THE COLD KID CASE

A Depression-era orphan falsely accused of murder launches her own investigation in Barden’s YA historical novel, one in a series.

It is 1932 in Los Angeles. Tough, orphaned street kid Sparky had planned the perfect way to celebrate her 11th birthday: She intended to grab her secret candy stash, find her favorite park bench up on Bunker Hill, and chow down while watching the sun rise. (The only blight on the view is the sight of City Hall below, “full of the types who liked to round up the likes of me and throw us in ‘homes.’”) But somebody is already on Sparky’s bench, and that somebody, a little girl, isn’t moving. In fact, the little girl is dead. Within minutes, Sparky is on the run, accused of killing the child. Public hysteria builds: Sparky is wildly cast as a serial killer, a Prussian spy in disguise, a demon, and one responsible for millions of war dead. Her suspenseful efforts to dodge police and seekers of the ever-increasing reward money for her capture lead her to the mansion of Tootsie, a rich, reclusive former star of the silents, and her devoted butler, Gilbert. There are shades here of “Little Orphan Annie” and even a bit of Sunset Boulevard, but Tootsie isn’t locked in the past—she uses her theatrical talents to engage with Sparky’s world, joining the girl’s perilous investigation into the little girl’s death. There’s fun to be had, but little sugarcoating, in this wild, often chilling murder mystery. Barden’s vivid characters also include Spooky, a shellshocked World War I veteran; the glad-handing mayor at the mystery’s center; Mug, a big, intimidating cop; Whisper-Whisper, the mayor’s sadistic fixer; Doctor, who helps Tootsie with her “nerves”; and a disturbing character known simply as “the bad man,” who lures kids into his orbit in order to threaten them with violence and humiliation. If and when Sparky is caught and hanged, he says, “I will watch as you drop, twist, and choke. And I will laugh.”

A resourceful hero under threat, memorable villains, some gritty violence, and fast-moving suspense.