Beth is Dead - 2026 Book Review

Today is the anniversary of Louisa May Alcott’s death, the author of Little Women. And, because of this, I thought it would be perfect to talk about this reimagining, even through most of us only know one real thing about Little Women:

I should attempt to read Little Women (but me attempts to read classics in 2026 have ended with me quitting them so maybe not). So, let's chat about Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet!

Title and Author: Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet

Publisher: Scholastic

Buy from (Affiliate Link): https://uk.bookshop.org/

We start at that moment: Beth is discovered dead after a New Year’s Eve party. But she didn’t die of natural causes. Beth is murdered. The Marsh family are in shock over the news - who would kill their sweet, little sister and for what possible reason? They’re all determined to find the killer, but with each sister having their own motives, is one of the Marsh sister’s a murderer? And does it have anything to do with their father's latest novel, entitled Little Women?

As you know, I love a good thriller so when I first discovered this title, I was hugely intrigued. I will admit I have never read Little Women so I have no idea how loyal this reimagining is, so I am going on the book itself. 

I whizzed through this and enjoyed myself hugely. It was fast paced, due to Katie Bernet's writing and the fact the chapters are told by all four Marsh sister in both the present day and in the lead-up to Beth's murder. But, because of this, there are times the characters' actions or decisions did feel a bit paper thin. I wanted to see more emotion and frustrations from the characters over the investigation and other character's behaviours and actions (there was one thing a character did that was so thoughtless, I was surprised how quickly everyone else forgave them.)

As for the murder, smarter people than me will guess the killer's identity (remember, in Little Women, Beth died due to the longer-term effects of scarlet fever) but the reason might take some people by surprise. I suspect who it might be about halfway through, but didn't guess why till around the same time as other characters. 

If you're a Little Women's purist, this might not be the book for you as it's a modern thriller take of the book, but if this opens the classic to new readers, then this would be a good thing. I had a fun time reading this and, with this year being my year of fun reads, that's all I can ask for!