Amazingly enough, Gosling uses the word Howlers in the book, which promptly reminded me of the Harry Potter series. Unlike the Howlers (exploding mail that shouts at you) in Potter, the Howlers in Gosling's book refers to the "pranks" that people commit during Halloween. Pranks is surrounded by quotation marks because the pranks are dangerous & sometimes result in broken bones and far worse events.
In this book, Gosling covers the dynamics of a long ago relationship between a group of boys. What happened to them on that long ago day & what happens during this frentic Halloween is something only Sheriff Matt Gabriel can discover. The usual cast of characters shows up here.
A highly enjoyable book and highly recommended.