Title: The Executioner’s Three

Author: Susan Dennard

Genre: YA Horror

Publisher: Daphne Press

Publication Date: 26th August 2025

Rating: 4.5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Discover this paranormal 90s-set mystery in a spooky small town hiding dark secrets which stretch back centuries – a perfect Halloween read for Stranger Things fans.

Freddie Gellar didn’t mean to get half the rival high school arrested. She’d simply heard shrieks coming from the woods, so she’d called the cops like any good human would do. How was she supposed to know it was just kids partying?

Except the next day, a body is found. And while the local sheriff might call it suicide, Freddie’s instincts tell her otherwise. So, like the aspiring sleuth (and true X-Files aficionado) she is, Freddie sets out to prove there’s a murderer at large.

But her investigation is quickly disrupted by the rivalry between her school and the school of the partying teens she got arrested. For over twenty years now, the two student bodies have had an ongoing prank war, and Freddie’s failed attempt at Good Samaritanism has upped the ante. Big time. Worse, the clever―and gorgeous―leader of the rival prank squad has set his sights on Freddie.

As more pranks unfurl, more bodies also start piling up in the forest. But it’s the supernatural warning signs around town―each plucked straight from an old forgotten poem called “The Executioners Three”―that worry Freddie the most. She knows the poem and its blood curse can’t be real, but she’s quickly running out of time to prove it.

Because the murderer―or executioners?―knows she’s onto them now, and their next target might just be Freddie.

Review:

This was honestly just such a fun read which would be an absolutely perfect pick as we head into my favourite time of year – Spooky Season! The characters are engaging, the story is fabulously creepy and twisty, and the vibes are pitched just right. The 90’s nostalgia is out in full force with The Executioner’s Three having a sort of Scooby Doo meets Buffy meets The X-Files feeling (with just a dash of Nancy Drew) which I genuinely enjoyed so much. Freddie is a quirky and charming main character and the small town mystery tinged with some darker folklore makes for an entertaining read from start to finish. It’s definitely got a YA feel to it, especially with all the school rivalry shenanigans, but sometimes that is exactly what you’re looking for and if you want to read something with an eerie, spooky vibe that doesn’t get too unrelentingly heavy or dark and still has a quirky sense of humour to it then you can’t go wrong with The Executioner’s Three! I found it honestly pretty delightful! 

★★★★.5 

I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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