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Boo #3
Boo Hiss
When a soccer field complex springs to life seemingly overnight in the sleepy community of Skary, Indiana, and the local coffee shop begins offering computer access along with its suddenly overpriced beverages, goosebumps start popping up all over town. Has soccer mom Katelyn Downey hatched a diabolic plot to turn their slow-paced town into a den of hip suburban iniquity–or is this the perfect solution to the community’s financial woes?
Even as concerned residents take sides over their town’s future, many are dealing with changes of a more personal nature. Novelist Wolfe Boone can’t seem to find the right niche for his post—horror writing efforts, and his new bride Ainsley–known for executing complicated events with penache and perfection–is bewildered by her inability to control something as seemingly simple as scheduling a pregnancy. Frustration turns to envy when her wacky friend Melb discovers, to her utter terror, that she and husband Oliver are expecting a baby.
Through its quirky characters and winsome humor, Boo Hiss offers unexpected insights into the various ways people respond to change and demonstrates that growth often occurs amid the most difficult–and hilarious–circumstances.
Even as concerned residents take sides over their town’s future, many are dealing with changes of a more personal nature. Novelist Wolfe Boone can’t seem to find the right niche for his post—horror writing efforts, and his new bride Ainsley–known for executing complicated events with penache and perfection–is bewildered by her inability to control something as seemingly simple as scheduling a pregnancy. Frustration turns to envy when her wacky friend Melb discovers, to her utter terror, that she and husband Oliver are expecting a baby.
Through its quirky characters and winsome humor, Boo Hiss offers unexpected insights into the various ways people respond to change and demonstrates that growth often occurs amid the most difficult–and hilarious–circumstances.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2005
7 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Rene Gutteridge
44 books270 followersRene Gutteridge is the award-winning and best-selling author of more than eighteen novels, including the beloved Boo Series and Heart of the Country, her novelization release with director John Ward and Tyndale House Publishers. Her recent suspense titles include Listen, Possession and the award-winning Seven Hours project Escapement. She's been published by Bethany House, Tyndale House, WaterBrook Press, Thomas Nelson and B&H and novelized the successful motion picture The Ultimate Gift. She is teaming again with screenwriter Cheryl McKay for the romantic comedy Greetings from the Flipside from B&H and releasing her new suspense title, Misery Loves Company from Tyndale in 2013. Her romantic comedy Never the Bride won the 2010 Carol Award for Best Women’s Fiction. Her upcoming literary projects include the novelization of the motion picture Old Fashioned with Tyndale House Publishers and filmmaker Rik Swartzwelder.
Her adaptation of her novel My Life as a Doormat is in development with Kingdom Pictures and she is also a creative consultant for Boo, a film based on her best-selling novel, in development at Sodium Entertainment with Cory Edwards attached as director and Andrea Nasfell as screenwriter. She is also co-writer in a collaborative comedy project called Last Resort with screenwriters Torry Martin and Marshal Younger. Her screenplay Skid is currently in production and scheduled to begin filming in April of 2013. Find her on Facebook and Twitter or at her website, www.renegutteridge.com
Her adaptation of her novel My Life as a Doormat is in development with Kingdom Pictures and she is also a creative consultant for Boo, a film based on her best-selling novel, in development at Sodium Entertainment with Cory Edwards attached as director and Andrea Nasfell as screenwriter. She is also co-writer in a collaborative comedy project called Last Resort with screenwriters Torry Martin and Marshal Younger. Her screenplay Skid is currently in production and scheduled to begin filming in April of 2013. Find her on Facebook and Twitter or at her website, www.renegutteridge.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 7, 2022
4.5⭐
I just adore this series. Such a fun cast of characters in a small town setting. So many wacky characters, fun storylines and great faith content. I have really enjoyed every book in this series.
I just adore this series. Such a fun cast of characters in a small town setting. So many wacky characters, fun storylines and great faith content. I have really enjoyed every book in this series.
September 3, 2019
This was pretty awesome and funny. My favorite of the series. (book 3)
A 2 headed Boa-snake goes missing in the town and everyone is scared. Except the stranger from New Zealand who has come to hunt it down.
And a modern yuppie business lady moves to town and tries to remake it into a suburban hipster village.
And there's babies on the way, or trying to be on the way. Or being made. This part gets rather annoying. Maybe if I was a woman? nah, still annoying.
And there's still a nice bit of Christianity sprinkled throughout the book. Especially the local church and it's Pastor.
A 2 headed Boa-snake goes missing in the town and everyone is scared. Except the stranger from New Zealand who has come to hunt it down.
And a modern yuppie business lady moves to town and tries to remake it into a suburban hipster village.
And there's babies on the way, or trying to be on the way. Or being made. This part gets rather annoying. Maybe if I was a woman? nah, still annoying.
And there's still a nice bit of Christianity sprinkled throughout the book. Especially the local church and it's Pastor.
March 2, 2018
I will say outright that I am not a big fan of Christian fiction. I feel like the messages are being shoved down your throat in the most contrived manner possible. That having been said, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire Boo series up to and including Boo Hiss. I have seen other reviews that get upset about the portrayal of small town, Middle America. Having lived in small town, Middle America my whole life, I can say the characterizations are spot on, if slightly exaggerated.
Now, I will not say that the symbolism in this book is not overt. It is rather in your face. But the presentation makes it palatable if you don't necessarily like the religious fiction genre. In fact
I love how the characters are written. They have their own flaws, their own hangups about life. No one is perfect, and some of the characters even fret over this exact idea. I will say that I think some of the plot was drawn out, and could have been shored up a bit. But that, in a strange sense, lends to the charm of the story as well.
Now, I will not say that the symbolism in this book is not overt. It is rather in your face. But the presentation makes it palatable if you don't necessarily like the religious fiction genre. In fact
I love how the characters are written. They have their own flaws, their own hangups about life. No one is perfect, and some of the characters even fret over this exact idea. I will say that I think some of the plot was drawn out, and could have been shored up a bit. But that, in a strange sense, lends to the charm of the story as well.
March 17, 2024
Book 40 - Rene Gutteridge - Boo Hiss
And so I reach Book 3 of 4 of the wonderfully funny series set in Skary, Indiana. Where Gutteridge succeeds in her books is the characterisation of the main participants of the town...and how much we care what happens to all of them.
A series that started with us asking the question, “How much can someone change?” has moved on to asking...”What happens when everything seems to be changing around us ?” How do we deal with that ? Should we just move with that and ‘go with the flow’ ? Or should we continue to ask, “Why are things changing ?”
Don’t get me wrong, change can be good, change can refresh and more importantly change is what happens as life moves forward. But...we do need to ask the question...who is in charge of the change ?
Chaos abounds as a two-headed snake escapes in Skary and mishap after mishap causes chaos, hilarity and much needed reconnecting with the characters we have grown to love.
One of the characters who has changed the most throughout the series, Martin, the Mayor’s assistant, sums up change better than I ever could.
‘Martin said, “Let’s give God thanks for the chance to be part of this delightful journey. And may there be many more journeys to come.” ‘ Amen.
And so I reach Book 3 of 4 of the wonderfully funny series set in Skary, Indiana. Where Gutteridge succeeds in her books is the characterisation of the main participants of the town...and how much we care what happens to all of them.
A series that started with us asking the question, “How much can someone change?” has moved on to asking...”What happens when everything seems to be changing around us ?” How do we deal with that ? Should we just move with that and ‘go with the flow’ ? Or should we continue to ask, “Why are things changing ?”
Don’t get me wrong, change can be good, change can refresh and more importantly change is what happens as life moves forward. But...we do need to ask the question...who is in charge of the change ?
Chaos abounds as a two-headed snake escapes in Skary and mishap after mishap causes chaos, hilarity and much needed reconnecting with the characters we have grown to love.
One of the characters who has changed the most throughout the series, Martin, the Mayor’s assistant, sums up change better than I ever could.
‘Martin said, “Let’s give God thanks for the chance to be part of this delightful journey. And may there be many more journeys to come.” ‘ Amen.
January 16, 2009
Although BOO HISS works as a stand-alone novel, I highly recommend reading the first two books in the series first ~ there is a lot of fun background information that you won't want to miss. The towns people from Skary are quite the quirky, fun and likeable characters ~ they will keep you laughing and shaking your head ~ sometimes both at the same time. Ms. Gutteridge's books are delightful and light-hearted reads ~ I hope she continues with many more stories in this series.
February 7, 2024
I am loving this Boo series, about the small town of Skary, populated by wildly varied citizens with loads of quirks. The funniest thing in this story is the plotline about the missing snake, which led to many insanely comic moments. I giggled a lot, which is something I always enjoy and appreciate when reading a book. I have to say the Best Line In The Book has to be this: Bacon is one of the most powerful weapons in the world. And the faith element in the book is still lovely, still inspirational, still strong. Onto #4!
August 25, 2019
This really is an excellent writer but this story for me was hard to get through. Ainsleys reaction to Melb was unrealistic and Martin and the Sheriff have been such reliable and warm characters in the past Boo books but the love triangle between them and Lois was the worst. It certainly didn't let these great characters shine. Believe it or not the only real comedic and interesting story-line was Fred and Bob and the reactions of the towns people.
November 20, 2024
This one was as enjoyable as the first one. I did not like the 2nd one as much, but the 1st and 3rd had better plots, more fun dialogue and the characters were the same peiple but more likeable in the 1st and 3rd books for some reason. I am glad I finished the trilogy and it ended on a high note. Cute story, small town life, sweet relationships, minimal romance, but what was there was fun and sweet.
November 12, 2021
These books are definitely silly in parts, but personally I find them very enjoyable. While some of the characters are really clueless, their believability is bolstered by their very human emotions. Probably not for those who don't care for Christian musings, though there aren't a lot of them, those that are there are very earnest and heartfelt.
November 3, 2023
This whole series is really enjoyable! I think they're the perfect fall books, and remind me of a clean, Christian version of Gilmore Girls. I love Melb and Oliver, and the characters are so unique. Such a cozy lil book series! The audiobooks are great too, and I plan on buying the physical books if I can. Great books to return to every autumn ❤️❤️
June 1, 2020
I loved this series.
June 21, 2021
Love this series!
July 10, 2022
Hilarious! My favorite of the series
November 4, 2022
this was crazy and boring the first book was decent the next two not so much
April 30, 2023
Best one of the series!
December 11, 2023
It was not one of my favorites from this series, but I did like some of the characters growth through the book. There were some sweet moments in this book. (I heard this on audio)
November 6, 2025
I wasn’t able to finish this one. I kept getting frustrated with how women are written in this book. (I’m not a feminist, but oof).
July 1, 2025
The plotting, scheming and conspiracies of this small town gave me so much joy and entertainment! These characters are so funny and wholesome, I love the dynamics of the town and just wish there were more books in the series!
May 22, 2019
After horror author Wolfe Boone's conversion to Christianity, the small town of Skary, Indiana is struggling to find its new niche. When a soccer field mysteriously appears, followed soon after by a gourmet coffee shop and a cell phone store, residents begin to wonder if change is a good or a bad thing. Meanwhile, everyone is dealing with individual joys and trials.
Wolfe and his wife Ainsley are trying to come to an agreement about the timing for starting a family. Ainsley's father, the town Sheriff, finds himself playing one of the lead roles in a community play and his heart is captured by Lois, the play's author and director. Recently married Melb and Oliver discover they are expecting a baby and have difficulty accepting the news. And in the midst of this tribulation, a two headed snake gets loose and the entire town is in an uproar looking for it.
This is the third book in Rene Gutteridge's hilarious series set in small town Indiana. For readers of the previous episodes, Skary has come to feel like a familiar place to enjoy returning to time and time again. Though it's not necessary to read the first two books to understand this one, it increases the pleasure. Ainsley and Wolfe continue as strong central characters. Ainsley deals with inferiority problems when a new woman comes to town. Wolfe remains blocked as a writer, unable to find a new subject to write about. His aimlessness gets him into a few sticky situations that he doesn't realize are poor choices until much later.
The series' appeal is wide reaching to both men and women, no matter their age. Part of the fun is seeing people of all ages find love or a new path in life. Although this is classed as Christian writing, the faith message is subtle and never preachy. Humor and insightful, character driven stories drive the novel. Boo Hiss, a unique book filled with quirky characters and off-beat situations, is delightful from beginning to end.
Wolfe and his wife Ainsley are trying to come to an agreement about the timing for starting a family. Ainsley's father, the town Sheriff, finds himself playing one of the lead roles in a community play and his heart is captured by Lois, the play's author and director. Recently married Melb and Oliver discover they are expecting a baby and have difficulty accepting the news. And in the midst of this tribulation, a two headed snake gets loose and the entire town is in an uproar looking for it.
This is the third book in Rene Gutteridge's hilarious series set in small town Indiana. For readers of the previous episodes, Skary has come to feel like a familiar place to enjoy returning to time and time again. Though it's not necessary to read the first two books to understand this one, it increases the pleasure. Ainsley and Wolfe continue as strong central characters. Ainsley deals with inferiority problems when a new woman comes to town. Wolfe remains blocked as a writer, unable to find a new subject to write about. His aimlessness gets him into a few sticky situations that he doesn't realize are poor choices until much later.
The series' appeal is wide reaching to both men and women, no matter their age. Part of the fun is seeing people of all ages find love or a new path in life. Although this is classed as Christian writing, the faith message is subtle and never preachy. Humor and insightful, character driven stories drive the novel. Boo Hiss, a unique book filled with quirky characters and off-beat situations, is delightful from beginning to end.
October 15, 2015
I feel like I was transported into Leave it to Beaver meets Night Vale except it's not really Night Vale. It wants to be quirky, it wants to be funny but in some benevolent, ice-cream-social-fellowship-hall way I used to experience in my mother's church growing up.
It's supposed to be Christian fiction but I don't really get that except in that milquetoast Midwestern way I described above. it's so nice; it's so flat; it's so chummy and yet there's a lot of casual sexism going on. The subtle teasing of the opposite sexes that happens in very nice, Midwestern communities is rampant. where women are real women and men are real men. where women put on make-up, watch their soaps, do laundry, cook, and save men from themselves. men do manly things, are awkward, goofy, and need a strong female presence too keep them in line and give them directions. It's like JK Rowling's Casual Vacancy but without the dark humor; without the biting satire. In fact, Boo Hiss is the inverse of the Casual Vacancy. It's the source material. It's the small town culture that Rowling eviscerates.
Naïve, innocent, nice- all these words come to mind when i think of this book. it's a little too trite to be really funny to me but it is a feel-good type book. if you don't want any drama in your drama, if you want it to be funny and lighthearted and Barney-the-dinosaur-like where nothing bad EVER happens, then this is a good book for you. I'll have to buy the first two books -this is the third book in the trilogy- and give them all to my mother; my 83-year-old mother.
It's supposed to be Christian fiction but I don't really get that except in that milquetoast Midwestern way I described above. it's so nice; it's so flat; it's so chummy and yet there's a lot of casual sexism going on. The subtle teasing of the opposite sexes that happens in very nice, Midwestern communities is rampant. where women are real women and men are real men. where women put on make-up, watch their soaps, do laundry, cook, and save men from themselves. men do manly things, are awkward, goofy, and need a strong female presence too keep them in line and give them directions. It's like JK Rowling's Casual Vacancy but without the dark humor; without the biting satire. In fact, Boo Hiss is the inverse of the Casual Vacancy. It's the source material. It's the small town culture that Rowling eviscerates.
Naïve, innocent, nice- all these words come to mind when i think of this book. it's a little too trite to be really funny to me but it is a feel-good type book. if you don't want any drama in your drama, if you want it to be funny and lighthearted and Barney-the-dinosaur-like where nothing bad EVER happens, then this is a good book for you. I'll have to buy the first two books -this is the third book in the trilogy- and give them all to my mother; my 83-year-old mother.
August 10, 2008
Haha, i totally forgot that i've read these books until i saw this one at the library and was like, hey, this is new.
so anyways, the story of Skary, Indiana is pretty entertaining. The books are totally character driven, so the weird plot that seems totally lame doesn't really matter. It's a little bit Jesus-y(particularly the second book as I recall) but it's not that annoying.
Plus, the book offers a plan for a bookstore that I think would be totally amazing. bodice-rippers in the cheese section, thrillers and horror in the butcher's corner? it's so simple! books should totally be organized like a grocery store.
so anyways, the story of Skary, Indiana is pretty entertaining. The books are totally character driven, so the weird plot that seems totally lame doesn't really matter. It's a little bit Jesus-y(particularly the second book as I recall) but it's not that annoying.
Plus, the book offers a plan for a bookstore that I think would be totally amazing. bodice-rippers in the cheese section, thrillers and horror in the butcher's corner? it's so simple! books should totally be organized like a grocery store.
May 31, 2016
What chaos one (two?) snake can cause! Loved the craziness that went into hunting down Bob and Fred. The sheriff's romance felt a little sudden, but I liked the way it played out, and I'm glad that Martin has a shot at being mayor. I liked the idea of updating Skary as much as most of the town did, but I did like how it breathed new life into the church. So glad that Ainsley and Wolfe will be parents and that Wolfe will be writing again.
May 26, 2010
Sophomoric. I gave up on this book on page 41. Apologies to the author if it gets better later on but I don't have the time or interest to find out. Not sure who the intended audience is. Reads like it is intended for early teens but that is not how it is advertised on the fly-leaf or shelved in the library. Yes, the library. Thank goodness I didn't pay for this book.
August 8, 2011
I haven't read the other books in this series. This book was worth the read. I laughed out loud at several parts in it. However, some of it just got repetitious and kind of boring. I did, however, really like how this, being a "Christian" book, didn't shove ideas down the reader's throat. This is a quick and easy read, so even if you don't like it, it's not too big a deal.
February 9, 2013
Lots is happening in Skary: lots of new businesses opening (or changing!), the new theater group is getting ready to put on a play, Wolfe who's suffering from writer's block is willing to try anything, a rare two headed snake is on the lose and a shady character is introduced. And it seems like the Sheriff is falling in love...
November 17, 2024
This whole series reads like you suddenly live in a tiny town and know everybody's business. And everybody's business is everyone else's problems. Shenanigans and hijinks, plots and people just living their lives. Sometimes hilarious, always fun, occasionally touching.
July 28, 2012
A great, if not spectacular, penultimate entry in Rene Gutteridge's Boo series. If you liked Boo and Boo Who, there's little chance you won't feel the same way about Boo Hiss.
September 9, 2015
Third book in the series. Follow the quirky characters through their adventures, or maybe should be misadventures, in the small town of Skary, Indiana. If you enjoy laughing while you read, yet finding a lesson mixed in, then you should give this series a try.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews