• Home
    • facebook
    • instagram
    • bluesky
    • goodreads
    • mail
    • ko-fi

Heise Reads & Recommends

A School Librarian Sharing Books & #ClassroomBookADay

  • Heise Reads & Recommends
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recommended Reads
  • #ClassroomBookADay
    • What is #ClassroomBookADay?
    • Getting Started with #ClassroomBookADay
    • #ClassroomBookADay Resources
    • #cbadSpotlight
    • #ClassroomBookADay Book Recommendations
  • Resources
    • Slides & Docs
    • Author / Illustrator Interviews & Guest Posts
  • Consulting
    • Published Works
    • Conference Sessions & Presentations
    • Workshops & Webinars
    • #ClassroomBookADay Presentations

COLD FURY by T.M. Goeglein

July 20, 2012

Title: COLD FURY
Author: T.M. Goeglein
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons (a Penguin imprint)
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Number of Pages: 320
Source of Book: ARC from editor after IRA Convention

Jason Bourne meets The Sopranos in this breathtaking adventure

Sara
Jane Rispoli is a normal sixteen-year-old coping with school and a
budding romance–until her parents and brother are kidnapped and she
discovers her family is deeply embedded in the Chicago Outfit (aka the
mob).

Now on the run from a masked assassin, rogue cops and her
turncoat uncle, Sara Jane is chased and attacked at every turn, fighting
back with cold fury as she searches for her family. It’s a quest that
takes her through concealed doors and forgotten speakeasies–a city
hiding in plain sight. Though armed with a .45 and 96K in cash, an old
tattered notebook might be her best defense–hidden in its pages the
secret to “ultimate power.” It’s why she’s being pursued, why her family
was taken, and could be the key to saving all of their lives.

Action packed, with fresh, cinematic writing, Cold Fury is a riveting and imaginative adventure readers will devour.

COLD FURY is a non-stop action-packed thrill-ride of a novel with an intelligent heart. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from this mob-based story, but it was more than I anticipated. At it’s heart is sixteen-year-old Sara Jane, who knows nothing about The Outfit and what her family really does at the beginning. She is just a private, introverted teenager who happens to have a talent for boxing. As we get to know her through the beginning of the book, we see a girl with some insecurities, but also a really likeable character who is highly intelligent. That is part of the strength of this book. If Sara Jane wasn’t so likeable, it wouldn’t have the appeal that it does as she finds her own strength. She’s also surrounded by a fantastic cast of secondary characters who are entertaining and loveable (sometimes) in their own right. The “Al” chapter is one of my favorites and had me laughing out loud.

I enjoyed the style in which this book is written. At the beginning, the chapters feel as if each one is a sort of vignette of something that has happened that has led to Sara Jane being the kind of person she has become. Each chapter provides a little bit of background, but is told as it’s own little story. The book then really starts to move once Sara Jane’s family goes missing and she starts to learn what her family has really been up to all this time. It moves toward more a traditional story arc at this point, but interspersed with entries and learning from “the notebook.” This is when the mobster-type of story gets going and as she is running for her life and trying to find a way to save her family, it becomes very hard to put the book down. T.M. Goeglein has created an intriguing version of the Chicago mafia’s evolving style and methods that seems well-researched and highly realistic. I found myself really enjoying some of the scenes and ways that Sara Jane uses her Outfit connections to try to put things back in order and find her place and way of keeping herself safe.

I would recommend this book to those looking for a strongly written character, mafia-type story with action-packed writing, and even though it has a female main character, I think it will have guy appeal (and especially those with ties to Chicago). With references to classic movies (especially mafia ones) and secret passages throughout Chicago, this is a book with lots of intelligence and action. Overall I enjoyed reading it; however, the ending felt a little bit abrupt to me because it seemed to leave it wide open for a sequel, which I wasn’t expecting. Going into it, I didn’t know it was the first in a trilogy-which would have been good to know so the ending wouldn’t have left me wanting a little more closure. I’ll definitely be getting the next two books to see how Sara Jane works out her balance and control of this world she’s fallen into.

*If you don’t want to wait until Tuesday to get started, you can read the first chapter for free right here from the author’s website!

«
»

Filed Under: Other

Comments

  1. Lea Kelley says

    July 20, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    I can confirm the boy appeal. This book has been hugely popular with the boys (and girls) in my class this year.

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • bluesky
  • goodreads
  • mail
  • ko-fi

Search

select

shop

Subscribe

statement

Views expressed within these pages are personal & do not represent that of my employer.

Recent Reads

Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers
Mama in Congress: Rashida Tlaib's Journey to Washington
I Lived Inside a Whale
The Last Slice: A Three Kings Day Treat
Yusra Swims
One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World's Oldest University
Dounia and the Magic Seeds
Nour's Secret Library
Swimming Toward a Dream: Yusra Mardini's Incredible Journey from Refugee to Olympic Swimmer
Eleven Words for Love: A Journey Through Arabic Expressions of Love
Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater
The Book That Almost Rhymed
I Am Odd, I Am New
Brody the Lion Sometimes I ROAR!: Helping children with autism, anxiety, and big emtions cope with transitions and changes
Arab Arab All Year Long!
My Brother Otto and the Birthday Party
How Are You, Verity?
We Are a Class
I Want to Read All the Books
The Brightness Between Us

Latest Resources

Instagram Posts

School's out for summer & the weather was perfect School's out for summer & the weather was perfect for reading outside this weekend. Couldn't resist choosing this YA romantasy touted as "Taylor Swift's 'Vigilante Sh*t' meets The Gilded Age" for my first summer break read!

#GildedInVengeance #LibraryLife #bookaday #HeiseReads
Finding moments of joy where I can. There are two Finding moments of joy where I can. There are two days left of this school year. A year that started with sitting in the corner crying due to the overwhelm of the massive task ahead of us to get ready for the first day upon walking in & seeing the state of the library after summer renovation work. A year of ups & downs & all arounds. All the way to today when we had the giddy joy of our brand new booktrucks being delivered. They are pretty & sturdy & glide smoothly & elevate the look of the whole library while making our lives easier. Farewell old, dented, wobbly, rusty, beige carts. IYKYK. Bahama blue, turquoise, teal, sundrop, & calming lavender are taking over. Thank you for the colorful options, helpful customer service, & quick response shipping before school ends @demcoinc!!

#LibraryLife
Iris season brings me joy.💜 There's just someth Iris season brings me joy.💜 There's just something about that shade of purple... #nofilter
The new-to-me podcast binge getting me through my The new-to-me podcast binge getting me through my commute these last few weeks of this school year. Thanks for the @everysinglealbumpodcast rec @thereadingzone_!🫶🏻

Thoroughly enjoying the ways in which @noraprinciotti & @nathanchubbard bring entertainment, thoughtfulness, care, & joy to these conversations & deep dives into @taylorswift's discography.
My view for most all of this long weekend - in whi My view for most all of this long weekend - in which I have to redact almost the entirety of the image.😅 #amreading for Caldecott 2026.

#ClassroomBookADay #LibraryLife #HeiseReads
Love this reminder of the power of children's lite Love this reminder of the power of children's literature from the introduction in Show & Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration! Reading it this weekend to continue building background knowledge for my work on the Caldecott Committee this year. 

"In this regard, we truly suffer from an embarrassment of riches. Children's books have never looked better or been more
important. They are one of the few quiet places left where a child can go to be alone, and to travel worlds past, present, and future. They are often the first place children discover poetry and art, honor and loyalty, right and wrong, sadness and hope. And it is there between the pages that children discover the power of their own imaginations. They are indeed a dress rehearsal for life."

#ClassroomBookADay #LibraryLife #KidLit #HeiseReads
Found this @taylorswift bio mis-shelved in the "my Found this @taylorswift bio mis-shelved in the "mythical creatures" bin. 😂 And I'm not even mad about it.🫶🏻

#LibraryLife #TaylorSwift
His & Hers homemade pizza halves. Tasty benefits o His & Hers homemade pizza halves.
Tasty benefits of the husband getting more serious about his meat grinding / sausage making hobby!
Not pictured: brats & burgers & breakfast sausage, oh my!
My favorite crabtree is flowering & the sun was sh My favorite crabtree is flowering & the sun was shining.
Refreshed & feeling my best.💉 Stopped in for on Refreshed & feeling my best.💉
Stopped in for one of the few things that helps limit my migraines & tmj pain (with some extra perks) yesterday. 
Thank you @refreshedby_injectorjess for always taking such good care!! 🫶🏻
Follow @heisereads on Instagram
Copyright © 2025 · Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs