Lois Duncan Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Drew Stevenson

Critical Essay by Drew Stevenson

The latest thriller by Lois Duncan, Killing Mr. Griffin …, unfolds as a gag to scare a hated English teacher erupts into a nightmare for a group of high school students in New Mexico…. As in the author's Down a Dark Hall …, skillful plotting builds layers of tension that draw readers into the eye of the conflict. The ending is nicely handled in a manner which provides relief without removing any of the chilling implications.

Drew Stevenson, in his review of "Killing Mr. Griffin," in School Library Journal (reprinted from the May, 1978 issue of School Library Journal, published by R. R. Bowker Co./A Xerox Corporation; copyright © 1978), Vol. 24, No. 9, May, 1978, p. 86.