Deadly Cool

by Gemma Halliday

Overview

First I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And now he’s depending on me to clear his name. Seriously?

As much as I wouldn’t mind watching him squirm, I know that he’s innocent. So I’m brushing off my previously untapped detective skills and getting down to business. But I keep tripping over dead bodies and I’m still no closer to figuring out who did it. And what’s worse: all signs seem to point to me as the killer’s next victim.

I really need to pick a better boyfriend next time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062093219
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/11/2011
Series:	Deadly Cool , #1
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

When Gemma Halliday was sixteen she wanted to be either a rock star or Marilyn Monroe. Instead, she ended up working as a film extra, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary-tattoo artist, and a 900-number psychic before settling on the career of author. Since then, her books have been published in several countries, optioned for television, and have won lots of cool, shiny trophies, including a National Readers' Choice Award and three RITA nominations. Gemma now lives in the San Francisco Bay area, where she loves watching reality TV shows, eating takeout pizza, and shoe shopping. She is also the author of Deadly Cool.

What People are Saying About This

C.C. Hunter

“Gemma Halliday delivers a fun, sassy read that has you turning pages so fast, you’ll be breathless.”

Editorial Reviews

Gr 8 Up—Hartley can't believe her bad luck. First, she hears rumors that her boyfriend, Josh, is cheating on her with Courtney Cline, a member of the abstinence-only Color Guard. Second, she finds an empty condom wrapper in his locker—maybe it doesn't mean anything, right? Finally, and this is the biggie, after she goes over to Josh's house to confront him, she finds Courtney dead in his closet, strangled by her own iPod earbuds. So, what's a jilted and traumatized girl to do? Prove her ex-boyfriend's innocence, of course. When Hartley and her best friend set out to discover who murdered the popular teen, they find themselves in more danger than they bargained for. After Hartley stumbles upon another murdered Color Guard member, she begins to suspect that she might be next on the killer's hit list. Along the way she meets Chase, the bad-boy editor of Herbert Hoover High's online newspaper, who joins her in her quest—but is the brooding James Dean look-alike everything he says he is or just a killer in disguise? The cliff-hanger ending sets the book up as the first in a series. This fun and outrageous mystery is a perfect mix of humor and horror that will have readers laughing while they try to figure out "whodunit."—Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR

School Library Journal

Halliday effectively combines a murder mystery with daily high school drama. Sharp humor is layered throughout the novel (fans of Veronica Mars will likely appreciate this one).

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Halliday has her finger on the pulse of high-schoolers, whether goth, jock, prude, or computer nerd. With red herrings aplenty and a wicked pace, this relentlessly pulls the reader along to anexplosive conclusion.

Booklist

Gemma Halliday delivers a fun, sassy read that has you turning pages so fast, you’ll be breathless.

C.C. Hunter

Hartley is having what can only be described as an extremely bad day. First, she discovers that her boyfriend is sneaking around with Courtney, the supposedly chaste captain of the Color Guard, a discovery that everyone else in her Silicon Valley high school has apparently already made. Later, when she goes to confront her boyfriend about the affair, she discovers the body of that same Color Guard virgin in his closet, strangled with a pair of iPod earbuds. With that, Hartley quickly becomes immersed in the questions of who killed Courtney, and did her (now ex-) boyfriend do it. If not him, then who? With the help of her best friend, and the mysterious bad boy/school paper's editor, Hartley begins to investigate. After another Color Guard member is killed, Hartley's investigation intensifies, as does the danger to her own life. Halliday's first book for teen audiences effectively combines a murder mystery with daily high school drama. Hartley is a believable heroine, one who does not want to be thrust into the role she is playing, and the dialogue is authentic, without dragging on the fast-moving plot. Some of the mentions of popular products and stores, however, date the book. While readers may peg the killer early, that does not detract from the way the mystery unfolds, or the sharp humor that is layered throughout the novel (fans of Veronica Mars will likely appreciate this one). Some discussions of sex make this more appropriate for older readers. Reviewer: Mark Letcher

VOYA - Mark Letcher

In this light comedy/murder mystery, 16-year-old Hartley tries to prove that her ex-boyfriend didn't kill her rival.

The emphasis stays on comedy with spikes of suspense as Hartley bounces from rage against boyfriend Josh and his not-so-secret squeeze Courtney to screaming shock when she finds Courtney's dead body in Josh's closet. Despite appearances, she's sure he's innocent and decides to prove it, no matter how ill-equipped she may be to do so. She teams up with Chase, a hunky, goth-type school journalist who looks a bit suspicious himself. Hartley breezily defies her mother and sneaks out of her house to meet strangers in the middle of the night, even after she literally stumbles over a second murder victim. Not surprisingly, eventually she finds herself in danger. Halliday keeps the mood light and tries to balance the comedy and suspense. Comedy easily wins the battle, but suspense often breaks into this fairly standard murder mystery. The author portrays Hartley as a bit of a bubble brain, however, indulging in omigod freakouts with best friend Sam at every turn of events and constantly acting on impulse, quipping her way through high-school suspects until she finds the major clue in the case. It's fine for an audience more interested in light entertainment than discerning heft.

Light indeed, but merry and often suspenseful. A pleasant, funny chick-lit mystery.(Mystery. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews