Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
He did not want to kill. Dusty Shame was a high school senior, and a serial killer. Already he has murdered three young women, and he has more planned. Yet Dusty did not want to hurt anybody. There was something inside him, or perhaps outside him, that compelled him to kill. Sheila Hardolt has lost her best friend to Dusty's insane attacks. It will be her task to probe the clues Dusty has left at the site of each of his murders. Clues that will point her into the past -- to a time when a large portion of mankind lost all sense of decency. There she will find the seed of Dusty's evil compulsion, the Wicked Heart, and the reason why it did not die the first time it was destroyed.
Is The Wicked Heart appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This dark supernatural thriller features a teenage serial killer compelled by an ancient evil force. Contains descriptions of multiple murders and exploration of extreme violence, though handled within YA boundaries. Mature themes about loss of control and evil throughout history.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, no sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include murder, death, death of a loved one, and grief (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens who enjoy dark supernatural mysteries will be gripped by this cat-and-mouse story combining murder investigation with ancient evil.