Dangerous Boy (review)

Harper can't imagine how she found herself on a cliff above a raging river, menaced by a boy she thought she knew after stumbling over his murdered uncle in the woods. That's the opening scene in this thriller, which then flashes back to the beginning of Harper's relationship with Logan, which starts very differently. When Logan moves to town, he understands Harper's sadness at the recent death of her mother, having lost both his parents recently; he listens to her and helps her overcome the fears that have plagued her, and she's thrilled to have a good-looking, caring boyfriend. When she visits his house unexpectedly, though, she finds him to be a completely different person—twisted, evil, and frightening. Logan reluctantly explains that she met his twin brother, Daemon, whose personality completely changed after the accident that killed their mother. Some investigation reveals that Logan isn't who he seems, but Harper still buys the evil-twin story and blames Daemon for the series of creepy events happening in town, events that are escalating into real danger. Bloody handprints, animal bones in mailboxes, late night car chases in remote wooded areas, a haunted house where a horrific murder took place, a corn maze, flocks of dead birds—in short, all of the typical tropes of cheesy horror flicks are present and accounted for here. Only the most inexperienced readers will fail to recognize the evil-twin scenario for the ruse it is, but in the end, this is what readers come to horror for—an almost reassuring sameness of conventional nightmares. While this lacks the polish of Berne's Still Waters (BCCB 1/12), readers new to the genre or who prefer milder applications will find it provides a sufficient frisson of excitement.