THE HAUNTING OF SUNSHINE GIRL

Paige McKenzie narrates her own novel quite capably, with support from veteran narrator T. Ryder Smith. Though McKenzie rushes through descriptive passages and doesn't clearly differentiate between characters, she successfully captures the innocent candor of her young heroine, Sunshine, who moves with her mother from the warmth of Austin, Texas, to rain-soaked Ridgemont, Washington. That straightforward youthful tone makes the eerie, inexplicable experiences in Sunshine's new house truly disconcerting. As Sunshine begins to uncover Ridgemont's secrets--and her own dark destiny--it's difficult to forget that McKenzie is reading, as her narration doesn't build tension even as the plot speeds towards a showdown. However, she captures the emotional bonds Sunshine forms as she adapts to her strange new reality. B.E.K. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2015]