14 Ways To Die

by Vincent Ralph

Overview

ONE KILLER. THIRTEEN VICTIMS. A MILLION VIEWS.

A page-turning thriller for the social media age, perfect for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and One of Us Is Lying.

A decade ago, Jess lost her mother to the Magpie Man, an infamous serial killer who is still at large and planning to kill again. Now, She's going to use her new platform as the star of a YouTube reality series to catch him. That is, if he doesn't catch her first.

Jess's online show means that everyone is talking about her mother's murder case. But fame comes with its downsides. The whole world is watching her every move. And it's hard to know who she can trust.

Could the Magpie Man be lurking closer to her than she thought? Is he watching her right now?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728231860
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	34,520
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	HL770L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Vincent Ralph spent eight years working as a high school teacher. He is now a managing editor and senior sports writer based in the UK. You can follow him on Twitter @VincentRalph1.

Editorial Reviews

"An unsettling but easy-to-read blend of social media savvy and gritty gumshoe work." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

05/01/2021

Gr 8 Up—When 17-year-old Jessica Simmons applies to be a contestant on The Eye, a YouTube reality show featuring the daily lives of five young adults, she isn't searching for internet fame. She's searching for justice. Jess's mother was murdered by the Magpie Man when Jess was seven. Now, only guaranteed four episodes on the show, the teen has a limited amount of time to use her new platform to catch a serial killer. She needs to hook viewers' interest to bring in ratings and remind the world that the killer is still out there. But drawing attention to the unsolved murders means drawing the attention of the killer himself, and Jess quickly learns he may be closer than she thought. An indirect exploration of the effects of Jess's reliance on social media makes this a timely novel for young adults living so much of life online. Short chapters create and maintain an urgent mood and swift pace, while also allowing for pauses to consider Jess's grief, guilt, anger, determination, and healing. Though most side characters are one-dimensional, Jess's relationship with her father is both candid and touching, allowing readers to look past some of the more implausible aspects of the novel, such as her father's half-hearted attempt to stop her from joining The Eye and the teen's tendency to place herself in dangerous situations. Characters' races are unspecified. VERDICT A solid choice for reluctant readers interested in crime thrillers.—Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson Univ., SC

School Library Journal

2021-03-31
A teen sleuth tries livestreaming to catch a murderer.

Seventeen-year-old Jessica Simmons lost her mother a decade ago, the first victim of the Magpie Man, a serial killer now on victim No. 13, who has struck in locations around the U.K. Her father’s life is still in shambles and her former friends are long gone, but Jessica’s decided to publicize her tragedy. One of five contestants on YouTube’s “The Eye”—an unscripted, livestreamed reality show—Jessica asks her viewers to help identify the serial killer. But inviting the world into her home and school brings unwanted attention, perhaps even from the Magpie Man, whose body count keeps climbing: Sleuthing-related drama and peril ensue. Jessica’s friends and family are economically rendered yet believable, and Ralph renders grief beautifully and devastatingly, as something that evolves but doesn’t end. As in the story, the bulk of the action occurs when the cameras aren’t rolling, and eventually, the reality show premise and its minimally developed contestants are more a distraction and transparent deus ex machina than an integral part of Jessica’s journey. More intriguing—and with real-life precedents—is the possibility of crowdsourcing a murder investigation. Although the fast-paced finale can’t quite overcome the slow start and overlong middle, the tale reaches a dramatic, satisfactory conclusion. Characters follow a White default.

An unsettling but easy-to-read blend of social media savvy and gritty gumshoe work. (resources, author interview) (Thriller. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews