Prey (Wicked Dead Series) »

Born in the Bronx, Stefan Petrucha spent his formative years moving between the big city and the suburbs, both of which made him prefer escapism. A fan of comic books, science fiction and horror since learning to read, in high school and college he added a love for all sorts of literary work, eventually learning that the very best fiction always brings you back to reality, so, really, there's no way out. He first came to prominence as the author of the best-selling X-Files comic book series, based on the TV show and has since written eighteen novels including Timetripper, The Shadow of Frankenstein, and The Rule of Won. His recent work includes, Paranormal State: My Journey Into the Unknown (co-authored with A&E star Ryan Buell), Split, Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid, and the upcoming Dead Mann Walking. He currently lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife and fellow writer Sarah Kinney and their two daughters.

Rabbit food. Windowpanes. Pennies. Chelsea Kaüer counts and frets over everything her OCD won't let her stop. But when her biology teacher, Ms. Mandisa, asks her to pet-sit, Chelsea can't think of a reason to say no. After all, it's extra pocket money nothing to worry about, right?

Wrong. Ms. Mandisa's "pet" is a six-foot lizard with a poisonous bite and a taste for red meat. And if Chelsea doesn't think fast, she'll be dead meat. . . .

VOYA

Having betrayed the other girls to the Headmistress, Annie plays tonight's game of bones alone. Tonight's story is the tale of Chelsea, a teenage girl whose life is run by her OCD. When Chelsea's teacher, Ms. Mandisa, asks her to pet-sit her monitor Koko while she is on vacation, Chelsea is determined not to let her OCD stop her. When her overactive imagination begins to get the better of her, she enlists the help of her supportive boyfriend to take care of the lizard. Taking care of Koko, however, is not as simple as it seemed, and Chelsea and Derek soon find themselves locked inside the house with a terrifying and deadly monster. This series entry is the creepiest of the Wicked Dead books so far, in part because it is the most realistic. Readers who are not spooked by lizards before reading this book certainly will be by its conclusion. Petrucha and Pendleton continue the formula of the previous installments with a short prologue and epilogue that resume the tale of the girls of Lockwood Orphanage, which will confuse readers who are not familiar with their story line. The main story really gets the adrenalin flowing with its fast pacing and suspense. Chelsea is a well-developed character and readers are truly pulled inside her dysfunctional brain. Fans of horror novels in the tradition of Cusick, Pike, and Stine will enjoy the fifth installment in the series. Reviewer: Alissa Lauzon