289:
tell her peers. She fears for her own life after she hears someone in her bedroom while she's alone in Eric's house, and later when she's about to leave the shower; she hears bizarre noises and notices wet footprints on the floor of the shower room, along with seaweed from the beach. Kelsey discovers a deceased body, but when she alerts her peers to it, the body has disappeared, leading the other teens to doubt Kelsey's sincerity. A creepy old man with an eyepatch, Isaac (a resident of
Beverly Island off-season), keeps yelling warnings at Kelsey, terrifying her into thinking that he's some kind of a pervert who may have attacked and killed Beth. Kelsey develops romantic feelings for Justin, Eric's shy younger son and the brother of Neale and Beth, although she is also drawn to Neale despite his cold nature. Kelsey breaks into Isaac's
294:
she comes to learn that a series of drownings have occurred on
Beverly Island within the same period, Kelsey suspects that Justin is the culprit, along with Donna agreeing to this, though nobody believes the two girls. When it is verified that Justin is the killer, he attempts to attack Kelsey, but she is saved by Neale; she kisses Neale passionately, and the two teens begin a romantic relationship together although Kelsey is aware that Neale will probably soon be her stepbrother if her mother marries Eric, making them an incestuous couple, though not by blood. Kelsey discovers while in the hospital that Beth and Donna are both alive and safe, but that Justin is responsible for the other murders that have occurred around the island. She wonders what will happen in the future now that the truth has come out.
285:
mother are informed by a horrified Eric that his only daughter, Beth, is missing. A search party has been called in to look for the girl after her belongings are found on the beach; meanwhile Kelsey befriends the other teenagers on the island, including Donna, a preppy girl, and Skip, a wealthy and vain boy who works as a lifeguard. Kelsey is put off by Neale, Eric's son and Beth's brother; Neale is cold, aloof and bitter, and Kelsey doesn't trust him.
330:
image, coupled with the tagline “Don’t call for help. He may just kill you” underscores the reality that in these teen horror novels, it’s best to trust no one, whether in suburban babysitting or on an island vacation. That’s certainly the best strategy for staying alive." More modern variations of the book had silvery, iridescent imagery and more digitized minimalist styles in an attempt to market the book to a 2010s demographic.
22:
293:
and discovers items belonging to Beth, but before she can gather any of this evidence, a rat startles her and she flees the houseboat. She discovers that Justin left the note in Beth's room and that he has been listening to her telephone conversations. She also finds Isaac’s dead body in the road; as
345:
praised the book as a good summer read, saying, "I mean, just look at that cover. That just screams scary beach read right there. It is also a Point Horror book, which was one of the go-tos for YA horror in the early ’90s. This one is about Kelsey, who gets invited to the famous
Beverly Island for a
329:
is one of the most iconic of the Point Horror novels, featuring a muscled, blonde, and unsmiling lifeguard sitting atop a lifeguard station, looking over the water and directly out toward the reader. This eponymous lifeguard is ominous and unfeeling, radiating a clear aura of danger. This unsettling
288:
It is decided by the search party later on that Beth must have drowned while swimming on the beach, although no corpse is ever recovered. Kelsey finds a note hidden in Beth's bedroom that says "I think someone is going to kill me". Kelsey begins to suspect that Beth was murdered, but is hesitant to
375:
agreed with this, stating, "so many red herrings are thrown into this plot that it seems almost logical when the killer turns out to be the one man both Kelsey and readers have been led to trust. This relentless procession of gruesome events and false alarms will leave most horror fans more dazed
284:
Kelsey Tanner, a young girl who recently grieved the death of her biological father, is given a summer vacation trip to
Beverly Island (fictional location) with her mother and her mother's boyfriend, Eric, who has several children roughly Kelsey's age. Upon arriving on the island, Kelsey and her
314:
described the original first edition cover fondly, saying of it, "if you grew up in the 1980s with access to
Scholastic Book Fairs, you know the cover: A stern looking teenage hunk in sunglasses, sitting on a lifeguard stand. Next to the picture is the caption, “Don’t call for help. He may kill
272:. The book received negative reviews from critics, but in recent decades has become admired for its original first edition cover, which featured a wavy blue-and-orange aquatic title font and an artistic illustration of a creepy male lifeguard on the beach, popular as an example of nostalgic
131:
346:
fun-filled summer. Too bad for her that someone appears to have other plans for her... As I mentioned, this is a '90s horror, so expect a fair amount of cheese. Still, if you’re looking for an entertaining way to pass a couple of hours, this will do it."
305:
is a standalone thriller novel. This being said, it was published under the imprint Point Horror in the late 1980s, making it #3 in the imprint's series. The original first Point Horror edition with its
369:
in the book's dialogue, as well as the peculiar dynamics of the Tanner Family, including suggested incest and the callousness of Kelsey Tanner's mother when discussing her late husband.
341:
on its "Summertime Scares" reading list; the edition listed had a digitized, radically revamped cover with turquoise text and a shadow silhouette of a lifeguard on it.
537:
39:
587:
310:
title font is sought after by collectors, while subsequent editions have had a variety of more modern cover image designs. John
Bilancini of
582:
557:
542:
210:
105:
325:
one of the most iconic symbols of the 1980s teen horror paperback movement in western pop culture, saying, "the cover of Cusick’s
86:
567:
421:
58:
572:
552:
547:
43:
65:
562:
577:
72:
32:
252:. The story follows Kelsey, a teenage girl on a holiday vacation, who begins witnessing the unfolding signs of a
54:
249:
144:
474:
265:
180:
532:
79:
371:
218:
205:
245:
166:
242:
162:
130:
526:
500:
394:
253:
269:
176:
362:
239:
21:
448:
290:
257:
225:
357:
received mostly negative reviews from critics. Professional review blog
317:
307:
273:
366:
422:"The '90s Teen Horror Landscape: The Babysitter and The Lifeguard"
15:
219:
260:
their victims in the sea. Written as a standalone novel,
475:"Recap #9: The Lifeguard by Richie Tankersley Cusick"
217:
204:
196:
186:
172:
158:
150:
140:
46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
118:1988 young adult novel by Richie Tankersley Cusick
8:
449:"Summertime Scares: Horror Reads for Summer"
121:
268:and published as book #3 under the imprint
129:
120:
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
385:
276:aesthetics and retro pop culture art.
7:
420:Burger, Alissa (22 September 2021).
393:Bilancini, John (18 November 2019).
44:adding citations to reliable sources
481:. The Devil's Elbow. 4 August 2014
14:
20:
361:criticized the book's multiple
31:needs additional citations for
1:
538:Psychological thriller novels
447:Hinton, P.N. (22 July 2021).
588:Scholastic Corporation books
583:Novels about serial killers
558:American young adult novels
604:
55:"The Lifeguard" novel
128:
543:American thriller novels
505:www.publishersweekly.com
315:you.”" Alissa Burger of
250:Richie Tankersley Cusick
145:Richie Tankersley Cusick
568:American mystery novels
573:American crime novels
553:Novels set on islands
548:Novels set on beaches
563:Fiction about incest
40:improve this article
578:Novels about murder
507:. Publishers Weekly
479:www.pointhorror.com
125:
372:Publishers Weekly
365:subplots and the
359:The Devil's Elbow
231:
230:
197:Publication place
116:
115:
108:
90:
595:
517:
516:
514:
512:
497:
491:
490:
488:
486:
471:
465:
464:
462:
460:
444:
438:
437:
435:
433:
417:
411:
410:
408:
406:
399:eightiesbaby.net
390:
376:than alarmed."
264:was taken in by
221:
188:Publication date
133:
126:
111:
104:
100:
97:
91:
89:
48:
24:
16:
603:
602:
598:
597:
596:
594:
593:
592:
523:
522:
521:
520:
510:
508:
501:"The Lifeguard"
499:
498:
494:
484:
482:
473:
472:
468:
458:
456:
446:
445:
441:
431:
429:
419:
418:
414:
404:
402:
395:"The Lifeguard"
392:
391:
387:
382:
352:
300:
282:
254:serial murderer
213:(First edition)
189:
181:Scholastic Inc.
179:
165:
136:
119:
112:
101:
95:
92:
49:
47:
37:
25:
12:
11:
5:
601:
599:
591:
590:
585:
580:
575:
570:
565:
560:
555:
550:
545:
540:
535:
525:
524:
519:
518:
492:
466:
439:
412:
384:
383:
381:
378:
351:
348:
299:
296:
281:
278:
229:
228:
223:
215:
214:
208:
202:
201:
198:
194:
193:
190:
187:
184:
183:
174:
170:
169:
160:
156:
155:
152:
148:
147:
142:
138:
137:
134:
117:
114:
113:
28:
26:
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
600:
589:
586:
584:
581:
579:
576:
574:
571:
569:
566:
564:
561:
559:
556:
554:
551:
549:
546:
544:
541:
539:
536:
534:
531:
530:
528:
506:
502:
496:
493:
480:
476:
470:
467:
454:
450:
443:
440:
427:
423:
416:
413:
400:
396:
389:
386:
379:
377:
374:
373:
368:
364:
360:
356:
355:The Lifeguard
349:
347:
344:
340:
339:The Lifeguard
336:
331:
328:
327:The Lifeguard
324:
323:The Lifeguard
320:
319:
313:
309:
304:
303:The Lifeguard
297:
295:
292:
286:
279:
277:
275:
271:
267:
263:
262:The Lifeguard
259:
255:
251:
247:
244:
241:
237:
236:
235:The Lifeguard
227:
224:
222:
216:
212:
211:9780590432030
209:
207:
203:
200:United States
199:
195:
191:
185:
182:
178:
175:
171:
168:
164:
161:
157:
153:
149:
146:
143:
139:
135:First edition
132:
127:
124:
123:The Lifeguard
110:
107:
99:
88:
85:
81:
78:
74:
71:
67:
64:
60:
57: –
56:
52:
51:Find sources:
45:
41:
35:
34:
29:This article
27:
23:
18:
17:
509:. Retrieved
504:
495:
483:. Retrieved
478:
469:
457:. Retrieved
453:bookriot.com
452:
442:
430:. Retrieved
425:
415:
403:. Retrieved
398:
388:
370:
358:
354:
353:
342:
338:
334:
332:
326:
322:
316:
311:
308:wavy aquatic
302:
301:
287:
283:
270:Point Horror
261:
234:
233:
232:
177:Point Horror
122:
102:
93:
83:
76:
69:
62:
50:
38:Please help
33:verification
30:
533:1988 novels
455:. Book Riot
426:www.tor.com
363:red herring
298:Publication
240:young adult
527:Categories
401:. 80s Baby
380:References
266:Scholastic
238:is a 1988
66:newspapers
350:Reception
343:Book Riot
335:Book Riot
333:In 2021,
291:houseboat
248:novel by
173:Publisher
96:July 2022
312:80s Baby
246:thriller
226:18031342
167:thriller
151:Language
511:19 July
485:19 July
459:19 July
432:19 July
405:19 July
337:listed
321:called
274:seapunk
154:English
80:scholar
367:sexism
258:drowns
243:horror
163:horror
141:Author
82:
75:
68:
61:
53:
428:. Tor
159:Genre
87:JSTOR
73:books
513:2022
487:2022
461:2022
434:2022
407:2022
280:Plot
256:who
220:OCLC
206:ISBN
192:1988
59:news
318:Tor
42:by
529::
503:.
477:.
451:.
424:.
397:.
515:.
489:.
463:.
436:.
409:.
109:)
103:(
98:)
94:(
84:·
77:·
70:·
63:·
36:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
