Title: 1-900-KILLER
Author: Joseph Locke
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: January 1994
Pages: 192
Editorial Review:
A pulp novel marked by tedium and clich instead of suspense. Four friends who regularly use a teen phone line, 1-900-PARTY ON, are stalked by an unsavory caller. The killer leaves three victims in his grisly wake, the police chief doesn't believe the plucky heroines, and the girls take matters into their own hands. A kindly, eccentric school custodian becomes a prime suspect, but the true perpetrator has been driven to murder by his rich, overbearing parents. So much for character development and motivation. These parents also appear to lack powers of observation since they fail to notice serial murders going on in their own home. The plot is disjointed, lurching from mall to school hallway to crime scene and back again. Hang up on this one. (from bn.com)At this point, Locke's work seems to have a running theme - they're not all that well-written. Eh. Like that's any different now with the mix out there. Still, I think the premise has potential. Considering this teacher that reviewed for the School Library Journal couldn't spell chiche, I'm a little disinclined to give her review the weight she might think it deserves. I mean, aside from getting the characters and plot details right, if you're a teacher doing a review for an educational magazine, wouldn't you want to at least spell check?
3 comments:
I want to learn to drive a stick shift, but then what if I hurt my foot too? Hope your footsie gets better soon. And is it cliche that she means to say?
OMG- i forgot ALL about party lines! that's such a 90s thing! Hahah!
LOL! I know, right? They were the precursor to internet forums!
Thanks, MC! This is the first time something like this has happened in the seven years I've had this car so the chances are pretty slim. Besides, the benefits of driving stick far outweigh the few negatives. And yeah, I'm guessing it's cliche. I hope she's not an English teacher.
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