The Divining - J. A. James - Bog

A local legend.
A found journal.
A town with secrets.

Sixteen-year-old Alex Lambrose has just moved from San Francisco to Highland Ridge, North Carolina, an isolated town located deep in the Great Smoky Mountains. The move appears to be a dull tradeoff until his two new friends, Corbin Henley and Zane Fletcher, divulge a ghoulish legend about a witch named Hephzibah Dunnagan. Curious about the witch and her supposed demise, the boys head for Dunnagan's Peak with only an antiquated map to guide them.
Exploring the abandoned village for clues about the witch seems like harmless fun for the boys until Alex mysteriously uncovers an eighteenth century journal hidden within the walls of Hephzibah's cabin. After he makes the precarious decision to stash the book in his backpack and keep it a secret, Alex must decide what to do with it. As he reads the entries, Alex not only uncovers the dark reality surrounding the legend but also his own connection to Highland Ridge. Two questions now hang in the balance: what is he going to do about it? And what will the town of Highland Ridge do once they learn of its existence?