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You Will Pay

by Lisa Jackson
Kensington, May 2017, $26

The prolific Lisa Jackson’s latest novel with a pedestrian plot and one-dimensional characters never quite catches fire. Still, You Will Pay moves at a brisk pace with a few interesting twists to hold readers' interest.

About 20 years ago, two teenage female counselors and a part-time worker disappeared from Camp Horseshoe, a religious camp in Oregon. A male counselor, Tyler Quade, was found alive, but with a knife in his back. At the time, many believed that an escaped prisoner was to blame for the attacks.

Two decades later, the jawbone belonging to one of the victims, Elle Brady, is found on the beach. With the case reopened, the surviving counselors are called to testify, including Lucas Dalton, now a police detective. Back then, Lucas, who is the son of the camp’s owner, had just broken up with Elle the night before she disappeared. While Lucas should not be handling the case, he continues to investigate, spurred on by guilt and the need to hide a few secrets. To add to the tension, the surviving counselors receive text photos of Elle in her coffin with the message “You will pay.”

You Will Pay brings to mind many horror films set at summer camps, while never quite rising to the thrill level of the best in this genre. Still, the finale is a surprise.

Oline H. Cogdill

jacksonyouwillpayA twist on horror films set at summer camps, You Will Pay never quite rising to the thrill level of the best in the genre.

Teri Duerr
5708
Jackson
May 2017
you-will-pay
26
Kensington