April Fools (Point Horror)

Driving back from a party on April 1st Belinda, Frank and Hildy are involved in a gruesome accident. The people in the other car could never have survived the crash, so Frank insists that they scarper. After all it wasn’t really their fault. Two weeks later, Belinda is the only one who still feels guilt about the accident. Then the “pranks” start and her nightmare really begin! Someone must have witnessed…or survived the crash. And they’re going to make Belinda suffer for what happened! April Fools’ Day is over. But these jokes are for real.

Richie Tankersley Cusick’s April Fools (Point Horror) Book Cover

GOT U COVERED 📙

Author: Richie Tankersley Cusick

Published: 1990

Series: Point Horror

Tagline: It’s no joke...it’s murder.

Description: A redhead doll with a red handkerchief is placed into a mail box.

“It was just a joke…a joke. My God, what have we done…

If only it hadn’t been April Fools’ Day.

If only the screams would stop echoing forever and ever in her mind.” - pg 6

SYNOPSIS 📖

Belinda and her friends were involved in a terrible accident and it’s been haunting her ever since. Perhaps her new tutoring job will be a healthy distraction from the awful events that happened two weeks prior. She loves to tutor and she needs the money to help out her single mom. However, Adam is different. He is dark and eerie. Something about him unsettles Belinda. Could it have something to do with the accident? Is that why his face is scarred and he walks with a cane? How does he know so much about Belinda? It just doesn’t make any sense. Then the threats come and it’s clear to her that someone is not joking around. Someone wants to teach her a lesson. Can she figure who is behind this before her time runs out? Or will she be a fool for trying?

“There were wet globs of red on her fingers…and the smell made her gag and step back off the curb.

Belinda stared at the mailbox in horror.” - pg 77

THOUGHTS 💭

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me…Well, I’ve been shamed guys and gals. This week I’ve consumed two April Fools-themed forms of entertainment - this book and a movie - and I didn’t enjoy either one of them.

For starters…Hildy and Frank are the fucking worst!!! OMG, I wanted to punch them every time they entered a chapter. I wouldn’t say I typically like how friends are written in these vintage books, but they grated on my teeth with their constant dismissal of the accident (that they caused by the way), and their jokes towards Belinda for assuming she’s just being paranoid. God forbid feeling some remorse a mere two weeks later after a fatal accident where people suffered to their death. I appreciated it when Belinda chastised Hildy for not being supportive towards her and always wanting to brush past the reality of the threats just because they didn’t receive any. Which in all honesty should have been a red flag to Belinda. Why were they not receiving any threats if they were equally (if not more) involved? We come to find out why later in the book, which supports my “fuck them” stance. Also, read the damn room Frank. Damn that boy has no tact whatsoever. Total knucklehead. These are some of the worst friends I’ve read in the Point Horror series. I secretly was hoping they were on the chopping block.

Belinda on the other hand, wasn’t making it easy for me to like her either. I understood her guilty conscience and how it influenced her decision to keep seeing Adam. But girl…give it up. He doesn’t want to be tutored and he constantly talks in cryptic-creepy speak. The only thing she accomplished in this book was finishing her cups of tea Cobbs made her. She did not have good detective skills either. Her suspicions were never based on anything concrete, always hearsay from others, which of course as the reader we know are often misdirections, but she was always soooo convinced and convicted in her beliefs. She felt like a damsel in distress rather than a final girl, which is why I wasn’t completely sold on her character.

My suspicions initially were that The Butler did it. He seemed to be the culprit from the jump. Too many blatant clues felt like they were pointing in his direction. But then my attention diverted towards Noel. We all know it’s the least suspicious person that ends up being the culprit. And I was only partially right. What I didn’t expect was this Scream-esque reveal in the final chapters. This portion of the book was actually my favourite part. It felt like it was finally settling into horror territory with the antagonist reveal and motive explanations. However, the horror was over just as soon as it stared. Making the ending a bit anti-climactic for me.

Speaking of Mr. Cobbs. I liked him as a character. I kept imagining an Alfred Pennyworth (Batman’s butler) type of man. Stoic, English and cheekily sarcastic. I felt like this “loving” relationship between himself and Belinda was a bit force fed, but hey, maybe they are kindred spirits. I would have like there to be more tender moments between them to warrant what the text was trying to sell me. 

Although the book was written fairly well, paced decently, and had a decent premise — it stalled in the story and horror department. With chapters feeling like it was giving me the same beats, rather than escalating to a big event or payoff. Kind of like a joke that is edging towards the punchline but isn’t set up well enough for it to actually land.

As you can read by this review. I’m not sure if I’d recommend this book. I actually started to speed read so that I could just get to the end. Let’s just say I won’t be revisiting this book any time soon, however if you’re a Point Horror completionist then I’m sure this book will make it to your TBR list. 

I’d grade this book a D+

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