Beth Is Dead
A contemporary crime reimagining of Little Women
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
After a New Year’s Eve party, Beth is found dead.
All the March sisters wonder who could have killed their sweet little sister. And – why?
The March sisters have always been close, but will Beth’s murder bring them closer together, or tear them apart? As each of the girls’ motives are uncovered, it becomes clear that Meg, Jo, Amy – and even Beth – might not be quite as sweet as they seem . . .
This is cult-classic Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women meets Karen M McManus’s One of Us is Lying.
Perfect for fans of Little Women ready for a fresh new spin on the iconic story. A contemporary take on the famous March sisters with brilliant writing, a gripping plot, and many twists and turns. Turns the murder-mystery genre on its head and keeps you guessing until the very end.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Little Women undergoes the kind of smart reimagining that both newcomers and diehard fans can adore in this thrilling YA whodunit. When Beth March is found murdered after a New Year’s Eve party, there’s no shortage of suspects, including all three of her sisters. But since their father’s thinly veiled novel about the Marches has turned them into unwitting celebrities, the killer could be anyone. Katie Bernet does a fantastic job translating the March sisters into a modern setting. Responsible Meg has been accepted to Harvard. Headstrong Jo plans on publishing her own book. Rebellious Amy is constantly being suspended. And Beth, in flashbacks, was sweetly devoted to her music. Bernet manages to stay true to the spirit of these indelible characters as they’re thrown into an enticing murder mystery. Get ready to root for your favourite March sister—even if you never had one before.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
One need not be familiar with Louisa May Alcott's work to appreciate debut author Bernet's brilliantly snappy contemporary riff on Little Women, which centers high school senior Jo March and her siblings—15-year-old Amy and Harvard freshman Meg—as they investigate the violent murder of their 17-year-old sister Beth. On New Year's Day in Concord, Mass., shortly after their father abandons the family to focus on his writing and the day before Beth starts at Plumfield School for the Arts, Jo and Amy discover Beth's corpse in the snow atop a hill a stone's throw away from their friend Laurie's house. Though suspicions about Laurie's potential involvement abound—according to Amy, she left Beth with Laurie at a party the night before—Jo doggedly dives headfirst into an all-hands-on-deck-scale investigation. Alternating "Then" and "Now" chapters shift between Beth and the three surviving sisters' distinctive voices, filling in events and backstories, fleshing out personalities and possible motives, and injecting suspense and true crime podcast energy into the ensuing inquiry. As Jo digs up unseemly secrets, romantic tension and love triangles add to the enticing drama. The cozy domesticity of the inspiration material is apparent throughout, and the girls' closely held—sometimes conflicting—desires and ambitions both honor Alcott's vision and add fuel to the fire of this electrifying whodunit. The sisters cue as white; Laurie has dark brown skin. Ages 12–up.
