A review by engpunk77
The Crossbones by Patrick Carman

3.0

In my review of Ghost in the Machine, I rejoiced in the fact that the Skeleton Creek series was resolved and happily finished. I loved those books, don't get me wrong, but I hate reaching the end of a novel to find a cliffhanger, especially when a sequel is not yet published. So imagine my surprise to find a third book in this seemingly finished series. Every loose end was neatly tied up, so how could there be another book? If one could ignore the obvious back-stepping and stumbling around that the author had to do to justify another installment to an already resolved plot, this book was sufficiently engrossing. If one isn't an adult, this book is probably worthy of five stars. Its problems, I suspect, are only a result of my critical adult eye. While not as frightening and suspenseful as the first 2, this one was a pretty good young adult mystery story that I was able to read in 3 hours. The lack of nail-biting suspense may be due, again, to my adult skepticism. So if you're a teen, don't accept my 3 stars; jump in. And if you try to avoid novels that end in cliffhangers, this one's safe. The author seems to have realized that he may want to continue on with the exploits of Sarah and Ryan but has chosen to give this novel a satisfactory resolution just in case he doesn't want to. This strategy is laudable and I appreciate it! Young Adult authors, take note!