Books 2 Die 4: Hangman's Curse

Hangman's Curse (The Veritas Project Series #1)

Overview: The Veritas Project is their code name--but only a handful of people know teens Elijah and Elisha Springfield have been covertly commissioned by the President to investigate strange mysteries that delve into the paranormal and supernatural. Their charge is to find out not only what happened, but why--the veritas (Latin for truth) behind the seemingly impossible phenomena. In Baker, Washington, three popular student athletes lie in an incoherent coma, with loss of muscle coordination, severe paranoia, and hallucinations. It's whispered that they're victims of Abel Frye--a curse that's haunted the school since a student died there in the 1930s. Now the curse is spreading, and students are running scared. The Veritas Project must go undercover to find the truth . . . before it's too late.

Quick Review:
Ages: 10+
Reason for specific age: There weren't any violent sences, no cursing.
Stars: 4.5
Reason: I liked seeing the parallels between the views of the characters in this book to the christian faith. It was great to relate to a book in that way (FINALLY). It was somewhat suspenseful but not as much as a few other detective-like stories I've read.

Review: The Hangman's Curse is book one of a series called The Veritas Project, written by Frank Peretti. This mystery thriller centers around a family of investigators who are put to work by the president himself to solve any case. A husband, Nate Springfield, his wife, Sarah and their teenage twins, Elisha and Elijah, work together as a team to bust druggies, capture the murder and come face to face with the paranormal.

It all starts with a series of illnesses that has fallen upon three students of Barker High school. It begins with them flailing their arms and screaming hysterically as if fighting off an attacker and ends with them falling into a coma leaving them to whisper one name--Abel Fry.

By the time the 3rd incident occurs, school authorities call on the Springfields to investigate the situation. When they arrive, Elisha and Elijah go under cover as two new students and their dad disguises as a new janitor, while Sarah stays on the outside and reviews the evidence.

As they investigate, they hear of the legend of the ghost of a former student, who had hung himself in the main stairwell of the school. Rumor has it that his is the one cursing the targeted students of Baker High.

A successive amount of bullying was going around the school as well. From beating the "nerds/freaks" for lunch money to spreading nasty rumors, Baker High school had it all. Not even the teachers would stop the harassment when it happened right before their eyes. Could these strange flood of curses be revenge of the bullied?

I really likes the characters of this story. Elijah and Elisha were very smart and had their heads on straight when walking the halls of Baker High. They would reach out and stand up for the bullied. I also liked the family's faith. They were Christian (which I am also) and I loved being able to relate to their viewpoints and how easily they stood up for their faith no matter what.

The ending had a fairly good twist. Not as amazing as some of the other books I've read but still good enough to surprise me. I was sad to find out who was behind it all (because I liked that character) but overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a little short, but still a good read.

If you like this book, check out Frank Peretti's other books: