I really don't enjoy Hautala's books. This one...it's not a mystery (it doesn't count if the characters know what happened and just refuse to tell the readers), it's not really horror though that's a lot of the flavor. It's certainly not a book I'd give a kid, so not YA. I have no idea what he was aiming for, but as far as I'm concerned he missed all the marks. The story is almost horror - there's certainly a lot of horrific elements. But what makes something horror to me is people being helpless - and there's no people here. Nothing but wooden puppets twitching to the author's orders. They do/say/think whatever fits in this paragraph - never mind what they did/said/thought a few paragraphs ago. The stories make no sense, the "threats" are utterly random (how did she help all those others she claims to, if she has to spend all her time hiding from the Reverend in the cemetery?), there are scenes seen from one point of view and then another with completely different things happening (her first meeting with Jim, for instance - did his mother come in before he spoke to Abby, or not? One version has her, the other doesn't mention her at all). The crime was pretty obvious from the start - if you accept Hautala's nasty view of people. I admit I skimmed between her meeting with Jim and the final trick; but nothing at the end was in any way surprising, and I don't think I missed anything. This is clearly a setup for a whole series of these "mysteries", and I will not be reading any of them. Or anything else by this author. ( )

I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Take a mystery, add a ghost into it, tack on a murder and you have the makings of an excellent book.
Abby is a ghost who lives in a cemetery in the Dead Lands. She’s been dead for over 100 years. She’s not sure why, unlike the many that she helps, she’s been unable to move on. She sleeps until she hears a mockingbird sing, which signals that someone needs her help. This time it is Meagan who has shown up. Abby quickly whisks her into the cemetery. Why? Abby’s uncle George Wheeler, who was once a pastor chases Abby along with his Hell Hounds. He’s determined to get her to come to his side of things. Abby must help Meagan find out who murdered her and help her get justice. She must do this all without being caught by her uncle. Abby has a protector who quickly comes to her aid. She doesn’t know who he is or when he will show up but he does. There is a second story line that flows through this story. Jim Burke purchased a locket that used to belong to Abby. Inside the locket is a strand of hair and a key. He was originally going to buy it for his mother because she like it, but decided to keep it because he feels strangely drawn to it. This connection is what allows him to see Abby, something no other living being has been able to accomplish. We are left at the end of the book with Meagan’s mystery solved, but not Abby’s. This is a great set up for a second book. It can be read as a stand-alone book.

When I went in search of this author who was new to me, I was saddened to learn he had died of a heart attack in 2013. I love his book and would have gladly read the entire series. It was so good that it only took me a couple of hours to read it. Now we will never have the answers to the questions we had at the end of the book about Abby and her uncle. I will recommend this to all of my students. It is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. ( )

I received this book from Library Thing Early Reviewers. The Dead Lands is about Abby who in the Dead Lands and helps people who have unfinished business on Earth. Abby meets Meagan and tries to help her. Meagan is not sure if her death was an accident, or something much worse. The Abby's Evil Uncle George Wheeler chases her with his Hell Hounds. Then a mysterious protector comes to Abby's aid.

I found this book to be diffiuclt to put down. It was scary and suspenseful. I thought this book had an interesting take on the afterlife. ( )

I enjoyed The Dead Lands by Rick Hautala, an interesting take on the afterlife where Abby solves the murder of a young girl who can not move on. ( )

I liked this book even if it wasn't quite the mystery I thought it would be. It did give a different look at the aspect of being dead that was interesting. I didn't know that it was in a series, but now I am ready to read the next one. ( )