The Springfields are a family of investigators—Dad, Mom, and twin siblings Elijah and Elisha—for the Veritas Project, which seeks to find the truth behind strange mysteries and crimes when others are unable or unwilling to see past the surface. They're sent to a high school in Washington where kids are falling mysteriously ill with symptoms of fear and paranoia. As the family begins to assimilate into the school, they're shocked to discover how certain students are treated, both by other students and by the faculty. Can they discover who—or what—has the school's most popular kids seeing a ghost?

This book and its sequel, both of which I read several times back when they were new, are a large part of why Peretti has been my favorite author since high school. This is the first time in at least 10 years that I've read it, and it did not disappoint. The core issue in this book hit me a lot harder this time, maybe partly because I'm older now, but also because I read Peretti's semi-autobiographical book The Wounded Spirit last year for the first time, which describes heavy bullying in his adolescence, and that really put this book into a new perspective for me. While it certainly does not excuse the kids who have been bullied and then retaliated, it sheds a light on the incredible injustice that can be prevalent in schools.

One thing that I think could trip some people up about this book is that the very premise of the series isn't realistic. The fact that it's the president of the United States who establishes this investigative group specifically with a Judeo-Christian perspective, as well as the teenagers of the family being investigators themselves, it's not believable in this day and age. However, like with others of Peretti's books, I think it's perfectly okay to not think of it as meant to be completely realistic, and think of it more as a "what if" scenario. And in that way, it's very insightful. I also question the likelihood of a high school teacher at that time actually teaching kids that there is no right or wrong...seems pretty foolish, since at a school, they'd most likely want kids to believe that the rules are right and that breaking the rules is wrong. Otherwise, they're inviting anarchy. In today's society (only 20 years later), though, I would buy this a lot more.

One last thing I should mention is that if you have an issue with spiders, you may need to be careful reading this book. My own phobia is pretty bad, but I was able to push through. I don't know if that's an indication of how much I like the book or how un-intrusive the issue was, but it's there. I do love this book, though I don't know how well I'll be able to watch the movie. I own it and have definitely watched it more than once in the past. I'm not sure if that means my phobia has grown over time or if the movie just isn't too bad. There is one sequel to this book (man, do I wish Peretti had written more of these), and I remember liking it even more than this one, so I'm pretty excited about it. I highly recommend this book to all fans of Christian thrillers, whether you're a teenager or adult. ( )

youth fiction, copied ‘arachnophobia’ way too much ( )

At first I wasn't too excited to be reading a young adult novel but this was great. This realistic fiction mystery was full of excitement and thrill as a family solved a mystery together. Although there was no illustrations, the words alone create a vivid picture of the story taking place. Media: none ( )

Hangman's Curse
Frank Peretti

Book Summary: They could be anyone, anywhere . . . even the person walking by you right now. The Veritas Project is their code name--but only a handful of people know teens Elijah and Elisha Springfield have been covertly commissioned by the President to investigate strange mysteries that delve into the paranormal and supernatural. Their charge is to find out not only what happened, but why--the veritas (Latin for truth) behind the seemingly impossible phenomena.
Their new assignment: Hangman's Curse In Baker, Washington, three popular student athletes lie in an incoherent coma, with loss of muscle coordination, severe paranoia, and hallucinations. It's whispered that they're victims of Abel Frye--a curse that's haunted the school since a student died there in the 1930s. Now the curse is spreading, and students are running scared. The Veritas Project must go undercover to find the truth . . . before it's too late.

Review: I loved this book. I picked it up at Costco and I read it from beginning to end! This was years ago and yet parts of the witty dialog and storyline still comes to my mind. I remember how I could not put it down. The characters were well written and realistic. I think Veritas Project itself was a cool concept. I found the children to be fun and smart without being a disrespectful pair. They were characters I cheered on and wanted to read more of. The parents were intelligent and part of the team with each person having their own specialty. It is the way families should be portrayed rather than the typical dumb parents, smart kids. My only criticism is that there were only two books but that is tempered by a deep respect for Mr. Peretti who had serious vertigo, I believe around the same time. Now that he is writing again I hope he will pen more of these tails. I also seldom read youth fiction but this was a smart and snappy read many age groups. ( )

I had read this book once before and thought it was great. I'm reading it again now, years later, because I discovered it at my grandmas house and realized I didn't remember the plot all that well.

I'm so glad I cracked it open again and decided to read it. The story is great, and the characters are very likeable. I don't totally agree with a lot of the religious talk that goes on, but I got past it with no problem.

I'm glad I rediscovered this little gem, I think ill buy the next book in the series! ( )