Review: Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday 
Release Date: October 11th, 2011
Number of Pages: 303
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Bought

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.

To me, this novel was a great fun and entertaining mystery, a novel you can easily devour in a matter of a few hours. I have to say that I didn’t figure out who the killer was until the end, which really surprised me. I’m usually good to figure those kinds of things out. Still, Gemma Halliday was able to give us so many clues to throw us off the right path. You’re never sure who really did it, until Hartley find it herself.

I was quite surprised that Hartley, even though her boyfriend had just cheated on her and made a fool out of her in front of the whole school, she still decided to help him prove his innocence. (After all, in high school, those things can pretty much kill your reputation. Secret never really seems to stay secret at that time of our life…) Hartley impressed me with her perseverance, her courage and intelligence. She did everything she could to find out who really did it, even if it put her in danger.

His ex-boyfriend? I didn’t like him that much, which is pretty understandable when you think he cheated on his girlfriends, the same girl that is still nice enough to try to prove his innocence. Another thing I really liked about the character is Sam and Hartley’s relationship. I love those two friends together. I think they made a great team, and I love that Sam is there for her through most of it, now I can’t forget about our favorite bad boy, Chase. Through the novel, I loved him, liked him, and hated him. I was never sure what his real intentions were, but in the end, he did surprise me.

Gemma Halliday’s writing really got me hooked from page one. As soon as I was done, I was already craving for book two, which is now officially out. Can you guess what I’m getting today?

If you’re looking for a fun and addicting mystery, Deadly Cool is right for you. A book I couldn’t seem to put down until I had discovered who the real killer was. A book I definitely recommend to those looking for this kind of book.

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