about the book
Alexis’ life has been one of putting a good face on and covering for her mother’s mental illness. For Nick, life is one of false bravado, covering his fear of not being good enough for anything. And for Ruby, it is one of trying to just pursue her interests, which the rest of the world seems to think are eccentric at best. These three Oregon teenagers are not friends, but they are about to become so under the threat of danger.
Alexis, Nick, and Ruby volunteer with the Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team. They are sent into the woods to find an autistic man who has wandered off. What they find instead is the body of a teenage girl. Murdered. Very, very recently.
Feeling braver than they ever thought, the teens team up to find the girl’s killer, and when they also become the killer’s target, Alexis, Ruby, and Nick will have to overcome their personal struggles to help each other.
about the author
April Henry was born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in the small town of Medford.
She has a very interesting family. Her dad, Hank Henry, was a WWII hero and famed pioneering radio and television broadcaster. Her maternal great-grandfather was part of an arson gang and her paternal great-grandfather gunned down his daughter’s boyfriend for kissing her!
When April was twelve, she sent author Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) a short story about a frog named Herman who loved peanut butter. It so happened that the day Roald received the story, he was meeting with an editor of an international children’s magazine. He shared April’s story with the editor, who called her and offered to publish it!
Though April sold her first story and loved reading books, she never thought she could be a writer. She went to Oregon State University and studied abroad at the University of Stuttgart, in Germany. She put herself through school working as a cook, maid, German translator, data entry clerk, and life drawing model—and she also jumped out of cakes. After graduating, she worked as a health care writer for a decade.
April’s first book garnered no interest from any agents. Her second book got her an agent and a lot of nice rejection letters. The rejection letters for her third book weren’t even nice! Her fourth book sold in two days! (Just goes to show you, never give up!) Since then she has written dozens of mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults.
April still lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter. In her spare time, she studies kajukenbo and kung fu!
Sources:
Author website
Author biography: Wikipedia
Author biography: Literati
Book trailer: Body in the Woods
Also by April Henry:
The Girl I Used to Be. Henry Holt & Company (BYR). June 2016.
Blood Will Tell (Point Last Seen, Book 2). Henry Holt. 2015.
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. Henry Holt. 2013.
The Night She Disappeared. Henry Holt. 2012.
Girl, Stolen. Henry Holt. 2010.
Torched. Putnam Publishing (Juvenile). 2009.
Shock Point. Putnam Publishing (Juvenile). 2006.
read more!
Blood Will Tell (Point Last Seen, Book 2) by April Henry
When a woman’s body is found in a Portland park, suspicion falls on Nick, the boy who collects knives and frequently sketches violent scenes in his notebook. Ruby and Alexis, with whom Nick became friends while on a hunt for a murderer, know Nick must be innocent, but how can they prove it?
Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi
Corey, Holly, and Savitri are friends closer than family, until a random act of violence separates them forever. A gunman shoots at their car. Corey dies, Holly is left in a coma, and Savitri is the only witness. Holly wakes up a changed girl, vowing to track down Corey’s killer. No matter the cost. Holly’s behavior becomes wild, and Savitri fears for her sanity.
Far from You by Tess Shapre
Sophie survived a car accident that left her scarred and with an addiction to oxycodone. It took her years to kick it, but she finally did—just in time for the second time she nearly died. She and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Mina dies. Sophie is accused of trying to get more Oxy in a drug deal gone wrong. Can Sophie clear her name?