Review: Death Spiral by Janie Chodosh

A Mysterious Review of Death Spiral by Janie Chodosh. A Faith Flores Mystery.

Review summary: This young adult mystery is an excellent introduction to this series, and the central character is the principal reason why. She's independent and has resolve, but she also has all the insecurities that most 16-year-olds have. Also quite impressive is her supporting cast. First-rate in nearly every respect, this series debut title is highly recommended. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Death Spiral
Janie Chodosh
A Faith Flores Mystery
The Poisoned Pencil (April 2014)

Publisher synopsis: When loner Faith Flores finds her mother dead of an apparent overdose, she refuses to believe that's the case. Sure, her mom made some bad decisions, but leaving her daughter would never be one of them. Unfortunately, the cops are all too eager to close the case and move on, sending a distraught and unsatisfied Faith to live with her Aunt T in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

But a note from Melinda, her mom's junkie friend, prompts Faith to begin digging, igniting her passion in science and her need for answers. Faith soon discovers Melinda and her mother had participated in an experimental clinical trial to treat heroin addiction. Then Melinda also turns up dead from an apparent overdose.

Now Faith is pulling out all the stops in her search for truth, cutting school, lying to her aunt, her best friend, even the police. The only person she can't lie to is new boy Jesse, whose brutal honesty is a welcome respite from the mountain of misinformation uncovered by her investigation.

Faith's investigation takes her through the myriad back alleys and laboratories of Philly, all the way to one of the most powerful scientists in town. But when the medical examiner's body is found in the Schuylkill River, Faith realizes if she doesn't find who's behind the sinister science and its cover-up, she could be next.