The Search Party

Paperback Published on: 19/08/2021
Price: £16.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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The Search Party
What Really Happened In The Woods That Night?
A teenage girl has gone missing. Believing the police are looking in the wrong place, a few days after, 5 friends go out looking for her. It is on day 6 w... READ MORE
Nicole @hemelwstones

Synopsis

'Hugely gripping' Mark Billingham, Rabbit Hole
'Heart-stopping Elly Griffiths, The Locked Room
'What a read!' Stuart Turton, The Devil and the Dark Water

----------
16-year-old Sadie Saunders is missing.

Five friends set out into the woods to find her.

But they're not just friends...

THEY'RE SUSPECTS.

You see, this was never a search party.

It's a witch hunt.

And not everyone will make it home alive...

THE CHALK MAN meets THE HUNTING PARTY in this Observer, Thriller of the Month; witness four suspects as, alongside DI Fleet, you attempt to discover the truth about what happened to Sadie...
----------

'A bloody good read and the very definition of unpredictable ' John Marrs, Keep it in the Family
'Clever and atmospheric' Mark Edwards, No Place to Run

'A brilliantly tense tale' Araminta Hall, Hidden Depths

'A marvel: intricate, complex and utterly gripping' Alex Lake, Ready or Not

'Simon Lelic just gets better and better' Dervla Mctiernan, The Murder Rule

'A chillingly complex, well-crafted web' Jane Corry, We All Have Our Secrets

'A skilfully-woven mystery that oozes with tension' T M Logan, The Holiday

'Atmospheric and chilling. Fantastic read!' Carla Kovach, One Girl Missing

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780241986189
  • Number of pages: 352
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 21 mm
  • Weight: 245g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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The Search Party
Enjoyable but disappointing
This book is about 5 teenagers who go out on a search party to find their friend Sadie who has went missing. They go into the woods but when they are event... READ MORE
Christina Walker
The Search Party
Where is Sadie?
Six teenagers all hiding secrets. When one of them, Sadie, goes missing pressumed dead, her friends Fash, Abi, Cora, twin brother Luke and boyfriend Mason ... READ MORE
Jodi Lancaster
The Search Party
An engrossing thriller
I am a big fan of Simon Lelic and his latest novel did not disappoint. Sixteen year old Sadie Saunders has been missing for six days and her friends think ... READ MORE
MoziDogReads
The Search Party
The search for a captivating thriller ends here!
Simon Lelic delivers a deliciously dark, taut and unnerving novel in The Search Party. You won’t want to put it down until you know what exactly has happen... READ MORE
Stu Cummins
The Search Party
If only they'd told the truth...
Simon Lelic really knows how to withhold information. I imagine he would pose a pretty tough challenge in any interrogation room. This was a slow-burning ... READ MORE
Keely
The Search Party
Intriguing and very compelling thriller
Sadie is missing and her friends want to find her. Doubting the accuracy of the police search they decided to form their own search party and venture into ... READ MORE
Recretia
The Search Party
Brilliant
Well what can I say about this book, it was one of the best books I have read in a very long time! It intrigued me from the first page and I stayed up to r... READ MORE
Laluna
The Search Party
Surprising!
When I read the synopsis for this book I was desperate to read it. Plus the endorsement from some of my favourite crime fiction writers didn’t hurt. A six... READ MORE
Donna Healey
The Search Party
More than expected
I assumed that the Search Party by Simon Lelic would be a police procedural to find a missing person but this story proved to be so much more. Although the... READ MORE
Alison Davis
The Search Party
Not to my taste
Sixteen-year-old Sadie Saunders has been missing for a week. The whole town believes she is dead. The police have been searching the river and woods near w... READ MORE
Laura McToal
The Search Party
Gripping page turner
16 year old Sadie goes missing. The police investigation led by DI Robin Fleet is hampered by the awful Superintendent Burton who is more interested in m... READ MORE
Reading Frog
The Search Party
a good psychological thriller
A sixteen year old girl is missing in the woods and the search is on to find her. The story is told from the Detective Inspector's perspective but also fro... READ MORE
Gillian Mechan
The Search Party
Loved the mystery!
This book had me gripped from the beginning. Started and finished in one afternoon. Sadie is missing and DI Rob Fleet is on the case to find her. From the... READ MORE
Elise Goodwin
The Search Party
An utterly gripping thriller
This is an utterly tense, riveting and addictive thriller. The storyline is that a teenager is missing, a police detective who is experienced in this typ... READ MORE
Karen Greenfield
The Search Party
Atmospheric and creepy
A dark physiological thriller with complex characters, any of whom may be responsible for the disappearance of Sadie. Her friends, an assorted group of tee... READ MORE
Pauline Cooper
The Search Party
A fast-paced, thrilling race against time to find a teenage girl
The Search Party is told through the point of view of Sadie’s friends: Abigail Marshall (Abi), Cora Briggs, Fareed Hussain (Fash), Mason Payne (Sadie’s boy... READ MORE
Claire Lickman
The Search Party
Gripping read
This book had me gripped from the beginning. Started and finished in one afternoon. Sadie is missing and DI Rob Fleet is on the case to find her. From the... READ MORE
Elise Goodwin
The Search Party
Twisty, clever and thoroughly enjoyable
I loved Lelic’s latest novel, The Search Party. Very gripping with the most intense and shocking ending! DI Fleet was my favourite POV. Would recommend for... READ MORE
Ellie
The Search Party
Excellent read
I am a great fan of Stephen King and can understand the comparison between him and Lelic. This was a fascinating and compelling read. I was hooked from ... READ MORE
Carol Clasper
The Search Party
Edgy
I really liked this book. The way some of the story was told in the teenagers voices was a good way of telling it. I really liked the characters as well an... READ MORE
Laluna
The Search Party
I look forward to reading more from this author
16 year old Sadie has been missing for 6 days, when a group of her friends decide to form a search party convinced the police are looking in the wrong plac... READ MORE
Kerrie Kelly
The Search Party
Fast paced twisty thriller
I really enjoyed this book. I had to hide from my kids so I could finish it. The book starts slowly but the final third is nerve shattering. I must admit t... READ MORE
Laura hogan
The Search Party
Another enjoyable read from Simon Lelic....
Since I enjoyed Simon Lelic’s previous novel “The House” and the way in which it was written, I was looking forward to reading his latest book “The Search ... READ MORE
A Mother’s Musings
The Search Party
A real jigsaw puzzle of a story
This was a real jigsaw puzzle. Lots of twists and turns, lies and omissions. Kept me totally absorbed , following the clues and trying to work it out. Who... READ MORE
Patricia Moren
The Search Party
A Superb 3-Dimensional Mystery/Thriller
I loved reading this book. You never quite know what happened, why and whodunnit! The book takes the fairly standard approach of intermixing the current ... READ MORE
John Shaw
The Search Party
A roller coaster read!
Wow! What a roller coaster of a book. I couldn’t put this one down. Drawn into a forest with a bunch of friends who are searching for a missing friend. Is ... READ MORE
Gillian Frost
The Search Party
Another great read
Another great read from Simon Lelic which I thoroughly enjoyed. This was quite a complicated tale which was cleverly broken down into the individual chara... READ MORE
Helen Williams
The Search Party
TOTALLY GRIPPED ME
If you are looking for a completely pacey, utterly unputdownable mystery with a cast of compelling characters and a creepy setting to boot - look no furthe... READ MORE
Victoria Moynes
The Search Party
Clever plot
A clever jigsaw puzzle of a story. The teenage members of a search party trying to find their friend provide all the pieces during their police interviews,... READ MORE
jean
The Search Party
An Intriguing Read
A teenage girl has gone missing. Everyone thinks that Sadie Saunders is dead. She's been missing for a week and they think they know who murdered her. Sadi... READ MORE
Louise Wilson
The Search Party
Great read
This book is written in a different way to most and I found that added to my enjoyment of it. You get the police and personal perspective of DI Fleet inter... READ MORE
Rainewood
The Search Party
Missing teenager drama
A girl Sadie goes missing , after the police are involved, and fail to find her , 5 of her friends organise a search party to find her but are any of these... READ MORE
Nigel Firth
The Search Party
intriguing and captivating
Sadie Saunders has been missing for a week, so while the police search continues, her friends decide to set off for the woods to look for her themselves. B... READ MORE
Agnieszka Woloszyk
The Search Party
Gripping page-turner and highly recommended.
16 year old Sadie goes missing. The police investigation led by DI Robin Fleet is hampered by the awful Superintendent Burton who is more interested in m... READ MORE
Reading Frog
The Search Party
A dark thrilling tale in the woods....
The Search Party is a great read for those who enjoy police based thrillers. It is exciting and twisty, dark and scary, thrilling and tense. It also has c... READ MORE
Suzanne Ellison
The Search Party
A Good Read
I have read both The Liars Room and The House so was excited to be given The Search Party to review .Somehow this book was not so enjoyable.The story is ma... READ MORE
Chrissie Mortimer
The Search Party
The Search Party
Sadie Saunders is missing. The town thinks she's dead, and who did it. They're searching for her body. Her best friends & twin brother think they are searc... READ MORE
Ashrae
The Search Party
Secrets and Lies hamper a search for missing person
An emergency call for assistance. Four teenagers lost , one fatality, a search party struggling to locate them in atrocious weather conditions. A missing g... READ MORE
George  Young
The Search Party
A highly enjoyable read.....
Since I enjoyed Simon Lelic’s previous novel “The House” and the way in which it was written, I was looking forward to reading his latest book “The Search ... READ MORE
A Mother’s Musings
The Search Party
Gripping read
Gripping read from start to finish. Sixteen year old Sadie Saunders has been missing for almost a week and her friends, dissatisfied with the police searc... READ MORE
Katie Kat Books
The Search Party
Good suspense thriller
4-5 stars rounded up. This is another really good read from Simon Lelic. Sadie Saunders, 16, has been been missing for six days. Her friends Abigail Mars... READ MORE
Celia Short
The Search Party
Unpredictable
Such a a good read, with twists and turns and an ending that you won't see coming. I couldn't put this book down
Julie Allen
The Search Party
Overall, I think this was a really well paced, imaginative, intriguing crime/thriller story.
School girl Sadie has been missing for days. The police are searching the river for her but her five friends are convinced they are making a mistake. With ... READ MORE
natalie kelly
The Search Party
Beautifully Crafted, Unpredictable Review!
A very different kind of read from Simon Lelic, but no less gripping from start to finish. When 16 year old Sadie Saunders goes missing, DI Fleet is broug... READ MORE
GraceJReviewerlady.net
The Search Party
Fast-paced and gritty
When 16 year old Sadie Saunders goes missing in the woods one night, the finger of suspicion falls on her boyfriend Mason. With no body found, Mason, Cora,... READ MORE
Louise Barber
The Search Party
Recommended
This is my first read of Simon Lelic and I enjoyed the story. Sadie has disappeared. She is a teenager from a small town. Her friends are interviewed as... READ MORE
Joanna Beesley
The Search Party
Great book
I felt the need to stop and reflect before writing this review. Some books have an instant effect on you either good or bad and a review is easy to write ... READ MORE
Lynne Packer
The Search Party
Very Clever Definitely Compulsive Reading!
Having read and enjoyed The House and The Liar's Room by Simon Lelic I was delighted to receive a digital copy of his latest title - and it didn't disappoi... READ MORE
Dana Farren
The Search Party
Keeps you guessing until the end
I was so looking forward to reading this book but I have to say I was disappointed. I don’t know whether it was just my mood, the hot weather we were havi... READ MORE
LadyK
The Search Party
Good suspense thriller
4-5 stars rounded up. This is another really good read from Simon Lelic. Sadie Saunders, 16, has been been missing for six days. Her friends Abigail Mars... READ MORE
Celia Short
The Search Party
Enjoyable read, hard to put down
An enjoyable read, quite hard to put down. It's actually quite hard to read too in the way the narrative switches between characters, at least in places. F... READ MORE
Kenneth Wade
The Search Party
Sadie goes missing but can she be found alive by the search party?
Sadie goes missing and DCI Fleet is tasked with finding her but it becomes more complicated when her friends form their own search party. A gripping nove... READ MORE
Julie Friar
The Search Party
Lost teenagers, one fatality, secrets and lies in complex confusing and ultimately satisfying conclusion
An emergency call for assistance. Four teenagers lost , one fatality, a search party struggling to locate them in atrocious weather conditions. A missing g... READ MORE
George  Young
The Search Party
Compelling story
A 16 year old girl is missing and five friends go to the woods to find her... five friends who become suspects. A compelling story with interesting charac... READ MORE
EB
The Search Party
Couldn’t put it down
Couldn’t put this book down. A girl goes missing and her friends decide to search for her. I loved how all the characters were portrayed and had no idea w... READ MORE
Brenda Birkett
The Search Party
A good read
For some reason I found it hard to get into this book. In The Search Party a 15 year old girl, Sadie is missing in the woods and her friends are looking fo... READ MORE
sharon alleyne
The Search Party
A little too convenient
When Sadie goes missing her friends rally to go into the woods and search for her - but does one of them know the truth about what happened? The Search Pa... READ MORE
KindigBlog
The Search Party
Ok
Review Sadie, Luke’s twin sister goes missing. Five teenagers form a Search Party to find her but only four return. When I read that the book was written ... READ MORE
Deborah Dare
The Search Party
I found the teenagers POV 'voices' really annoying
I really tried to enjoy this book but for me it was marred by the POV of the teenagers. A stroppy lot who turn on each other at the drop of a hat in spite ... READ MORE
VERONIKA JORDAN
The Search Party
Chilling & Scary
This is my first novel by Simon Lelic although I have had another of his books on my reading list for some time. In The Search Party, Sadie Saunders has va... READ MORE
Bridget East
The Search Party
The Search Party by Simon Lelic
I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Search Party but that has in no way influenced my review. So I admit it, ‘The Chalk Man meets The Hunting Pa... READ MORE
@damppebbles
The Search Party
One of my favourite book of the year!
I LOVED this novel. I really did love it. I was so engrossed in the story, its characters, and the claustrophobic atmosphere that I stayed up late at night... READ MORE
Noemi Proietti
The Search Party
Enjoyable But Disappointing.
I enjoyed this book but was also a little disappointed. The behaviour of the teenagers really annoyed me and I was not keen on the one sided narrative when... READ MORE
Milton of Campsie  Annie
The Search Party
Really enjoyed it
Really good read. 5 friends form a search party to find their missing friend, but each one has secrets and ulterior motives. There were many twists and t... READ MORE
Rachel Beales
The Search Party
Unusual Murder Investigation
The Search Party by Simon Lelic is a missing person investigation that gets complicated by local prejudices, gossip and the interference of a group of adol... READ MORE
Alice Anderson
The Search Party
Confusing and slow to get into
I found this book very slow to start and also very confusing the way the dialogue switches from one person to another. The way the kids ramble in the inter... READ MORE
Daniela Warren
The Search Party
Good
Review Sixteen-year-old Sadie Saunders has been missing for a week. The police have been searching for her with no success. The local town thinks she is de... READ MORE
Michellle De Alwis
The Search Party
Very Clever Definitely Compulsive Reading!
Having read and enjoyed The House and The Liar's Room by Simon Lelic I was delighted to receive a digital copy of his latest title - and it didn't disappoi... READ MORE
Dana Farren
The Search Party
5 went into the woods not all would return
16 year old Sadie Saunders is missing. Her friends and brother decide to find her themselves as they had somehow become the prime suspects. 5 went into the... READ MORE
Charlotte  Pawson
The Search Party
Not a bad read; just not a great one.
I have enjoyed Simon Lelic’s previous novels and the premise of ‘The Search Party’ sounded promising. Five teenagers spend a couple of days in a local for... READ MORE
Sarah D
The Search Party
Disappointing
I have read 'The Liar's Room' and 'The House' by this author and really enjoyed them but unfortunately this one didn't quite have the same feeling for me. ... READ MORE
Gary Wilkes
The Search Party
A brilliant book
I have a rather embarrassing confession to make. Yes yet another one. Although I have all of Simon's previous work on my ever increasing 'to be read' mou... READ MORE
Amanda Oughton
The Search Party
I Expected More from this Story.
I enjoyed this book but was also a little disappointed. The behaviour of the teenagers really annoyed me and I was not keen on the one sided narrative when... READ MORE
Milton of Campsie  Annie
The Search Party
An OK read
When teenager Sadie goes missing & after five days the police seem no closer to finding her. Her friends are sure they are looking in the wrong place so he... READ MORE
Maggie Macdonald
The Search Party
Gripping, intense thriller
Five friends decided to form a search party and go into the woods,hoping to find their missing friend, Sadie Saunders. Two days later,the emergency service... READ MORE
Nicola Richards
The Search Party
Excellent
This is a brilliant read. Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start. Love the well fleshed out characters and found the... READ MORE
billie wichkan