Evil on the Bayou

Twilight: Where Darkness Begins #21

by Richie Tankersley Cusick

Bayou country makes Meg Dalton unesay, not to mention the dying old woman she has been hired to care for. As strange family mysteries unfold, Meg is convinced there is Evil on the Bayou.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Teen, Suspense

148 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

Richie Tankersley Cusick is the bestselling young adult author of over 25 titles, including two adult horror titles, Scarecrow and Blood Roots. Her popularity grew at the height of the horror/YA boom in the late '80s/early '90s, particularly with books like Lifeguard , Trick or Treat and Teacher's Pet, just to name a few, allowing her to keep company on the bestseller paperback lists with the likes of R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. Her fan base expanded about the time she changed publishers to Archway/Pocket Books with titles like Vampire and Someone at the Door.

Reviews

[Erica Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

There aren’t any girls around here,
but there sure are a lot of snakes.

A bit predictable, but the imaginative storyline, atmospheric setting, and unsettling descriptions of the bayou more than make up for it. Love RTC and her flailing, damsels in distress.

[Tym · Rating 3 out of 5]

A predictable fun easy to read romp. It was really enjoyable without offering anything new.

[BRANDON · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a distant relative suffers a stroke, Meg is forced to miss her best friend's party and spend the first week of her summer in a lonely house on the bayou taking care of a woman she doesn't know. Meg is disturbed by the sight of the sick old woman, by the eerie old house, by the strange landscape, even by the handsome young man that delivers groceries. She just wants to go home and spend time with her friends. On top of it all, something eerie is going on, Aunt Belle won't eat and Meg doesn't feel very well.

From what I can recall of my RTC lore, Evil on the Bayou was her first published work and one of the few stories featuring a genuine supernatural element. I knew what was going on from the start but I still enjoyed the bayou spookiness. I can't say I had very much patience for Meg, it was so clear to me what was going on, I quickly got frustrated with her heaping scorn upon Wes' name. To be fare, I've lived through more RTC books than she has, but it's almost never the handsome spooky boy you have to watch out for. This is another RTC book that doesn't feature a demon twink, and while a change is nice, I do missy my quiet, sensitive, psychos. I feel like the doctor was superfluous. Aunt Belle could have been a perfectly serviceable villain all on her own without his help.

[Adonay Quetzal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little read that's actually got some good twists to it.

[Frankenoise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story kind of reminds me of the 1950s B-Movie "The Leech Woman". Not a bad tale overall.

[Egghead · Rating 3 out of 5]

does anyone have
a nice time on the bayou?
evil always lurks