A book with a white and black cover and a girl wearing a red jacket sits in front of me. It’s opening chapter ends with the lines “I just can’t take another dead girl.” The book is called “Sadie,” and this thriller by Courtney Summers combines traditional book reading with audio for a unique tale of mystery and murder.

“Sadie” released in September 2018. The story is set in a small town in Colorado, and after the death of her little sister, Mattie, teenage Sadie Hunter has gone missing. The book’s thriller plot line is like any other book in this genre; however, “Sadie” uses podcasts and different points of views to make it unique. The book rotates chapters, where the story is told through an investigative podcast hosted by character, West McCray, and through the point of view of Sadie, who always seems to be one step ahead of McCray.

While making podcasts about murder is not new to this generation, making a podcast type book about this subject is. Mystery podcasts about murder, missing people and crimes have become increasingly popular since 2017 since you can listen to the podcasts anywhere and any time. When Summers released this book, a podcast and a book combined in one was almost unheard of. The book is best to be read with the audio book, to make it fully feel like a podcast mystery thriller.

The two story lines between West McCray and Sadie is a game of cat and mouse, McCray being the cat and Sadie being the mouse which makes the story frustrating and establishes a emotional connection with the reader. The book hints at what has happened to the sisters; however, the twists takes what is expected in a different direction. “Sadie” is an important book to shed light on situations that go on during America everyday.

“Sadie” is a book to read if you enjoy a mystery and a emotional thriller. While the book pulls you in because of the different format at first, reading it pulls you in with its emotional appeal and concern to find Sadie, and get justice for Mattie. The book ends with cliffhanger, leaving readers to hope for an upcoming sequel.