How to Survive Your Murder

Gr 9 Up–Alice is obsessed with horror movies; she is starting a podcast that intersects true crime and horror movies with two of her best friends. But, on Halloween Alice’s life turns into a real-life slasher movie when she witnesses her sister’s murder. One year later, on the day of the murderer’s trial, a Sidney Prescott look-alike sends Alice back in time to the night of the murder with instructions to learn the truth. Alice knows what she saw that night—Owen Trevor Maddox is the killer—but as the death toll grows and new evidence emerges, Alice comes face to face with suspects she never would have imagined. Once Alice is sent back in time, the plot unfolds much like that of a slasher film, making for a fast, hair-raising, and at times gruesome read. There are a few twists that, while not hard to discern, add to the atmosphere of uncertainty throughout the novel. Though readers may find themselves frustrated at Alice’s stubbornness and unwillingness to see the truth, the author’s choice to narrate through her perspective creates a high stakes and emotionally fraught thriller. All main characters read white, but many secondary characters are diverse.