The Search Party

June 15, 2020
The disappearance of teenager Sadie Saunders from her small British community in this competent crime thriller from Lelic (The Liar’s Room) sparks a massive police search in the nearby woods, headed by Det. Insp. Robin Fleet, who has some personal history with the area. Meanwhile, some of Sadie’s teenage friends form their own search party, but the teens’ hunt ends tragically when one of them is fatally stabbed. Fleet must sort through the survivors’ differing accounts of the stabbing, even as Sadie’s whereabouts and fate remain unknown, and the locals call into question his own motivations. With his superintendent pushing for both inquiries to be wrapped up quickly, Fleet must tune out distractions and biases if he’s to uncover the truth. Fleet has an unoriginal backstory, including marital problems, and the plot twists won’t surprise veteran genre readers. Lelic breaks no new ground, but he handles a familiar setup well. Agent: Caroline Wood, Felicity Bryan Assoc. (U.K.).

July 1, 2020
The disappearance of 16-year-old Sadie Saunders brings Detective Inspector Robin Fleet back to the home town he left 19 years earlier, after the death of his younger sister, Jeannie. Fleet has come to specialize in finding lost persons, but after days of fruitless searching for Sadie, concern grows that his earlier personal loss is affecting his work. Meanwhile, Sadie's five closest friends, including her twin brother, Luke, gather to search the woods, while the official search centers on the river, near where her bag and bloody jacket were found. The teens' search party ends in a tragic death, with each of them separately trying to explain to the police events that were blurred by fear and alcohol. At the center of it all, in Fleet's view, are Sadie's parents, who worshipped her, tolerated Luke, and wished they had never had 12-year-old Dylan. This compelling view of the pressures teenagers face and the effects of bullying is given resonance by its various young voices, with a satisfying final twist as Fleet determines that what he dreaded is true.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)