Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia

Zora sees dead people. Ghosts linger all around her small Indiana town of Addamsville. Some died in the coal mine. Some died of disease. And some died in the tragic fires that have put Addamsville on the map. The deliberately set fires have captured the attention of people, particularly those interested in the paranormal.

Zora's abilities come from her mother (who walked into the woods five years ago and never came back). Her mother was training her to be a hunter. A hunter of ghosts? No, ghosts mostly hang around and do not bother the living. Zora and her mother hunt firestarters, the demons actually responsible for the murders.

Many people believe that Zora is responsible for the latest fire that killed the school janitor. She was present at a big fire a few years ago (when she lost two of her fingers). Zora's mother swore her to secrecy about the firestarters, so she can't tell that she was fighting one at the time.

How does an 18 year old high schooler fight the possible return of a demon, keep her older sister for locking her in their trailer (for getting in trouble) while the whole town blames her for something she didn't do? Well, Zora has a tough time of it. Her family has always been outcasts. Her mom's behavior was strange and then her dad went to prison for conning a bunch of towns people out of their money.

In addition to the latest fire, the arrival of a television crew to film an episode of a well known paranormal show lights the fuse (if you will) for a showdown between Zora and the firestarter (and the town and her family's past). It is a tense ride sometimes with good characters and some humor thrown in. Good stuff.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.