Burning Blue [Hardcover]

Paul Griffin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 25, 2012

How far would you go for love, beauty, and jealousy?

When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that--he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in--and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.

Award-winning author Paul Griffin has written a high-stakes, soulful mystery about the meaning--and dangers--of love and beauty.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Griffin has upped the ante with this engrossing page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. He retains his penchant for characters who are broken and battered by the vicissitudes of life and who struggle to find meaning and happiness. However, no matter how tragic the situation, he injects a poignant humanity and hopefulness into the most desperate of circumstances. Readers meet Nicole Castro, who is beautiful, brilliant, and popular. Her life completely changes the day that her perfect face is deliberately marred by acid. Classmate Jay Nazarro is determined to discover the perpetrator of this heinous and violent attack. A computer geek, Jay has become a recluse due to the humiliation he suffered when he had a seizure in front of the entire student body. The two form a tenuous alliance, searching for motives and possible suspects. Alternating narratives, email messages, journal entries, and therapist notes chronicle Jay's investigation and the shocking unraveling of the truth. Jay's snarky bravado, biting commentary, and personal anxiety provide an excellent counterpoint to Nicole's piercing, heartbreaking inner dialogue. These realistic portraits will resonate with readers, who will appreciate this story on many levels: as a psychological study, social commentary, a puzzling mystery, or tender romance. Allusions to Picasso's Girl in Front of a Mirror should send readers off to explore this contemporary art classic. Another stellar offering from this talented author.-Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

* Publishers Weekly (starred) Chilling, of-the-moment mystery. Griffin (Stay with Me) fills his story with fascinating, distinctive characters.

* VOYA (starred, 5/5 P, 5/5 Q) Classic mystery writing: criminal act, numerous suspects, red herrings. The modern setting will make this mystery a hit with young adults. A dull moment does not exist in this fast-paced, modern mystery.

"BURNING BLUE is terrific. I gobbled up this page-turning mystery. Paul Griffin has a new fan." Jennifer Brown, HATE LIST

Junior Library Guild 2012 official selection

Praise for Burning Blue:

* "As always, Griffin (Stay with Me) fills his story with fascinating, distinctive characters whose interior and exterior struggles are closely entwined." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

* “This poignant, romantic mystery, told through Jay’s no-nonsense point of view, is a suspenseful, memorable exploration of love, identity, and beauty.” –Library Media Connection, starred review

"A taut thriller explores the evolving relationship between two outsider teens, at first defined by their shared defectiveness but later superseding it." -Kirkus Reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dial (October 25, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803738153
• ISBN-13: 978-0803738157
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific contemporary mystery with a great hero October 25, 2012

By Liviania VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is one of the books I picked up at TLA. The publicist told me she was excited about the new Paul Griffin, "of course," and I admitted I'd never heard of him. She handed me an ARC of BURNING BLUE so that I could rectify my mistake. I am very happy she did, because BURNING BLUE is a terrific book.

Now, don't confuse BURNING BLUE with MY LIFE IN BLACK & WHITE. Both feature beautiful girls being disfigured, have color titles, and were published by one of Penguin's young adult imprints, but have little else in common. BURNING BLUE is a thrilling mystery, not an introspective character study. Someone threw acid in Nicole Castro's face, and Jay Nazarro wants to know who. That's right - despite the girl on the cover, the narrator is a boy.

Jay is returning to public school after two years of being homeschooled after a video of one of his epileptic fits went viral. He meets Nicole in the school psychologist's office - they're in a swanky school district - shortly after the attack. The two become friends, after a rocky start, initially attracted by someone else who has issues being looked at in public. I absolutely loved their relationship. It's a little sexy, as there is obviously something between them, but it stays platonic. Above all else they become friends. Friends with the potential for more, yes, but it's a very sweet friendship and feels more authentic than an actual romance would.

Jay is pretty compelling on his own, as any good detective should be. I'd read a series about hacker detective Jay Navarro. He's good looking, but too socially awkward to notice or do anything about it if he did. He's willing to stand up to bullies, even if it means his own reputation takes a dive. But he isn't perfect. He's got little respect for privacy and interferes sometimes when he'd be better off trusting (or helping) the police. He might be good at helping Nicole recover, but he can still say thoughtless things that hurt her.

As for the crime itself - wow. Griffin does not back away from the darkness. BURNING BLUE is a book driven by violence, and the many motives violence. Despite that, BURNING BLUE isn't a dark book. It's quite often funny and the characters are more often good people than bad, no matter that they might seem sinister at first. The only way to discover who attacked Nicole is to treat everyone as a suspect, but the truth is the vast majority of people wish her nothing but the best. I liked that BURNING BLUE delved into tough issues without being cynical. It's a book with heart.

BURNING BLUE will appeal to both genders. Fans of mysteries and contemporaries will both enjoy the story within its pages. And I nominate Jay one of the most swoon-worthy heroes of the year, even if he isn't a werewolf/vampire/merman/other-tortured-creature-of-the-night.

4.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Suspense May 11, 2013

By Kim Heimbuch

Format:Hardcover

Reviewed by Janessa, Age 15
Nicole Castro is "that" girl in high school who has it all; beauty, wealth, and notoriety. What else could a girl like Nicole want and to what extent would she be willing to go to get it? Precious Nicole gets acid sprayed in her flawless face, leaving her severely scarred, and nobody is fessing up. Jay is the school loner, keeping to himself, prior home school student, and techie genius with a knack for hacking. With the trail drying up, Jay takes it into his own hands to try and find the culprit, winding his way into a dangerous turn of events and finding his feelings for Nicole getting deeper.

Could it be one of the girls from school? One of the teachers? Maybe even Nicole herself for attention? Who could do such an awful thing?

"Maybe I just didn't want to believe it. That she could, that she would. That she did."
This was a phenomenal read that right up to the end; I never would have guessed the culprit. Griffin has his own unique spin when writing young adult fiction, making his work stand apart from the rest. The constant suspense kept me on the edge of my seat page after page.
*You can view the original review at City Book Review

4.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery! February 28, 2013

By Live Outside

Format:Hardcover

Life was perfect until the incident in the hallway that left Nicole scarred for life. Who would do such a thing to perfect Nicole is a question that Jay is trying to uncover. Why Jay? Jay feels connected to Nicole and at first, this connection is a one-way streak and that is fine with Jay. Jay has felt humiliated and embarrassed at school since his seizures went viral and his classmates cannot move on. Nicole is facing these same demons and Jay feels a connection. Using his computer hacking abilities and his ability to be invisible while actually being physically present, Jay starts to compose a list of suspects. As a reader, you get inside Jay’s head as he narrates his thoughts and feelings about the situation and at the same time, we are exposed to Nicole’s journal as she writes down her thoughts and feelings. Boyfriends, girlfriends, family and high school staff all play an important part of the drama surrounding the incident and Jay is ruthless in his struggle to solve the case where others seem to be dragging their feet. Read the texts, the journal entries, read what information Jay is able to hack together using his computer knowledge and try to figure out who squeezed the bottle of acid on Nicole and why they did. I was pleasantly surprised when the answer was revealed to me……it was not who I expected.