Product Description

They could be anyone, anywhere . . . even the person walking by you right now.

The Veritas Project is their code name--but only a handful of people know teens Elijah and Elisha Springfield have been covertly commissioned by the President to investigate strange mysteries that delve into the paranormal and supernatural. Their charge is to find out not only what happened, but why--the veritas (Latin for truth) behind the seemingly impossible phenomena.

Their new assignment: Hangman's Curse

In Baker, Washington, three popular student athletes lie in an incoherent coma, with loss of muscle coordination, severe paranoia, and hallucinations. It's whispered that they're victims of Abel Frye--a curse that's haunted the school since a student died there in the 1930s. Now the curse is spreading, and students are running scared. The Veritas Project must go undercover to find the truth . . . before it's too late.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #192044 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781595544452
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Trouble is brewing in Baker, Washington. Three popular athletes have been stricken with a mysterious ailment--or phenomenon--that leaves them ranting incoherently, paranoid, and eventually comatose. Ever ready to seek truth and justice, teen twins Elisha and Elijah and their parents hop in their van, the Holy Roller, and head to Washington. As members of a top-secret presidential investigative team, the Veritas Project, the family must be prepared to go undercover at any moment. Soon they are deeply embroiled in a deadly mystery that involves witchcraft, bullying, the ghost of a boy who hanged himself long ago, and a most diabolical weapon.

Frank Peretti, well known for his Christian thrillers (This Present Darkness/Piercing the Darkness, The Visitation, etc.) draws from his own experiences of not fitting in as a child to create this alarming tale of vengeance. The twins and their parents occasionally turn to their faith for guidance, but the crux of the story lies in the danger that comes from treating less cool kids like second-class citizens. References to the tragedy at Columbine remind readers just how painfully real the problem is. Peretti seems to use the twins' father as a voice for his own viewpoint: "Metal detectors may keep weapons out of the schools, and security officers can maintain at least a surface tranquility, but these will not keep out the pain, anger, and loneliness that cause a child to bring a weapon to school in the first place." (Ages 13 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Peretti, long praised for his popular Christian fiction for adults and his strong storytelling style, here turns his talent to young adult fiction with a quick-paced thriller about the evils brought by bullying and intolerance. When the star athletes of a Washington state high school are struck down by debilitating hallucinations, the Springfield family (Nate; his wife, Sarah; and teen twins Elisha and Elijah) go undercover to investigate the mystery. The Springfields operate independently, as the Veritas Project, guided by their Judeo-Christian faith to seek the truth behind strange occurrences. They even have a mobile home nicknamed the Holy Roller. But this setup never seems overly corny in Peretti's hands. As the slightly chilling story unfolds, readers learn about the ghost of Baker High a boy named Abel Frye, who supposedly hung himself in one of the old hallways in the 1930s. Throughout, Peretti paints a realistic picture of the clique-y world of high school that will be familiar to just about anyone. His comfortably paced, compelling performance consistently draws readers along. Peretti has an obvious knack sure to appeal to his intended tween and teen audience for emphasizing his beliefs without preaching. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8-Elisha and Elijah and their parents are part of a hush-hush government program know as the Veritas Project, which can best be described as an evangelical Christian X-Files. Their current assignment is to infiltrate a high school where student bullies have been stricken by a mysterious form of madness. Peretti develops the plot nicely, building in a skeptical police officer, a concerned guidance counselor, and an obnoxious gym teacher who has been encouraging the bullies. Several of the students who have been picked on have formed their own version of a witch's coven and are practicing what they think is black magic to wreak vengeance on their tormenters. As Elijah and his twin penetrate deeper into the mystery, the curses begin to go dreadfully awry, and several students die. The deadly madness is traced to a type of poisonous and aggressive spider breeding within the school walls. As the school is evacuated, Elisha finds herself in the heart of the spiders' lair. While the members of the Springfield family do not keep their religious life undercover, it does not interrupt the flow of the story, nor does anyone get preachy. The twins and their parents use the latest scientific equipment and methods to attempt to find a rational solution to the increasingly dangerous events confronting them. Young teens should enjoy this fast-paced and atmospheric novel.
Elaine Fort Weischedel, Franklin Public Library, MA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Hangman's Curse
The Hangman's Curse is Frank Peretti's first installment in a new series, The Veritas Project, aimed at young teens. The story unfolds just as if it is a story right out of today's headlines and deals with the issue of bullying on the high school campus. The Springfield family, consisting of twins Elisha and Elijah and their parents, make up the investigation team working on The Veritas Project. The program's mission is to investigate and solve strange mysteries, crimes, and occurrences, seeking not only the facts, but the truth behind the facts. In Hangman's Curse, the Springfield family's assignment is to discover the truth behind the mysterious form of madness that is inflicting Baker High School's athletes. What is causing this madness? Is it tied to the superstition of a curse left by the ghost of a student who has haunted the school since he hanged himself at the school in the 1930's? Who is the ghostly figure with a hawk on his shoulder that is seen by those tormented by the mysterious madness? Is he Abel Frye and is Abel Frye the student who hung himself? What is the meaning of the crude etching of a hangman figure on the lockers of each victim? It seems that it is the bullies that have been targeted and are the ones contracting the mysterious illness. Are they suffering a form of revenge from a group of students that is meeting secretly practicing witchcraft? What is the truth? The answers are uncovered as you follow the Springfield family's quest for the truth behind the mystery. The Hangman's Curse is a fast-paced and riveting page turner. The truth behind the mysterious madness will surprise the reader. Teens as well as adult fans of Peretti will enjoy this book. When finished, the reader will be eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.

Frank lives up to his reputation
If you love Christian suspense, or even if you don't, you will after you read this. Twins Elijah and Elisha and their parents make up a highly secret investigative team. The family goes all over the country to find "not only the Facts, but the Truth behind the Facts." In a small Washington town, a highschool's star athletes are coming down with a mysterious illness that leaves them insane. The Springfield family is sent to investigate, finding a mysterious ghost, a second class system, and witchcraft surrounding them. They soon realizes that there is the Baker High that everyone chooses to see, and the second Baker High where people are harrassed, abused, bullied, stolen from, and made fun of every day. What measures will people go to to stop it? Enough to murder? I loved this eerie book! Not one section was boring, I was hooked to every page! The only problem is that I have to wait till the next book comes out...

Hangman's Curse : The Veritas Project
Frank has come full-circle and delivered a book that is compelling. This book can be read by young people and adults alike. Many young people will see themselves in the characters and champion the side of truth. Adults will be awakened from a sense that all is well within the system. This is one that you will not want to put down. I hope Frank keeps on track with sequels to The Veritas Project.