Cold Fury (Cold Fury Series #1)

by T. M. Goeglein

Overview

Jason Bourne meets The Sopranos in this breathtaking adventure

Sara Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a budding romance--until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the mob).

Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It's a quest that takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies--a city hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old tattered notebook might be her best defense--hidden in its pages the secret to "ultimate power." It's why she's being pursued, why her family was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives.

Action packed, with fresh, cinematic writing, Cold Fury is a riveting and imaginative adventure readers will devour.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101571934
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/24/2012
Series:	Cold Fury Series , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Lexile:	1050L (what's this?)
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

T. M. Goeglein lives in Chicago, Illinois. This is his first book.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Readers will no doubt enjoy the action-packed scenes and quick getaways . . . an engaging thriller."—VOYA

"Engaging, including action sequences that are forthright and expeditious."—SLJ

"For readers who have had to look to adult suspense like James Bond for a rush, this one has a heroine worth cheering."—Booklist

“...several fun hooks...”—Publishers Weekly

"Goeglein’s book has a lot going for it—Sara Jane's school friendships, her warm relationship with her family, cool Mob stuff, boxing action, some humor . . . " —Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Let down by plot holes and a barely developed supporting cast, Goeglein's debut, first in a planned trilogy, fails to do its nifty hook justice. When Sara Jane Rispoli's family goes missing and she is nearly abducted, the 16-year-old suspects her jealous Uncle Buddy is behind the crime. A hidden tape from Sara Jane's father reveals a secret room in the family bakery that helps her discover the Rispolis' history with the Chicago mob. While there are several fun hooks in the story (including a series of "Capone Doors," secret escape doors hidden in many old Chicago buildings and El stations), they pale next to oddities like a four-star hotel staffed entirely by mob employees, mob enforcers beating up a school bully, and a case of literal (and ludicrous) rattus ex machina. Adding to the mix are inexplicable character decisions—most notably Sara Jane's decision to return to school while still on the run from her assailants—and the sort of large-scale cop-and-mobster collusion that falls apart unless all the players are hypercompetent. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jason Anthony, Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Readers will no doubt enjoy the action-packed scenes and quick getaways . . . an engaging thriller."—VOYA

"Engaging, including action sequences that are forthright and expeditious."—SLJ

"For readers who have had to look to adult suspense like James Bond for a rush, this one has a heroine worth cheering."—Booklist

“...several fun hooks...”—Publishers Weekly
 
"Goeglein’s book has a lot going for it—Sara Jane's school friendships, her warm relationship with her family, cool Mob stuff, boxing action, some humor . . . " —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Sara Jane Rispoli is the sixteen-year-old daughter of a Chicago baker. Creating delicious Italian pastries is not all the Rispoli family does, however, as Sara Jane finds out after the death of her grandfather when her parents and brother are violently snatched from their home. The Rispoli family is deeply involved in the mafia. Empowered with keen boxing abilities and fighting skills that she was taught at the young age of eight, Sara Jane becomes the key to solving the mystery of her family's disappearance. During her mission to save them, she uncovers additional mysteries her parents had kept from her since birth. Sara Jane's character is relatable as she grapples with typical high school issues and drama surrounding boys and gossip. Her dedication to the sport of boxing and foreshadowing insight into her family's mob involvement also paces the story evenly before the plot action crescendos. Once her family is kidnapped, the plot quickens and readers will no doubt enjoy the action-packed scenes and quick getaways as Sara Jane unravels the mystery. This book is recommended for middle school students who appreciate an engaging thriller and anyone with a penchant for organized crime stories. Reviewer: Mandy R. Simon

VOYA - Mandy R. Simon

Gr 8–10—Sara Jane Rispoli is no ordinary teen. While she's worried about the regular stuff-boys, friends, and the upcoming school dance-she also has to contend with situations nobody her age should. Coming home after school one day, she finds her front door ajar and the house ransacked. While investigating, she is attacked by a large man in a black ski mask. Her instincts take over, and she begins an epic run for her life that, she hopes, will uncover the truth about why her family vanished and whether or not they are still alive. While some passages of this story are engaging, including action sequences that are forthright and expeditious, they can't mask the weaker elements, including unrealistic dialogue and poor characterization. While Sara Jane's uncle and his mysterious wife serve their intended purpose as the novel's chief antagonists, their motivations are never clear enough to justify why they are willing to kill Sara for her mysterious silver briefcase. Crooked Detective Smelt and her seemingly endless army of evil police officers are more like campy caricatures than believable villains. Sara Jane herself is never really a protagonist readers will get behind, as she seems more interested in cracking corny jokes about those chasing her than actually saving the family she claims to care so much about.—Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

Paranormal elements uneasily mix with Mafia entanglements in this debut. Chicago teen boxer Sara Jane has grown up cozily protected by her warm Italian family, presided over by Grandpa Enzo "the Biscotto." (The "Men Who Mumbled" who visit the family bakery sometimes call him "Enzo the Boss.") When her grandparents die, tension flares between her father and his younger brother. On her 16th birthday, she returns home from a school dance to find her house trashed and her family vanished. In between violent encounters with a terrifying man in a ski mask, she works feverishly to find her family, discovering in the process a colossal secret (that will not surprise readers) and a family trait passed down from Sicilian ancestors that mystically intimidates foes. Goeglein's book has a lot going for it--Sara Jane's school friendships, her warm relationship with her family, cool Mob stuff, boxing action, some humor--but the parts don't hang together gracefully. Sara Jane narrates from an irritating had-I-but-known perspective for too much of the book, then continues narrating in the past tense, leaving readers unsure exactly "when" she is. Exposition is fed to readers through a variety of contrivances, some thoroughly unbelievable. And the blue-eyed, "cold fury" glare feels tacked-on rather than necessary to the plot. With another draft or two, this could have been a terrific thriller; here's hoping the sequel gets a little bit more time to develop. (Thriller. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews