of waiting for the old bat to die so they could get all her money. (Her husband had to be a TEACHER! oh the humanity!)

Killing Katie was not part of the plan, but Mr. Herron went rogue when he realized that her mistaking Martin for him from a distance might mean other people might put 2 and 2 together if they heard her say that, so he'd better silence her forever. And he would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those lousy Thanksgiving decorations that spilled when he bumped the table!

So the Herrons are packed off to jail, where they will have no need of all the money they so desperately sought. And by the way, there's one more beautifully chilling line of motive:

"Once upon a time, Mrs. Herron had been a little girl, terrified in a locked closet on a suffocating summer day."
(so I guess the child in the beginning didn’t die after all, only…Remembered. WITH A VENGEANCE.)

P.S. Can you imagine having a crush on a teacher and then finding out he tried to KILL YOU?? Out of all the relationships in that Inappropriate Student/Teacher Relationships list that end badly, this has got to be one of the worst.

I still can't believe all of this madness happens in 98 pages and that it's specifically marketed to preteen girls. I mean, I can tell I would have loved it just as much at that age specifically because of how Dark and Shocking it is (in relatively tame terms) -- in fact, I wish I had found it then -- but...

I am, however, really impressed by how well the author ties her short little mystery together. No scenes are wasted, the most innocuous things are secret clues, and all in all it feels like the polished version of exactly the kind of story I might have written at a younger age.

[Keri Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim upper middle grade mystery, with surprisingly dark subject matter. It was a 2.5 star read most of the way through. While I appreciated some of the cozy moments in this, I felt like the plot was too simple and repetitive to really be enjoyable (similar to the way that Nancy Drew books are). The ending, however, took me entirely by surprise, so that bumped it up to a 3! I’d suggest this to younger readers who are looking for a Nancy Drew sort of mystery with a little more bite.

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery! Katie is a 14-year-old who has a crush on her English teacher. She loves working at his home with his wife two days a week. Suddenly, his wife's cousin comes to visit. When their aunt is murdered and the cousin disappears everything points to the cousin. But was he really to blame?

Read again November 17, 2015
This book was just as suspenseful as the first time. I couldn't remember the ending and was surprised again! My favorite part of this book are descriptions of the fall and winter weather.

[Madame Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling and cozy read. I love books like these!

[Erica Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It was only auntie’s little joke.”

Tightly written, super tense, and quite dark for a middle grade thriller. A great, quick read!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was a fun quick thriller of a read! It's about a girl named Katie who has a crush on her English teacher and two days a week she does little odds and ends for his wife at their house. But when a mysterious cousin of her teacher's wife comes to stay with them, things start happening... especially when the murder of an elderly woman in town is committed and the cousin vanishes from town as quickly as he arrives. But did Katie see something she shouldn't have? Is her life in danger next?

This book did an excellent job of establishing atmosphere and mystery. While I love quick reads, I felt that it was a little fast in some spots, but wanting more is better than wanting less. I'd recommend this to anyone seeking a quick thriller, with great atmosphere, this is a good choice. My rating - 4/5

[Jennifer Yoesting · Rating 5 out of 5]

short story, but gets right to the point! Great read...

[Louise Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Moves a little quickly.

[Alma Say · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I’ve read a YA novel, but wow… I wasn’t expecting that plot! It was such a page-turner for me. I’d love to see a movie version of this. Loved it! 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doing some research in YA/Middle Grade fiction.
This was a solid one. Great murder mystery told in 98 pages from the POV of a 14 year old.

[Partridge Public]

York, Carol B.

[Qt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atmospheric, moody, and eerie.