Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday - Review from a Tween

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

October 11, 2011 by HarperTeen 

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.

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. 

Review by Taylor: 

I expected Deadly Cool to be a light murder mystery. Was I wrong? Yes, very. Deadly Cool had that action, that mystery and suspense, and a touch of romance with I really loved. 

So, lets start off with the characters. Hartley Grace Featherstone is our protagonist. At first, she did seem very annoying and whiny. When I got about 20 pages in, I knew why and I didn't care that she acted like that. Hartley was very outgoing, caring, and I guess you could say she was kind of sympathetic. No matter what happened around her or to her, she was always trying to figure out why. 

Chase reminded me of that boy next door even though she thought of talked about her ex-boyfriend in that way. He was always there for Hartley and when she brought up something that had been discussed with Shiloh, he didn't go crazy like a Jack Russell on Red Bull but he did get kind of angry.

Now, the plot and writing style. We of course follow Hartley, your average high school girl, except for a little thing. She keeps coming across dead bodies of her fellow classmates. When Courtney Cline is murdered, and Hartley finds her in her ex boyfriend's closet, she sets out to find out who did it and why. She was like a teenage Nancy Drew and I know it said that in the book but I automatically thought of Nancy Drew within the first 30 pages.

The writing style was one that I don't come across very often. I was immediately sucked in and I might, just might, have stayed up a little past my bedtime reading this. I very rarely do that so that proves something.

Overall, Deadly Cool was something I was not expecting and I am going to keep enjoying Gemma's writing style until she quits writing. If you want a quick, action packed book with a bit of romance, Deadly Cool is the book for you.

About the author:

Gemma had a hard time figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She worked as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic, before finally selling her first book, Spying in High Heels, in 2005 and deciding to be a writer.

Since then, Gemma has written several mystery novels and been the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Reader's Choice award and three RITA nominations. Her books have hit both the USA Today and the New York Times Bestseller lists.

Gemma now makes her home in the San Francisco Bay area where she is hard at work on her next book.

Find out more at GemmaHalliday.com. 

About the guest reviewer, Taylor: I am 12 years old and obviously love reading. I remember when I was really young and my mom would always read me a bedtime story and I knew every one word for word. I first started reading YA in fifth grade when I read 'Someone Like You' by Sarah Dessen. That is still my favorite book to this day.