Ghost in the Machine

Great sequel in the Skeleton Creek series. My students were excited to be the first at school to read & view this.

It feels like the Dredge dug the heart out of my town and chucked it into the woods. All that's left are the ghosts walking around. Ryan and Sarah may have been able to get out of their last predicament at the Dredge during the events of SKELETON KEY, but that incident is not going to stop them from continuing their explorations. Ryan writes, Sarah records, and together they construct another fantastic story full of twists, turns and big surprises. The two friends are obsessed with the Dredge and the ghost of Old Joe Bush --- and the more they uncover, the closer they get to the real answers. But something just isn't right; obviously, forces are at work to stop them, and time is running out. Old Joe has even been in Ryan's room and has written messages on the wall. Now, in a matter of days, the Dredge will be burned to the ground, and all those secrets will go unanswered forever. Ryan does most of his sleuthing on the computer. His broken leg prohibits lots of activity, though he does manage to get around. His parents are also still set against any communication with Sarah, so activities are strictly done in secret. By following Sarah's leads, they slowly begin to uncover more information. What Ryan least expects to find is that his father is part of a secret society called the "Crossbones." The group, they discover, is directly related to the Dredge and Joe Bush --- but for what purpose? And what about Ryan's discovery of a list of names connected to the Crossbones group, made up of scientists long since dead: Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Hooke and Robert Boyle? Ryan is eventually able to connect the dots between the three men, but the closer he gets to the truth, the more questions he has. When Ryan identifies that his dad is involved with Crossbones, he realizes that there is no one left he can trust except Sarah. He can't even trust his own mother, for she may be involved as well. The only adult he can rely on is Harry, his father's best friend. Ryan describes Harry as "the coolest guy around" and confides in him. But has Ryan placed his trust in the right person, or does the influence of Crossbones run deeper than he imagined? In the meantime, Sarah does her own exploring into the secrets of the Dredge. She works out a system of communication through emails and hidden notes so that she and Ryan can share the information they obtain. Eventually, the intrepid pair discovers when the next Crossbones meeting is taking place, but when bodies start piling up, the situation goes from bad to worse. Who is safe anymore? Everything is closing in, and Sarah and Ryan are getting desperate. Patrick Carman's style is fun and entertaining but with pangs of suspense as well. All the way to the last chilling pages, readers will be enthralled and totally surprised by the unexpected answers. This sequel to SKELETON CREEK continues with tightrope tension interwoven with pop culture and literary references. Everybody here seems to be a suspect, and no one can

It feels like the Dredge dug the heart out of my town and chucked it into the woods. All that's left are the ghosts walking around. Ryan and Sarah may have been able to get out of their last predicament at the Dredge during the events of SKELETON KEY, but that incident is not going to stop them from continuing their explorations. Ryan writes, Sarah records, and together they construct another fantastic story full of twists, turns and big surprises. The two friends are obsessed with the Dredge and the ghost of Old Joe Bush --- and the more they uncover, the closer they get to the real answers. But something just isn't right; obviously, forces are at work to stop them, and time is running out. Old Joe has even been in Ryan's room and has written messages on the wall. Now, in a matter of days, the Dredge will be burned to the ground, and all those secrets will go unanswered forever. Ryan does most of his sleuthing on the computer. His broken leg prohibits lots of activity, though he does manage to get around. His parents are also still set against any communication with Sarah, so activities are strictly done in secret. By following Sarah's leads, they slowly begin to uncover more information. What Ryan least expects to find is that his father is part of a secret society called the "Crossbones." The group, they discover, is directly related to the Dredge and Joe Bush --- but for what purpose? And what about Ryan's discovery of a list of names connected to the Crossbones group, made up of scientists long since dead: Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Hooke and Robert Boyle? Ryan is eventually able to connect the dots between the three men, but the closer he gets to the truth, the more questions he has. When Ryan identifies that his dad is involved with Crossbones, he realizes that there is no one left he can trust except Sarah. He can't even trust his own mother, for she may be involved as well. The only adult he can rely on is Harry, his father's best friend. Ryan describes Harry as "the coolest guy around" and confides in him. But has Ryan placed his trust in the right person, or does the influence of Crossbones run deeper than he imagined? In the meantime, Sarah does her own exploring into the secrets of the Dredge. She works out a system of communication through emails and hidden notes so that she and Ryan can share the information they obtain. Eventually, the intrepid pair discovers when the next Crossbones meeting is taking place, but when bodies start piling up, the situation goes from bad to worse. Who is safe anymore? Everything is closing in, and Sarah and Ryan are getting desperate. Patrick Carman's style is fun and entertaining but with pangs of suspense as well. All the way to the last chilling pages, readers will be enthralled and totally surprised by the unexpected answers. This sequel to SKELETON CREEK continues with tightrope tension interwoven with pop culture and literary references. Everybody here seems to be a suspect, and no one can

This much-anticipated sequel to Skeleton Creek is written in the same unique fashion. It is not just a book but a multimedia arts experience. The story is told in two parts; the first of the book is Ryan's journal and the second is amateur videos from his friend Sarah Fincher. The book also has a collection of websites and supplemental material to make the story more interesting and innovative. As you read through the book, every now and again you are given a code to access a video on the website sarahfincher (dot)com. Combined with Ryan's journal they tell one complete story. Patrick Carman has created a new entertainment medium with this series, and done a masterful job of it. Like the first book in the series, I read the story alone first, then I read it while watching the videos. The book has the power to stand on its own but is incredible with the videos. The story continues after the first novel. Sarah and Ryan are trying to find out the mystery around the town's name of Skeleton Creek and the old Mining Dredge out in the woods. Because of Ryan's broken leg in the first book, their parents are trying to keep the two apart. But their youthful technology savvy and desire to find the truth drives them on to keep investigating and the more they learn the more afraid they become. The story is full of ghosts, rumors of murder, and hidden gold, and these two characters are locked in a struggle to find out the truth before all the clues are destroyed when the town burns the dredge to the ground. The story is addictive; the reader will not want to put it down; you will find yourself wanting to read to the next video and then after watching it, deciding to keep reading even longer. This book is a fantastic story by an amazing story teller. It is riveting, and skillfully written and filmed. It is an intriguing new form of entertainment that I am sure will be copied and emulated. Carman has crafted not only a new media format, combining writing and video into a single book, but does it very well. First Published in Imprint 2009-10-23.)

I read the first book, Skeleton Creek, with my fifth grade class and the kids were so engaged! I read Ghost in the Machine in less than two days! It was spookier than the first, which I loved. I was worried that the second book would not live up to the hype, which is usually the case with sequels. Not this time. Ryan and Sarah work to uncover the mystery behind Skeleton Creek, all the while doing so behind their parents' backs. My students were BEGGING me to read this sequel with them when we return to school next week. Thank you, Patrick Carman, for bringing this story to life in such a unique format and presentation. Fantastic!!