Set in modern day, Aimee, an independent teen and Shane, her nerdy brother struggle in the small town of Sleepy Hollow with fear of a string of grisly decapitation murders that occur in the town. Once they find out about the murders, both Aimee and Shane suspect a super natural killer. They think the killer is a super natural killer because of how he looks and because of the things he does.

In Horseman both Aimee and Shane struggle with being afraid. Author’s Christopher Golden and Ford Lytle Gilmore use fear as one of the themes to show peoples action toward the horseman. Gilmore and Golden make the theme evident through quotes like “I can not believe this. It has to be a nightmare.” Aimee’s voice was thin and shaky. “I wish it was.” Shane managed to sip his coffee without spilling it all over himself and then set it down, afraid to tempt fait any longer. Both authors of this book use character development and suspense to keep the reader attached. For example, Shane the nerdy brother, starts to be more social and becomes good friends with a student at Sleepy Hollow High. Also, they don’t reveal the ending and also use realistic details to make you read on.

The suspense in Horseman is similar to another book called The Contender by Robert Lipsyte. Both books always leave the reader hanging and do not reveal what is going to happen next. This is a good book filled with suspense and horror. This book is not hard to get into and the problems the main characters face are exciting. Horseman is a good book for readers 7th grade and up, who like fast paced horror stories. Young readers might find it hard to get into because they would not understand the setting.

Rating: 