Susan Dennard’s The Executioners Three: Mist, Murder, and 90s Vibes

When mist falls and the bell tolls, death returns — and one determined teen is ready to face it.

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard comes The Executioners Three, a mystery filled with rivalry, romance, best friends, and a gruesome curse that dates back centuries.

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.

Audiobook review

4 stars

If I liked The Executioners Three, I can’t say I loved it quite as much as The Luminaries. But still — I devoured it in record time. There’s something deliciously addictive about Freddie’s mix of curiosity, chaos, and courage.

From the first chapter, I needed to know: Was this just a small-town serial killer story… or something far more supernatural?

At first, the rivalry between the two schools and the antics of the Prank Club were genuinely fun. I loved watching nerdy Freddie go from invisible to Prank Queen, suddenly the girl everyone wanted to be around. But as the story deepened, that subplot faded, replaced by something darker and more intriguing.

Every seven years, the dead return to Freddie’s town — all murdered in the same grotesque way. Mist descends, bells toll, temperatures drop, and even the animals turn savage. When Freddie stumbles across an eerie old poem about a Frenchman and his three cursed servants doomed to kill, she becomes obsessed with solving the mystery before history repeats itself.

With her best friend, her prank crew, and a boy from the rival school, Freddie sets out on a dangerous investigation that blurs the line between logic and legend.

This story is for you if you:

• still feel nostalgic for the 90s;
• were raised on The X-Files and Buffy;
• love YA heroines who are half Sherlock, half Scully;
• enjoy small towns hiding centuries-old curses;
• don’t mind a reckless lead who dives headfirst into danger.

It’s eerie, fast-paced, and drenched in mist and mystery — perfect for a stormy night or a cozy Halloween read.

Thanks for reading.

Sophie