Expectations vs. Reality: The Dead and Buried

Expectations vs. Reality is a feature here inspired by Small Review that will compare my expectations from a book cover before seeing the summary with the summary itself.

This week I'm looking at The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington.

 

EXPECTATIONS

This cover is fantastically creepy! The girl seems to be descending into a cellar or basement of some sort, and the combination of the ghostly feel with the title makes me suspect there are ghosts and spirits haunting her house. Perhaps it's the kind of story where the protagonist needs to resolve the ghosts' problems and free them to the afterlife.

REALITY

Here's what Goodreads has to say:

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . .

But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things.
Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.
Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house . . . is haunted.

Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school -- until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets.
But is one of them a murderer?

Okay, so I was pretty close with the ghostly part, although it wouldn't take a genius to figure that out! The idea of one of the people in her town being a murderer is intriguing though. I'm looking forward to picking this one up!