Told by Billie, a 15 year old boy from the wrong side of town, into a recorder after he has battled with a serial killer. It records his recollections about the mystery surrounding the disappearances of three teenage boys in his neighborhood - one who turns up dead, one who the police only find a small piece of in another state and one who is still missing.
Billie notices things because he often spends his nights running all over town (he is former juvenile delinquent who has promised his mother on her death bed to behave better) When out one night he notices a strange man in a deserted house - the same strange man who is know as the town's drug dealer.
A very suspenseful book with the tension really building in Part 2 right up to the gripping conclusion in Part 3 where Billie is SPOILER ALERT caught by the serial killer and needs to make a decision that will impact the rest of his life. I read this as a 200 page e-book and it was very quick to read (less than 4 hours). ( )

A good story about a young boy who discovers a serial killer. The ending was action packed. The narrative was a little unusual, similar to a stream of consciousness. I didn't really care for the style it was written in. I think a more conventional narrator could have increased the stories appeal.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. ( )

I was surprised by how much I loved Henry Turner’s novel “Ask the Dark,” and its engaging hero, Billy Zeets. With a unique voice, Billy tells his own story in his own way, taking you along with him as he describes harrowing events that would thrill and chill the most courageous adult. As I read this book, I felt I was with Billy every step of the way and even though I wanted him to triumph over the dark and evil things happening in the book, I didn’t want it to end. I’m not sure if Henry Turner has more books in mind for Billy, but I certainly hope so. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Billy Zeets has found trouble before, two years before, before his mother died and he'd promised her to keep away from petty crime and his nightly roaming of the neighborhood. It's his compelling first-person voice that draws the reader in as fifteen-year-old Billy explains why he must return to his old ways. He needs to make money because his father has hit on hard times from a work injury, and foreclosure and homelessness looms for them too. Besides that, his sister, Leezie, got "in trouble" with a boy and will be a teenage mom. A fruit stand is what Billy's father thinks will help make ends meet, but they'll need startup money. So now Billy vows to himself to come up with what's needed before summer's end. During daylight hours he applies honest means, working odd jobs to earn money. When night time comes, Billy sneaks out as before, falling back to his former ways of casing the neighborhood for whatever brings cash. But boys have gone missing, and once one of the boys turns up murdered there's a sizable bounty offered for the killer's capture. And no one knows the neighborhood like Billy.

Told in the vernacular (there's a glimpse of Huck Finn in Billy) with a good bit of raw street language, in which Billy apologizes for by saying, "scuze my language" often enough, yet I did find myself doing so because Billy is a teen that's all heart. ASK THE DARK appears to be a character-driven YA book, however, it's also an action-packed damn (scuze my language) well-plotted murder mystery too. ( )

This is the story of a young boy named Billy who lives with his disabled father and sister. They are losing their home unless they can come up with a substantial amount of money, In their town young boys are coming up missing and a body or two have been discovered. Billy takes it upon himself to both get money to pay off the family debt and buy his dad a fruit stand and at the same time solve the mystery of who is kidnapping and killing the boys. I was into it - I think this novel will really be a big hit with teenaged boys. (and girls). It is fast paced and well written. ( )