Nightmare

by Willo Davis Roberts

When a falling body strikes Nick's car as he drives under an overpass, the police call the man's death a suicide, but Nick suspects murder and finds his life in danger when he tries to investigate

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Young Adult

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Willo Davis Roberts was an American writer chiefly known for her mystery novels for children and young adults. She won Edgar Allan Poe awards in 1989, 1995, and 1997 for best juvenile and best young adult mysteries. Her books included The View from the Cherry Tree, Twisted Summer, Don't Hurt Laurie, Megan's Island, Baby-sitting is a Dangerous Job, Hostage, The Girl with Silver Eyes, The One Left Behind and Scared Stiff.

Reviews

[Julier]

17-yr-old Nick has nightmares after a man died by "falling" onto his car hood; real life gets even worse. [NOT for younger students; swearing is never specific, has realistically scary bad thugs.]

[Cephas Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nightmare by Willo Davis Roberts follows Nick Corelli, a seventeen year old suburban boy who totals his car when he plows into a man who fell off an overpass. While the nightmares in his head begin immediately, the real life nightmare begins soon after when it becomes apparent that the accident was no suicide, and he has stumbled into something much more sinister indeed. With his dog, and his dead fathers motor home, and his troublesome neighbor, he seeks to learn the real truth about the accident and put this whole nightmare behind him.

I think this book was pretty good overall. The main issue I had with it was the dialogue between characters. The conversations between them don't really sound authentic, and every single character pretty much talks the same exact way, with no individual flair. Also, Nick's personality shifts drastically within the book. In the first half, he's a simple, stubborn kid who just wants things to be simple again, and in the second half he's on a relentless search for truth, and he's going out of his way to take risks in order to try and uncover the mystery of the alleged suicide. However, I did like how immersive the descriptive writing was, and it was a satisfying easy read. Overall, 6 outta ten spicy meatballs, and I'd recommend this book to someone looking for a simple thriller or mystery that can be digested easily.