Book excerpt: The children of Bakersfield, Illinois have buried a stuffed monkey in a cornfield every Halloween for decades. The same night that ten-year-old Jess first witnesses the mysterious ritual, his older sister Paula is brutally murdered. Paula is only the first victim of the “Snowman,” a serial killer stalking the children of Bakersfield. Jess believes the monkey ritual is the key to stopping the murders and uncovers the secrets of the century-old tradition. But the black magic of the monkey might be more evil than the killer he has called it up to stop.