The Pool

Nightmare Inn #3

by T.S. Rue

Fun in the water . . .
Kelly Schneider could hardly wait for summer vacation. She’s finally landed her dream job—she’s head lifeguard at the New Arcadia Inn.

Sink or swim . . .
At first Kelly laughs at the legend about the pool. Years ago a girl drowned there; now they say she’s come back for revenge. Then a string of horrifying poolside accidents reveals a frightening something weird really is after the lifeguards!

Off the deep end!
Kelly can’t stay out of the pool, or the people she’s supposed to protect will die. But every time she enters the water, she doesn’t know if she’ll make it out alive!

Nightmare Inn—if you could check in, you may never check out!

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Teen, Fiction, Ghosts, Suspense, Paranormal

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

T.S Rue is an American author of more than 130 young-adult and middle grade novels and novelizations, some written under the pen names Morton Rue and Todd Strasser

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelly Schneider arrives at her new job as head lifeguard at the New Arcadia Inn. (The inn was closed since the early 70’s and has just reopened a few months ago.) She gets settled in and meets some of her co-workers. But pretty soon Kelly discovers that there are a lot of strange things happening at the inn… The pool water is cloudy/murky, some of the lifeguards were hired but don’t remember sending resumes to this inn, the people working at the inn act strange. There is a rumor a girl died in the pool many years ago and her body was never found.

One day, when the pool’s water pipe breaks, causing water to leak into the lawn, Kelly walks through the soft mushy wet grass and feels something grabbing her foot and not letting go. It felt like a bony skeletal hand. Then the pool accidents start…

This was an enjoyable, easy to read young-adult book from the early 90’s. If I was staying at that inn I would’ve packed my bags and left a long time ago. The main character, Kelly, was likable. The storyline about someone haunting the pool was creepy. The only problem I had with the book is some things weren’t fully explained about several of the other characters in the book, particularly the people who were already working at the inn when Kelly arrived. I noticed this is a series with connected books (“Nightmare Inn”) so maybe some questions were answered in those books.

A fun eerie read.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't swim at night for the entire summer when I read this. I give it 5 stars because 20 years later this book gives me the chills for whatever horror it caused in my youth.

[Erica Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

How is Nightmare Inn still open. All these suspicious ~accidents and they’re still getting reservations. Wild.

Takes a while to get there, but I did like the story for this one. There are a few gruesome horror movie-worthy scenes. The ending was so abrupt though; doesn’t feel quite resolved.

These characters aren’t the most fleshed out but I like how they are always somehow connected to something tragic involving the hotel’s past.

[Grace Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

OKAY so if the pool at the hotel gets inexplicably cloudy and murky, DO NOT go in it unless you want to be chewed to a bloody, gnarly pulp by PIRANHAS. Yes....PIRANHAS. And then your gross corpse will just float around in the piranha pool because the cops dont believe your friends when they call 911 and tell them piranhas in the pool ate you.

The Yuck Factor and the Wack Factor are high with this one!! And there are NO supernatural cop-outs here (I'm looking at you, RL Stine's 'The Boyfriend'!!)...there is a ghastly, repulsive creature back from the dead to haunt the pool and drown you. This freaky ghost actually has a satisfying backstory that makes sense, so you totally get the creature's motivation and might even be Team Ghost because of what happened.

2 deaths, 2 near-deaths, and 1 hell of a good time. 5 out of 5 splashes of pungent liquid chlorine to the eyeballs!!

[Kelly]

I remember that hairy, gray arm so vividly! I must have read this multiple times, but had completely forgotten about it until it popped up on my feed. This is a gem! Creeped me out pretty badly 20-something years ago. I would love to find and reread it one day.

[Pastel Paperback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made me never want to go swimming again?

Snapping diving boards! Chlorine blinding! Broken necks! Skeletons! Piranhas! This book had it all.

I did spend maybeeeee 70% of my time thinking one of our main characters was a ghost, and was only slightly disappointed to find out he was a real live boy.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so good. I wish there were more. Kinda like a Twilight Zone or Are You Afraid of the Dark episode. Loved the idea of a creature haunting the pool.

[Emma Beckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I last read this one 27 years ago and it was lovely to revisit it.
A nostalgic 4 star treat.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun in the water...

Kelly Schneider could hardly wait for summer vacation. She's finally landed her dream job---she's head lifeguard at the New Arcadia Inn.

Sink or Swim...

At first Kelly laughs at the legend about the pool. Years ago a girl drowned there; now they say she's come back for revenge. Then a string of horrifying poolside accidents reveals a frightening pattern: something weird really is after the lifeguards!

Off the deep end!

Kelly can't stay out of the pool, or the people she's supposed to protect will die. But every time she enters the water, she doesn't know if she'll make it out alive!

Nightmare Inn---if you check in you may never check out!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

No, seriously, I was fully prepared to give this 5 stars until the end. And maybe I should have expected the deaths after the first Nightmare Inn book but what the heck!!!!! I wasn’t expecting it!!!!!

The endings to these are super abrupt and nothing is really explained, but so far this series has genuinely creeped me out. The New Acadia Inn is a freaky place, and haunted swimming pools terrify the hell out of me. I loved this, but I don’t think Eric deserved what he got!

This was so much spooky fun.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really disappointed with this book, it had all the promise of being a good thriller/suspense novel but fell short and I felt that the ending was really rushed.

[Blake Douglas]

Crap. I knew it was crap before I read it but this was crap crap. Shoulda had more pool kills and less of this dull, unfinished mystery.

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to the first two books in the series, The Pool is (so far) my favorite.

Nightmare Inn set the tone and Room 13 carried on with it, but the third entry pulled off what you expect from YA Horror. If your expectations are gory deaths and grisly fates and downer endings, that macabre trifecta, this is it.

There are also now characters to actually care about.

Still continuity between the books as the latest part of the New Arcadia's older history is shared.

Kelly Schneider is the head lifeguard of the New Arcadia Inn for the summer, a job to help pay for college tuition. She didn't remember applying for this certain hotel but assumes that one of the many other places she applied to recommended her.

She arrives late at night in the middle of nowhere and is guided there by Martin, teen activities director. Kelly will be in charge of four other lifeguards: Chip, Eric, Claire and Tiffany. Chip develops quite the crush on Kelly, but her eyes are set on Nick, a non-lifeguard who has made friends with the others in the four days before Kelly's arrival.

Tiffany seems to be really into Nick as well and not very enthusiastic that he seems to be interested in Kelly. Eric and Chip state that Nick is a man of mystery as he won't open up a lot of information about himself.

When a pipe to the filtration system bursts near the outdoor pool, Kelly and Nick rush out to shut the system off. Crossing the soggy ground, Kelly's foot seems to be stuck and when she goes to free herself...it feels as if a skeletal hand is wrapped about her ankle.

The next morning, Kelly goes with Nick to try and find if there is a skeleton buried underground before the crew comes to repair the pipeline. Kelly finds a bracelet with the name Laura spelled out with white beads. Nick begins to snoop around in the files and Kelly learns he is here to discover the answer to a dark family secret.

Soon, the pool is refilled and open to the public, yet the water is cloudy and murky.

Some guests in their late forties or early fifties are talking at their table one morning while Kelly and Nick are having breakfast. Mention is made that there was a drowning accident where a girl drowned but they never...found her body. This is when the horror really begins, and it goes after the lifeguards one...by one.

The only reason I didn't give The Pool five stars is because the climax starts high and then dips low into an ending which is tragic yet...hollow somehow. Probably because I actually liked most of the characters and the previous books had characters who were awful people.

Kelly was serious about her lifeguard job and keeping the guests safe while poor Nick was there for a good reason. Eric and Tiffany were kind of annoying yet not awful and Claire and Chip didn't really get any definition that was enough to make you hate them. The employees of the New Arcadia Inn and what is behind it...are still the main reasons to read the Nightmare Inn series.

So, the question is...will it rate five-star service or fail miserably?

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kelly is due to be the new head of lifeguards at the new Arcadia inn.
Things are very strange and bad stuff keeps happening daily.
Then she meets the enigmatic Nick who has his own reasons for being at the inn.
Sinister secrets come to light as Nick and Kelly delve into the inn's shady past.
But will the power of whatever is in the pool get them before they discover what's going on?
Danger lurks around every corner so it's best to say away from the water...

[noushting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up this book felt like stepping into a time machine back to my teenage years. The cover alone unlocked memories I didn’t even know I still had! Re-reading it as an adult was a blast—just as gripping as I remembered. The stories hold up so well, especially Nightmare Inn—such a great read. I only wish these books had been adapted for an older audience now because I’d absolutely devour them all over again!

The Pool is the best one by far.

[Natasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first two books of the Tales of Nightmare Inn but by the third one the writer wasn't really trying. He or she made so many plot devices-making something dramatically at the end of every chapter got tired. By the end of the three books I was glad I finished it. Previous books from the Nightmares series was way better than this junk.

[Mollified.Moments · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I’m dating myself here, but this came out when I was 13. I think I might’ve read it back then, though I don’t remember much—just a total blast from the past.
Not great. I vaguely remember reading the first in this series, and this one felt about the same.
Not super spooky, and it just kinda… ends. lol

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a lot of cool twists and turns in this book that made it an enjoyable read. The only downside is that the climax of the story came and went so fast with such an abrupt ending. I wanted there to be a little bit more going on. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this story to others.

[Chantel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book out of nostalgia. I remember loving it in junior high when I read it last. I know it was written for that age group, but it is not like I remembered it. I should have just kept my fond memories of it.

[Luke LaConte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book back in 1993! This was my first book I ever read in YA and made me fall in love with reading! Such a fun and spooky tale. I need to read the others in this series, I didn’t realize it was part of a series!

[Just A Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read you a long time ago, I don't quite remember you BUT! I do remember I enjoyed you a lot :)

[MV · Rating 3 out of 5]

A summer read from my youth. An extremely fast read that gets more and more bizarre the more you read. I love swimming pools so this was a fun one for me to revisit.

[Madame Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good summer slasher with a hint of The Shining.

[Robyn Drummond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a series within the series. I love how there are nods to the other books whilst being entirely their own.

[Shea Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is subpar, but the cover is awesome.

[Alden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pool by T.S. Rue is the third installment of the Nightmare Inn series. It is about a woman who just got landed her dream job as a lifeguard at the pool in the New Arcadia Inn. At first, she was really excited but as soon she discovers the truth behind the string of horrifying poolside accidents and its mysterious origin back in the sixties, all she had wanted to do was to get out of the New Arcadia Inn alive. This book will definitely make you a little nervous about going in a pool again.

This young adult horror novel is a quick cheap read. You can actually finish it in just a day. I was hooked to it and finished it immediately. I'm really fond of horror stories and this book kept my attention, although I didn't liked the ending because it was unimaginable and seemed rushed. I guess this book proved that most horror novels have some kind of chase-like basis to it but the execution still makes all the difference.

[Sheneka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book because it was a mystery book but i didnt like its style because it was very easy to identify what was going to happen next. Another thing i didnt like was that the book didnt really challenge my intelligence. I also noticed how the author used alot of imagery and all of the murders were leading up to the girl that died in the pool years back. The climax of the book is when everybody notices that there are suspicious things happening near or in the pool. Then Kelly crackes the case of why and how everybody is going missing. Id say the theme of this book is once you have an bad instinct about something, go with the thought because nine times out of ten your instinct is right. Kelly's first instinct about the job as a lifeguard at New Arcadian Inn, was that it was kind of creepy and unusual. She knew off the back that something wasnt right there, and she was right!

[Dayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so, I've finally finished reading The Pool. I have to say, I enjoyed it a whole lot more than the previous two in the trilogy! The writing had gotten much better and it was a little spookier too. What I thought was a shame was it didn't delve more into why some of the characters who worked at the inn were a little peculiar. Also, if the reader has read the first book then they'll already know why Sarah is there (but she is still a mystery so I would like to have known more) but not how Sebastian and Martin came to be there. They were also quite creepy characters which added to their mysteriousness and my wanting to know more about them. Loved the nostalgia of reading this series again after so many years.

[Paul Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's...okay

The mystery aspect was interesting but I feel the book can be dry sometimes.

It does get somewhat intense later on but overall the book's eh

Most of the scares weren't interesting or scary and some of them weren't important to the story and is mostly chalked up to eccentricity of Arcadia Inn.

I did enjoy Kelly's character as she does realize throughout the book that something's wrong and I thought her confrontation with the ghost was pretty epic.

Overall, it's okay if you want to read thriller. Jut don't expect too much from it.

[Elizabeth Nesbit-comer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember really liking this book as a kid :)