Tick Tock Terror

by Melanie Jackson

Conor loves to climb. So when the crusty old manager of a thrill ride based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" challenges Conor to scale the ride in the dark of night and hide a package at the top, he foolishly accepts. But it isn't long before he realizes that he is now involved in something far more dangerous. What is in the package, and what does it have to do with Edgar Allan Poe? And why is the town bully so terrified of the old man? The more Conor learns, the deeper in trouble he gets.

Genres: Young Adult

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 29, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Melanie Jackson wrote her first mystery story at age seven and hasn't stopped since. She isn't sure why she likes mysteries so much, except that maybe it's part of being curious about life and its possibilities. A former journalist, Melanie volunteers as a creative writing mentor for the Vancouver School Board. Born in Scotland, raised in Toronto, Melanie lives in East Vancouver, in the same Commercial Drive area as her singing sleuth Dinah, with her husband, daughter and cowardly cat.

Series:
* Dinah Galloway
* Ailie Mooney

Reviews

[Taylor (Books&Beanies) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once Conor realizes he’s gotten himself into something that is probably illegal he starts getting paranoid and tries to fix things before he no choice but to do the deed. I liked the idea of this story, although I do wish it had been longer so that more information and more could have been incorporated. With it being so short, things kind of felt like they were a little rushed. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story. I only gave it three stars because of the reasons I said before. I liked all of the characters. I also like the idea of an Edgar Allen Poe themed amusement park. It makes you wonder if the author has a fascination with Edgar Allen Poe and his work. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick and enjoyable read.



Thank you, NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Edgar Allan Poe, so I was really happy to find the Poe theme of this short novel (and it was educational, too). Adolescent Conor Marlowe lives to climb. He is a part-time employee at a climbing gym, and on his lunch hours, always rides at the amusement park across the street. One of the popular rides there is based on Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum." Orne lunch period a goblinesque old man, who turns out to be the ride's manager, offers Conor cash if he'll climb the ride at 2 AM and leave something up there. Conor is over-confident of his climbing ability, but realizing something "secret" must be "illegal," he tries to demur, till the old guy threatens to report him to the police as a thief (which he isn't). So he agrees, and leaves what is supposed to be a raven carved out of ebony that was owned by Poe himself. In the process, Conor learns about trust, friendships, and not taking others for granted or at face value. He also faces danger.

TICK TOCK TERROR is a short entertaining novel aimed at middle grade reluctant readers. It has a lot to recommend it, and also includes a sample from the author's novel HIGH WIRE. I quite enjoyed it.

[Sinamile · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC Review: Received for free via Netgalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

CW: ableist slurs

Okay, it took a while for em to finish this one despite how short and easy it is to read. I couldn't tell you why I struggled so much half way in, but I did. But I finally finished it. Overall, it wasn't so bad, and I did enjoy it and would rec it especially for younger readers or anyone look for a quick, easy and fun book to read.

[Tom Malinowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conor excels at climbing where he works at Cliff Edge. When he gets approached by the manager of Edgar Allan Poe themed roller coaster ride which is across the street with an eerie proposition, Conor gets involved in a plot of mistaken goods, double crossing, and moral dilemmas. Quick fun suspenseful read.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Connor works at a climbing gym and he loves to climb. One day a rather creepy old man from the amusement park across the street offers him a shady deal to hide a package at the top of a thrill ride that is based on a novel by Edgar Allen Poe. He offers Connor a lot of money and anonymity to do it - also promises Connor that it is completely safe and that he can guarantee no police involvement as well. Connor turns it down but the old guy shoves money into Connor's hands and then says he'll tell the police Connor stole the money unless Connor hides the package at the top of the ride. Connor is torn between the thrill of climbing and the desire to take the money but he also has a sneaking suspicion that the old man is up to something crooked and he doesn't want to be involved in it.

A serviceable hi-lo mystery with a touch of spook factor in it. It reminded me quite a bit of one of Jackson's other Orca books that I had read previously. If students read and liked that one, they will enjoy this one as well. Lots of Edgar Allen Poe references but it's not necessary to know anything about Poe to enjoy the story.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't do scary at the best of times, so that's why it took me a while to garner enough courage to open this book. As an adult reading books for children, my perspective is different from the target audience. I'm so busy worrying about what will happen to the characters, I don't get involved in the way those readers might. On the other hand, I know the Edgar Allan Poe story this one references so that might just be another reason for my anxiety.
Anyway, this is a fast paced, tense, thriller for younger readers. Connor, who loves to climb, is coerced into hiding a stolen object high on a 'Pit and Pendulum' fairground ride. Fixing the mess he's gotten himself into isn't easy.
What I really liked about this book is how the many different characters are shown to be more than Connor assumed.

[Robin Pelletier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any story centered around Edgar Allan Poe is my jam. This was a short, fast-paced mystery thriller centered around a carnival ride themed after the pit and the pendulum. Conor Marlowe lives to climb, so much so that he's adopted the persona as the climbing fiend (cape included) at his job at Cliff's Edge, a climbing gym. But when Conor's skills land him an unwanted job through a little blackmail, he has no choice but to climb the pendulum and hide an unusual life like raven for the creepy ride's manager. Can Marlowe outsmart his blackmailers? Can he make the climb?

What I loved most: all the Edgar Allan Poe allusions. But I really loved the reveal about the raven. I went down a research rabbit hole after this novel!

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. It may be a short story but it keeps you hooked and holds a great amount of detail. I genuinely did not expect the twist at the end of the story. I would recommend this book to those who like Edgar Allan Poe as he is referenced quite frequently in the story. There is an actual theme park based on him within it. This story kept me on my toes fearing for Connor's life. Connor gets blackmailed into climbing up one of the rides to hide something as he is an avid climber. He later finds out that it wasn't something silly or small but in fact something very valuable. Something that the person blackmailing him believes is worth more than Connor's life. This is a great book for people wanting to dabble into the horror subject or for those who do not enjoy gruesome things

[Hugo Nishi-Strong]

I think this was good book because I like some scary story and this was a little bit scary book but if it was a scary book lover I think it will match. Also, in this book it had some difficult word for me but as I read through I got started to understand about the difficult words and I think it is useful to write your own text or make the own book, so it was a very good story for me.