Dead Air: 06/13/16

Dead Air by Michelle Schusterman is the first of the Kat Sinclair Files, a tween horror mystery seriers. Kat Sinclair joins her father on location in Europe to film two episodes of Passport to Paranormal. The show has had a rocky start and some believe it's cursed.

In format Dead Air is similar to the 39 Clues or the TombQuest series. Except, this one, isn't tied to an online game. It's just the start of a really awesome tween horror series. Which means the book can be self contained, full of well rounded characters, with a diverse cast.

Kat herself is mixed race: Black father and White mother. She's struggling to define herself after her parents' separation. She's living with her dad and grandmother after her mom left to pursue her dreams of being a photographer. At the start of the book she has long, thick wavy hair, something her mother adores about her. But she wants shorter hair, something easier to care for. So she bobs her hair.

Then there's Oscar, the producer's nephew. Oscar is surly and a troublesome distraction. But he's not there to be the moody would be boyfriend. No. Thank goodness. He's coming to terms with being gay while worrying about his aunt's heart condition. Now Kat, her blog, and Oscar's rivalry, and the production companies history of accidents and other weird mojo would have been enough to make a riveting read. But there's also the question of ghosts. Was this series going to be a Scooby-Doo-esque one where it's adults dressing up as paranormal baddies or was it going to be a teen version of the Ghost Hunters series?

Actually it's sort of both. Or rather, it's like Scooby Doo in its Mystery Incorporated form with ghosts would could would be comfortable in the Victoria Laurie series. There's a lot packed into this first volume. I'm eagerly awaiting book 2: The Graveyard Slot.

Five stars

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