Cold Skin

Herrick, Steven. Cold Skin.
Front Street Books (see Boyd's Mill Press)
2009 279p 18.95 978-1-5907-8572-0 hs
Very brief chapters by several characters tell the story of a pretty high school girl found dead in a small Australian town. Very brief chapters by a few characters tell the story of a pretty high school girl found dead in a small Australian town. Nobody thinks much of Albert Holder, who refuses to go down into the coal mine, or his sons, seemingly slow Eddie and always-drunk Larry. The mayor, newspaper editor, policeman, and a bullying teacher with secrets of his own all add color and cast suspicion on others in this spare story. Some unfamiliar slang and an unexpected ending require careful reading, but high school students who are looking for a short book will appreciate Eddie, the unlikely hero. Gooden, Sue