Frostengel by Tamina Berger
This is another one of those German books which might never get translated into English. I still hope you’ll enjoy hearing about Frostengel (Frost Angel).
Julia and Theresa are members of the same class in school and best friends, even though they come from very different backgrounds. Julia is the daughter of a hard-working general practitioner and lives in a big house. Theresa takes care of her little sister and her mom, who barely manages to earn a living because of her alcoholism.
One day, Julia is found dead underneath a bridge. The official verdict is suicide, but Theresa refuses to believe that, even though Julia has been fighting panic attacks for the last few months of her life. And so Theresa starts to ask questions. There is one policewoman who actually listens to her ideas but who cannot help much.
And then there is Leon. He’s also at the school but a grade higher. Theresa thinks he’s been stalking Julia, and tells the police so. (And she gets it really wrong …)
Finally, Theresa discovers Julia’s journal hidden away in a place where they used to play. That journal contains a terrible secret: Julia believed that her father was responsible for the suicide of a young woman. Theresa doesn’t share that theory and keeps digging for answers.
Her tenacity gets her into trouble. She is pushed off the stairs at school and ends up in hospital. The situation escalates very quickly after that. Fortunately, Theresa has made a staunch ally in Leon.
I found it rather unusual that chapters of Julia’s diary are inserted into the tale even before Theresa finds the journal and starts reading it herself. This way, the reader has more information than the heroine, at least at the start. However, Julia didn’t get it right, either.
In addition to the murder mystery, the tale shows more facets of Theresa’s life. Her mother falls in love, which changes her family life massively. And even Theresa herself finds love in the midst of her quest. These parts of the novel add a little bit of romance to the tale and make it even more fun to read.
All in all, Frostengel (Frost Angel) is a well done YA mystery, nicely constructed, fun to read and simply great entertainment.
Picture source: Website of Tamina Berger
