Killing Sadie
Rachel Peterson
Simon Pulse
Published August 4 2026
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About Killing Sadie
Perfect for fans of How to Survive Your Murder and Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets, this young adult thriller unspools the truth behind a tragic murder through multiple unreliable narrators who all have secrets to keep.
Here’s what we do know: there was another infamous barn party at the McClain family farm last night, and things went horribly wrong. By the end of the night, there were two dead bodies in the old barn: seventeen-year-old Sadie Cooper and her killer, Mason Vreeland. The murder was heartbreakingly witnessed by Sadie’s twin sister, Jayne, and Sadie died in her arms. Mason was killed by Sadie’s boyfriend, Ben, in an attempt to save Sadie.
Aside from figuring out Mason’s motive, it should be an open and shut case.
But it’s not.
The story unfolds just after the murders, and Jayne, Ben, and Sadie’s best friend, Liz, are telling the cops what transpired at the party and the events leading up to it. But little details don’t match. And those little details start to add up to big discrepancies. But who’s lying, and why?
The shocking truth is revealed in the third act, when the POV shifts to victim Sadie herself, in the days leading up to the party. Witness exactly what happened—and see if you can piece it all together. Because poor Sadie totally missed what was right in front of her.
My Review
I really enjoyed the format of this book. The first two acts are written by characters who are being interviewed by police following the deaths of two of their classmates. They each have secrets and things they’d rather not bring up with law enforcement, which may or may not impact the case.
The storytelling puts the reader very much in the role of detective. We read the testimony of each character as they answer questions and remember key events. As each chapter unfolds, we piece more and more of the story together, deciding whom to trust and zeroing in on who’s telling the biggest lies.
The final act of the book reverses course and reveals the perspective of a murdered girl. She recalls details leading up to the party and her final moments, giving readers a chance to test out their theories about what happened against her description of events.
I found this book nearly impossible to put down. I wasn’t particularly rooting for any of the main characters, but I quickly invested in learning what happened to Sadie and who contributed to her death. The author doesn’t waste any words in the book, keeping the story moving quickly. The whole book is just about 300 pages, but it feels a lot shorter. I had a lot of fun reading this one. It’s worth checking out if you enjoy young adult mysteries.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
References to sex.
Spiritual Content
Vague references to prayer.
Violent Content
Brief descriptions of murder.
Drug Content
Descriptions of teen drinking at parties and with permission of parents.
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