Plot Summary
Hartley Featherstone is a typical teenage girl – she has an awesome boyfriend, is great in school, and a best friend who has her back, no matter what. Then one day, one very bad day, all of that changes. Hartley finds out that her boyfriend, Josh, has not only cheated on her, but is now the number one suspect in a murder investigation. Who was murdered? The girl Josh cheated on her with, who just happened to be the president of the Chastity Club. Now not only is Hartley heartbroken but Josh is depending on her to clear his name. Because, as Hartley believes, Josh is innocent.
When another member of the Chastity Club turns up dead, Hartley must really step up the investigation. She enlists the help of bad boy Chase and her best friend Sam to track down the killer. But when Hartley finally figures it out, it may be too late.
Critical Evaluation
I wasn’t expecting Deadly Cool to be anything more than a fun teen mystery. It turns out that the messages and themes throughout the book are much deeper than that. The book was a quick read and the pacing of the plot was right on. Hartley is a sympathetic character to anyone, but especially to teens who have been wronged by a boyfriend or girlfriend. While they hate said cheating jerk, the feelings don’t automatically disappear when the relationship ends.
Caitlyn, who ends up being the killer, has done all she has because of her high moral standards. It’s interesting that she would kill her best friends, one for being promiscuous and the other for wanting to tell the truth about what they did, and think that was ok, even good, because they were lying about who they were. Caitlyn stood for something and her friends didn’t. They brought their deaths on themselves because they weren’t doing what was right. At least that’s how Caitlyn saw it. She felt justified in killing them. This is a really interesting topic to discuss, especially in a teen book, because so many moral groups support the annihilation of those who are seem as doing something wrong but isn’t killing wrong? Isn’t hurting people just because they are liars or cheaters wrong? This book is a fun read, but will also make teens think.
Reader’s Annotation
What would you do if your cheating ex-boyfriend was wanted for murder and the only person who could clear his name was you?
Author’s Information
Gemma Halliday writes books for adults and teens and is a New York Times Best Selling Author. Deadly Cool is her first YA novel. Gemma wasn’t originally an author; she tried her hand at being an actress, teacher, tattoo artist, and psychic before deciding to write. Gemma can be found at http://www.gemmahalliday.com/.
Genre
Mystery
Book Talking Ideas
I’ll bring up the idea of someone killing girls in the Chastity Club as something that might be interesting to read. This book is a fast paced mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Hartley and Sam are funny and charming, especially when the self-censor and use creative non-swears.
Reading Level/Interest
14 / 14+
Challenge Issues
I can’t see this book being challenged, but I suppose some reasons parents wouldn’t want it on the shelf would be because of supposedly chaste girls being killed. Or perhaps the fact that it’s the girl who actually is chaste that ends up being the killer. I would talk to the challengers and just bring up the fact that this is supposed to be a mystery and the killer is often the most unlikely person so that is probably the reason it’s Caitlyn instead of someone else.
Why Include This Title?
Deadly Cool is a great mystery for teens who are not that interested in the genre. It feels less like a mystery and more like the story of a girl who got cheated on who is now stuck between a rock and a hard place. Deadly Cool is a good example of mystery in the YA arena.
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