The novel only spans a few days, and Henry's airtight plotting and efficient, stylized writing brings tension into each scene. Shrewd characterizations lend additional substance to this adrenaline-inducing read.” —Publishers Weekly
“Suggest this one to fans of Stefan Petrucha's Split (Walker, 2010) and Matt Whyman's Icecore (2007) and Goldstrike (2010, both S & S) for a good adrenaline rush with the tiniest hint of romance.” —School Library Journal
“April Henry has it down with her taut mysteries, and The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die is as good as her other works. Suspense and tension build from the first pagein which men are taking Cady out to kill herto the last, as she uncovers the secrets in this eco-thriller.” —School Library Journal
“Older Jack and Jill readers will find themselves unable to put down this book until they reach the stunning conclusion.” —Jack and Mill Magazine
“Henry is a dependable best-selling force in both adult and YA worlds, and this book is tailor-made to please her fan base.” —Booklist
“Henry (The Night She Disappeared) delivers another speedy, suspenseful mystery, this one reminiscent of Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne books.” —Publishers Weekly
“The reader must wait with baited breath to see when and if the characters will uncover the truth as the suspense builds to a fever pitch near the end of the book.” —VOYA on The Night She Disappeared
“Fans of intense page-turners . . . will love this one.” —School Library Journal on The Night She Disappeared
“It's a riveting story. . . . Each chapter is a surprise, and the tension builds steadily until the inevitable climactic face off.” —Publishers Weekly on The Night She Disappeared
“Constantly interesting and suspenseful.” —Kirkus Reviews on Girl, Stolen
“Thoroughly exciting.” —Booklist on Girl, Stolen
“Readers will be hard-pressed to put this one down before its heart-pounding conclusion.” —School Library Journal on Girl, Stolen
“Be ready to be startled and inspired as the story reaches its climax. Readers will race to the end.” —The Strand Magazine on Girl, Stolen
“The pace is impeccable, becoming rapidly more frantic as Cheyenne realizes her chances for success are dwindling. In addition, the premise itself is powerfully realistic and compelling, with one small incident (Griffin's jumping into a car that had the keys in the ignition) snowballing into a nightmare series of events that will change everyone.” —BCCB on Girl, Stolen
“Henry spins a captivating tale that shifts between Cheyenne's and Griffin's thoughts. Both are well-built, complex characters, trapped in their own ways by life's circumstances, whichpaired with a relentlessly fast paceensures a tense read.” —Publishers Weekly on Girl, Stolen
Henry (The Night She Disappeared) delivers another speedy, suspenseful mystery, this one reminiscent of Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne books. The story opens when a teenager (later revealed to be a 16-year-old girl named Cady) "comes to" in the woods of Oregon, beaten and with no memories of preceding events or her identity. While she doesn't recognize her own reflection, she can still think logically and knows self-defense, which she uses to free herself from her two captors and imminent death. In scenes that pull from horror conventions, Cady tries to get help from the police, but no one believes she's anything other an escaped mental patient until she meets Ty, a McDonald's employee and EMT-in-training who has also lost his family. Together, they change Cady's appearance, steal a car, and go on the run, trying to collect clues before Cady's past catches up with them. The novel only spans a few days, and Henry's airtight plotting and efficient, stylized writing brings tension into each scene. Shrewd characterizations lend additional substance to this adrenaline-inducing read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency. (June)
Gr 8 Up—Henry has turned up the intensity several notches from her previous YA books with this edge-of-your-seat thriller. The novel begins with a girl regaining consciousness just in time to hear her own death sentence: "Finish her off!" She outsmarts her would-be killer and escapes in his car, but she has no memory of who she is, where she is, or why she is being hunted. She figures she must be at least 16 as she knows how to drive. Many of the short, action-packed chapters cover mere minutes, while others encompass an hour or two. Aided by Ty, a nice guy she meets at a fast-food place, she escapes the first set of men trailing her and uses the Internet to piece together her story. According to articles and a Facebook profile, she is Cady Scott, a troubled runaway from Oregon who might be involved in a murder. But certain tbits of information they find don't make sense. Cady and Ty go on the run, stealing a car to return to Portland to piece together her identity. The plot thickens to include biological weapons, double-crossing, and corporate intrigue. The employees of Z-Biotech, the evil company Cady's parents worked for, seem almost unbelievably unethical, but most readers will be racing to turn the pages without questioning details. Suggest this one to fans of Stefan Petrucha's Split (Walker, 2010) and Matt Whyman's Icecore (2007) and Goldstrike (2010, both S & S) for a good adrenaline rush with the tiniest hint of romance.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX
The only thing Katie knows for sure is that someone wants to kill her. "Take her out back and finish her off," is one of the first things the 16-year-old hears when she comes to in an isolated cabin in the woods of Oregon. Suffering from amnesia, Katie doesn't recall anything about her life, including where she's from, who her family is or even the excruciating pain of having two fingernails torn off. But her body remembers enough martial arts to incapacitate her captor and escape. When she tries to contact the authorities, they believe she is an escaped patient from a local mental hospital. Is she an insane murderer, as news reports suggest? With no place to hide and everyone a potential liar (including herself), Katie races across the state, piecing together clues and scraps of memories, to try to figure out who she is in this thriller with nonstop twists and turns. Her only ally is Ty, a former homeless teen she meets at a brief fast-food stop. The possibility of biological warfare amps up the suspense, while short chapters and Katie's direct, first-person narration make the Hollywood-blockbuster–like story pulsate. Although rushed, the ending stays true to the mood and consistent pacing of Katie's plight. An adrenaline rush for reluctant readers. (Thriller. 14 & up)