Cold

 By: Mariko Tamaki

Location: FIC TAM

Genre: Mystery, LGBGT

A boy, a murder, a girl, a secret. A YA novel about a shocking crime, told by a boy who died—and a girl who wants to know why.

Who was Todd Mayer, and why don't any of his fellow students at Albright Academy seem to know, or want to say, anything about him?

Todd Mayer is dead. Now a ghost, hovering over his body, recently discovered in a snow covered park, naked and frozen. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people linked to the events leading to his death, Todd replays the choice that led him to his end.

Georgia didn't know Todd. But ever since she heard about his death, she can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe because they’re both outcasts at their school, or because they’re both queer. Maybe because the story of Todd people keep telling feels like a lot of fake stories Georgia has heard people tell. Plus Georgia has a feeling she’s seen Todd somewhere before, somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.

I think what makes this story great is that it's glaringly, wonderfully, simple. The mystery of what happened to Todd isn't a big convoluted mess but something that could happen to any teenager. There's no big villain reveal, just messy teenagers navigating being teenagers and that made the story feel real, and helped me connect with it emotionally- Liv