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Clare at Sixteen
If Dexter and Faith (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) had a daughter and raised her in the land of Santa Clarita Diet....she'd be Clare Bleecker. The small town of Pickman Flats offers a bright sunny place filled with quaint shopping and wine tasting. But underneath the town's inviting exterior lies a dark underbelly, a sinister element that lurks in the shadows. Clare is a devoted vegan who goes to Catholic high school, is fastidious in her manner, and also, well, a serial killer. The Other Clare takes over at the most inopportune of times. She tries to keep her inner beast's lust for blood at bay, but it's hard when there are so many creeps around who help to unleash it. What secret lies hidden beneath Pickman Flats? And who is Clare really? If you want answers, well, there's only one way to find out - even if it kills you.Slay Responsibly,XOXO Clare “A stylish, cool, ratatattat machine gun prose that blazes from all chambers -- it's like an unholy union of Heathers and Dexter. Clare Bleecker is an unforgettable, dangerous voice.” -- Tom Holland, writer-director of Fright Night and Child's Play“Clare at Sixteen is a terrifying triumph! What Don Roff has done with this highly personal and deeply disturbing novel is deliver one of the most memorable and ultimately sympathetic serial killers since Robert Bloch conceived of Norman Bates. This bloody and brilliant book, as well as its complex main character, will haunt readers long after their final prayers of the night. BRAVO!" -- Mark Pavia, Writer/Director of Stephen King's The Night Flier"Reminiscent of Heathers, Clare at Sixteen is a delightfully dark teen horror comedy with a dauntless and snarky heroine who serves up her own unique brand of small town justice along with some killer vegan smoothie recipes." --S.G. Browne, author of Breathers and Less Than Hero
- GenresHorror
520 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2021
6 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Don Roff
48 books124 followersDon Roff is the author of over 16 books including–Scary Stories, Zombie Tales, Dragon Adventures, Werewolf Tales, and Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection. His chilling suspense thriller, Snowblind, is soon to be a major film from The Traveling Picture Show Company. He is a former U.S. Army Ranger.
Read more at www.donvroff.com
Like Don Roff at: www.facebook.com/Author.Don.Roff/
Like Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection at: http://bit.ly/2omSYYb
Read more at www.donvroff.com
Like Don Roff at: www.facebook.com/Author.Don.Roff/
Like Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection at: http://bit.ly/2omSYYb
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 23, 2021
A Unique Concept!
Love Clare's sarcasm and her distinct view of the world. Her inner dialogue had me chuckling and the plot left me guessing as to how everything would turn out. A well rounded story!
Love Clare's sarcasm and her distinct view of the world. Her inner dialogue had me chuckling and the plot left me guessing as to how everything would turn out. A well rounded story!
March 15, 2021
I was excited to read this book because Madelaine Petsch is supposed to produce the film adaptation and star as Clare, but now I'm just wondering how they sold the idea to her because this is terrible.
The only way I can describe Clare's personality is as "I'm not like the other girls" which seems like a joke as a type this, especially because she seems to hate when people tell her that, but that's honestly all she is. Of course she has a tragic backstory, of course she has been off her whole life (something we keep seeing through flashbacks annoyingly presented as scripts), of course she's a vegan who would never hurt animals like other serial killers, of course she's a good student, of course she knows krav maga, and of course perfect guys are chasing after her even if everyone seems to think that she's creepy and weird.
Everything in this story is predicable and you can see the next plot coming from miles away before it even happens; and what's up with men and their obsession with underage girls being raped? Clare is almost raped three times and we learn that her best friend was actually raped. That's a little excessive, don't you think?
And don't get me started on her friendship with Julie. For supposedly best friends, these two barely interact, which makes their friendship hard to buy. And the "bullies"? They're a caricature of any other teen book/film/tv show bully and there's nothing original about them.
One of the most annoying things about the story was the ghost of her first victim showing up randomly at some point and staying for the rest of the book. He's there to scare her at first but ends up acting as some type of conscience and the only thing it does is make her look crazier than she actually is. Her conversation, out loud I must say, with him are ridiculous and it's something that wasn't necessary at all. And the way Clare talks? It's pretty obvious that a not so young man wrote her dialogues. Her vocabulary is not one that a current teenager would use and the insults she uses are very dated, especially her ridiculous use of acronyms, which got boring pretty fast.
All in all, I wish I could take back the hours I spent reading this and good luck to everyone involved in this future film because the story is terrible and I'm sure it's gonna be dragged to hell and back, if it even sees the light of day.
The only way I can describe Clare's personality is as "I'm not like the other girls" which seems like a joke as a type this, especially because she seems to hate when people tell her that, but that's honestly all she is. Of course she has a tragic backstory, of course she has been off her whole life (something we keep seeing through flashbacks annoyingly presented as scripts), of course she's a vegan who would never hurt animals like other serial killers, of course she's a good student, of course she knows krav maga, and of course perfect guys are chasing after her even if everyone seems to think that she's creepy and weird.
Everything in this story is predicable and you can see the next plot coming from miles away before it even happens; and what's up with men and their obsession with underage girls being raped? Clare is almost raped three times and we learn that her best friend was actually raped. That's a little excessive, don't you think?
And don't get me started on her friendship with Julie. For supposedly best friends, these two barely interact, which makes their friendship hard to buy. And the "bullies"? They're a caricature of any other teen book/film/tv show bully and there's nothing original about them.
One of the most annoying things about the story was the ghost of her first victim showing up randomly at some point and staying for the rest of the book. He's there to scare her at first but ends up acting as some type of conscience and the only thing it does is make her look crazier than she actually is. Her conversation, out loud I must say, with him are ridiculous and it's something that wasn't necessary at all. And the way Clare talks? It's pretty obvious that a not so young man wrote her dialogues. Her vocabulary is not one that a current teenager would use and the insults she uses are very dated, especially her ridiculous use of acronyms, which got boring pretty fast.
All in all, I wish I could take back the hours I spent reading this and good luck to everyone involved in this future film because the story is terrible and I'm sure it's gonna be dragged to hell and back, if it even sees the light of day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2021
I was looking forward to this book for some time prior to getting a pre-release copy to read, and it did not disappoint! Clare is that voice inside us all, that we never let take action, but that allows us to fantasize about doling out justice to the creeps in the world. And she's smart and a smart-ass in equal measure. I found myself burning through this novel with great speed, as it kept me thoroughly engaged with the characters and their stories. I also loved that the main character played Helga Ten Dorp in the school play! Deathtrap is one of my favorite plays, having played Sidney Bruhl to my wife's Helga Ten Dorp! I also love the construction of the novel. The chapters are very short, and take us through the story in such a vividly descriptive manner (through Clare's thoughts and experiences) that it feels like you are reading a screenplay at times. But I digress. I don't want to give away major plot points, so will just say that I highly recommend this novel wholeheartedly!
June 12, 2021
Fast-paced & funny, the most heart-warming serial killer story you'll ever read!
February 11, 2021
This is the worst book I've ever read.
I almost stopped reading a number of times but by the time I got halfway I needed to finish so I could write this accurately.
I was very excited by the premise : Sixteen year old Clare murders bad people and protects her town.
It's not as exciting as that. Yes, she murders people but she has a split personality that does the murders for her. No she doesn't really think this is weird, or tell anyone. Cuz ya know, they were obviously bad people so why bother even though every time she murders someone she COULD go to the police and tell them. But then we'd have no story. What little of it there is.
Clare is the perfect Mary Sue. She's beautiful, vegan, knows krav maga, is super smart, too cool for you, and can do no wrong. She speaks in outdated references and even misused ones. Claire is SOOO cool. Did I mention she's cool? Okay let's see what else....oh, there's jokes about anorexia, school shootings, and rape. Also a random ghost thrown in that's never explained but I assume is ripped off from Dexter.
Most of Clare's "psycholepsy" is also barely explained beyond "lots of stuff happened to her and she's always been without feelings so...murderer." The constant flashbacks under the guise of a movie script formula really do nothing but take up space. Yes, we get it. CLARE IS CREEPY. CREEPY AND COOL. She's Wednesday Adams without the personality. We get it. Also SHE IS A SERIAL KILLER. SHE KILLS PEOPLE AND FIGHTS BAD GUYS. No she doesn't have a personality beyond that. Just go with it.
Just do yourself a favor and skip this one. Save yourself the headache and rage. This isn't fun, it's trying too hard to be something it never will be.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I almost stopped reading a number of times but by the time I got halfway I needed to finish so I could write this accurately.
I was very excited by the premise : Sixteen year old Clare murders bad people and protects her town.
It's not as exciting as that. Yes, she murders people but she has a split personality that does the murders for her. No she doesn't really think this is weird, or tell anyone. Cuz ya know, they were obviously bad people so why bother even though every time she murders someone she COULD go to the police and tell them. But then we'd have no story. What little of it there is.
Clare is the perfect Mary Sue. She's beautiful, vegan, knows krav maga, is super smart, too cool for you, and can do no wrong. She speaks in outdated references and even misused ones. Claire is SOOO cool. Did I mention she's cool? Okay let's see what else....oh, there's jokes about anorexia, school shootings, and rape. Also a random ghost thrown in that's never explained but I assume is ripped off from Dexter.
Most of Clare's "psycholepsy" is also barely explained beyond "lots of stuff happened to her and she's always been without feelings so...murderer." The constant flashbacks under the guise of a movie script formula really do nothing but take up space. Yes, we get it. CLARE IS CREEPY. CREEPY AND COOL. She's Wednesday Adams without the personality. We get it. Also SHE IS A SERIAL KILLER. SHE KILLS PEOPLE AND FIGHTS BAD GUYS. No she doesn't have a personality beyond that. Just go with it.
Just do yourself a favor and skip this one. Save yourself the headache and rage. This isn't fun, it's trying too hard to be something it never will be.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 6, 2021
I was very excited to read this book when I heard about it. I expected "Dexter" meets "Buffy". This ended up being super fun, waaaaay cuter than it had any right to be, with enough twisted Dexter moments in there to appeal to the darkest-hearted out there. A twisted backstory, two adorable grandparents, a "what is going on here?" mystery, several "will everything turn out okay?!?!?!" edge-of-your-seat moments, a villain you absolutely want to get murdered SO HARD. Then throw in some cool music and fandom references, some smoothie recipes from Clare's cookbook like all my favorite Food Mystery genre novels do, and this ended up being a mashup of ALL of my favorite things. I could not go to sleep until I finished reading this and wrote a review. I definitely intend to buy this for my guilty pleasure, "I can't sleep and can't decide if I want to watch Buffy or Dexter" book.
A HUGE thank you to Don Roff, Netgalley and Parliament House for this ARC to review.
A HUGE thank you to Don Roff, Netgalley and Parliament House for this ARC to review.
March 17, 2021
Thank you Parliament House Press and Don Roff for the eARC! I loved this book so much I binge read it in one night. This book may not be for everybody because it covers dark topics such as child pornography, sex trafficking, sexual assault, serial killers, murder, and gore, but it's a seriously great book! I really enjoyed the writing style because chapters were short and the writing was very dynamic which made the book a really easy and fast-paced read. The main character Clare also had a very entertaining personality and it was fun to read all her inner thoughts. I can't wait for the next book!
April 18, 2023
Clare is a 16 year old Catholic School girl. Within the first few pages, she confesses to being a serial killer. It could be pointed out that the scum that she killed has decidedly inappropriate intentions towards her. It could also be pointed out that she walked into certain situations knowing that bad stuff may come.
Having said all that, it was actually a fun read and a page-turner. I put it down when I finished it and then discovered that it was nearly 1:30AM.
A few scenes are not for the faint of heart. If a frank discussion of the likelihood of a 5-inch blade sliding between a man's ribs and penetrating his heart doesn't deter you, the rest is unlikely to be an issue.
Having said all that, it was actually a fun read and a page-turner. I put it down when I finished it and then discovered that it was nearly 1:30AM.
A few scenes are not for the faint of heart. If a frank discussion of the likelihood of a 5-inch blade sliding between a man's ribs and penetrating his heart doesn't deter you, the rest is unlikely to be an issue.
January 22, 2023
A psychological mind bending killer read!
If you love a deep dive into a psychologically twisted mind with a side of sarcasm, Clare at Sixteen is for you!
Action packed, darkly disturbing, and hilarious, I found this book highly entertaining from start to finish.
An addict of serial killer stories will find this richly satisfying.
Clare is witty, demented and not to be messed with.
If you love a deep dive into a psychologically twisted mind with a side of sarcasm, Clare at Sixteen is for you!
Action packed, darkly disturbing, and hilarious, I found this book highly entertaining from start to finish.
An addict of serial killer stories will find this richly satisfying.
Clare is witty, demented and not to be messed with.
December 1, 2024
Lots of fun
I do most of my reading in audio but I enjoy reading a chapter or two everyday. Recently finished a book and was looking for something fun and this was perfect. Short chapters, great characters and plenty of action.
I do most of my reading in audio but I enjoy reading a chapter or two everyday. Recently finished a book and was looking for something fun and this was perfect. Short chapters, great characters and plenty of action.
May 3, 2021
An entertaining read
Despite the use of the common, yet incorrect, 'her and I' instead of 'she and I', this is a well-written novel. Clare reminds me of Wednesday Addams, and the author did this deliberately; I love the character. The only other major flaw in this can be forgiven, though the instant use of chloroform should stop being perpetuated. It felt a little lazy.
I hope to see more works featuring Clare Bleecker.
Despite the use of the common, yet incorrect, 'her and I' instead of 'she and I', this is a well-written novel. Clare reminds me of Wednesday Addams, and the author did this deliberately; I love the character. The only other major flaw in this can be forgiven, though the instant use of chloroform should stop being perpetuated. It felt a little lazy.
I hope to see more works featuring Clare Bleecker.
August 5, 2025
l saw the movie this look was based on and l this is one of those rare instances where the movie was better than the novel. I think the short chapters and constant self talk coming from Clare was becoming a bit too much for me to read. Left very little nuance and felt like I was reading Instagram posts. I got to the first hundred pages and just couldn't find the will to continue to read on through.
March 25, 2022
My long time friend Gary sent me this book,
To read,he knows the writer,
It was so dang good,I couldn't honestly put it
Down,iam never going to make it waiting for part two.I totally am in love with Clare,shes so
Smart,and tuff.
To read,he knows the writer,
It was so dang good,I couldn't honestly put it
Down,iam never going to make it waiting for part two.I totally am in love with Clare,shes so
Smart,and tuff.
August 6, 2025
Loved this book, it read in quick snappy characters and the lead character comes across like a cross between Wednesday Addams and Dexter Morgan as she deals with serial killers, creepy cops and school bullies
March 24, 2021
Awesome read!
I really enjoyed this book. This is the first I have read it Roff's but I will definitely read more!
I really enjoyed this book. This is the first I have read it Roff's but I will definitely read more!
January 4, 2026
First time reading this author, and this book had me captivated from beginning to end. Absolutely loved this book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews