Frozen Fire (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Frozen Fire Deborah Stevenson Bowler, Tim Frozen Fire Philomel, 2008 [336p] ISBN 978-0-399-25053-8 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 7–10 It starts with a phone call when Dusty’s home alone; she’s completely freaked out by the boy on the other end of the line, who claims to be committing suicide and who coincidentally drops names—like that of her brother, Josh, who disappeared two years ago—meaningful in Dusty’s life. When she tries to find the mysterious boy, she encounters a frightening trio of guys intent on chasing him down, who are now convinced she’s his ally. As her contact with the boy increases, she learns that he’s a suspect in a local rape, and even the authorities begin to suspect that she’s shielding him; Dusty, though, remains skeptical of the claims and mesmerized by his supernatural presence, convinced that he knows something about her beloved Josh. English author Bowler has a nice touch with his spooky motifs here, with ghostly phone calls and frosty face outlines at the window effective for raising those back-of-the-neck hairs. Dusty is an unusual heroine, a bellicose teen inclined toward feuds and the alienation of her friends, and her father’s vacillation between neediness and anger is credible and draining. The book talks away much of its tension, [End Page 417] however, so the ghostly effects lose impact; there’s also considerable contrivance in the police’s easy acceptance of the boy’s impossible characteristics and in the random involvement of a family of Gypsies. Nonetheless, fans of offbeat ghost stories may be drawn to this dramatic tale of different kinds of haunting. Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois