Kirkus Reviews Magazine, August 15, 2023 edition, p222
“”Sixteen-year-old Hapkido black belt Will McCurty and his 20-year-old college student brother, Seth, live with their mother 40 miles outside Kansas City, Missouri. Eight years after their father, a police officer, was killed in the line of duty, their estranged grandmother appears and explains to Will that Seth, like their dad, is a “Bridge”—a human connection between the living and the dead. She goes on to say that Seth must bond with a “Keeper”—someone to protect him and remember what the dead say when they speak through him. It’s only after Will reluctantly agrees that he realizes that their grandma has herself passed on, and is manifesting due to Seth’s power. The brothers’ new abilities take some getting used to. One desperate spirit possesses Seth completely, nearly killing Will when he mistakes him for his own murderer. Will, meanwhile, has developed an aura that brings him to the attention of Maureen “Reen” Gardener, his Wicca-practicing classmate and crush; however, the new status quo threatens to come between him and his best friend, Nico. As family friend Uncle Marcus mentors the siblings, they struggle to keep angry spirits at bay, uncover the truth behind a classmate’s disappearance, and bring a killer to justice. Moore relates the story with an assured blend of narrative prose, introspection, and teen-appropriate dialogue. From the outset, Will (the narrator) and Seth demonstrate a strong and endearing fraternal relationship that evokes the Hardy Boys, and their introduction to the supernatural world carries distinct Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? vibes, albeit with a darker edge. Supporting characters Reen, Nico, and Uncle Marcus add a grounding touch by exhibiting personality beyond mere plot function. The story’s antagonists are less nuanced, but this doesn’t detract from the rising sense of peril. Moore doesn’t invest much time in establishing setting, but the generic school environment and recurrent graveyards prove sufficient.
A fast-moving paranormal adventure for teens with heavy themes and an upbeat delivery.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Move over, Winchester boys–the McCurty brothers are here! BridgeKeeper is an action-packed modern ghost story, chilling and loads of fun.”
–Elizabeth C. Bunce, Edgar Award-winning author
“There’s danger, tons of tension, mystery, spooky moments, magic, ghosts, family issues, brotherly love, a touch of romance, and so much more. . . I read this one in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down!”
– Tanya Drecker, Goodreads author
“I am actually speechless.
You guys… I was not expecting this to be grab-me-by-the-collar-and-refuse-to-let-me-go AMAZING. This was one of those cases where an unknown author reached out to me and offered me a book for review, which I say “no” to 99% of the time. I did some research before accepting, but I still wasn’t expecting to be blown away.
I. Am. Blown. Away.
The hook that got me here was an author writing YA Fantasy with male protagonists and a story revolving around brotherhood. I want to see more of that (done well and without toxic undertones) for my boys, so I read this with guarded hope and it far surpassed my expectations.
Yes, we have brother MCs, yes they share an incredibly close bond, yes there’s action and fighting scenes, but ALSO we have sensitive navigation of masculinity and two very non-toxic protagonists who are using new powers they don’t yet understand to bring an abusive man to justice. There’s also ghosts, cemeteries, complex family dynamics, and hints of a much deeper supernatural world to come.
This book left a door definitively open for more to come, and I am telling you, I WILL BE WAITING ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT! This was a bit more thriller/mystery (some intense scenes had me skimming ahead to make sure everyone was going to be okay) than I usually pick up, but I think that’s exactly what will make my reluctant reader love this when he’s a bit older. I LOVED these characters and the world @lsmooreya is building for them. Their voices are so well-developed and authentic— I could see my boys in these brothers, but more to the point, they became real to me, and I was completely invested in their journey. Seriously, if they made a tv show out of this I would not be surprised.
TWs in the comments, but seriously, please consider this a rave review. I’m stunned! This was stunning.”
-Alyssa, @thestackling Bookstagramer, reviewer, vlogger and book seller
Back cover description
On a night when the veil between the living and the dead is as thin as a soap bubble, sixteen-year-old Will McCurty discovers a chilling family legacy.
Each generation’s firstborn becomes a medium, a Bridge between the living world and the In Between. It won’t affect Will, only his older brother, Seth, but every Bridge needs a Keeper. A Keeper’s job? Chat up the dead. Keep them from using Seth’s body to do anything crazy or dangerous. And then clean up their earthly messes so the spirits can pass on. There’s only one candidate for the job.
Will has a choice — walk away from his brother and their shared destiny, or leap into the secret, shadowy world of ghosts and lost souls. Becoming Seth’s Keeper means Will must harbor secrets, lie to his best friends, and break his mother’s heart. But it’s that or abandon his brother to the desperate dead.
Will takes the leap and makes a lifelong commitment, but it might not be such a burden after all. Life’s likely to be short for a BridgeKeeper.
Excerpts
Chapter 1
Seth caught my eye, concern obvious in his look. “It’ll pass like always. Don’t sweat it.”
“Ha-ha,” I said with a grimace. The cat thing had been part of my life long enough that I should have gotten used to it by now. But every time my chest hollowed out and weirdly alien emotions oozed into the empty space, it surprised me. The first time somebody shivered and said, Oooo, a cat just walked over my grave, I knew that was the closest I’d ever come to describing what it felt like to have somebody else’s feelings blow through my insides. Seth was right, the weirdness always passed.
Except today when it hadn’t. Out there somewhere, my smart-ass cat had paced back and forth over my grave all day.
Chapter 2
Pop. Pop. Pop! Streetlights all down the road plinked out. No tinkling glass, no blown transformer sparks, just instant blackness.
“Craaaap.” Waving my hand, I found Seth’s shoulder and pulled him around to face me. My breath caught. His drizzle-slicked face looked like he’d taken a bath in glow-in-the-dark paint. I wiped water out of my eyes. “Sssseth. You’re glowing.”
He gave me a snort. “Uh-huh, sure.”
“I’m not kidding.” His weird light grew stronger. “You’re actually lit up like —”
“Shh! Did you hear that?” Seth jerked his shoulder out of my grip. He cocked his ear. “Somebody’s calling my name.”
Chapter 10
“What’s the rush?” I dodged leaves fluttering down from the maple trees like giant, Day-Glo snowflakes. At the trailhead, fresh mulch deadened the sound of our footsteps. The temperature dropped ten degrees in the semi-darkness in the woods. Shivering, I pulled my hoodie over my head, and ahead of me, Seth reached back to turn his collar up.
“Hold on.” I grabbed his elbow and pulled him around. “Here we go again.”
Seeing the look on my face, he spread his hands open. “Am I . . .?
“Yeah. Everywhere I can see skin.” That eerie, milky glow was back.
“I wish I could see it,” he said. “It’d be easier to believe.”
“Believe it.” A whisper of adrenalin started a buzz between my eyes. “Maybe we should turn back.”
L.S. Moore 