The Salem witch trials haunt a teenage psychic in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of I Know What You Did Last Summer. When Sarah Zoltanne moves from sunny California to a small town in Missouri, she feels like she’ll never fit in. Her mother is dating a jerk, the kids at her school despise her, and she misses her old home. So when a popular boy asks her to tell fortunes at a school fair, she jumps at the chance. But soon her crystal ball begins to swirl with strange visions and her outlandish predictions start to come true with startling accuracy. Now Sarah must confront a community that not only mistrusts her, but also fears her strange powers. Gallows Hill is a spine-chilling thriller based on the story of the Salem witch trials. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Duncan including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.
Lois Duncan (1934–2016) was an author of more than fifty books for young adults. Her stories of mystery and suspense have won dozens of awards and many have been named Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association. Among the many honors and accolades she has received for her work, in 2015, Lois Duncan was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. Duncan was born Lois Duncan Steinmetz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; she grew up in Sarasota, Florida. By age ten she was submitting her work to magazines, and she had her first story published nationally when she was just thirteen. In 1994, Duncan released a nonfiction title, Who Killed My Daughter?, after her youngest child was killed in a crime that was never solved.
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As that thought took form in her mind, Sarah found herself struck by a feeling of such abrupt and intense foreboding that it was as if a black void had opened directly in front of her. In that instant of dislocation, as she fought to maintain her equilibrium and keep from tumbling headfirst into the pit of darkness, a voice seemed to shout directly into her right ear.
"Guilty as charged!" it bellowed. "Away to Gallows Hill!"
"No!" Sarah heard herself whimper. "I didn't really mean it!"
"Poor little Betty," another voice said more gently. "The child is too frightened to remember. "
Betty does remember, and she's sorry! She never should have done it!
For an instant the chasm gaped wider, and then the illusion was gone as if it had never been. With a gasp of relief, Sarah found herself safe again in the living room, where the only activity was on the television screen and the only voice was Kyra's, tinny and tiny at the other end of the phone line.
"You didn't mean what?" it was asking. "Does that mean you've changed your mind?"
"Yes," Sarah said. "I guess so. But for Rosemary's sake, not yours. I couldn't care less how 'cool' you think Eric Garrett is."
She replaced the receiver in slow motion and sat down on the sofa, feeling as if she had served a short stint in the Twilight Zone. Whatever had caused her to have such a bizarre hallucination? Gallows Hill, she thought, what a horrible name! Why did it seem so familiar, as did the name Betty? Had she read or heard about something like this on television?
"That's what I get for noteating," she told herself shakily. "Low blood sugar can make people dizzy and disoriented."
It was not until she was standing at the microwave, watching the plate of lasagna rotate behind the glass, that she fully realized what she had agreed to.
What have I let myself in for? she thought with dismay.
Like it or not, she had committed to playing a fortune-teller.
The ’90s are back in fashion. My teenage cousin wore overalls, Converse, and a black plastic choker to a family dinner. I wasn’t entirely certain she didn’t go through my old stash to find them. The same decade that spawned grunge and alternative rock gave us the best of Disney’s animated movies, too, but we […]
