Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas—She Did It Again!

Dangerous Boys
by Abigail Haas
Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?
Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces...

After my slightly traumatic experience with Dangerous Girls, I decided to...yep, read Dangerous Boys! This time, I came prepared, muahahaha! Y'all know what they say, “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...” Oh, well. Let’s just say I left nobody out of the suspect list.

Premise

The story begins with a crisis: three teens, Chloe, Ethan, and Oliver, enter a house, the house burns to the ground, only two come out, with one stabbed and unconscious. Chloe and the Reznick brothers Ethan & Oliver have a complicated relationship that eventually led to this catastrophe, but who’s the ultimate culprit?

Character

Chloe is the good, smart girl who’s got her future all mapped out (college, job, etc,...) and can’t wait to escape her tiny, nowhere town. However, her plans quickly fall apart when her father leaves and her mother sinks into mental illness. In her low moments, Chloe encounters the dashing new-comer Ethan Reznick, and the two quickly hit it off. As the story develops, we start to see layers of Chloe being revealed through details: the way she treats her mother, her dark desires, and her impulsiveness.

Ethan is the lovely boyfriend who’s too good to be true. He’s supportive of Chloe, isn't afraid of commitment, and is always there for her. The thing I didn’t like about Ethan is his possessiveness and condescension in some moments. Oddly enough, his sweetness and softness and boyfriendness that would melt fangirl hearts made me snort in suspicion. WHY??? Why are you so good? ARE YOU THE BAD GUY?

Oliver is the apparent BAAD BOOY who’s tall, dark & handsome. He’s instantly portrayed as dangerous and suspicious. He possess a lot of the psychopathic traits: charismatic, reckless, manipulative, and cruel. We can see this when his mother acts all flustered and nervous as soon as Oliver dropped out/came home from college; it’s like she’s trying to pacify an unstable animal. Oliver becomes a strong influence for Chloe, and his presence is a catalyst for most of the events that follow.

I was hoping for more than a mundane love-triangle & brotherly rivalry (with good boy vs. bad boy, no less), but the way Haas treats it, this twisted relationship eventually has a purpose and a consequence, so all’s good.

Setting

Again (like Dangerous Girls), the story is set in a pretty confined area, in a small town with a bumbling, clueless police force. Everyone knows everyone, and Chloe is friends with the sheriff’s daughter, and later becomes an assistant at the police department. Haas perfectly captures the sad, smothering atmosphere of a tiny town. I personally am terrified of living in a small town, because of that claustrophobic atmosphere. Imagine acres of cornfields or woods between you and your closest neighbors, and everyone gossiping about everyone else...It sounds like a grim prospect.

Pacing

Dangerous Boys continues the Past+Present style of Dangerous Girls, making the story very fast-paced and enthralling. I love the suspense of knowing the end and the beginning, but with the middle a complete puzzle that HAS TO BE READ (what is sleep, even). One piece at a time, the whole story falls into place, and not a moment sooner.

Final Thoughts

Dangerous Boys is definitely another dark, mind-bending masterpiece. It gives us these twisted, disturbing characters who can hide in plain sight. They have their own morality that’s just a tiny bit different from that of society’s, but that one bit is enough to wreak havoc on anyone’s life. All it takes is for them to unleash their true nature. In addition to these monsters by nature, we have those others who are simply too apathetic to stop them. In the story, the police essentially acquits a young officer who drove under influence and caused the death of a girl, all because the officer has good lawyers and the girl was a nobody on the wrong side of the tracks. Haas did an awesome job infusing this book with unsettling plot-lines and troubling characters.

Last of all, I really really hope Abigail Haas will write at least one other Dangerous book. Two is far from enough! I’d read anything by Haas that has “Dangerous” in the title. I’d even take Dangerous Pandas or Dangerous Babies, okay? Please?