Cold Case by Julia Platt Leonard
Review by Chris Singer
About the author:
Julia Platt Leonard has been a television reporter, pastry chef & bread baker for Todd English, and a food consultant. She lives in London with her family. When she’s not dreaming about what’s for dinner or thinking up new stories, she is a freelance copy writer and recipe tester. Cold Case is her first novel.
About the book (from the publisher):
When 13-year-old Oz Keillor finds a dead body in his family restaurant, he is soon caught up in a mystery where the stakes are high. His older brother is the prime suspect, and Oz quickly finds out that the murder may be tied to the death of their father years earlier, who was accused of selling nuclear secrets to rogue governments.
With the fate of his family in balance, it’s up to Oz to try and crack the case, with the help of his best friend, Rusty. It’s a quest that has more twists and turns than the dusty roads of New Mexico—with the answer being closer to home than Oz ever could have imagined.
My take on the book:
Although aimed at middle readers, I think older teens and even adults will enjoy this twist-filled murder mystery set in Los Alamos, New Mexico. I particularly enjoyed the subplot centered around the accusations of Oz’s father selling nuclear secrets while working at the nuclear facility at Los Alamos Laboratory.
I think what middle readers will enjoy best is that the book is written well enough to make readers feel they are trying to solve the mystery along with Oz. Readers who enjoy mysteries or television shows like CSI will really find this book intriguing.
Although the subject matter (homicide) seems a little bit strong for a younger audience, I think the author handles it appropriately for the intended audience. My only quibble with the story is why Oz’s mother was away dealing with a family emergency while all of this was happening with her two sons. I just didn’t find it very believable. All in all though, this is entertaining and action-packed read which will definitely appeal to young readers.
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