Ghost hunters seek to solve a decades-old mystery in this compelling horror debut.Two years ago, the foursome behind the "Ghost Hawks" YouTube channel-Riley Fox, Evelyn Cho, Colton Pierce, and Ethan Hale-spent the night at a Catholic reform school with the goal of finding out what happened to the five students and one priest who mysteriously disappeared from Saint Dominic Savio's School for Troubled Youths over winter break in 1982. Though four young YouTubers entered the building to investigate that night, only three left. Two years later, the remaining Ghost Hawks are offered a chance to return to Dominic House with Jordan Jones, the woman behind the popular Netflix ghost-hunting series Spirit Seekers, to film their experience. Though Jordan is offering them monetary compensation, 18-year-old Riley's primary reason for acquiescing is to figure out what happened to their missing friend, his boyfriend, Ethan. The book's format, which switches between the events of two years ago and the present day, lends an urgency to the story; readers will likely not want to put it down. Its plot-driven nature, though, leaves little room for character development, other than that of bad boy Colton, who's been ostracized for selling out his friends to the tabloids. Most characters read white; Evelyn's name signals Korean heritage, and Jordan is cued Black.A genuinely creepy ghost story that delves into religious trauma. (Horror. 14-18)

Gr 10 Up— Two years ago, Riley and his friends Vee and Colton and Riley's boyfriend Ethan embarked on what promised to be an excellent way to get content for their new Ghost Hawks YouTube channel—exploring the now-defunct Dominic Savio's School for Troubled Youths, aka Dominic House, an old Catholic facility where a priest and five children disappeared years ago under mysterious circumstances. Tragedy struck again; Ethan disappeared into thin air in an event that left Riley with extensive burn scars on his face and arms. Now, famous ghost-hunting show host Jordan Jones has shown up with a lucrative offer: $25,000 each in return for revisiting the house to find out once and for all if something supernatural resides there. Backed into a corner, Riley agrees to the trip, only to come face to face again with the darkness that calls Dominic House home. But this time, he's not leaving Ethan behind no matter what. Emotional revelations through dual time lines spur on an occasionally unevenly paced plot, and religious trauma creates the underpinnings of the horrors the group encounters on both trips to Dominic House. Sharply drawn characters are easily distinguished, and the story is propelled by their complex dynamic. VERDICT A searing and suspenseful debut.— Allie Stevens