Review by Ian Keogh

Hello Neighbor originates as a video game, but such is the skill of Zac Gorman and Chris Fenoglio, there’s no necessity whatsoever to know that when it comes to enjoying the spooky young adult mystery that is The Secret of Bosco Bay.

Allie is going to be spending the summer with her cousin Jen’s family. They were childhood friends, but haven’t seen each other in years, and Jen’s taken the disappearance of her brother very badly. She’s the only person who believes he’s still alive, and frequently trespasses on the site of the now closed funfair where he was last seen. It takes Allie some while to break through Jen’s grumpy personality, but once she does, they form an investigative team. Anyone who has played the game knows Jen is right to be suspicious of Mr. Peterson, now employed designing a new theme park not too far away.

As this is aimed at young adults the suspense is based on the fear of discovery and natural dangers rather than the supernatural or danger of a killer on the loose. Gorman contrives situations, though, where there’s the possibility of something beyond the normal, especially in the minds of two impressionable teenage girls. Once through Jen’s understandable grief, he ensures likeable characters and plausible scenarios.

Fenoglio’s not been short of work on a variety of projects in recent years, and with expressive, solid cartooning and an ability to maximise dramatic possibilities through his layouts, that should be no surprise. His cast have such strong personalities that it’s possible to know what they’re feeling at any given moment without reference to the dialogue.

Everything is constructed so well that young readers will be straining at the leash for further enjoyment in The Raven Brooks Disaster.