Faith Flores can't accept that her mother is dead from an
apparent overdose. Her mom had been clean, and there's no
way she would ever abandon Faith like this. Faith knows
there was something else wrong with her mother before her
death. Her mom had been really sick, and she'd refused to go
to the doctor. Then there was this man who'd shown up
claiming that her mom had a debt to pay. To the cops, her
mom is just another dead junkie, and any investigation into
the death was over before it even began.
Then one of her mom's junkie friends, Melinda, contacts
Faith. Both Melinda and Faith's mom had participated in an
experimental clinical trial to treat heroin addiction, and
Melinda has the same symptoms her mom did right before she
died. When Melinda dies, supposedly from a heroin overdose
too, Faith knows there is something more going on. The real
question is how can she prove it and will anyone believe
her?
DEATH SPIRAL by Janie Chodosh is a superbly crafted, gritty
YA mystery that gives us a new kind of investigator in Faith
Flores. Faith is exceptionally compelling. She's smart,
troubled, and determined to find out what happened to her
mother. One of my favorite aspects of DEATH SPIRAL is the
difference between Faith's dialog and her inner voice.
Faith's dialog is often short and awkward, but her inner
voice brims with emotion and intelligence. This difference
perfectly captures an authentic teen voice.
Faith also loves science and it's through science that Faith
begins to put the pieces of this mystery together! The
science in DEATH SPIRAL addresses very modern and current
issues in science and medicine like drug addiction
treatment, gene-therapy, and pharmaceutical funding. The
science isn't dumbed down, but it is approachable. It's
wonderful to see a female teen protagonist in this role.
There are many adult mystery novels where females fill the
scientific leads (Kay Scarpetta, Temperance Brennan, Maura
Isles just to name a few), but seeing this in the YA genre
is refreshing and very welcome.
The romance that develops between Faith and new boy Jesse
adds just enough conflict and spice to keep Faith from
falling into a single-minded obsession with her mother's
death. Jesse is seriously a cutie, and he's no slacker
either. This subplot is nicely balanced, never feeling like
it's trying to take over the story or Faith's attention, but
still breaking the tension in the sweetest possible ways to
help Faith refocus on her goals and see a world that isn't
death and drug addiction.
DEATH SPIRAL is the first in a fantastic new YA mystery
series by newcomer Janie Chodosh. The mystery is intense,
the plot gritty and emotional, the romance sweet and
hopeful, and the protagonist intelligent and conflicted.
DEATH SPIRAL truly has it all!
Life is tough when you have a junkie for a mom. But when
sixteen-year-old Faith Flores—scientist wannabe, loner, new
girl in town—finds her mom dead on the bathroom floor, she
refuses to believe her mom really OD'd. But the cops have
closed the case and her Aunt T, with whom she now lives in
the Philly ‘burbs, wants Faith to let go and move on.
But a note from Melinda, her mom's junkie friend, leads
Faith to a seedy downtown methadone clinic. Were her mom and
Melinda trying to get clean?
When Melinda dies of an overdose, Faith tracks down the
scientists behind the trial running at the methadone clinic.
Soon she's cutting school and lying to everyone—her aunt,
her best friend, even the cops. Everyone, that is, except
the strangely alluring Jesse, who believes the “real”
education's on the street and whose in-your-face honesty
threatens to invade Faith's self-imposed “no-dating” rule. A
drug-dealer named Rat-Catcher warns Faith to back off, but
it doesn't stop Faith from confronting a genetics professor
with a guilty conscience. When the medical examiner's body
winds up in the Schuylkill River, Faith realizes if she
doesn't act fast, she may be the next body in the morgue.
Can Faith stop this deal gone bad from taking a sharp turn
for the worse?
Death Spiral is a smart, surprising novel featuring an
in-your-face heroine sure to appeal to teens and adults alike.
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