Do I like horror? No. Do I like thrillers? Also no. Do I eat up anything paranormal Susan Dennard writes? Definitely. Did I also eat up The Executioners Three? Continue reading to find out.
Synopsis of The Executioners Three
Freddie Gellar didn’t mean to get half the rival high school arrested. She’d simply heard shrieks coming from the woods, so she’d called the cops like any good human would do. How was she supposed to know it was just kids partying?
Except the next day, a body is found. And while the local sheriff might call it suicide, Freddie’s instincts tell her otherwise. So, like the aspiring sleuth (and true X-Files aficionado) she is, Freddie sets out to prove there’s a murderer at large.
But her investigation is quickly disrupted by the rivalry between her school and the school of the partying teens she got arrested. For over twenty years now, the two student bodies have had an ongoing prank war, and Freddie’s failed attempt at Good Samaritanism has upped the ante. Big time. Worse, the clever―and gorgeous―leader of the rival prank squad has set his sights on Freddie.
As more pranks unfurl, more bodies also start piling up in the forest. But it’s the supernatural warning signs around town―each plucked straight from an old forgotten poem called “The Executioners Three”―that worry Freddie the most. She knows the poem and its blood curse can’t be real, but she’s quickly running out of time to prove it.
Because the murderer―or executioners?―knows she’s onto them now, and their next target might just be Freddie.
Book: The Executioners Three | Author: Susan Dennard | Publisher: Daphne Press | Published: 26.08.2025 | Pages: 368 | Genre: YA paranormal thriller | CN: gore, blood, murder, dead body, alcohol, loss of loved ones, death
Review of The Executioners Three
When I say I eat that shit up I mean that I eat that shit up. Susan Dennard has a way with storytelling that makes me feel absolutely everything within one book and then sometimes at the same time.
I loved that The Executioners Three starts with murder and scary happenings right away. No introduction to the scene, just pure fear of weird human shaped shadows in the fog. I scare very easily and I decided within the first pages of the book that this is a ‘lights on’ book. The atmosphere of the story is so well captured. The mix of paranormal happenings, autumn and the fun moments with Susan Dennard’s signature humor just make The Executioners Three the perfect book to get into the mood for the darker season and Halloween. I could feel that unnatural fog waft around me, hear the bells in the distance and the heavy breathing of a person running for their life. Everything was so perfectly captured, there was an entire movie playing in my head. That this book is set in the 90s made it feel even more film-like and made for a really cool, nostalgic look on everything.
I also really enjoyed the setting. I always love a quirky small town with slightly weird traditions. And when those traditions are murder, it becomes even more interesting. There’s a fête, a deadline, everyone knowing everyone and their mother, a lot of talk, different schools. The cosy autumnal atmosphere paired with the paranormal activities make for such an engaging read!
And then there’s the characters I absolutely adored. First of all, there are two rivaling schools in The Executioners Three who constantly prank each other. It was so fun to read about the pranks and how they all came up with it. I highly enjoyed how this causes both conflicts, gets the story forward and makes for fun situations. It was easy to get to know the characters and to like them as well. I liked the friendships and the romances unfolding, the thrill of both new connections and a shared goal.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I had the time of my life reading The Executioners Three. It was all I needed in a book: funny, emotional, scary, weird, nostalgic. For me, it was the perfect mix and up until now it is my favourite Susan Dennard book!
Rating
READ THE EXECUTIONERS THREE IF YOU ENJOY
small town setting | paranormal | murder mysteries | the X-Files | rivals to lovers | weird local history | rivaling schools | 90s setting | unconditional platonic love | scary woods | autumn | Halloween
→ maybe you’ll also like: Review of The Luminaries by Susan Dennard ←
Have you read a book by Susan Dennard? Do you enjoy paranormal or scary books? What are you most looking forward to this autumn?
Until next time,
