Three Quarters Dead (review)

Kerry can't believe she has been noticed by the three coolest, most admired (and feared) girls in school. Even if it means creepy initiation-type activities and a lot of playing gofer, Kerry considers those sacrifices well worth the privilege of being the only sophomore on their radar. When the three die in a horrific car accident, Kerry is devastated; months later, she receives a text from Tanya, the leader, and heads joyfully into the city to meet her idols, indifferent to the impossibility of their survival. Eventually, Kerry realizes that her life force is really all these three ghosts need from her and begins to learn a hard life lesson about being used. Peck impeccably describes the ways in which groupthink and peer pressure can allow for otherwise mild girls to take increasingly meaner actions against their classmates. It is a pity that Kerry herself is naïve to an absurd degree, unable to interpret even the simplest of endless clues about the true nature of her new best friends, and readers will likely be so exasperated with her that her troubles lose urgency. In addition, there seem to be dueling reasons why the ghosts came back, one of which is compelling and subtle, while the other (boy related) is pure teen horror film, and not in a good way. Even with the issues, readers seeking a quick, low-key horror novel (there are more ghostly fashion shows than gore) will find this fits the bill nicely.