Deadly Cool Review

Title: Deadly Cool
Author: Gemma Halliday
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: October 11, 2011
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 272
Source: Publisher

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

Hartley loves Josh. Very much so, actually, until the day she heard the rumours and decided to find out if they were true. Unfortunately, the evidence didn't lie, and she goes on a path to confront him, but that decision changes things from bad to worse. Suddenly, her cheating ex is the center of a murder investigation of the very person with whom he may very well have cheated with. Sound tricky? It is for Hartley, especially because she's not sure she wants him to suffer quite that much because he can't possibly be the killer. But if it's not Josh, and Hartley's fast becoming a target, where else can she look?

Deadly Cool isn't your average mystery, however, in the same breath I will wholeheartedly admit that it's not your average contemporary either. Weaving a tenuous balance of wit, off-beat humour, a whodunit mystery and a great host of characters with oversized personalities, author Gemma Halliday has created a fun, entertaining and engrossing novel that keeps the reader guessing. If summer reading is not your thing because it's a bit too light, odds are the the quirky tone and fun, refreshing take on murder mysteries of Deadly Cool might be the perfect alternative for you.

I'll be honest, when I first read the premise for Deadly Cool, trust me, I wasn't expecting a profound novel full of depth, resounding themes and an overriding sense of accomplishment for having read the book. I was, however, fully expecting a fast-paced, action-riddled read, and Deadly Cool delivered. From page one, our protagonist, Hartley, is entertaining. She's got snark, for one, and hell if she's about to roll over and play dead while her boyfriend's off cheating with the president of the chastity club. The interesting thing to note about Deadly Cool is that, in theory, it should be everything I hate about contemporary fiction. It has cliques and cliches, and it most certainly has those teenage hormones that rule just about every inch of bad YA fiction. Yet, somehow, Deadly Cool manages to teeter on the verge of satire while still stringing the reader along on an action-packed ride that keeps you guessing. Best of all though, Deadly Cool never once tries to rest on the laurels of a serious novel, and packs a punch of witty lines that are certain to make more readers than this easily amused blonde laugh out loud.

Honestly, I can genuinely say that Deadly Cool surprised me in a good way. It was a great break from darker novels, and it was nice to read about characters that didn't take themselves too seriously. I give it a strong 4 out of 5, and I'd highly recommend it to those who enjoy YA fiction, especially mysteries and contemporary fiction.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.