Review: Cold Fury

First in a trilogy
By T. M. Goeglein
Available now from Putnam (Penguin)
Review copy

When I began COLD FURY, I thought it was a standalone.  So I'll go ahead and warn you: It's not, and COLD FURY will leave you wanting more.

Sara Jane Rispoli just turned sixteen.  It's been a rough couple of months.  First her grandparents died, and then her father and her uncle stopped speaking to each other.  Then the day she turns sixteen, Sara Jane comes  home to an empty house, her brother's dog lying injured on the floor on a note that warns her to beware.

COLD FURY is full of things I love.  There's a smart girl who kicks butt and does the hard thing rather than the easy thing.  There are mobsters, assassins, and shadowy possibly-government agents.  It's a long chase scene with a touch of mystery and a hint of the paranormal.  (Just a hint.  I would classify COLD FURY as contemporary, but some people have abilities that verge on the mystical.)

If you couldn't tell, COLD FURY is a plot-driven rather than a character driven novel.  Sara Jane has enough depth that you care about whether she survives and saves her family, but that's about it.  Her family, friends, and love interests are likewise pretty thin.  However, the novel doesn't need more than that.  There's too much going on for intense examinations of self.  (One character that does get developed, quite nicely, is the city of Chicago.)

The big summer blockbusters are already out, so here's a blockbuster in book form.  T. M. Goeglein's YA debut is a fast-paced thrillride and I look forward to reading more of Sara Jane's adventures.