Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. Published by Doherty, Tor Teen, 2011.

Cas is a ghost hunter/killer. It’s kind of a family tradition- his father did the same thing until he was murdered by one of the ghosts. Cas wants to continue his father’s legacy, so he and his mother- a white witch - move from town to town in search of dangerous ghosts.

He is a bit young for this work (he’s still in high school), but he’s been training for most of his life and he knows what he’s doing.

As soon as Cas meets Anna, he realizes that she is not a typical ghost. He saw her kill people and knows she is very dangerous. Yet he also senses she feels regret about her actions and doesn’t want to murder people. She doesn’t seem to be in control- something is compelling her. Anna even warns Cas to leave her house before he gets hurt.

Cas and his friends begin to investigate the legend about Anna. It was a tragic situation- she was murdered by her mother’s boyfriend and then trapped by a spell so she can never leave her house. Feeling strangely attracted to Anna, Cas finds himself trying to protect her.

How can he help Anna but prevent her from murdering anyone else? He knows he must find a way.