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  • Published: 16 June 2026
  • ISBN: 9780593860403
  • Imprint: Putnam
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $24.99

Most Likely to Murder



Yearbook superlatives turn deadly in this darkly funny young adult thriller.

Yearbook superlatives turn deadly in this darkly funny young adult thriller from the award-winning author of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.

"As full of heart as it is dead bodies . . . Sweet, suspenseful, and hits all the murdery notes. Highly recommended."—Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anna Dressed in Blood

Surviving high school is harder than it seems.

The rumor mill has never been kind to Meadowvale High seniors and best friends Rick and Martina, labeling them outcasts (sure), stoners (no comment), and pranksters (okay, this one’s fair). But for the most part, they have successfully flown under the radar.

That is, until they’re targeted in a prank that replaces yearbook superlatives with grisly forecasts of student and faculty deaths. Sure, Rick and Martina were never going to be voted Most Likely to Succeed . . . but Homecoming’s Cutest Corpses? Thanks for the cute, no thanks on the corpse.

At first, the senior class is annoyed by the prank. But when the body of Mr. Stephens, Most Likely to Sleep with the Fishes, is dredged from the bottom of a lake, suspicions arise that something truly sinister is going on. And as more people turn up dead in the exact ways the yearbook promised, it becomes clear someone’s killing off the student body one page at a time.

Now Rick and Martina must find the yearbook killer before their vicious superlative comes true. So much for surviving high school without drawing attention. Now Rick and Martina just want to survive.

  • Published: 16 June 2026
  • ISBN: 9780593860403
  • Imprint: Putnam
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $24.99

About the author

Lish McBride

Lish McBride is the author of funny and creepy young adult books such as Hold Me Closer, Necromancer; Necromancing the Stone; Firebug; Pyromantic; and Curses. She has published short stories on Tor.com, and in the anthologies Cornered, What to Read in the Rain, and Kisses & Curses. Her first book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults title, a Morris Award finalist, and the winner of the Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award. Lish is a former indie bookseller, has a MFA from University of New Orleans, and prefers pie to cake. While she has no long-term goals for world domination, she would like her own castle.

Also by Lish McBride

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Praise for Most Likely to Murder


Praise for Red in Tooth and Claw
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection * An Amazon, B&N Reads, and Kobo Best Book of the Month * A Paste Magazine and Reactor Most Anticipated book

“Mysteriously spooky and ultimately heartwarming.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Every time I put it down I picked it right back up. Just a damned enjoyable novel.” —Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns
“I have never read anything like this. A terror and a true delight, all wrapped up in a gritty bow.” —Kristen Simmons, author of Article 5 and Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

Praise for Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

*“With fine writing, tight plotting, a unique and uniquely odd cast of teens, adults, and children, and a pace that smashes through any curtain of disbelief, this sardonic and outrageous story's only problem is that it must, like all good things, come to an end.”  —Booklist, starred review
*“Readers seeking a thoughtful, original, and compelling supernatural adventure need look no further.”  —BCCB, starred review