The Veritas Project: Hangman's Curse

Summary: This book is about a family of four people who go and investigate on a case about kids going to the hospital for unknown reasons at a school called Baker High. The first student to have a hallucinogen was the school's star quarterback named Jim Boltz. He was playing in a football game and he saw a ghost sitting on the goal posts with a bird sitting on his shoulder. He was very nervous, but had to call a play. He called a play and took the snap. This was a big play and Jim had to come up big on this one. He dropped back and looked to pass to the open receiver, and saw the ghost coming straight toward him. He ran the other way, faster and faster, toward the other team's end zone. He fell down and passed out. The next thing he knew, he was lying in the hospital bed, crazy. This really got the school wondering what happened. They got a team of private investigators to go after this one. It consisted of two teenage twins: Elijah and Elisha, their dad, Nate, and their mom, Sarah. They went to investigate this case. When they arrived at the school, Elijah and Elisha enrolled as students at Baker High, and Nate signed up to be a janitor at the school. While they were at the school, they learned more and more about the case. Also, more kids got cursed and had hallucinogens of the ghost. There is one kid in the school, Ian Snyder, who was really into witchcraft and cursing people. Elijah had to become friends with this kid, and quickly, before this happened to anymore people. After many discussions, Elijah figured out that he told the ghost, named Abel Frye, to go after people. He told Elijah that he just chanted the person's name over and over until the ghost would finally go away and send out a curse for those people. They also found another kid, Norman, who was into witchcraft, and was another suspect, as well. When Elijah got to talk to him, he figured out that he was the one who sent out the curses on the people. Also, they put a sign of a hanging man on the person's locker in advance, to show that Abel Frye would curse them. It turned out that it was a big coincidence that they were cursing the same people, so Ian thought that he was cursing them. When Abel Frye killed two people that Ian did not hate, he knew there was something wrong. He should've known that he was not really the one sending out the curses, but it was Norman. Now that I am near the ending of the book, I will not go on, or I will give away what happens with Abel Frye and if he kills anyone else, or if they find out the cause of this.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries and like a lot of detail and action in their books. This book is good for teenagers, ages 13-15, and it is good for either a boy or girl because there are boy and girl characters. If you enjoy mysteries and see this book on a library shelf, take it out and enjoy every last page of it.

Review: I liked how Peretti kept you guessing what was going to happen next, and guessing what the characters would do next. I liked how the author put a lot of detail. As soon as one event happened, (someone died) something else would happen, and I would get in to a new event. It is a book that you can't put down.

The Hangman's Curse is Frank Peretti's first installment in a new series, The Veritas Project, aimed at young teens. The story unfolds just as if it is a story right out of today's headlines and deals with the issue of bullying on the high school campus. The Springfield family, consisting of twins Elisha and Elijah and their parents, make up the investigation team working on The Veritas Project. The program's mission is to investigate and solve strange mysteries, crimes, and occurrences, seeking not only the facts, but the truth behind the facts. In Hangman's Curse, the Springfield family's assignment is to discover the truth behind the mysterious form of madness that is inflicting Baker High School's athletes. What is causing this madness? Is it tied to the superstition of a curse left by the ghost of a student who has haunted the school since he hanged himself at the school in the 1930's? Who is the ghostly figure with a hawk on his shoulder that is seen by those tormented by the mysterious madness? Is he Abel Frye and is Abel Frye the student who hung himself? What is the meaning of the crude etching of a hangman figure on the lockers of each victim? It seems that it is the bullies that have been targeted and are the ones contracting the mysterious illness. Are they suffering a form of revenge from a group of students that is meeting secretly practicing witchcraft? What is the truth? The answers are uncovered as you follow the Springfield family's quest for the truth behind the mystery. The Hangman's Curse is a fast-paced and riveting page-turner. The truth behind the mysterious madness will surprise the reader. Teens as well as adult fans of Peretti will enjoy this book. When finished, the reader will be eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.

Date: 7/28/10
Title: The Veritas Project Volume 1 - Hangman's Curse
Pages: 281
Author: Frank Peretti

This book is the first of two books in a series called The Veritas Project which is a thriller for Christian teens. It is written from the point of view of twins named Elijah & Elisha. Veritas is Latin for TRUTH. The twins (and their parents) are secret agents who were assigned to a high school by the president of the United States to investigate the cause of the mysterious illness of three athletes. Everyone in school thinks the sick students were victims of Abel Frye - a ghost who hung himself at the school in the 1930s. It is the twins' job to find out the real culprit.

This book was pretty scary so I tried not to read it too late at night but I am going to buy book #2 of this series very soon and look forward to reading it. Also, Frank Peretti has written Christian thrillers for adults too.

How are some students dying at Baker High School? In Hangman's Curse the Springfield's work to solve the mystery. The undercover investigating team consists of Nate, his wife Sara, and their twins Elisha and Elijah. The code name for their efforts is Veritas (Latin word for truth). They work to investigate mysteries, crimes and strange occurrences. They look beyond the facts to find the truth behind all the problems.
The Springfield family is hired to work undercover at Baker High School. The school has had some students come down with an unexplained illness, leaving them hallucinating and mumbling "Abel Frye". Elisha and Elijah go into the school and become friends with as many people as they can. They discover the tension between different cliques at the school. Many students are treated as outcasts and would like revenge on their tormentors. Are these students the cause of the weird occurrences?
This book reveals what really goes on in schools and the need to fit in. You won't want to put this book down! I would highly recommend this book to all readers and especially to high school students.

I absolutely loved Hangman's curse. Frank Peretti did a wonderful job publishing this religious mystery. It keeps you interested the whole way through and doesn't get boring and slow. It starts of with a government investigation group called the veritas project. The Springfield family is part of that group. The family consists of Nate, his wife Sara, and his 2 kids Elijah and Elisha. They get a call from a school that it having weird things going on and they decide to go check it out. Nate's kids enroll into the school to find out more and Nate posses the janitor to check the school out. Elijah made friends with the math kids and a kid named Ian Snyder who supposedly was a witch. Elisha made friends with a lot of popular girls and a science nerd named Norman. They get word that a ghost named Able Frye was making people go crazy and hallucinate. The Springfield's decide to try and find a more reasonable reason that people are going nuts. They call in their good friend Algernon Wheeling to help investigate a hunch that they have. Who really is the one to blame for the Attacks a ghost or some other mysterious source? This is a fairly easy book to read but a very well written. It shows how a small thing like bullying can lead to major problems.

Peretti has done it again with yet another excellent book that I couldn't put down for one minute. After having my dad recommend it to me and finding out my 13-year-old sister got too scared to finish the book...I was expecting some spectacular. I wasn't disappointed. I stayed up until 2:00 am to finish this book and found myself spending much of that time nervously looking around to make sure I was really alone. This book is worth every minute of the time it takes to read it!!

How are some students dying at Baker High School? In Hangman's Curse the Springfield's work to solve the mystery. The undercover investigating team consists of Nate, his wife Sara, and their twins Elisha and Elijah. The code name for their efforts is Veritas (Latin word for truth). They work to investigate mysteries, crimes and strange occurrences. They look beyond the facts to find the truth behind all the problems.
The Springfield family is hired to work undercover at Baker High School. The school has had some students come down with an unexplained illness, leaving them hallucinating and mumbling "Abel Frye". Elisha and Elijah go into the school and become friends with as many people as they can. They discover the tension between different cliques at the school. Many students are treated as outcasts and would like revenge on their tormentors. Are these students the cause of the weird occurrences?
This book reveals what really goes on in schools and the need to fit in. You won't want to put this book down! I would highly recommend this book to all readers and especially to high school students.

Overall, this book was okay. I can pretty much agree with the message, but at points it feels like you're getting hit over the head with it. For example, in the science class, they're trying to refute about eight different parts of evolutionary theory at once. If this was to advance the general theme, arguing against one part of it would have worked just fine. Through the entire book, it feels like Peretti is trying to cram in as many arguments against the school system as he can, at the expense of character devolpment. Some of the material feels like it's better suited for an essay then for fiction.

However, I enjoyed the plot. It moves at just about the right pace, is quite creepy, and is also original; you couldn't guess who the culprit was in the second chapter, unlike SO MANY other books out there. The end, especially, was exciting.

I'm giving the book a three out of five.

I am a voracious reader, and from the first page, this thriller kept me turning pages until the end! This is my first Frank Peretti book. I can tell you that I will seek out this author for future reads. I would love to go into detail about the plot, and the surprises in store, but you just have to read it for your self!! A priceless and unexpected surprise offering!! Read it!

Here is the beginning of the Veritas Project. A family working together to solve mysteries and finding out the truth no matter what. It was a great book! It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I didn't want to put it down, I have already read this one and the second one(Nightmare Academy), two times each. I can't wait for the third one to come out!It is a great book.

"Hangman's Curse" and "Nightmare Academy" are entertaining and easy reads. If you've been doing heavy research or reading this is a good switch. Light, and fun, I enjoyed it after a long study program I was in.. I read both books back to back so this review will be seen under both books.
I liked "The Visitation" better, but all three are worthy of your money..

I started this book this morning not knowing weather or not I would like it and I finished it a few hours later. This book was excellent. I have read other books by Peretti but so far this is the best I think. This book had a great plot based on a family team working secretly for the government to investigate strange occurances. I especially enjoyed that much of the book was set in a high school and many of the more important characters were other teenagers who's experiences I enjoyed reading about. This is the first in the series and I look forward to any other he will wright. I hope he has more teenagers in his next books too, and deals with important topics that affect some as he did in this book. I hope he writes many more soon! This was a great book!

i got the book hangmans curse for christmas last year(2003) and i was blown away by the cover. when i opened the cover and read it i was overwhelmed at what a great story it was. it is about a family of travelling investigators, Nate, Sarah, Elijah and Elisha Springfield. They have been called to work on their new assignment at Baker High School. I wont give too much away but their is a group of Goth/ witches who are being bullied and call on the ghost of the boy who hanged himself at the school(abel Frye) to do something about it. The ring leader goth is ian snyder how is my favourite character in the book and the movie. i would also like to reccomend the movie to anyone who enjoyed the book, enjoys good movies or is just bored over the weekend. i am not a christian but the book really touched me.

Athletes in a small town school have been stricken with an outbreak of fits of hysteria and delusional ravings. Rumors begin to fly: The school ghost, Abel Frye, has come to seek revenge. It's up to a family of special investigators to solve the problem. Is it truly a ghost that is attacking the victims? Or is it something or a more vile nature...
I found this book to be a very compelling work of fiction. It's a quick read, and isn't bogged down with excessive descriptions or seemingly irrelevant conversation. There is always something important and interesting happening that advances the plot.
The book has a good message, that every human life is sacred, and that people need to work together to end the conflict between various groups. In particular, it deals with the problem of bullying and harassment in schools, and of teachers and parent looking the other way or even encouraging such treatment. I light of all the recent school shootings, I find this topic to be extremely relevant in today's society. Many of these shootings could have been prevented if supposedly "weird" students had not been repeatedly harassed.
While the message is well intended, there is one message that is missing, and needs to be addressed. The family of investigators takes a Judeo-Christian approach to solving problems. There is nothing wrong with this, but it would be much more effective if it was a diverse group of people, each with a different religion, working together to solve the ills of the world. This would promore religious tolerance rather than a singular focus on one religion. To prove my point, I will address an issue that displays the author's own lack of religious tolerance. A common misconception about witches is included in this book. The students who were called witches in the novel were, in fact, practitioners of the dark arts. Witchcraft, in reality, is practiced by Wiccans, a peaceful religious group that believes in harming none. Thus, this novel should be taken with a grain of salt, and when reading it, one should take to heart this message: tolerance of religious diversity is something we all, including the author, need to learn. We cannot make this world a better place by conforming to one religion, but by embracing diversity and the many cultures and religions that make this earth a beautiful place to live.

This book is excellent. I have read just about every Frank Peretti book. He never stops amazing me. I read "Hangmans Curse: The Veritas Project" in two and a half hrs. I could't put it down. I can't wait for the next one in the series. If you haven't read this yet, go get it!

I recommend you read this book because this is the best book I've read in my entire life. It's about a high school that people think has been haunted. But has it? Well, let these teachers, parents, and high schoolers guide you through the book with surprising events happening throughout each chapter and throughout the whole book. Yes, it is long, but it is really good. It's so good you won't want to stop reading. It is a little bit religious, but other than that it is a good book. I think this because it keeps you waiting until the very end to know what happens to everyone.

His book is totally rocking! Here's the plot- Two teenagers and their parents investigate strange occurences. One of their cases involves a school where one of the hallways is supposed to be haunted. Why would an investigative team be at a school that is supposibly haunted? Because it may not just be a rumor... Kids are going crazy. They claim to see the ghost while uttering phrases that don't make any sense. The longer they have been crazy, the worst condition they become. This is truely a thrilling book. It scared me out of my wits and you'll never guess the ending unless you read the book. It's great!

Hangman's Curse is amazing!!! Frank Peretti definetly did his research. This book has a stunning plot and it has you on the edge of your seat untill the very end. I have read this book five times and it has failed to bore me yet!
I must disagree with those who say that the teasing was not portrayed acurately in this book. In fact, I have witnessed the same physiacal abuse(somone getting physicaly beaten up) in high school just this year(2004). The gothic people were described correctly also. I recommend this book to everyone!!!

I thought the book Hangman's Curse was amazing! It was a "keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat" type of book. Just when you thought you knew what was going on, who did it, the book totally flipped. The book had a real good moral, too. That you should treat people all the same. Nobody likes to be teased and this book was an example of someone's attempt to eliminate the teasers, permanantly. The book kinda left you with a sense of all the "pieces of the puzzle" fitting back into place. Overall, I thought this book was very good and a must read.

Now this is some novel! Peretti takes the setting of a normal high-school of today and weaves nailbiting suspense and clever ideas into a riveting page-turner. I finished it in 2 days.

A great read, and nearly impossible to put down.

I personally couldn't put this book down. Whereas I am not actively Christian, I found that the author did a good job of putting his views into the book while still not seeming to force them on others. The plot was incredible, even I, a mystery fan, didn't figure out the unexpected twist until the very end of the book. I would recommend this book to even my least religious of friends. A thrilling plot combined with a believeable setting and characters you truely have sympathy for make this a book I would recommend to anyone who is willing to listen.

This book was absolutely spellbinding. (the only reason they mark it for 9-12 year olds is cause there's nothing bad or gory in them really...) Peretti has wonderful insight into today's high school environment. (obviously drawing upon his own experiences at least some.) A wonderful read!

Frank Peretti is a master story-teller....He has never failed to please young and old. Everyone from my 9 yr old grandson,my 19 yr son......and yes ,even this 57 yr old mother loves to read Perreti. This one did not disappoint.......and I think it is never too early to stress to young people that "Bullying " of any kind is unacceptable. It is time that adults stop turning a blind eye to it. Get the book ...read it ....you will be impressed.

Frank Peretti delivers!! This is wonderful youth fiction, but adults who read Harry Potter will enjoy this mystery/suspense book. One tip? Mr. Peretti's voice on the audio book is outstanding and he is a wonderful story teller.

While this novel was a decent mystery/thriller, Frank Peretti went overboard with the religious preaching (i.e. Elisha "proving" evolution wrong, Elijah getting into arguments about morality relating to the Ten Commandments with an athiest teacher, etc). Enough people here have given summaries of the book, so I won't do so. If you're Christian and are looking for Christian viewpoints towards the occult, etc in a mystery book, this is for you. If you don't really want to be preached at, I wouldn't read it.

Frank Peretti is a pretty good author. I love this book, the Hangman's Curse--and I own two copies of it (one being the movie version and one being the version listed here). I also like the book Nightmare Academy, which I have read three times and own. Frank Peretti is a wonderful author mostly because of his mysterious plots and wonderful writing.

Frank Peretti is an excellent writer. All of his books keep you in suspense. This book highlights the problems of teasing and making fun of those who are different, and is helpful if you are teased. Also, if you tease others maybe this book will help you see how much it hurts.

this book was awesome, the movie was the best though!!! I LOVE IAN SNYDER!!!! jake richardson was so HOT playing ian in the movie, there should be more books with ppl like ian snyder in them cuz id read them over and over and over again!!!!! THIS ROX!!!!!! oh btw i am a grl, im signed in uner sum1 in my family,lol

Hangman's Curse starts when several jocks at Baker High start going completely nuts. The Veritas project -- Nate, Sarah, Elijah, and Elisha Springfield -- are called in to investigate and find the Truth.

The book reads like a thriller, with a plot that keeps twisting and an ending that will shock any reader, but the characters aren't up to standard. The Springfields are all disappointingly two-dimensional, and take every opportunity to show the reader that Christ and Truth go hand-in-hand. The obvious suspects are witches, Satanists, or goths (take your pick; Peretti seems to think the three are synonomous), and the end moral of the story -- that today's high schools are full of cruel kids, evil athiest teachers, and troubled kids resorting to witchcraft because the schools lack belief in Christ -- is a little over the top.

The book's interesting, and it'll keep your attention long enough to finish. Read it if you must, but I'm not sure it's worth buying.

Man, I expected much from the cover and the title, but not THIS much. I've never been so full of suspense reading a book, and I never got scared. But this time, I did. I would recommend this book to people between age of 10 to zillion, and I think anyone, and I mean ANYONE would enjoy this book.

in Hangmans Curse by Frank Peretti though this is a good book it is hard to tell whether this book has any truth in what it is teaching. i believe it is a good book to read but dont take everything you read in here so seriously. It talks about how these kids (Elijiah and Elisha)find their strength in God when really they find their strength in manipulating people. This book was a quick read and i would reccomend this if people want to hear both sides of stories but otherwise if your searching for truth (or veritas as this book calls it) you should look somewhere else.

in Hangmans Curse by Frank Peretti though this is a good book it is hard to tell whether this book has any truth in what it is teaching. i believe it is a good book to read but dont take everything you read in here so seriously. It talks about how these kids (Elijiah and Elisha)find their strength in God when really they find their strength in manipulating people. This book was a quick read and i would reccomend this if people want to hear both sides of stories but otherwise if your searching for truth (or veritas as this book calls it) you should look somewhere else.

Excellent book! As usual Peretti has delivered a thriller that you can't put down. Abel Frye is not who you think he is! (The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I have read some of his adult novels which are (naturally) better.)

This book needs warning stickers that it is promoting the Christian agenda. It presents anti-evolutionary statements as if they were facts (to the further detriment of America's standing in education in the world) and pretends that God'll make everything ok. This is one of the very few books that I'm throwing away as opposed to donating or selling to a used book store.