Tagline: Becky’s killing From the grave…
Back Tagline: Their Dare Chilled Becky To The Bone…
Summary: But she did the deed—and plunged to her death. Now her Aquarius birthday is swiftly approaching. One by one, her friends receive messages foretelling their doom… And one by one, they begin to die. Is Becky killing her friends—from the other side? Or are they being sent to join her?
First impressions: I actually read this book for the first time a couple years back. Of course, being an actual Aquarius, I was mostly in it to see how my zodiac sign tied in—and if there were any funny scenes resembling the cover with a semi-transparent girl in a white dress dancing on her own grave that’s simply marked as ‘Rebecca Moore; Died; 16 Years Old’ [Spoilers: there’s not, but what is up with that dumbed-down headstone??? WOW – Also, I want that Astro Pendant!]. However, after a long lull on the Zodiac Chillers front, I figured I’d start over and finish reading all the ones I have [Only four]. Since it is my birthday later this week [January 23rd or 23 January, however you prefer to say it], why not start now? I’m excited to see what I remember from my first initial read-through.
Recap
The cast of characters:
Becky – Our main (soon-to-be-dead) girl; the free spirit [Ha! I made myself chuckle with that one]
Brad –Becky’s boyfriend [Or ex-boyfriend? What’s the protocol term here?]
Diane & Alex – The constantly-fighting-couple [Both want to be Alpha in their wolfpack]
E.J. – Glasses, unathletic, shy; The nerdy one? [I resent this but it’s an archetype of the genre, I guess]
Trish – The hot, dumb, gullible one [Just wait, you’ll see…]
Tony – Family owns a cabin that the group frequents; a smart, sexy loner [Presumably rich with that cabin. Hel-lo Tony 😉 ] [Jack: Date for money, not love!]
Kara – Possibly the final girl; positively horny for Tony [And who wouldn’t be?]
In the book’s prologue, it’s a sunny & hot July afternoon. Becky Moore is hanging with the entire gang listed above at the lake near Tony’s family’s cabin. We learn that they’ve all been friends since middle school and Becky is the daydreamer of the group [I’m a daydreaming Aquarius, so I already connect with her character, even though she’s probably about to meet her maker] [Jack: I’m a Leo, and Leos don’t believe in astrology xx]. Her boyfriend, Brad, is trying to coax Becky to get off her ass and take a jump off the cliff with the rest of the group., but she doesn’t want to because she’s afraid of heights. The boys then discuss the height of the cliff they’re on while Diane tries teasing Becky into jumping:
‘”Geez, Becky!” Diane complained. “We’re jumping into water, you know, not skydiving without a parachute.” She tossed back her long dark hair and draped an arm over Alex’s shoulder. “Besides,” she added, “didn’t you say Aquarius is an air sign? Thought you’d be dying to try it.” [‘Dying’ being the key word here] “Very cute, Diane,” Becky said. “Just like a Scorpio—stab me in the back.”’ [Ummm…]
Becky continues to state her case – she’s not a good swimmer and doesn’t want to risk it. Regardless, Brad grabs her and pulls her toward the edge of the cliff while she laughs nervously [I can feel that tension, girl. Don’t let them bully you into this!]. Kara eggs it on and Becky, the VERY apparent zodiac expert, retorts with calling Kara ‘”a Sagittarius. Very athletic.”‘ [Eye roll for the obvious gimmick so early on] Trish tries to sell Becky on it by saying she and E.J. are also scared, but they’ll be succumbing to peer pressure to jump off the cliff too.
The friends all line up, holding each other’s hands – Alex & Brad have hold of Becky’s. Just as they begin the countdown to jump (1…), Becky starts to panic [She is afraid of heights after all]. (2…) She says she wants to stop, but they won’t let go of her hands, (3!) and they jump off the cliff, pulling panicked Becky down with them [Not looking good for Becks!].
We jump forward six months, with the group all gathered to look through a box of Becky’s belongings that her mother has given them. Kara seems the most haunted by how Becky died – she’d struggled all the way down from the jump, landed upside down, cracked her head on a rock when she landed and drowned in the lake as a result [Damn, brutal AF].
What they find in the box:
- A stuffed Panda [Trish seems to lay claim to this]
- Some necklaces & bracelets [Diane reminisces about Becky buying some on a shopping trip; Alex teases Diane about being a shopaholic]
- Concert tickets [Brad takes them to remember the concert he & Becky went to]
- CDs [Split between Alex & E.J.]
- A turquoise sweater, which seems to actually be Kara’s since Becky borrowed it and never gave it back [Maybe thinking of Becky as a thief will take the sting out of losing her, huh Kara?]
- A paperback book of horoscopes filled with Post-its [Kara nabs it – wait, Kara gets two things? Nothing for Tony? Hmmm…]
Kara cracks open the paperback and starts to read about Aquarians that Becky had labelled ‘Me’. She reads portions aloud and the group collectively agrees that the descriptions sound like Becky [I have a book called The Secret Language of Birthdays by Gary Goldschneider and Joost Elffers – it will blow your mind with its accuracy]. Brad mentions watching the stars with Becky a month before her demise and she had mentioned having a dream about dying. This is backed up by Trish’s reading of a passage in the book about Aquarians having intuitive feelings about the future [As a fellow Aquarian, I can concur that this seems true – I’m oddly psychic at times, for big stuff anyway. I sometimes just know something is going down. A few years ago, I awoke in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason but I had a gut feeling I should check on my mother (I’m her caretaker). I went to her room and found her facedown on the bed, struggling to breathe. Called an ambulance and she was okay. Another time, in college, I kept getting awakened by a phantom knocking at my door. After the umpteenth time of searching, I finally fell asleep. Later that night, a fire broke out in the bathroom directly across the hall from my dorm room. I’m either psychic or very sensitive to spirits that just love to help me out] [Jack: Oooh, love this! Ooky Spooky].
It’s Sunday, January 20th now [I’m remembering now the semi-countdown to Becky’s birthday which, at the time, I hoped would be closer to my birthday so that I could blame any of my rage on something astrological lol] the four-week anniversary of Kara & Tony who are now an item [What? I’m not jealous of their infant relationship. Nope. Not I, the forever-single gay guy. I’m fine. I’m….just peachy!].
After they’ve stopped dry humping and finished up studying, Kara reveals that Diane & Alex broke up. Then she really slams the lid on his boner by bringing up Becky again. The book really pushes the zodiac thing again by revealing how typically open Kara is by being a Sagittarius and how typically secretive Tony is by being a Virgo [Not sure if any of this is true, because I only really care about my sign, not everyone else’s]. He keeps to himself [Apparently Virgos are loners] and doesn’t want to discuss the ‘”big group sob session”‘ everyone had had about Becky the day before. Instead, when she offers him food, he basically says he wants to eat something else [Wink-wink, nudge-nudge 😉 ] before pinning her against the fridge and starting some hardcore making out [Sounds pretty hot, actually!].
Cutting to Rocky Ridge High the next day [Name’s a little too on the nose for this story, don’t you think?], where the gang attends school, Kara & Brad are walking through the hall when they hear Diane loudly griping about what a jerk Alex is post break-up. They meet up with her as Trish tries to calm Diane down, and we learn Diane found a note, supposedly from Alex, saying ‘”When you crawl through the mall, you will shop till you drop.”‘ [Yeah, that’s not ominous or anything] Diane’s livid because there’s more to it than just the message itself – the note is written in Becky’s handwriting and includes the Aquarius symbol: 
[Ghost girl writing threats now? Dun-Dun-DUNNNN!] Before she walks off completely miffed, Diane declares she’s glad she got a job at the mall because now she can shop all the time and hunt for a new guy [Get you some, girl!]. And weird-ass Trish has to go and say ‘”Maybe Alex didn’t write it,”‘ implying that Becky sent the note from beyond the grave. Of course, Kara is now back to obsessing over Becky…
Later, the guys are playing basketball at Alex’s place. He’s playing dirty, pissed at how Diane dumped him and mistreated him. After several fouls, Tony chucks the ball over the fence, causing Alex to tackle him and start punching away. E.J. is injured trying to stop him, and with Brad’s help he manages to pull Alex off Tony [Damn machismo attitudes! Guys, please express your pain or embarrassment in a more productive way – this message brought to you by Therapists of the world]. At one point, Brad asks why Alex sent Diane the ‘shop till you drop’ note in Becky’s handwriting, but Alex claims he didn’t… [Hmm…]
Now to Diane, who’s closing up shop at the ice cream place in the mall’s food court. She’s started regretting the break-up, but only because Alex would usually drive her home and she wouldn’t have to take the bus [Don’t date someone for their car, Diane. Didn’t we learn this from ‘Christine’?]. Her boss Bob left early, meaning she has to close alone, and thanks to some last-minute customers she ends up being the last to leave the food court [What mall puts a food court that far up, on the third floor?]. She drops her bag of books and the note falls out. She grabs it up, and as she’s bringing down the security grille, the mall lights cut off. No one’s around [Of course] and she can’t take the escalators, which are closed for repairs, so she’s forced to walk the dark hall alone. She hears footsteps and turns around to see strange figures watching her…
Just mannequins – phew!
She moves along, nervous [As would I be in this situation], and can’t shake the feeling that someone is coming up on her… and she’s right! She slips on the recently mopped floor and then someone slams into her back, sending her soaring into the railing [Which seems to break too easily to be used for safety measures, In my opinion]. The next thing she knows, she plummets down three flights into a water fountain below, Becky’s note falling from her hand into the water…
Three days later [January 24th! Skipped over my birthday completely, dangit!] and it’s now Diane’s funeral. The girls are distraught, E.J. is sullen, Brad is distant and Alex looks angry [And guilty, according to Kara], but there’s no mention of Tony.
And now Diane was dead.
Just like Becky.
At least, Kara thought grimly, at least Becky and Diane are together now.
[I can’t help but chuckle at the uber-dramatic inner monologue that’s something out of a 1990s made-for-tv/Lifetime movie] We then cut to Brad’s dream of trying to save Diane from her fall in the mall. He grabs her hands but before he can pull her up, Diane screams because Becky appears behind him, causing him to release his grip on Diane. All he can hear is his dead girlfriend’s creepy whisper in his ear saying ‘”I need my friends, Brad. I want my friends.”‘ Ghost Becky makes him let go, Diane drops, and Brad awakens in a puddle of sweat [Maybe he should turn a fan on? I can’t sleep all sweaty like that].
Another two days later, on January 26th, Kara is with Trish at the library writing a school paper. We learn that no-one has seen Alex since Diane’s funeral, Trish seems to think that maybe it was Becky who sent the note to Diane, a theory supported by Alex having crappy handwriting and not being much of a note-writer. Kara’s not into this conversation, though, more worried about why Tony the organized, education go-getter, hasn’t shown up to the library yet [That can’t be good].
Meanwhile, Alex is working on his ’50s Chevy in his garage to distract his mind from the loss of Diane when he finds a note under the windshield wiper:
Buckle up, buddy.
When you take it to the limit for the last time, it’s going to be one wild ride!
He remembers Becky singing ‘Take It to the Limit’ the day he had bought the car, but shrugs it off and gets back to work, making a paper airplane from the note, which lands under the work bench. He continues to avoid memories of Becky & Diane when someone comes up from behind him and he gets hit hard in the head [In my mind, someone slams the hood of the car down on his head, knocking him out. Let this be a lesson: this is what happens when you use ‘car maintenance’ as an excuse not to express your feelings, fellas – always take it to a professional!].
Brad shows up at the library and tells Kara & Trish about the dream he had, and now Trish is even more convinced that Becky is haunting them. Brad says he wants to talk to Alex and invites them along, but Kara is still waiting for Tony. The other two leave just as Tony runs in, explaining his mom wouldn’t let him borrow the car. He starts to aggressively make out with Kara in the middle of the library [These two are starting to give me the vapors] [Jack: I have never had this saying before but I love it hahaha] before deciding it’s time to leave.
Brad & Trish pick up E.J. on the way to Alex’s, and while E.J. is not having this whole “Becky is back” talk, Brad’s still contemplating everything as he drives. They arrive at Alex’s house and there’s no sign of him at first, but they eventually find him passed out in his car in the garage, the engine running, with dark exhaust fumes billowing out. They realize that Alex is still alive, but the car is locked, so Brad drops to the ground looking for a note or something He seems a bit frantic searching for it [Seems like maybe Trish has gotten in his head? Is he believing that Becky is sending them all notes? Brad, explain yo’self!] while E.J. suddenly turns into He-Man by using a crowbar to break the passenger window [Not such a nerdy wimp after all!]. They quickly turn off the car and pull Alex to safety as Trish goes to call 911 [Go team, go!].
Elsewhere, Tony is walking Kara home after having some pizza when they spot police cars turning onto Alex’s street [Kara lives nearby]. They get a sinking feeling and head for his house, where Trish informs them ‘”It’s Alex. They say he tried to kill himself.”‘ [To be fair, it would look that way to any sensible person]
E.J. is pissed at Alex for not trying to talk to someone before attempting suicide and is annoyed at Trish for her insistence that Becky’s responsible. Brad sort of agrees with Trish, but Tony is also fed-up with the beyond-the-grave theories – ‘”Thinking about her is one thing. Believing she’s somehow killing people is another.”‘ [From Tony’s lips to Kara’s mouth – er, God’s ears. Get a hold of yourself, Dustin!] Brad retorts with ‘”I didn’t say I believed it, but if it’s true, maybe she has a good reason. We all killed her, you know!”‘ [Ouch. That was way harsh, Brad] He quickly walks it back and Tony seems to accept it, but it’s out there now.
They all head back to Kara’s house, the girls lagging behind the girls, and as the boys arrive, Kara is coming back out almost immediately, having just called the hospital [Fastest communication with a hospital, ever. That call took no time. Who is their insurance provider? I need contact info!]. Turns out Alex is dead.
The next Monday, Kara’s seriously depressed and her mother is being a raving C-U-Next-Tuesday about it – instead of letting her daughter mourn her own way, she’s forcing her to go to school. Kara reluctantly agrees, despite her immense guilt about not reaching out more to Alex after Diane’s death; Becky would have been there for her friends [The way it’s playing out, sounds like Becky’s doing a bit too much for her friends, in my opinion].
Kara stops by Alex’s garage on her way to school. Ducking under the police tape to look around, she spots something under the workbench – Alex’s paper plane! Realising the note is in Becky’s handwriting, she remembers the song the way Alex did, too, and wonders, ‘Becky, did you take Alex, too?’ [Maybe have a séance to find out? Just an idea]
At school, Trish concurs that their mothers are horrible for making them go to school. They both just want to be home and away from the gossip about their friends. Trish is distraught and crying a lot, it seems, and Kara contemplates showing her the note she found in the garage, ultimately deciding to do so [Dumbass Kara adding fuel to the fire]. Kara now has a theory that maybe Alex wrote the note to Diane, and this was some sort of weird suicide note [What?! I think they should recheck your test scores Kara, because no matter how great a student you are, your sense of logic & reasoning is waaaay off. You are not prepared to be in the real world, dum-dum.]
This starts an argument between the two girls – Trish still thinks it’s Becky getting revenge for how they pulled her off the cliff when she told them to stop, and Kara’s so upset that she flings open her locker and a note drops out [GASP!]. Turns out to just be an invitation from Tony to their annual Valentine’s party at E.J.’s, which were put in the lockers before Alex’s demise [And yet, they are still planning on having the party? What is this, a ‘Scream’ movie where death just doesn’t sway the main characters from having a good time?]. Tony feels guilty about going to a party, but Kara convinces him it will cheer them all up [Looking at the little interaction with her mother earlier, I can see how she makes such bad decisions].
It’s Friday, February 11th, now and Brad arrives at E.J.’s house, ready to decorate for the Valentine’s party tomorrow night. Apparently, the house is always under repair [No bannister on the staircase for over a year?! – WTF is wrong with these parents just letting that major safety hazard slide AND allowing hordes of teenagers to party there? They are asking for a horrible death at some point. Sheesh].
Brad goes to E.J.’s room where E.J. and Tony are fixing a virus on the computer. Brad is enthusiastic about the party set-up, telling the others the girls are bringing more supplies soon. Tony just can’t get into the party mood, though, and seems a bit peeved at Brad for being so cheery [Tony seems to be the only one with any sense so far – yep, I’m still hot for a fictional character, ugh…] [Jack: I was also in love with a fictional Tony once, until Pike ruined him with a sequel].
Just as they’re about to head down to the basement, a message comes up on the screen – ‘Save the last dance for me. You won’t be sorry— ‘ Brad and E.J. agree that it’s a sick joke, but Tony gets a bit heated about it and switches off the monitor as Trish and Kara arrive downstairs [Tony seems a bit too perturbed, but maybe that’s just my untrusting nature? I never pick the good guys].
As they set-up, E.J. makes it a point to tell everyone that the little room off to the side is off-limit because it has the fuse box and loose wiring all up in it. They’ll have to hang a sheet to cover the entrance, since there’s no door, and as they continue setting up for the party, the basement goes dark [That can’t be good].
Brad & Tony start making “mwahahaha” sounds to freak out the girls as they all stand in total darkness [I hate teenage nonsense. Even when I was a teenager I wasn’t down for this tomfoolery. I’m more like E.J. and wanna tell them to shut the eff up!]. E.J. heads to the other room to look for a flashlight, growing more and more annoyed with his friends as they continue to howl and play around. He decides as soon as he can get the lights on, he’s kicking them out so that he can be alone with Trish, and maybe get his first kiss [Poor kid, this isn’t looking good for him at all].
Of course, the batteries in the flashlight are dead, so he has to feel around the open fuse box for matches. He lights one but it goes out quickly – that’s when he senses that someone is in the room with him – ‘”Becky?”‘ [Guess it’s not too ridiculous a theory after all, huh E.J.?] Just as he’s about to light the second match, he’s suddenly pushed into the fuse box, sending 120 volts of electricity through his body as his screams are covered up by the laughter and howling of his friends in the next room [Damn. He had such a spark about him, didn’t he? 😉 ]
We jump to four days after his death and funeral [So February the 15th maybe?], and Kara is hanging in Trish’s bedroom. Trish, who’s hugging Becky’s panda [If I believed that my friend’s spirit was killing people off, I certainly would have gotten rid of her old stuffed animal – it’s probably a horcrux or something!], looks wrecked and is convinced that Becky is killing them all off:
“It wasn’t an accident Kara! Don’t you get it yet?” Trish cried. “If E.J. hadn’t fallen against those wires, he would have died some other way!”
[I want Kara to shake Trish and slap her around a little, but alas, it doesn’t happen] Kara’s not sleeping well nowadays, thanks to the memory of finding her dead friend fried to a crisp in his basement. Kara reminds Trish that Diane and Alex both got notes, but as far as they know, E.J. never got one [TALK. TO. YOUR. OTHER. FRIENDS. GAH!], and then Trish spouts off some nonsense about her horoscope for the month advising to ‘”proceed with caution.”‘ Kara’s right, it could mean anything, but Trish warns Kara to be careful – it sounds like Becky may want revenge on them all, and Kara helped pull her off that cliff too… [Seriously, someone gag Trish, please]
On her way home, it’s obvious Trish has gotten into Kara’s head as she thinks about how all of her friends are dying. A white cat in the street reminds her of Becky, who owned a similar feline, and as she arrives home, there’s a figure in front of her house – BECKY?!
Nope, it’s just sexy/smart Tony [Ahhh, Tony… 😍 ]. They kiss & go inside for some instant hot cocoa [Not the best, but still does the trick in a pinch], and Kara confesses that she’s glad he’s still alive, considering all the bad stuff happening to their friends. She then makes the mistake of bringing up Becky, and Tony goes off. He says everything that’s happened has all been accidents – the police said so [Because the police are ALWAYS right in these books lol]! He’s pissed and Kara seems a bit afraid of him now [Girl, haven’t you learned? He doesn’t like these morbid theories. He’s handsome and smart and sweet. He just doesn’t like this situation. Cut him some slack already!].
That night, Kara has a memory/nightmare about the day Becky died – while the guys were shouting a countdown to the jump, Tony was the only one who seemed to notice Becky protesting and tried to make them stop – but it was too late [See? He listens to women. He’s a good guy, that Tony].
Kara wakes up and tries to distract herself, but remembers back to the rest of that day. Tony was the one who found Becky’s lifeless body. Trish was the one that brought up the fact that they made her jump, causing everyone else to point blame at each other for the accident. Tony stopped it all by shouting ‘”Everyone made her jump off that cliff, one way or another! We’re all guilty!”‘ [Hmm…]
Later, Trish is home alone, haunted by thoughts of Becky again. She calls Tony with a lame excuse about homework, but still can’t seem to get Becky and the others out of her mind. Since Tony is not keen about that subject, she avoids it and just ends the call with him [Smart move, for once, Trish].
She walks around her house, turning all the lights on [Like a good, paranoid girl should], and keeps thinking that anything could happen to her while she’s alone, like falling down the stairs or cracking her head on the stone fireplace [Is it sad to say I have these thoughts all the time? Am I as bad as Trish?! Oh god…I blame ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ for this paranoia].
She decides to call Kara and ‘make sure she’s still alive’ but before she can, the phone rings, startling her. She answers, but no-one responds [Again, not a good sign]. She chalks it up to a wrong number, but then the phone rings again:
“Hello?”
Silence.
“Hello?” Trish repeated.
A pause. Then a voice said, “Hey, anyone there? It’s me.”
Trish froze in terror. She knew that voice. She’d heard it thousands of times. Millions of times.
It was Becky.
“Pick up—no call screening allowed!” Becky said.
“Becky?” Trish whispered. “Becky is that you?!”
“Just wanted to let you know I’m on my way over,” Becky said, with her old, familiar laugh.
Trish slams the phone down, terrified [I would be too, until I thought about what I just heard. She said “No call screening” which makes me think this was from a voicemail/answering machine tape – I remember thinking this on my initial reading as well!], and decides to get the hell out of there [Normally a smart move…]! She starts walking to Kara’s house [15 blocks away???] and isn’t paying attention to traffic as she crosses the road, which results in a car with its headlights off slamming into her, throwing her into a tree [Goodnight, Trish!].
We pick up later as Kara & Brad are visiting Trish at the hospital. Kara wants to leave, but Brad wants to hang around a little bit longer for Trish to wake up, curious about what happened. Trish had left a note for her mom saying she was going to Kara’s, so she wasn’t found for a little while. Luckily, her injuries aren’t too severe, and all Trish was able to tell the police was that she didn’t recognize the car that hit her [Convenient, much?].
Kara had called Brad and Tony when she’d found out about the hit-and-run, but Tony but is yet to arrive [Odd, considering how he’s always there on the double, it seems]. Brad notices Kara is acting strange about Tony, but she won’t say why, and he finally arrives just as Trish starts to wake up [Speak of the (handsome) devil!].
Both Kara and Tony fumble with what to say to Trish, but Brad seems pretty at ease [Hmm…]. Trish basically tells Kara “told ya so” and proceeds to explain about the phone call she’d received from Becky, insisting it was Becky’s voice saying on the phone – ‘”That’s why I ran. But she got me anyway.”‘ This instantly irks Tony, who flees the room [Dude is wicked suspicious].
Later that afternoon, Brad is waiting for Kara by her locker [First, they actually went to school? Second, why am I just now getting that Kara is the resident redhead? Is this a Fear Street book in disguise? How red is it? “Crimson Glow” like Angela’s in My So-Called Life?], because she wants to go back to the hospital to see Trish. Brad asks what’s on her mind and after she mentions the notes that Diane & Alex got and Trish’s alleged phone call from Becky, he fills her in on the email message E.J. received. He wants to know what she’s really thinking [Girl, there’s not many of you left, don’t show your hand now!], and she reveals her suspicion that it might be someone in the friend group that’s doing the killing [Ugh! You never tell someone in the group that you think a group member is killing others – what if that person is the killer? Kara, you are now the new dum-dum!].
We now switch to a Tony-only perspective, home alone and in his room [I’m imagining just in a towel, his clothes in the laundry….I desperately need a man], obsessively thinking about everything. There’s something he needs to tell Kara, but he’s reluctant to because she would probably hate him [Only if you’re nutso, stud muffin]. He reads a message on his computer, but we aren’t privy to this info yet.
During dinner on Friday night [What day is it now?], Kara’s mom tries to comfort her about Trish. She also asks about Tony, but Kara doesn’t have much to say on that front, though she does contemplate telling her mother about the Becky theories [Becky with the dead hair – I crack myself up lol]. Mom gets a call and makes plans to go out to a movie while her distraught daughter tends to herself, all alone at home, most of her friends dead and one in the hospital [This really does feel like Fear Street. The parents are horrible so far. I’m not convinced that Carol Ellis isn’t another alias for R.L. Stine].
Kara is quickly wrapped up in paranoia – now she’s thinking Tony’s reserved demeanor means he is the killer among them. ‘Almost five weeks since their first date, and Kara still had to ask him what was on his mind.’ [That doesn’t end, sweetie. You will NEVER know what’s on his mind 24/7. Get used to it] Did Tony push Diane? Did Tony kill Alex, which would explain why he was late to the library that night? Did he push E.J. into the exposed wiring in the dark? Heck, his car is midnight blue and Trish said it was a dark car that hit her [It doesn’t look good, that’s for sure].
She tries to shake off her fears as her mother heads out and looks through the mail, where she finds a note addressed to her, Kara Blackburn. [No address? Definitely a death threat – has she not seen or read ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer?’] She hesitates to open it, but eventually reads the message – ‘Friends till the end. Right, Kara? ‘ and what really freaks her out about this is that she and Becky used to say “Friends till the end” to each other all the time. She’s freaked but remains calm [Good girl], deciding to keep a level head and just stay alert [You can try at least].
It’s Saturday, February 19th now, Becky’s birthday [Insert loud dramatic boom – the final showdown is a-coming! Wait: what Zodiac calendar was Carol Ellis referencing? Everything I look up says that Pisces starts on February 19th. Me thinks someone didn’t do proper research on the Aquarius calendar….tsk-tsk…] [Jack: Maybe it’s on the cusp, and each individual can choose their star sign? Is that how astrology works?]. Kara is sitting in the hospital waiting room, trying not to think about everything – especially Becky’s birthday and the birthday cake she made for her last year with blue/green frosting, claiming it was the favorite color of Aquarians [I mean, I like blue and green but is that really an Aquarius thing?] [Jack: I’m not super big on blue and green, so maybe. Red’s my favourite colour, is that a Leo thing? Is astrology real? Are out entire personalities based upon our zodiac sign?].
In walks a disheveled Brad, wondering how Trish is doing, but Kara tells him she’s getting X-rays done, and then tenses up when he asks about Tony [Slow your roll, girlfriend]. Brad says he tried calling Tony and went by his house, to no avail. Brad then pulls out a piece of paper, revealing he got an email like E.J. – ‘I miss you so much. Aren’t you dying to see me? ‘ [It ain’t looking great for Tony, for sure] Kara shows him the note she got, but before she can say anything, Brad cuts her off with a ‘”I know what you’re going to say, Kara. You think Tony might be the one.”‘ [Whoa – mind reader much?]
Brad thinks they should definitely sort things out with Tony – if he’s the killer, maybe they can reason with him [Um, this is not a good idea] [Jack: Yeah, wtf lol?]. Kara thinks maybe they should go to the police, but Brad reminds her that they could be wrong [Agreed, it would look bad to go straight to the cops without proof]. Kara then remembers, from what Brad said earlier, that Tony isn’t home, and Brad thinks he knows where Tony went – the family cabin where Becky died… [Dun-Dun-Dunnnn!]
The drive up is long and uneasy. It’s cold in the car and outside is covered in snow. They find the isolated cabin [Another keyword: ISOLATED], but they don’t see Tony’s car. Brad suggests Tony may have driven to the store and they should look around first before leaving, and Kara agrees, but wants to go inside to warm up. It’s not warm at all in there, and after checking all the rooms, Brad decides to fetch some firewood to start a fire. Kara searches the room for the light switch but can’t find it, and when she goes to the window to open the shutters, she sees something that makes her gasp – a face [I swear I was going to flip if someone’s face was hanging on the wall, Texas Chainsaw-style]!
When Kara looks closer, the face is Becky’s. It’s actually several pictures of Becky, hung up along with a map of astrological signs, pinpointing star positions and whatnot [WTF?]. Kara suddenly realises that because this Becky shrine is in Tony’s cabin – TONY MUST BE THE KILLER [Gasp!]! Brad returns with firewood and Kara shows him the Becky shrine. He starts shaking, claiming he’s cold, but kind of seems angry… Kara goes to make the fire when the door flies open – TONY! [Double Gasp!]
‘”Kara? What are you doing here?”‘ he says before charging at Brad and attacking him. Tony has the upper hand and punches the daylights out of Brad, all while Kara is yelling for him to stop. Kara says they want to help him, and Tony stops for a second, confused, and asks ‘”What’s he been telling you, Kara?”‘ [OOOOHHH! I see what’s going on now].
Brad takes the opportunity to turn the tables, throwing Tony on his back and getting Kara to hand him rope so he can tie Tony up. Tony yells at Kara that this is all a trick, but Brad insists ‘”It’s not a trick. It’s Becky.”‘ Everything hits Kara like a ton of bricks – oh no… It’s been Brad all along [Yep! I had a feeling this guy was a nutjob]! Kara realizes that Brad is a Gemini – ‘a personality with two distinct sides’ [AKA he’s ‘cuckoo’ and can flip at any moment – that damn Zodiac, at it again].
Brad’s crazy eyes lock on Kara as he asks her if she understands. She was best friends with Becky, after all, so she must [Not sure Kara speaks ‘crazy’, Bradley]. Tony yells for Kara to run, but Brad blocks her way [Who builds a cabin with only one entrance?], and he pulls out more rope and a knife. After tying her up, Brad lights some candles and asks Kara if she knows what today is. Kara confirms it is Becky’s birthday and Brad is pleased, because ‘”good friends don’t forget.”‘ [Preach, Crazy Brad! Good friends should remember your dang birthday! You got that readers? Yes, I side with the psycho on this one]
She tries to talk him out of whatever he is doing because it’s crazy, and he gets a bit angry at that. He wants Kara to calm down because there’s not much time to explain – something he didn’t get a chance to do with the others before he offed them [I’m with Tony, get on with the explanation dude]. Brad says he was basically numb when Becky died, but eventually got over it, which doesn’t make sense to Kara because he killed the others. This makes Brad snap and he turns to the Becky shrine, because her images apparently help calm him down [Ohhhkay…].
He confesses that he listens to Becky’s answering machine messages all the time, hence the call to Trish [Told ya! I knew that was a voice message!]. Tony wants to move this forward and apologizes to Brad, because he obviously blames them for Becky’s death. WRONG! Brad is actually happy now [Damn Geminis and their flip-flop personalities], and shows them the star chart from the wall – it’s how the stars were aligned on the day Becky died and it’s also the same configuration for tonight, Becky’s birthday [Okay, that’s weird].
He thinks Becky was meant to die, and tonight, they’re all meant to join her in the afterlife for a ‘”surprise party.”‘ [Oh Shit! He really read waaaaay too much into astrology. Let this be a lesson to you folks: don’t take that stuff too seriously, no matter how accurate it may seem]. Brad zones out while staring at the Becky shrine pictures, allowing Tony and Kara talk quietly. Earlier, Tony got an email instructing him to ‘”Meet me where we left off. Four o’clock. We’ll have forever to catch up.”‘ He’d figured out that it was from Brad after becoming suspicious when Brad gave a lacklustre reaction to E.J.’s email before he died [Tony is observant. See? I knew I liked him and his hotness for a reason].
Tony and Kara try to wriggle free from the rope restraints [Tony’s hands behind his back and Kara’s tied in front], but Brad snaps out of his daze and gets them up and out of the cabin, but doesn’t tell them where they are going Three guesses where though. I mean, it’s kinda obvious at this point, right? Sure enough, they are heading for the cliff with Kara in front, Tony in the middle and Brad following them with his knife. It’s getting dark now and Brad is getting really eager because ‘”Becky’s waiting.”‘ [I’m sure she is, whackjob] Kara stumbles to the ground at one point, and Brad is distracted as he helps her up. Tony almost has his hands free, but not enough to put up a fight just yet [Dammit Tony, C’mon! Save the day already, Sweetcheeks!].
Fifteen feet left til they’re at the edge of the cliff. Brad is commenting on the awesome weather, and Kara is begrudgingly agreeing with him, presumably rolling her eyes. It turns out that when she fell, her hands came free from her ropes, but Brad hasn’t notice. As Brad’s gaze lingers on the stars above, she and Tony have a silent exchange.
Just as Brad rushes them, Kara knocks the knife out of his hand, but slips herself. Tony, his hands now free, dives for the knife at the same time as Brad, but Brad loses his balance and goes over the edge of the cliff [Thank God! Get that psycho outta here]. Tony & Kara look over the edge and spot Brad hanging onto a rock. They offer their hands to him [How noble are they, with a guy who just tried to kill them? Stupid is more like it], but Brad just looks into their eyes and smiles:
“I’ll say hi to Becky for you,” he told them.
Then he let go of the rock.
[This scene makes me flash back to the end of ‘The Cable Guy’ when Jim Carrey says “Somebody has to kill the babysitter” before falling into the satellite dish, breaking it (and his back, I presume)]
Tony and Kara kiss as they realize it’s all over [I’m sure they banged after all this. I mean, Kara would be a fool not to jump Tony’s bones right away, amiright?], and the book ends with Kara recognising a new beginning, now that ‘Becky and Brad were together at last.’ [Aw, how lovely for them and their happily ever afterlife]
Final Thoughts
This was a good re-read. I did remember halfway through that Brad was the killer, but it was fun to revisit. Kara was a bit more insufferable this time around – or maybe it’s because I’m so used to these YA thrillers at this point that I have very low tolerance for protagonists that don’t seem to “get it”. I’m dead serious about Tony, by the way. He just sounds like a dreamboat, and I’d gladly switch places with Kara just to have him in my life.
The cover art is shown nowhere in the book, and only at the first funeral scene does it mention Becky’s grave was nearby, and we didn’t get to read her headstone to confirm if it only said ‘Died Aged 16 years’ [Like a fine wine!]
The descriptions of the kills weren’t as wild or in-depth as I would have liked for a YA horror, but the mystery and paranoia really kept me involved. You could definitely tell that Kara was the final girl (and that either Brad or Tony would survive til the end) – it just felt familiar, but in a good, teen-angsty way! And it was a VERY quick read.
I’m definitely eager to read more from the Zodiac Chillers line-up, even if there are only six books, so 123 Elusive Astro Pendants out of 150!
Dustin Holden is the host of the podcast Dustin Can Read & Watch, a biweekly podcast dedicated to YA books and television reviews.
