By Katie Bernet (author)
"This gripping YA debut reinvents Little Women as a contemporary murder mystery thriller that keeps readers guessing to the very end."
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January 2026 Debut of the Month
Flipping Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women classic to a 21st-century context, Katie Bernet’s Beth is Dead debut is driven by a first-rate concept - Beth March has been murdered and suspicion falls on all her sisters along with others in their circle. Through the alternating narrative voices of the remaining sisters and two timelines (“Now” as the grief-stricken March family are consumed by figuring out who killed kindly Beth, and “Then”, which relates the bigger back story and immediate build-up to the murder), this twisty YA thriller teems with secrets, suspicion and unexpected shockwaves.
When Beth’s body is found in the woods after a New Year’s Eve party, Jo, Meg and Amy are set on discovering who could have killed their little sister, though it emerges that each have motive for her murder. And all this comes in the context of their writer father having propelled the March sisters into the spotlight as a result of writing Little Women , a bestselling novel about his daughters that saw Beth wind up dead.
As protests and death threats came in the wake of the novel, their father fled the family home, with Meg remarking after Beth’s murder, “I haven’t felt safe since the moment Dad’s book hit the shelves. One of us was bound to get hurt. It’s all his fault…He wrote that book, and we turned into spectacles.
Most of all Beth.” At the same time, Amy blames herself for arguing with Beth at the party, while Jo feels guilty for pushing Beth to do an interview with Teen Vogue that led to their dad receiving death threats.
As more suspects and shocking motives emerge, Beth is Dead ramps up to a rollercoaster ride of ricocheting of red herrings in a novel that shows the March sisters in entirely new lights while retaining the essence of Alcott’s original creations.
Beth March has been murdered, and all her sisters are suspects... But the March girls aren't the only ones with a story to tell.
Read the full description
After a New Years Eve party, Beth is found dead.
All the March sisters see Beth's body and wonder how - and who - could have killed their sweet little sister. And what was their motive?
The March sisters have always been close, but will Beth's murder bring them closer together, or further apart? As each of the girls' motives are uncovered, the March sisters 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 .
"A gripping, cleverly rendered puzzle box of a book brimming with heart and sisterhood. The mystery makes the story impossible to put down" - Stephanie Garber, author of Caraval
"This twisty, addictive spin on the classic Little Women is a messy, jaw-dropping and unpredictable love letter to sisterhood and suspense. It'll have you craving more with every turned page" - Busayo Matuluko, author of 'Till Death
"An electrifying twist on a beloved classic, Beth is Dead gripped me from the very first page and never let go" - Bill Wood, author of Let's Split Up
"A deliciously twisty murder mystery that turns Little Women on its head. Addictive from page one." - Louise O'Neill, author of Idol
"One need not be familiar with Louisa May Alcott's work to appreciate debut author Bernet's brilliantly snappy contemporary riff on Little Women" - Publisher's Weekly
Katie Bernet is an author living in Dallas, Texas. She’s an award-winning creative director, a long-standing member of the DFW Writer’s Workshop, and the director of the 2025 DFW Writer’s Conference.
The oldest of three sisters, she’s a diehard fan of Little Women.
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The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Beth Is Dead and determined it is suitable for children aged 15-18 years old
Beth Is Dead features in the following genres: Featured Books for Young Adults, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Adventure Stories, Crime & Mystery, Stories about Family and Friends, Thrillers, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
Beth Is Dead was written by Katie Bernet and published by Scholastic
Beth Is Dead has 390 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
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