You can’t keep a good clown down.

Adam Cesare knows what makes slashers work. Slashers must be about the killer, but about the survivors as well. Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives is a story of Frendo the Clown and all the dark slasher legacy that brings. It is also a story of Cole Hill and his boyfriend Russ, along with Quinn Maybrook. The Kettle Springs Three who survived the murderous rampage of Kettle Springs’ adult conspiracy, the trio are plagued by conspiracy theories as to what really happened.

Unfortunately, Frendo won’t stay buried. After being attacked by a new clown, Quinn must reunite with her friends to uncover a conspiracy targeting them. Cesare is an excellent writer and he understands the men and women behind the mask of Frendo the Clown are far less important than the legacy of the mask itself.

When a slasher is depersonalized and made into a symbol, anyone can take up the legacy. After the events of Kettle Springs in the first novel, Frendo is more than a mask, but a symbol of counterculture by people online who believe themselves too important to buy the ‘official’ story.

Cesare writes skillfully, with empathy for his leads. He never forgets that despite everything they have endured they’re still traumatized teenagers trying to do their best in a very difficult and uncaring world. Cole lives with absolute trauma and fear because of the events in Clown in the Cornfield. He's been through more than anyone can imagine.

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives is scary for a good reason: we care about the characters under threat. Cesare knows how to make his cast flawed and likable, so when Frendo puts them under threat, the reader is on the edge of their seat terrified of what may happen to them.

Add in excellent meta-commentary on what happens when the identity of a killer surpasses the person of a killer and the danger involved in making symbols of monsters and you have an excellent story.