As the story unfolds, we watch this freckle-faced girl cursed with a serious stutter mature and evolve, like the lead character in any classic quest tale. Her journey takes her to Big City America, even darker and uglier than her small-town roots. The small town from which she escapes is vividly drawn, and we feel the sense of being trapped in a place everyone seems to want to leave but can’t.

The title character begins the book in “a place that’s only good for leaving,” and she is a roiling bundle of emotions with the simplified view of the world any teenager might have. Sadie also reads as a touching coming-of-age tale. As in the best of thrillers, this is the story of an ordinary person faced with extraordinary circumstances. Sadie is not a detective in any way, nor is she a hard-trained action heroine. Her search for revenge blossoms into a much bigger mystery than anyone could predict in the deceptively simple beginning of the book. While the plot does not lead to planet-threatening danger, Sadie’s road-trip-cum-investigation takes her into the worst neighborhoods in America and brings her face-to-face with a variety of dangerous characters intent on keeping their own secrets. As in any good mystery, she meets surprises and twists along the way. We also follow the clues Sadie finds trying to chase down a killer. As one journalist tries to track her down, we follow the clues Sadie leaves behind. Our heroine, Sadie Hunter, is a runaway herself. First, it is a fascinating mystery rooted in the protagonist’s search for her sister’s killer. Beyond its riveting plot, Sadie is a triumph of innovative storytelling.Īs a story, Sadie is many things. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.Ĭourtney Summers' Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep listeners riveted until the last chapter.With Sadie, Courtney Summers has served up a deep and satisfying read.

When West McCray-a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America-overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.īut when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. An innovative audiobook production featuring more than thirty voices, Sadie explores the depth of a sister's love-poised to be the next story listeners won't be able to pause.Ī missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she's left behind.

Sadie courtney