Davy Price [of The Gift] had the unique ability to see other people's thoughts in his own mind…. Past and present, legend and fact are woven into an intricate web of suspense and climax in the psychologically charged confrontation of the boy with a crazed killer whose violent thoughts have been forced into Davy's consciousness. Adult emotions and experiences … are handled subtly and honestly. The author has avoided sensationalism by consistently retaining the perspective of his adolescent protagonist both in dialogue and in narration. Superb touches of humor, contrasting sharply with the gravity of the situations, give depth to the characterizations and balance to the structure without destroying the feeling of thrill and suspense. A novel which can be classified according to many of the currently fashionable categories—social realism, psychological analysis, interest in occult phenomena—but which remains in the memory first and foremost as a masterful example of storytelling. (pp. 141-42)
Mary M. Burns, in The Horn Book Magazine (copyright © 1974 by The Horn Book, Inc., Boston), October, 1974.
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