Seriously. In this young adult novel, high school is the worst. Todd Mayer has died and no one at his school will answer any questions or admit to knowing him when the police investigate. Things are not right, that's for sure. Georgia's brother goes to school with Todd and is in the same grade, even, and won't acknowledge that he knows Todd. So what's up?
Lots of teen angst, drama and exploration of identity play into the mystery. What does it mean to be good, bad, honest, a liar, nice, mean, gay, straight, rich or poor in private school? And how do you figure that stuff out while you are overwhelmed by all sorts of big feelings?
Part ghost story, part murder mystery, Cold is told in dual voices by Todd, who is trying to reconcile his death, and Georgia, who is trying to figure out why Todd looks so familiar. The circumstances are devastating and the behavior of the high school students is appalling. This adds up to a book that is simply unputdownable.