Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday
Release Date – October 11, 2011
Publisher Website – Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages - 320 pages
My Rating- 8/10
**obtained from the library**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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. Seriously? Not cool.

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

I bet the first word that comes to your mind after reading that synopsis is not the word fun. However, that is exactly what Deadly Cool is. It’s a fun murder mystery that has a Veronica Mars like feel.

Hartley is our Nancy Drew and star of the show. She’s a sweet, sometimes lightly sarcastic teenager whose voice felt authentic. The things she thought and said seemed very real. She seemed like an average teenager. I loved that she was willing to help out her cheating jerk of a boyfriend Josh, even though I can’t say I would have been as willing. Hartley has a really strong, assertive personality and it didn’t come through when dealing with Josh, which is my only complaint. It would have been nice to see that. Sam, Hartley’s best friend is the perfect partner in crime…solving . I liked her a lot. Them “censoring” themselves, and their willingness to help each other out where some of my favourite parts of the friendship.

Chase, the bad boy and total hottie, was a nice surprise too. The banter, and button pushing between him and Hartley made for some enjoyable flirtation in amongst the scares. I liked that you didn’t know much about him and it kept Hartley on her toes. The “accidental strip tease” scene was one of my favourites!

The novel did have it’s creepy moments. When Hartley and Sam find Courtney’s body stands out as one of the creepier images from the book. It also happens to be where the cover comes from. The author manages to remind you throughout the novel that there is a killer on the loose among all the laugh and lightness.

The killer reveal was a shocker. I didn’t once suspect who did it. I felt the actual reasons for the murders a little under developed though.

If you are looking for a quick, cute, enjoyable murder mystery that you’ll read rather quickly give Deadly Cool a try.