KILL SHOW

Two dozen people reflect on a decade-old tragedy, documentary style.

A Maryland suburb’s sense of security is shattered when 16-year-old Sara Parcell takes the bus to school one morning but fails to report for class. The principal’s office calls her parents, Dave and Jeannette, who can’t reach Sara by phone or text. Her friends haven’t seen or heard from her since before the first bell, so when Sara still isn’t home come nightfall, Dave summons the police. Det. Felix Calderon starts interviewing Sara’s peers, but the investigation doesn’t gather much steam until her younger brother, Jack, surreptitiously records his mom and dad consoling each other and uploads the video to YouTube. When Jack’s post goes viral, ambitious reality TV producer Casey Hawthorne sells her boss on Searching for Sara, a show chronicling real-time efforts to find the teen. Dave and Jeannette sign on; the more folks looking for their daughter, the better, and they could use the hefty per-episode payout Casey promises. That decision has avalanching consequences, however, which in turn sets up Sweren-Becker’s premise: Ten years after the fact, 26 in-the-know individuals have given interviews that an editor transcribed and intercut to create a comprehensive oral history of what actually happened—i.e., this book. Frequent foreshadowing fosters tension and drive, while keenly rendered characters with distinct voices and unique perspectives add dimension and verisimilitude. What begins as an affecting slow burn regrettably falters thanks to a rushed, convoluted denouement, but on balance, Sweren-Becker delivers a riveting work of fiction that doubles as scathing social commentary about America’s true-crime obsession.

A far-fetched mystery with an ingenious narrative conceit.