Constant family arguments, sadness and fear, and even a near-drowning experience. These are definitely not things you encounter on a summer getaway, right? Think again. Deep and Dark and Dangerous written by Mary Downing Hahn is a fantastic mystery horror novel for people of all ages.

When 13-year-old Ali O’Dwyer finds an old photograph in the attic, she knows that the two children in it are her mother Claire and her aunt Dulcie, but the third person torn out of the picture leaves her thinking: who was that? Did mom and aunt Claire have something to do with that person?
Ali’s aunt Dulcie takes her and her four-year-old daughter Emma to Gull Cottage in Maine for summer vacation to relax and throw away their worries, but while they were there, Emma meets a mean, obnoxious girl her age named Sissy, who Ali comes to hate very quickly. Spiteful as she is, Sissy constantly does something very strange, however: she talks about a girl named Teresa who drowned in the lake by the cottage many years ago when Claire and Dulcie were children. At first, Ali ignores Sissy’s stories, but as she keeps talking about the girl that died in the lake all those years ago, Ali’s question about the torn photograph receives a chilling answer.

As mentioned before, Deep and Dark and Dangerous takes place in Gull Cottage in Maine, and many events revolve around the lake where Teresa died. The author tells the story in Ali’s point of view, and the way she uses imagery and dialogue really creates a chilling mood. In fact, Mary Downing Hahn’s craft in the novel makes it feel as if you are in the story experiencing them first-hand alongside the main characters.

I loved Deep and Dark and Dangerous for the great suspense and creepy tone it provided throughout the story. The author was very colorful and clever with the word choice she used, and the way she describes the events and settings in the story really appeal to the senses. If Mary Downing Hahn’s purpose was to spook the readers just enough with her brilliant writing that they want to keep reading, then she definitely fulfilled it.

All in all, this book’s plot, great characters and colorful language make it a worth-while read. With all of the trouble that the characters get into by lying, this novel taught me that honesty truly is the best policy. Telling the truth can be difficult at times, but in the end, it is a better choice than making the problem worse by lying.