The Collectors
(Fright Watch #2)
by Lorien Lawrence
Amulet Books, 2021
172 pages
Middle-Grade
Goodie Street is again infested with the supernatural! Across the street from Quinn Parker, where the Oldies once lived, a new set of tenants have moved in. The five women are all employees of Abigail Drout’s decorating company, Design on Goodie. They are odd, to be sure, all dressed in white, but Quinn and Mike don’t realize how odd until a drinking glass slips right through young Camille’s hand, dropping to the floor!
A new investigation begins. This time when they try to spy on the neighbors, Quinn and Mike get caught. But they have an excuse: they were worried about their friend Lex Vega, who has fallen under Abigail’s spell. Lex is just a volunteer, but it’s her dream job to work for a design firm, so she starts putting in late hours, even sleeping on Abigail’s couch.
Quinn soon discovers Abigail Drout McClain’s grave. She died in 1957, one year after she lost her two daughters to a flood. Her, Camille, Brea, Jade and Eleanor… are ghosts! An Internet search reveals that the ladies in white all went missing from their respective states before their bodies were found poisoned. And Lex is looking more pale and drawn each day.
One thing is out of place, though. Beside Abigail’s grave is empty space. No husband. No daughters. Why are Abigail’s beloved daughters not laid to rest beside her? Is that her unfinished business? It seems that Abigail has started a collection of girls to replace her family in her heart since her own children are absent. Lex is next.
Meanwhile, the spirit of Quinn’s father has started appearing to her. But all of Mike’s research on ghosts shows that people without unfinished business don’t come back. If you encounter a ghost, it’s going to have issues.
The Collectors is a fun supernatural mystery pitting creative kids against deadly ghosts without being too scary. This could certainly be a stand-alone novel if you haven’t read the first, but there are an awful lot of references to The Oldies from the last book, The Stitchers. That’s OK, start from the beginning. They are worth it.
I love Quinn’s Grandma Jane, who protects her with crystals and herbs, offering support without handing out any easy solutions. The kids are helpless against the real danger Abigail poses to Lex, adding a tangible thrill to the mystery.
Since Fear Watch has become the series title, I am excited that we may be seeing more shadows across the overgrown pond on Goodie Street!