Blur

Written by Steven James

The isolated town of Beldon, Wisconsin, is shocked when a high school freshman’s body is found in Lake Algonquin. Just like everyone in the community, sixteen-year-old Daniel Byers believes that Emily Jackson’s death was accidental. But at her funeral, when he has a terrifying vision of her, his world begins to rip apart at the seams.

Convinced that Emily’s appearance was more than just a mere hallucination, Daniel begins to look carefully into her death, even as he increasingly loses the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.

What’s real? What’s not? Where does reality end and madness begin?

As Daniel struggles to find the truth, his world begins to crumble around him as he slips further and further into his own private blurred reality.

Full of mind-bending twists and turns, Blur launches a new trilogy of young adult thrillers from Steven James, a master of suspense.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: May 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480598263

Steven James

Steven James is the critically acclaimed, national bestselling author of sixteen novels. His work has been optioned by ABC Studios and praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the New York Journal of Books, and many others. His pulse-pounding, award-winning thrillers are known for their intricate storylines and insightful explorations of good and evil.  When he’s not working on his next book, he’s either teaching master classes on writing throughout the country, trail running, or sneaking off to catch a matinee.

Reviews for Blur

[jwitt33 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What would you do if a girl at your high school died suddenly and while you were at her funeral, she sat up, grabbed your arm, and talked to you? Well, I imagine you would react like Daniel did - you would faint. Now imagine that she appears to you a few more times, and gives you cryptic clues as to why her death wasn't an accident like originally assumed? This is what happens to Daniel, and he figures that if he doesn't solve her murder, she will never leave him alone. As you can imagine, this is easier said than done. This was a very compelling mystery, well written and interesting. Solving the mystery along with Daniel keeps you involved and invested in the story. The characters were likeable and the pacing was even. All in all, I enjoyed this story very much.5/5 stars.

[TAMMY OBERLIN · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first book by this author, but not my last. Fantastic suspense and not predictable. This book held my attention the entire way through.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

BLUR was a very suspenseful story filled with twists and turns. Daniel Byers is the school's star quarterback. The story begins when he is attending the funeral of a fellow student - Emily Jackson - who he really didn't know very well. Things go weird when he sees her sit up in her coffin, grab his arm, and say his name. Then he faints.Daniel doesn't know what is going on. He is afraid that he is losing his mind. He sees her again walking onto the field at the Homecoming football game. Next thing he knows he is coming to after taking a major hit from the other team. Despite his dad the sheriff's advice, he can't stop investigating Emily's death. Evidence leads to lots of suspects including his best friend Kyle and a teacher at school. He gets some help from a girl named Stacy that no one else seems to know and from his friend Nicole. I will admit that I had chosen the wrong suspect as I was reading the book. And I wasn't at all sure that Daniel wasn't really losing his mind. This was an engaging thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

[sennebec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is what a YA mystery should be-Cryptic, slightly creepy, and with plenty of twists. Daniel, a star football player whose dad is the sheriff, starts having headaches and seeing things after the death of a girl he barely knew. Both intensify at her funeral, starting him on a path to determine whether her drowning was accidental or murder. Stacy, a mysterious girl who just started attending his high school, pushes him to look for clues to make a case that it was murder. Add in her never answering her phone or responding to texts, Daniel's dilemma about whether he likes her or Nicole, another classmate, coupled with numerous red herrings, makes this a compulsively readable story. I am on to the second book and anticipating reading the third as well.

[mary6endersbe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Daniel is a high school junior, a popular football quarterback, living in a small Wisconsin town. As the book starts, he and his father are attending a younger classmate’s funeral, a death that appears to have been a tragic accidental drowning. Soon Daniel starts to have strange hallucinations, where the dead girl is giving him clues to solve the mysteries of her death. Should Daniel trust what he’s seeing and try to hunt for the answers to her murder, or is he slowly losing his mind?I’ve read many other books by Steven James and his writing is so fluid and smooth, the way it always sweeps me into the story. Blur is the same, but with the young reader in mind. I can see this being a big hit with teens as there is a lot in this book they would be able to relate to: school life, football, friendships, girlfriends, dealing with parents and home life, bullying, etc. The dialogue has a very realistic sound to it. Plus there is a gripping mystery that weaves its way throughout the book, with lots of twists and turns, making you suspect almost everyone. Even so, when you do get to the nail-biting ending, you’ll be plenty surprised. This is definitely a young adult book but I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next one to come out so I can see what adventures come up next in Daniel’s life.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am familiar with Mr. James's work as I have read the Bishop and the Queen from Mr. James's Patrick Bower Files series. So I wanted to see what he could do in the YA genre. There are so many authors writing in this genre or the NA genre now that the stories have to be interesting and different or they all sound the same. I have to say it was nice to not read about zombies, vampires, long-lost loves, and even surviving the world. No, Blur is not that type of book. It is about a mystery wrapped around a ghost story. While the ghost aspect of the story is not scary, I did like it. It kind of had the Sixth Sense feel to it. The mystery was not so much of a mystery that it was not hard to follow along with what was going to happen next. I could see the difference in the writing from this author in regards to his adult books to his YA book. It was not as dark but Daniel was still relatable. I tolerated the other characters but never really felt sorry for what was happening to them. The ending did leave me wondering what would happen in the next book.

[lawonder10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

'Blur' is a fast moving, suspenseful new captivating YA series! I highly recommend this for all twelve years and up!Football Quarterback, Daniel Byers, attends an underclassman's funeral along with his father who is the local Sheriff. He barely knew the girl but her funeralwas the beginning of his life twisting out of control. Although Daniel was level-headed and popular, he began questioning his sanity. Really strange "things'began to happen. He eventually confided in his best friend, Kyle...would this be the end of their close friendship. His father became concerned along with a fewother key people in his life.The characters within this well developed story became real to the reader. The Book Cover is eye-catching and befitting of the story. It is soon apparent whythe title was named 'Blur'.It is totally clean yet never seems juvenile or dull. This is the first book of a trilogy, leaving the reader anxiously awaiting the next sequel.I heartily give a Five Stars rating in my review of this book!*This book was sent to me for an honest review, of which I have given.

[isisunit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would like to thank NetGalley and Skyscape for granting me the opportunity to read eARC in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.The isolated town of Beldon, Wisconsin, is shocked when a high school freshman’s body is found in Lake Algonquin. Just like everyone in the community, sixteen-year-old Daniel Byers believes that Emily Jackson’s death was accidental. But at her funeral, when he has a terrifying vision of her, his world begins to rip apart at the seams.Convinced that Emily’s appearance was more than just a mere hallucination, Daniel begins to look carefully into her death, even as he increasingly loses the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.What’s real? What’s not? Where does reality end and madness begin?As Daniel struggles to find the truth, his world begins to crumble around him as he slips further and further into his own private blurred reality.Full of mind-bending twists and turns, Blur launches a new trilogy of young adult thrillers from Steven James, a master of suspense.Steven James did it again, creating a wild ride from beginning to end, chock full of suspense, emotionally charged moments, confrontations, and the undeniable sensation of slipping out of synch with the world around you. He's set himself up with a tough act to follow, this being the first in a trilogy; if this book is any indication the rest of the trilogy will be as good or better, if that's even possible.Daniel is an eminently believable character, his thoughts and actions ring true to a sixteen-year-old boy undergoing a psychological 'event' of some kind. His confidence on the field combined with his utter lack of confidence around girls he's romantically interested in, the smart and stupid choices he makes that are equally interspersed throughout the book, all add up to a great lead character. Plus, his ability to question everything unflinchingly, including wondering if he might be the killer he suspects took Emily's life, make him a great detective even as he's questioning his own sanity.And it's not just Daniel that is a rich, well-crafted character. They all are, each adding different, yet necessary, elements to the overall story. None of the predominant characters are remotely close to being one-dimensional creations; with richly layered textures and nuanced shading, each personality Mr. James introduces into this tale is very clearly multi-dimensional. While it appears that the development of each character is transparent, in reality they are shrouded in mystery. The complexity of the characters rivals that of the storyline, each adding untold depths just waiting to be plumbed.With the help of his best friend Kyle he digs deeper into the circumstances surrounding Emily's death. Struggling to discern what is real and what is false takes its toll on Daniel, even as it leads him closer to the answer of what really happened to Emily. Yet he forges ahead, risking baring his soul and sharing his fears with Kyle, and some with his father, the town sheriff. The clues are confusing and misleading, but between his subconscious and Kyle's creative thought process, he just may reach the answer in time.The convoluted clues make for one thrilling chase for the reader, and terrifying for the characters. Daniel fears he is losing his ever more tentative grip on reality as his mind continues to blur the lines between real and imaginary. Or is everything he's seeing real, that maybe there are different levels of reality accessible to different people? I'm thrilled that this is just the first book in a new trilogy, as there are still questions to be answered, and the ride this book takes you on is tremendously entertaining in the way only psychological thrillers can be!

[wickedwowestwood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This mystery interspersed with supernatural begins when star quarterback and sheriff's son Daniel Byers attends the funeral of Emily Jackson, who had drowned in Lake Algonquin. It is generally assumed that Emily's death was an accident, but when Emily appears to Daniel at the funeral, and later at the football game as Daniel is making a play, Daniel gets nagging visions that Emily's death was not a accident, and that he is being prompted to look further in, visions that blur the boundary of reality. This riveting plot will draw you in right from the start, making the book hard to put down; a good choice for boys looking for suspense.