I received an advanced review copy of Now She’s Dead by Roselyn Clarke to read and review. The book is set to debut on June 3, 2025. This YA thriller starts in the way many do – with a murder someone is desperate to keep quiet. The way Now She’s Dead differs is the narrator takes ownership of the crime immediately.
As the blurb says, last summer Sara Ellis was found dead by the lake. The police ruled it an accident, and only Mandy knows the truth. She is torn up about it, and has been for the last year. For a few weeks Sara and Mandy were the best of friends. …At least until Mandy was responsible for her death.
The novel takes a really interesting approach to the murder mystery genre. From the beginning Mandy is very clear – “I killed Sara Ellis.” What the reader doesn’t know is how, why, or how Mandy managed to get away with it. As the story unfolds the reader gets a closer look at Mandy, her broken psyche, and how far she will go to keep her secret. Things get further complicated for her when Mandy’s sister brings a true crime investigator along on their family holiday. The friend is determined to discover what really happened to Sara – bad news for Mandy!
I really enjoyed the book. It was the second YA murder-based novel I’ve read recently and it was a lot of fun. It did a good job of slowly telling the story of what happened to Sara in the past while telling the story of what was happening to Mandy in the present. I did find the overarching plot to be a little predictable, but I do read a fair number of mysteries and Clarke did a wonderful job of weaving clue breadcrumbs into the story for readers to follow.
The book also gets bonus points for unexpected Bi+ representation.
Overall I give it 5 stars. It was a fun read filled with plenty of tense moments.
