Review: Cold

Title: Cold

Author: Mariko Tamaki

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s

Publication date: February 8, 2022

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Summary

Todd Mayer is now a ghost, hovering over his body which was recently discovered at a local park. As the detectives investigate Todd’s death, Todd follows them and reflects on the choices that lead him to the park that night. Choices he maybe could have made differently.

Even though Georgia didn’t know Todd, there’s something about his death that she can’t stop thinking about. As she launches her own investigation, she realizes that maybe it’s because her and Todd had quite a bit in common. And she wants people to get his story right. Because he’s no longer there to tell it. And outcasts should get a chance to tell their story.

Review: Cold

Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this to review! I only know Mariko Tamaki from her graphic novel work, so I was interested in seeing how her novel writing played out. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

At the core, this sounds like a story I would love. A murder mystery about outcasts, trying to get their story right because they can’t. The premise is fascinating and wonderful, and I do think Tamaki captures that feeling pretty well in the book. It feels a bit dark, a bit foreboding. The imagery descriptions are really well done.

However, the characters fell flat to me. I think the book is too short to really flesh anyone out, which made the story overall fall flat for me. It is a quick read, but it just felt like there was something missing in the story. Adding more details and giving the characters more space to breathe would have made the story stronger, too.

Additionally, the mystery itself was almost a bit anticlimactic. I think it might have been a little purposeful, but I wanted something more at the ending of the book. Overall, it just generally fell flat for me.

3/5 stars