Blood Pact

Scream #1

by Debra Franklin, Debra Franklin

After signing a mock suicide pact, Jamie's friends begin to die mysteriously one by one, and since she also signed the pact, Jamie fears that she will the next to die. Original.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult

78 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1993

Reviews

[Grace Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick synopsis in a nutshell. Jamie and her friends live in like, Super Small Town, USA where there's nothing to do for a teenager except go hang out at the old abandoned train station...which is kinda depressing, really. When they find out the Mayor plans to demolish the old building, Jamie and her friends go to extremes to stop it from happening by signing a phony BLOOD PACT....A note declaring all 5 teens will commit suicide if the station is torn down, and it's signed in blood, ewww. Well after the mayor disregards the letter as teenage tomfoolery, the first death happens...a murder, made to look like a suicide. So...DUN DUN DUN!!! Who is next to die 💀💀💀

This book is slightly more "mature" than the typical vintage YA! For starters, there are several curse words, one of the teen characters gets PREGNANT, and they mention how CONDOMS were NOT used....soooo scandalous!! 😱😱🤣🤣

A few notes and observations...spoiler free!

- I'm kinda pissed off at the murderer's story arc, which had me rolling my eyes to the back of my head. Also it was fairly easy to guess who it was, even for the likes of me, as I'm usually quite dumb when it comes to ascertaining Who Done It 🙃

- Some awesome/horrible names in this book! JAMIE FOX!! DANICA HOOKER!! MOREY MONROE!!

- Jamie our protag has a mom who at 38 years old is described as a "FADED BEAUTY" and who looked "every day of her 38 years". That's friggin rude, man 😤😤😤

- LOVED that there are multiple (MULTIPLE!) Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, and Damn Yankees references 🤣🤣🤣 But it's kinda weird when I think about it because the book is from 1993! Grunge was already in full effect and hair metal was totally OUT at that time 😅😅🎶🎶 Maybe music moves slower out in Super Small Town, USA?

- Lots of other pop culture references abound as well...Robocop! Ninja Turtles! But my jaw dropped when our protag referenced EVIL DEAD 2. I mean like, a whole paragraph about it!! My Sam Raimi-loving self was THRILLED AT THISSSS

3 out of 5 quarters for the jukebox at the local Dairy Queen. Give me a Dr. Pepper and go play "Blaze of Glory" by Jon Bon Jovi, "High Enough" by Damn Yankees, and "Kickstart my Heart" by Motley Crue, please. The story goes to shit at the end, but let's just enjoy these sweet moments of levity while we can.

[Timbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a D.A. Fowler fan (aka Debra Franklin) I knew I had to read this at some point and I have to say its not too bad for a YA book. It was predictable, but well written. I was expecting a Goosebumps-level read but it turned out to be at least a notch or two above that. I think the subject matter would have been fairly edgy for young teens back in 1993. All-in-all my inner teen self enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading the second Debra Franklin book in the Scream series.

[Erica Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

- The writing is hilariously equal parts snarky and goofy, with a protag that is prone to fleeting moments of fantasies and dream sequences—which, for some reason reminded me a lot of Lizzie Maguire
- Why do so many of the characters have made up sounding names (Morey Monroe?)
- I appreciate the pop culture and horror movie references! Bon Jovi and even Evil Dead 2 get honorable mentions.
- The Bad Guy motive was boring actually. Also, this is more of a mystery thriller than horror

Fun overall, but I do wish the ~blood pact had more of a significance. It jumpstarts the story but doesn’t come up as much later on, so the connection to the victim(s) doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal as it should

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me awhile to find one and with luck, I got the first book in the Scream series.

The Jo Gibson entries in this series where printed in an omnibus with her other books so it get one with the actual number and label was something I thought would never happen.

We have to meander through a lot of description about where our character's live and details about their lives as usual before we get to any actual action or dialogue worth a darn. Some of it is okay but I am starting to wonder if all authors ramble or do I just do it more than others?

Anyway...

Deer Creek, Oklahoma isn't a big town so most of the adults either want their kids to get out of this town and do things with their lives or prefer living in a podunk town with traditional values of the farmers and ranchers.

The teens don't have many places to hangout and have to drive far to see decent flicks or get any sort vehicle that isn't a truck or a Jeep. The abandoned train depot is one of those spots covered with graffiti and things carved into the wood but it makes a good place to throw some parties even if nothing stays secret for long.

Jamie Fox (not that one) gets a call on Saturday morning from her best friend Danica Hooker that disturbs her dream about locking lips with Jon Bon Jovi circa 1993. Jamie has yet to see the paper but the local mayor is planning to tear it down and turn it into a memorial garden.

Jamie tries to appeal to her parents since it was the place where her dad proposed to her mom but they are not as sentimental anymore since it is such an eyesore. The two girls call up their other friends and arrange to meet at the depot.

The other friends are all guys.

Keith Maguire works on his parents' farm shoveling from dawn to sunset and his dad isn't keen on him going away to get an education while Roman Alexander is set to go off to Purdue or else his mother would have a fit if her little boy didn't get the best. Alan's mother and father fight all the time in throwing matches of chairs and glassware to pay any attention to their son developing a drinking problem or putting on a few pounds.

Once they all meet up, Jamie notices that there seems to be something going on between Danica and Roman as well as the fact that Keith is starting to look at her differently. They discuss how they can stop the mayor from going through with the demolition and no idea sticks until Roman suggests they write a letter.

A letter stating that they will commit "suicide" if the plan is carried out and they will sign it with actual blood. All of them decide to go through with it but actually have no intention to do such a thing except for getting blood from one of them. Spinning a bottle, Jamie is chosen to supply it but Keith volunteers instead while Roman writes out the letter.

They then dismantle the ballpoint pen and use it as a quill to sign their names, Danica and Jamie heading into town to drop into the City Hall mailslot. Jamie's dad works for the mayor and almost catches Jamie while a nervous Danica waits in her car.

Her strict dad surely wouldn't be pleased with this as Jamie has gotten into trouble with being grounded in the past and with her older brother away at college, Jamie has to work hard to keep up or risk working at the Dairy Queen for the rest of her life.

Later that night, the local teens planned to have a party but a grounded Jamie can't go and sneaking out would only double her sentence.

Jamie learns from Keith that there was a fight between Roman and another boy named Tommy Davidson yet it also involved Alan tackling Tommy, Tommy missing Roman and landing a punch to Keith's eye while Danica began smacking Tommy for attacking Roman with her purse as if it were filled with bricks.

Jamie hears different versions from everyone with a few details exact between each one but she also learns from Danica something else...her best friend is pregnant. Roman is the father who wants her to get an abortion because school is more important but Danica comes from a big family so she couldn't imagine that option but she is already getting morning sickness and nausea.

Danica knows her parents will notice soon but Jamie doesn't know what to tell her. It isn't what Danica wants to hear and she hangs up the phone on Jamie that Sunday afternoon.

Monday morning the paper has an article saying that the mayor has received many crank calls and prank letters about tearing down the depot but he will continue on with his plan. Knowing that it is close to the election for mayor and this may get him brownie points with the adults, Jamie isn't happy that all her friends around voting age will lose their beloved depot.

In an aside scene, we learn that new to town and gunning for mayor Malcolm Monroe couldn't be happier to see that current mayor Shepard may lose the youth vote. He encourages his son, handsome Morey, to stir the pot among his peers.

Small towns don't need much to stir the pot because when Jamie notices that Danica isn't at school, she goes to apologize and check on her emotionally pregnant friend. What she finds is Danica dead...having apparently committed suicide by hanging herself.

A call to Sheriff Hammond brings him and his deputy to investigate and if you can think of the biggest stereotype of a small town sheriff...this guy fits the fat and sweaty bill with enough empathy to fill a thimble. Everyone in town knows about the "suicide" note they sent but only the mayor and sheriff know the exact names so just imagine what this guys thinks...I shouldn't really have to explain.

Jamie goes to tell Roman what the sheriff said as well as deliver the awful news and finds Alan there too. The boys are shaken to tears by what Jamie tells them about Danica and we as readers find it a truly plausible and terrible reason to know why...but the back of the book already spoiled that for us.

Jamie can't accept that Danica would actually go through with committing suicide and at her best friend's funeral, Jamie can't even give her last goodbyes once she discovers something on the body.

No, Jamie will make sure Danica rests in peace once the person who murdered her is caught...

The back of the book may have spoiled one plot point but it bungles another which I won't spoil as to what really drives Blood Pact as a book. I call it a horror book because it truly is horrifying with the town being so small and so full of just awful people. None of the main characters is awful...it is the adults around them that trickles down to poisoning these kids.

Teens already make dumb mistakes...parental pressure shouldn't make that worse.

There are plenty of red herrings swimming in the pond to keep you on edge until the reveal and the climax is satisfyingly bittersweet. The ending is saved from such a melancholy fate yet the tension is eased to let you go out with a sad sort of smile.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a decent enough book, but definitely written for teenagers. Now that I'm out of that phase, I tend to find the angsty, naive teenage drama puts me off, but though this book lacks some depth, I still enjoy it. I do have a bit of a soft spot for it, as there's a lot of nostalgia tied up in it for me - this was one of the first murder-mystery/teen slasher horror books I read as a kid, and overall it is still a good read for that age range of kids.

[absolutely _ grim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite 90s YA horror novel of all time. It was full of dark humor, morally grey characters, and real suspense. The writing and pacing were great, too!

Here’s my overview of the story:

It’s 10 o’clock, do you know where your children are?

Deer Creek is a small, backwoods town with a dwindling economy, nothing to do, but at least there’s a Dairy Queen. As her dad tells it, Jamie Fox will be working behind the counter of that Dairy Queen if she keeps blowing off school and smarting off. It sucks when your own father is embarrassed of you, but Jamie’s used to it.

Jamie, Keith, Danica, Roman, Alan like to hang out at the run-down depot to party, as generations of teens have done before them. When the town mayor elects to tear down the depot, Jamie and her friend group decide that can’t happen. The solution? Roman, the smart kid who dodges left-hooks from redneck jocks at school proposes a fake suicide pact. All they need to do is scare the mayor into thinking he’ll have some kids’ deaths on his hands, surely he'll back off, right?

Signing the suicide pact in their own blood is a great touch, so Alan, the resident teenage alcoholic, takes his dip out, polishes off his liquor, and they play a demented game of “spin-the-bottle”. Jamie’s the unlucky one chosen; it’s her blood to be spilt, but at the last, minute Keith takes one for the team. Good thing he cleaned his hunting knife off, first. But why would he do that for Jamie? He’s been acting possessive of her lately, no longer the kind brotherly figure. Maybe the stress of helping his dad run the farm is getting to him, though he never had any fancy white-collar dreams. Yes, things in the group have been weird lately, Jamie can feel it. Weirdest of all, Danica is pregnant, but what can Jamie say to her? She’s no counselor, and besides, she’s told Danica to keep her legs closed a thousand times. Roman is college-bound and determined to survive senior year and get out the Hell out of dodge. And Alan, well, he’s pretty fucked up. All that drinking, of course.

Weird shit starts happening, and it’s not long before the friend group realizes that their fake suicide pact is coming true. And it doesn’t help that the Sheriff has less sense than God gave a carrot. Jamie must pull her head out of her ass long enough to help stop the killer before she’s next. Only, she has to stop daydreaming about Morey, the most popular guy in Cooper High, long enough to help her friends.

Give this one a try if you can track down a copy!

[Matthew MacIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally getting around to reading the scream books. Did this make me scream? Well no not at all. It’s not even really horror. I’d say this was a murder mystery with a pretty obvious murderer. Five friends decide to make a blood pact to kill themselves if the Mayor demolishes the abandoned train depot where they hang out. This is all durning the race for mayor and the current mayor thinks that’s his way to win. When one of the kids die by apparent suicide it seems like their pact was real. Did they kill themselves or was it murder? This was a pretty boring book. A lot of unlikeable characters. Overly long chapters. Overly long book all together. And the setting felt old timey but I think it was just supposed to be rural country. Idk this book dragged at least 50 pages could have been edited out and it wouldn’t have changed a thing. Here’s to hope the rest of the books are way better.

[Kasey Loftis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love these vintage YA horror novels from the late 80s and early 90s. I have a few of the Scream books but I believe this may be my first that I've read. I was expecting a Point Horror style book, but the subject matter was a lot more than you get with those books. You usually don't deal with teen pregnancies, talk of abortion, suicide, etc., in those books, so be a little aware that those are things happening in this one. I actually didn't guess the killer until a bit later, and I was pretty surprised. Overall, a great read.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m pretty sure I never read this series as a kid, but some of the covers look super familiar so I’m not sure.

Either way, I LOVED this. I expected it to be a little corny like most of these 90’s horror books are, but it had surprisingly deep topics covered in it. Her friends don’t “die one by one” as the back summary suggests, but I still had so much fun reading this.

Can’t wait to read more of these!

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not the first scream novel I have read but it's by far the worst yet. Top novel writers my arse!! This broad couldn't write her way out of a paper bag! Skip this book I knew who the killer was right off the rip BORING