Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Scare Factor: 💀💀💀| Plot: 📕📕📕📕| Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Length: 08:44:00 | Genre: YA Horror | POV: Third



🕊️ ➞ Tropes:

🔪👤 Serial Killer 👤🔪
🚫Trust No One 🚫
👻No One’s Safe👻
🩸Gruesome 🩸


✴✴✴ TW: Murder, Talk of OD, Arson ✴✴✴


🕊️ ➞ Plot Breakdown & Commentary:

After her mother passed from an overdose, Quinn and her father moved to Kettle Springs after he was offered a job as the town’s new physician. Not looking forward to being the new girl, Quinn quickly got on her teacher’s bad side when she snickered at the impossibility and ridiculousness of this town while he was arguing with two other students. I noticed that adults in this town seemed to have a strong deep-rooted intolerance for teenagers and tended to get aggressive rather quickly. 👀



The parents of Kettle Springs were beginning to get fed up with the recklessness of the town’s teenagers, a hatred that stemmed from arson at one of the town’s factories before the novel’s events. The tipping point was a prank involving pyrotechnics going awry that left several floats on fire and children getting hurt. This caused an uproar amongst the parents which caused an emergency town hall meeting. The mayor couldn’t sway the crowd’s animosity towards his neutrality and Sheriff Dunn stepped in and began dictating the meeting. Dunn claimed he had a plan but would have to deputize all those who wanted in as it was a police matter. The mayor offered and due to his title, he couldn’t. Dunn then asked the mayor to leave and the mayor was stabbed through the neck with an ice pick by Frendo the Clown, the town’s mascot, in the parking lot as he headed back to his car.

The story took place over an evening or so, which explained the lack of character depth development and world-building. The events leading up to the climax were Quinn picking up on some hostility and trying to navigate/find her place in the town’s dynamic.

The climax took place at a party in a barn within a cornfield. A bunch of people dressed as Frendo began k!lling the partygoers and trapped them in the barn before setting it on fire. As the partiers were trying to escape, the killers picked them off one by one as they exited the burning barn. They got creative with their weapons though. Nothing says fear like running through a cornfield in the dark and an arrow shoots into the air, killing you.



As Quinn and the group try to outrun the Clowns, we discover that the sheriff has enlisted two students to betray their classmates and lead the killers right to their prey.



After killing one of the clowns, the group unmasks him as their science teacher from earlier in the book; revealing that the killers are the adults of Kettle Springs.

We learn that Cole’s father is behind this. Cole’s father hates his son for taking away his wife and his daughter with his careless actions. Along with Sheriff Dunn’s help, that is. After being confronted by Quinn, Cole’s dad goes into hiding and Cole makes it out safely.



🕊️ ➞ Closing Thoughts:

Such a quick and easy listen! Devoured it and immediately began the next one! Just a quick, cliche slasher. Loved!

If you’ve read or listened to, A Clown In A Cornfield, leave a comment! Would love to know what you think!

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