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Point Last Seen #1
The Body in the Woods
In this new series told from multiple perspectives, teen members of a search and rescue team discover a dead body in the woods.
Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.
This first book in April Henry’s Point Last Seen YA mystery series is full of riveting suspense, putting readers in the middle of harrowing rescues and crime scene investigations.
Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.
This first book in April Henry’s Point Last Seen YA mystery series is full of riveting suspense, putting readers in the middle of harrowing rescues and crime scene investigations.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 17, 2014
607 people are currently reading
9210 people want to read
About the author
April Henry
34 books3,366 followersI write mysteries and thrillers. I live in Portland, Oregon with my family.
If you've read one of my books, I would love to hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.
When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.
My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written 27 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have been on the New York Times bestseller lists, gotten starred reviews, been picked for Booksense, translated into seven languages, been named to state reading lists, won the Anthony award and won the Oregon Book Award.
If you've read one of my books, I would love to hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.
When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.
My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written 27 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have been on the New York Times bestseller lists, gotten starred reviews, been picked for Booksense, translated into seven languages, been named to state reading lists, won the Anthony award and won the Oregon Book Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,279 reviews
May 22, 2014
I'm sorry but I could not finish this boring-ass book.
I feel like I should have seen this coming - I mean, the cover designers put green eye shadow on a dead body. That should have been a warning sign, right? Like when those dystopian "heroines" appear on the front cover in long, flowing ballgowns and try to convince me with their pouts that this is a serious book about real, life-threatening things, and definitely NOT all about that hot dude and his smoochable lips. If it's the end of the world - why are you wearing that totally impractical dress? And if you're dead in the woods, when did you have time to MAC it up? o_O
This book was none of the things I was hoping for: clever, creepy, full of suspense... in fact, it seemed to me like one of those amateur detective stories written for little kids. You know, the ones where completely unskilled, untrained kids set out to solve the crimes that the real detectives are incapable of solving. Very Secret Seven. Very awesome when you were about ten years old. So, bearing that in mind, maybe this book does have an audience, but it would have to be a younger audience or someone who can suspend a lot of disbelief.
I just didn't buy into any of it. This would usually be the point where I complain about there being too many POV switches, but I recently read a book that had more POVs than this one - The Truth About Alice - and managed to hold my attention from start to finish whilst also making me care about every single character. The Body in the Woods had three main characters and they were so uninteresting that I couldn't care about them. I was initially intrigued by the author's decision to include an MC with Asperger's Syndrome, but Ruby's Asperger's felt like a bat we were constantly being hit over the head with. Like the author felt the need to remind us of it every time Ruby entered the room. She wasn't an interesting character who happened to have Asperger's, she was THE TOKEN ASPERGER'S SYNDROME CHARACTER. It was just offensive after a while.
The story is about three teenagers who have signed up to be part of a local Search & Rescue team. One day, they are called out to look for an autistic man who has ran away into the woods. However, they instead find the dead body of a girl. Each of them reacts to it differently, which I liked, but in the end they all decide to team up and find the killer - because this is totally the right and sensible thing to do. For the first half at least, this is not so much a creepy murder mystery, as it is a character study of three boring and unrealistic amateur detectives.
It is possible that the book gets significantly better in the latter half but there is no part of me that wants to stick around to find out. I would like to know from other readers if we actually get any answers at the end of this book, or is it all saved for the sequel?
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I feel like I should have seen this coming - I mean, the cover designers put green eye shadow on a dead body. That should have been a warning sign, right? Like when those dystopian "heroines" appear on the front cover in long, flowing ballgowns and try to convince me with their pouts that this is a serious book about real, life-threatening things, and definitely NOT all about that hot dude and his smoochable lips. If it's the end of the world - why are you wearing that totally impractical dress? And if you're dead in the woods, when did you have time to MAC it up? o_O
This book was none of the things I was hoping for: clever, creepy, full of suspense... in fact, it seemed to me like one of those amateur detective stories written for little kids. You know, the ones where completely unskilled, untrained kids set out to solve the crimes that the real detectives are incapable of solving. Very Secret Seven. Very awesome when you were about ten years old. So, bearing that in mind, maybe this book does have an audience, but it would have to be a younger audience or someone who can suspend a lot of disbelief.
I just didn't buy into any of it. This would usually be the point where I complain about there being too many POV switches, but I recently read a book that had more POVs than this one - The Truth About Alice - and managed to hold my attention from start to finish whilst also making me care about every single character. The Body in the Woods had three main characters and they were so uninteresting that I couldn't care about them. I was initially intrigued by the author's decision to include an MC with Asperger's Syndrome, but Ruby's Asperger's felt like a bat we were constantly being hit over the head with. Like the author felt the need to remind us of it every time Ruby entered the room. She wasn't an interesting character who happened to have Asperger's, she was THE TOKEN ASPERGER'S SYNDROME CHARACTER. It was just offensive after a while.
The story is about three teenagers who have signed up to be part of a local Search & Rescue team. One day, they are called out to look for an autistic man who has ran away into the woods. However, they instead find the dead body of a girl. Each of them reacts to it differently, which I liked, but in the end they all decide to team up and find the killer - because this is totally the right and sensible thing to do. For the first half at least, this is not so much a creepy murder mystery, as it is a character study of three boring and unrealistic amateur detectives.
It is possible that the book gets significantly better in the latter half but there is no part of me that wants to stick around to find out. I would like to know from other readers if we actually get any answers at the end of this book, or is it all saved for the sequel?
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d-n-f
February 9, 2017DNF @pg 10 oops.
I really enjoyed her book The Night She Disappeared and I was hoping this would be as awesome, but sadly I can't get myself to turn another page. I pick this book up, read a few paragraphs and then put it down again. Clearly, I don't want to read it so I'm dnfing it. There's just something about the writing style if this book and I simply don't like it.
I'm not going to rate it bc I've only read ten pages.
I really enjoyed her book The Night She Disappeared and I was hoping this would be as awesome, but sadly I can't get myself to turn another page. I pick this book up, read a few paragraphs and then put it down again. Clearly, I don't want to read it so I'm dnfing it. There's just something about the writing style if this book and I simply don't like it.
I'm not going to rate it bc I've only read ten pages.
July 11, 2014
Thank you Henry Holt for sending me an Advanced Readers Copy of this book, which did not affect my review in any way.
I don't know why this is labeled a "thriller" when it definitely was not a thrill to read.
The above statement is the reason I was unable to complete this long-winded novel. One could argue that this isn't really my genre - well, not my favorite genre - so it's to be expected that it wouldn't hold my attention for very long. But sub-genres aside, The Body in the Woods fails in aspects that any good novel should not fail in - like writing, characters, etc.
Reason #1 for DNFing: THE WRITING. I am a firm believer that in order for a novel to hold a reader's attention, the writing has to have that "spark." In other words, the prose shouldn't be as robotic and watered-down as it is in this book. And the third-person POV didn't help matters in the least, because it kept me disconnected from the characters and, frankly, bored me. I should have counted the amount of times I yawned while reading.
Reason #2: THE CHARACTERS. You know those cardboard-insert-pop-star-pretty-boy-cutouts at least one of your friends has in their room? Yeah, that's how I imagine the characters in this book. Not that they're pretty-boy status or anything, but they are as two-dimensional as a piece of cardboard. True, if I continued reading, they probably would have been more developed, but rattling off each character's qualities does not give the character depth.
Reason #3: THE NEEDLESS DETAILS. I really don't want a massive paragraph detailing/listing Alexis's food, because I really don't give an eff.
#4: THE MYSTERY WAS ANYTHING BUT. Yeah, when a dead body is made up with green eyeshadow, the mystery is sort of hard to take seriously. Just sayin'.
Not that this book was excruciatingly long, but I simply could not read more than ten pages at a time. I had to force myself to continue reading, and once I hit about page 70, I'd had enough.
Skip this one. I've heard Henry's other novels are much better, so I might consider giving those a try.
I don't know why this is labeled a "thriller" when it definitely was not a thrill to read.
The above statement is the reason I was unable to complete this long-winded novel. One could argue that this isn't really my genre - well, not my favorite genre - so it's to be expected that it wouldn't hold my attention for very long. But sub-genres aside, The Body in the Woods fails in aspects that any good novel should not fail in - like writing, characters, etc.
Reason #1 for DNFing: THE WRITING. I am a firm believer that in order for a novel to hold a reader's attention, the writing has to have that "spark." In other words, the prose shouldn't be as robotic and watered-down as it is in this book. And the third-person POV didn't help matters in the least, because it kept me disconnected from the characters and, frankly, bored me. I should have counted the amount of times I yawned while reading.
Reason #2: THE CHARACTERS. You know those cardboard-insert-pop-star-pretty-boy-cutouts at least one of your friends has in their room? Yeah, that's how I imagine the characters in this book. Not that they're pretty-boy status or anything, but they are as two-dimensional as a piece of cardboard. True, if I continued reading, they probably would have been more developed, but rattling off each character's qualities does not give the character depth.
Reason #3: THE NEEDLESS DETAILS. I really don't want a massive paragraph detailing/listing Alexis's food, because I really don't give an eff.
#4: THE MYSTERY WAS ANYTHING BUT. Yeah, when a dead body is made up with green eyeshadow, the mystery is sort of hard to take seriously. Just sayin'.
Not that this book was excruciatingly long, but I simply could not read more than ten pages at a time. I had to force myself to continue reading, and once I hit about page 70, I'd had enough.
Skip this one. I've heard Henry's other novels are much better, so I might consider giving those a try.
July 6, 2014
I know she didn't do it. It's never the person you most suspect. It's also never the person you least suspect, since anyone with half a brain would suspect them the most. Therefore, I know the killer to be Phyllis, a.k.a. Beatrix Bourbon, the person I most medium suspect. - Dwight Schrute
This is Nancy Drew for teens. The pacing was great and the plot (if a little predictable) kept me engaged. I really liked Ruby, but found her friends to be needless distractions. Alexis was whiney and annoying and Nick was unnecessarily creepy. Ruby had enough potential to be the sole narrator but I understand what the author was trying to do with multiple POVs.
Overall this is a fun teen mystery that you might find predictable if you follow the wise words of Mr.Schrute. However for its target market I think this book is a home run. Readers who are used to adult mysterious however may find this a little too pg for their liking. 3.5/5
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2018
Way better than I thought it would be. I honestly didn't have an idea who the killer was until the second part of the book...... Give it a chance guys- it's a really good read even if it's shorter than what I usually read.
November 26, 2018
This book was okay. It was too slow for me. It had some interesting and exciting events but had too many details. I wish it was less drawn out and more eventful. Overall though it was a good book.
July 1, 2014
3.5 Stars... it was interesting, but not memorable
Ruby, Alexis, and Nick are all high school students and new members of Portland's SAR... that's Search and Rescue. Ruby is awkward, not sure of social cues, not sure how to make friends. She joined SAR because she loves watching true-crime and studying detective work. Alexis is desparately trying to make everything on the surface appear okay. She doesn't want people to get close to her for fear they will learn how bad things are at home. Her mom is mentally ill and off her meds... and Alexis never knows what will go on at her house on any given day. Nick doesn't remember much of his dad. He died in Iraq when he was quite young. Now all Nick wants to do is prove to himself and his dad that he's brave and can do great things.
When they get called out on a search, they aren't supposed to be put on a team together without a veteran leader, but thanks to a mix up, that's exactly what happens. They get sent to a location where it is very unlikely they will find the missing man. And they don't find the man, but they DO find the body of a girl... a dead girl. Soon Ruby realized that more bodies are piling up and becomes convinced they are all connected. She convinces Alexis and Nick that they need to investigate this themselves so that the police will be forced to listen.
My Thoughts:
Kind of underwhelmed. I decided to read this book because I had read The Night She Disappeared and really loved it. This book ended up being very similar to that one. The plot was totally different of course, but it definitely used the same formula. I was expecting this book to be a little different, so that was disappointing, but overall I did like the book.
I liked that the 3 teens in the book had different story lines and went their own ways much of the time. It was cool to read about the mystery along with the personal lives of the 3 main characters. They all had completely different issues going on, but no issue seemed any less important than the others. My favorite character was Ruby because I know people IRL that have trouble with social situations and it can be tough. Why are some people unable to pick up on social cues and why are people so impatient with people that are like this?? I mean clearly there is no real answer to those questions, but reading about Ruby it made me think. (Sidenote: I was not super impressed with a girl with red hair being named Ruby... how original).
I don't have a ton to say about this book because it was a fairly short, straight forward book. It definitely brought me back to my Fear Street/Christopher Pike days because it's a fairly generic murder/mystery which I will probably be forgetting about after a few days. Not to say those books don't serve purposes! They are very entertaining while you're reading them, but they just don't tend to IMPACT you. And if you don't write down who the killer ends up being, you'll probably forget.
OVERALL: I didn't like it as much as the other April Henry book I read, but I still found it to be a quick entertaining read. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a mystery that doesn't make you think too much.
My Blog:
Ruby, Alexis, and Nick are all high school students and new members of Portland's SAR... that's Search and Rescue. Ruby is awkward, not sure of social cues, not sure how to make friends. She joined SAR because she loves watching true-crime and studying detective work. Alexis is desparately trying to make everything on the surface appear okay. She doesn't want people to get close to her for fear they will learn how bad things are at home. Her mom is mentally ill and off her meds... and Alexis never knows what will go on at her house on any given day. Nick doesn't remember much of his dad. He died in Iraq when he was quite young. Now all Nick wants to do is prove to himself and his dad that he's brave and can do great things.
When they get called out on a search, they aren't supposed to be put on a team together without a veteran leader, but thanks to a mix up, that's exactly what happens. They get sent to a location where it is very unlikely they will find the missing man. And they don't find the man, but they DO find the body of a girl... a dead girl. Soon Ruby realized that more bodies are piling up and becomes convinced they are all connected. She convinces Alexis and Nick that they need to investigate this themselves so that the police will be forced to listen.
My Thoughts:
Kind of underwhelmed. I decided to read this book because I had read The Night She Disappeared and really loved it. This book ended up being very similar to that one. The plot was totally different of course, but it definitely used the same formula. I was expecting this book to be a little different, so that was disappointing, but overall I did like the book.
I liked that the 3 teens in the book had different story lines and went their own ways much of the time. It was cool to read about the mystery along with the personal lives of the 3 main characters. They all had completely different issues going on, but no issue seemed any less important than the others. My favorite character was Ruby because I know people IRL that have trouble with social situations and it can be tough. Why are some people unable to pick up on social cues and why are people so impatient with people that are like this?? I mean clearly there is no real answer to those questions, but reading about Ruby it made me think. (Sidenote: I was not super impressed with a girl with red hair being named Ruby... how original).
I don't have a ton to say about this book because it was a fairly short, straight forward book. It definitely brought me back to my Fear Street/Christopher Pike days because it's a fairly generic murder/mystery which I will probably be forgetting about after a few days. Not to say those books don't serve purposes! They are very entertaining while you're reading them, but they just don't tend to IMPACT you. And if you don't write down who the killer ends up being, you'll probably forget.
OVERALL: I didn't like it as much as the other April Henry book I read, but I still found it to be a quick entertaining read. I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a mystery that doesn't make you think too much.
My Blog:
March 25, 2024
I'm not a mystery lover, but this book did keep my attention. I had it figured out very early, but the red herrings presented were believably interesting, even though they didn't sway me. I liked Ruby's character a lot. It was clear to me, as a teacher, that she's somewhere on the spectrum, but that was never stated, and her friends grew to appreciate her for all her quirks and characteristics. Labels didn't matter. I don't think I'll read any other books in the series, but I definitely see why my students like April Henry books!
Reread: March, 2024
Reread: March, 2024
February 5, 2024
I was a bit underwhelmed by this book. It's not that I didn't enjoy reading it, because I did, but the whole was definitely not more than the sum of its parts. It's hard to explain. I enjoyed parts of the book immensely - especially Ruby's POV chapters - but the book never really came together for me.
July 1, 2014
Initial Thoughts: This was a quick read for me. The story revolves around three teenage volunteers in Portland's Search and Rescue. On a routine search for a missing man, the teens come across a body in the woods. The chapters about the murderer were very creepy - he was one disturbed individual. I was able to guess who the killer was about halfway through the book which was a little disappointing for me. I like when authors keep me guessing. I enjoyed the story, although my review copy contained many spelling and grammatical errors which I hope will be corrected before the book is released. Full review to come closer to release date.
The Review:
The Body in the Woods had a promising premise. Three teens on a search and rescue mission discover a body. Now that should be interesting, right? First things first - I really liked the idea that teens could train for search and rescue. That is so cool. What a fantastic learning experience. But - these kids were left alone, without supervision. Huh? That would never happen in real life.
Anyhow, the story begins as the rescue team is dispatched to search for a missing autistic man. The teens - Ruby, Alexis, and Bran are sent to search far away from the main team, presumably to keep them out of the way. They come across a body of a recently murdered girl. The teens then realize that they may have walked right past the murderer. Was he the dog walker? The birder? The homeless man? The man carrying the duffle bag?
Personally, the best part of this book was being inside the killer's mind. His chapters were creepy and he made me want to squirm. The teenage characters were not that memorable. I recall one with an excellent recall for details and the other had ADHD and the third one had a bipolar mother. Aside from that, they needed a little more development.
The Body in the Woods was an OK read for me. I would have liked more mystery. I'm usually horrible at guessing whodunit mysteries, but I was able to guess this one halfway through. I was hoping for a twist to throw me off, but it didn't happen. I understand that this is to be a series. I am planning on reading the next book, just to see what happens and how the characters develop further.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for a review copy of this book.
The Review:
The Body in the Woods had a promising premise. Three teens on a search and rescue mission discover a body. Now that should be interesting, right? First things first - I really liked the idea that teens could train for search and rescue. That is so cool. What a fantastic learning experience. But - these kids were left alone, without supervision. Huh? That would never happen in real life.
Anyhow, the story begins as the rescue team is dispatched to search for a missing autistic man. The teens - Ruby, Alexis, and Bran are sent to search far away from the main team, presumably to keep them out of the way. They come across a body of a recently murdered girl. The teens then realize that they may have walked right past the murderer. Was he the dog walker? The birder? The homeless man? The man carrying the duffle bag?
Personally, the best part of this book was being inside the killer's mind. His chapters were creepy and he made me want to squirm. The teenage characters were not that memorable. I recall one with an excellent recall for details and the other had ADHD and the third one had a bipolar mother. Aside from that, they needed a little more development.
The Body in the Woods was an OK read for me. I would have liked more mystery. I'm usually horrible at guessing whodunit mysteries, but I was able to guess this one halfway through. I was hoping for a twist to throw me off, but it didn't happen. I understand that this is to be a series. I am planning on reading the next book, just to see what happens and how the characters develop further.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group for a review copy of this book.
August 27, 2016
Gripping and suspenseful thriller focusing on the mostly-adolescent Portland (OR) Search and Rescue Team. One doesn't have to be an adult nor a seasoned homicide detective to stumble upon a corpse, nor to endanger one's own life following clues to untangle a mystery.
January 1, 2022
i wish i was the body in the woods after struggling to read this
July 19, 2016
Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley
This book was a really well-written mystery told from multiple point of view. The fact that each main characters - Nick, Ruby and Alexis - were such different in term of personalities and frame of mind made reading this a fun experience for me.
The storyline held my attention since the beginning of the book. Maybe it was because I've always enjoyed reading books about serial killers and guessing the murderers. It was sad to say, though, that this book was a tad predicable because not only I got to read from the 3 aforementioned main characters, but also from the killer. Not that I didn't like that about this book, it just made easy to spot the killer.
One point that I am not sure I liked was the irrelevant details that made this book a little dragging. It was nice to understand what happened around the main characters, still I think it was too overly descriptive.
Overall, it was a wonder murder mystery with well-developed characters and astonishing plots.
Blog: YA Obsession
June 8, 2014
One dead body. Two. Then three. This was no accident. A serial killer is on the lose. But the question is, who's next?
I absolutely love murder mysteries! It's just so exciting to read. This book was told through several different perspectives, and I got to know each of the main characters.
Alexis was the emotional one among the three. She had to deal with her mom's mental illness. But at least she had Bran. Nick was the meek one. He had a vivid imagination but low self-esteem. And then there's Ruby. She is my favorite because she is very smart and very curious about the prospect of solving murders. She's socially awkward but I adore her passion and personality. These three are on Portland's Search and Rescue team. They uncover a body and pretty soon, get involved with the investigation.
Yes, I must admit that it was a bit absurd that three teenagers made more progress on the case than the local authorities, but I enjoyed the exhilarating rush as the story unfolded before me. Before long, I was yelling at the characters and getting all riled up. It was a great reading experience. I also liked how the three characters overcame their obstacles and became a united group of friends in the end. I am definitely going to read the next installment in this series.
I absolutely love murder mysteries! It's just so exciting to read. This book was told through several different perspectives, and I got to know each of the main characters.
Alexis was the emotional one among the three. She had to deal with her mom's mental illness. But at least she had Bran. Nick was the meek one. He had a vivid imagination but low self-esteem. And then there's Ruby. She is my favorite because she is very smart and very curious about the prospect of solving murders. She's socially awkward but I adore her passion and personality. These three are on Portland's Search and Rescue team. They uncover a body and pretty soon, get involved with the investigation.
Yes, I must admit that it was a bit absurd that three teenagers made more progress on the case than the local authorities, but I enjoyed the exhilarating rush as the story unfolded before me. Before long, I was yelling at the characters and getting all riled up. It was a great reading experience. I also liked how the three characters overcame their obstacles and became a united group of friends in the end. I am definitely going to read the next installment in this series.
February 25, 2022
It was a good book.It was kind of in a weird way stressful to read because I found out who the killer was almost right way but the characters didn't. It was kind of a waiting game to be honest.I just wish you could hear from more of the main characters in the investigation.It was mainly focused on one of the characters. But I definitely recommend this book as long as you don't mind reading graphic things.
April 21, 2015
This book, to me, is above and beyond the others by Henry. It's layered, has very distinct and flushed characters, and has more twists and unlikely turns than some of her other mystery thrillers for teens. As an adult, I appreciated the complexity and I know my students will enjoy this book.
June 21, 2017
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 11, 2024
Good pacing! I enjoyed being fooled by everyone I was suspicious of.
May 27, 2014
The Body In The Woods is a fast paced thriller that is able to pass off as enjoyable if you suspend logic and just go along for the ride. But, when you sit down and really think about the details there is so much that is unbelievable that I can’t really recommend it to fellow readers.
In this novel we get the three main perspectives of Ruby, Alexis and Nick but we also get a few random chapters that are told from the ominous perspective of the killer himself. As far as the 3 kids go, I can’t say that I connected with any of them in any way. This is in part due to the fact that the story is told in the third person (which always leaves me feeling like an outsider looking in) and also because I felt like the details we get of their private life were just ploys to try make us care about them but ones the never managed to do so. Alexis’ mother is suffering from what seems to be bi-polar disorder and even goes missing for a stretch of days but I felt like these details were just there to be there and didn’t add to the story in any way. Nick was always mentioning how his father had died in Iraq and that was the reason he joined Search and Rescue, he wanted to do something that would have made his dad proud. I mean these private life details were obviously there to flesh out our main characters and get us to understand their motivation but it just felt like stuff that we were told here & there and nothing more than that. I would even go so far as to say that it felt as if the personal bits were thrown in afterward when the author went back through and felt that she needed to make the characters people that readers could connect with. Ruby was the only one that I felt like I somewhat understood. She was socially awkward and really struggled with fitting in. I do think that if the whole story had been more about her that I would have become much more invested. Seeing the bits from the killer’s eyes was interesting and felt very reminiscent of Barry Lyga’s I Hunt Killers (though this novel was not even in the same ballpark as Lyga’s thriller.)
What really irritated me in the novel is the complete lack of logic that went into trying to make it work. The detective working the case of the missing girls was such an idiot, which always irritates me in these novels. 3 teens who haven’t even finished school but had one amongst them who did a lot of googling and watching true crime were much more competent than the police department in this area. The red herring that gets arrested in the first place made no sense at all. They find out that this guy was growing weed in the middle of the park where the body was found and fabricate a story where the dead girl had stumbled upon the grow op and was then murdered for it. There was no evidence at all connecting him to the murder, just the fact that the 3 kids had seen him leaving the park on the afternoon that the body was found. I don’t believe for one hot minute that this man would have been arrested and put away for the murder when there was zero evidence/DNA linking him to the crime.
Bad red herring out the of way, spotting the killer was something that I was able to do the moment that they met him. Piecing together the fragments of this mystery was not challenging at all and reading through the story just felt like I was waiting for every character to finally catch up with me. While I did breeze through this one, I can’t say that it was a remarkable experience at all and this won’t be a book that I recommend any time soon, or ever.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
In this novel we get the three main perspectives of Ruby, Alexis and Nick but we also get a few random chapters that are told from the ominous perspective of the killer himself. As far as the 3 kids go, I can’t say that I connected with any of them in any way. This is in part due to the fact that the story is told in the third person (which always leaves me feeling like an outsider looking in) and also because I felt like the details we get of their private life were just ploys to try make us care about them but ones the never managed to do so. Alexis’ mother is suffering from what seems to be bi-polar disorder and even goes missing for a stretch of days but I felt like these details were just there to be there and didn’t add to the story in any way. Nick was always mentioning how his father had died in Iraq and that was the reason he joined Search and Rescue, he wanted to do something that would have made his dad proud. I mean these private life details were obviously there to flesh out our main characters and get us to understand their motivation but it just felt like stuff that we were told here & there and nothing more than that. I would even go so far as to say that it felt as if the personal bits were thrown in afterward when the author went back through and felt that she needed to make the characters people that readers could connect with. Ruby was the only one that I felt like I somewhat understood. She was socially awkward and really struggled with fitting in. I do think that if the whole story had been more about her that I would have become much more invested. Seeing the bits from the killer’s eyes was interesting and felt very reminiscent of Barry Lyga’s I Hunt Killers (though this novel was not even in the same ballpark as Lyga’s thriller.)
What really irritated me in the novel is the complete lack of logic that went into trying to make it work. The detective working the case of the missing girls was such an idiot, which always irritates me in these novels. 3 teens who haven’t even finished school but had one amongst them who did a lot of googling and watching true crime were much more competent than the police department in this area. The red herring that gets arrested in the first place made no sense at all. They find out that this guy was growing weed in the middle of the park where the body was found and fabricate a story where the dead girl had stumbled upon the grow op and was then murdered for it. There was no evidence at all connecting him to the murder, just the fact that the 3 kids had seen him leaving the park on the afternoon that the body was found. I don’t believe for one hot minute that this man would have been arrested and put away for the murder when there was zero evidence/DNA linking him to the crime.
Bad red herring out the of way, spotting the killer was something that I was able to do the moment that they met him. Piecing together the fragments of this mystery was not challenging at all and reading through the story just felt like I was waiting for every character to finally catch up with me. While I did breeze through this one, I can’t say that it was a remarkable experience at all and this won’t be a book that I recommend any time soon, or ever.
--
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
April 25, 2020
My rating is based on this being a book for teens, which I don't think I knew it was when I added it to my tbr list several years ago.
The kids in this book are all members of a teen Search and Rescue group, helping their local police department look for a missing person who accidentally come across a body. This body, a murder victim has nothing to do with the search they are called in on, and they also run into the murderer without realizing it.
It was a suspenseful book, and a pretty good read for an adult, too. My friends and I would have enjoyed reading it and discussing it. I grew up in the era of After School Special Movies. This would have made a good one.
The kids in this book are all members of a teen Search and Rescue group, helping their local police department look for a missing person who accidentally come across a body. This body, a murder victim has nothing to do with the search they are called in on, and they also run into the murderer without realizing it.
It was a suspenseful book, and a pretty good read for an adult, too. My friends and I would have enjoyed reading it and discussing it. I grew up in the era of After School Special Movies. This would have made a good one.
February 9, 2024
Oooh! This book was good! I loveeeeee how they told the story from the killer's point of view. It was fascinating. Ruby is literally me. I KNEW IT WAS BECKER SYDUFGCESDYGHJGAEWUYSJUKDH. I got a bit carried away there... Also, Alexis and Bran are so cuteeeeeee! The only thing I didn't like about this book was the ending. I was hoping for something a little more dramatic. It's still super cute though! I like all the little questions the author answered at the end. So silly! I haaaaaaated the part when Nick broke the guy's nose. Ewwwwjjequywdwhjvdgftewdgh. I was imagining it in my head and it was... ew. Anyways, I would definitely recommend this book!!! :)
June 18, 2014
This and other reviews are on my blog My Friends Are Fiction
An arc of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Story:
The Body in the Woods was overall a fun, fast and easy read. It was interesting enough to keep me reading though the mystery side of it wasn’t as difficult to figure out as I would have liked. Henry’s writing style was absorbing and kept me flipping the pages but I almost think this would have worked better as a middle grade book.
Where this story did stand out was the amount of research the author put into writing about Search and Rescue. I loved seeing the way the team worked together and I felt that the descriptions of their work to be the most interesting parts of the book. I’ve not read a novel that ventured so deeply into SAR so this was a welcomed aspect.
The police investigation and detective work were not done nearly as well. I was distracted by the detective assigned to the case and his lack of skill in his work. I can’t imagine, or would rather not imagine, that a seasoned detective would be incapable of coming across some basic and easy to see clues. I felt that the case he built about his suspect was feeble and detracted from the story. The idea that the three teenager leads would be more inclined to see the obvious bothered me and took some of the credibility from the story.
The Characters:
I never was able to really connect to any of the characters though Ruby was the most interesting. I enjoyed her awkward nature and her interest in murders, birds and detective work. It was always alluded that she was not a ‘normal’ teen though no diagnosis was ever given. Since the story jumped around from all the characters point of view you were given little highlight about their lives. I enjoyed the sections with Ruby the most.
The other characters always felt two dimensional to me though there were details given about their lives. Alexis, our other female lead, deals with some serious issues within the story. Even with a parent suffering from mental illness I never was able to really feel for Alexis. Her relationship with her trauma counselor felt barely there and honestly, I think more time could have been given to each of the characters.
Nick, the male lead, was the least acknowledged to me. Though he played an important role in the plot development I never felt all that sure of his personality. If the sequels deal with these same characters I imagine we’ll learn more about each of them as it goes on.
Henry also wrote from the killer’s point of view. I’m never sure how I feel about that to be honest. In this book I felt that it didn’t add all that much and could have done without it. I felt that because we saw the clues in his sections it made the mystery part a lot easier to see coming.
Final Thoughts:
Though The Body in the Woods was an entertaining read nothing really stood out about the plot or characters. For a quick, fun, summer read I’d say this was a good read but don’t expect to feel terrified for the characters or become overly invested in their personal stories.
An arc of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Story:
The Body in the Woods was overall a fun, fast and easy read. It was interesting enough to keep me reading though the mystery side of it wasn’t as difficult to figure out as I would have liked. Henry’s writing style was absorbing and kept me flipping the pages but I almost think this would have worked better as a middle grade book.
Where this story did stand out was the amount of research the author put into writing about Search and Rescue. I loved seeing the way the team worked together and I felt that the descriptions of their work to be the most interesting parts of the book. I’ve not read a novel that ventured so deeply into SAR so this was a welcomed aspect.
The police investigation and detective work were not done nearly as well. I was distracted by the detective assigned to the case and his lack of skill in his work. I can’t imagine, or would rather not imagine, that a seasoned detective would be incapable of coming across some basic and easy to see clues. I felt that the case he built about his suspect was feeble and detracted from the story. The idea that the three teenager leads would be more inclined to see the obvious bothered me and took some of the credibility from the story.
The Characters:
I never was able to really connect to any of the characters though Ruby was the most interesting. I enjoyed her awkward nature and her interest in murders, birds and detective work. It was always alluded that she was not a ‘normal’ teen though no diagnosis was ever given. Since the story jumped around from all the characters point of view you were given little highlight about their lives. I enjoyed the sections with Ruby the most.
The other characters always felt two dimensional to me though there were details given about their lives. Alexis, our other female lead, deals with some serious issues within the story. Even with a parent suffering from mental illness I never was able to really feel for Alexis. Her relationship with her trauma counselor felt barely there and honestly, I think more time could have been given to each of the characters.
Nick, the male lead, was the least acknowledged to me. Though he played an important role in the plot development I never felt all that sure of his personality. If the sequels deal with these same characters I imagine we’ll learn more about each of them as it goes on.
Henry also wrote from the killer’s point of view. I’m never sure how I feel about that to be honest. In this book I felt that it didn’t add all that much and could have done without it. I felt that because we saw the clues in his sections it made the mystery part a lot easier to see coming.
Final Thoughts:
Though The Body in the Woods was an entertaining read nothing really stood out about the plot or characters. For a quick, fun, summer read I’d say this was a good read but don’t expect to feel terrified for the characters or become overly invested in their personal stories.
December 5, 2017
This is a book in a crime series about three teens who belong to an search and rescue unit that looks for missing people. On one of their searches they find a dead girl in the woods and so they set out to find her killer. I liked the way this book is aimed at young adults; there is no sexual or graphic content which means it is suitable for younger readers who like this genre. An easy read with short chapters; USA setting. Not a deep and meaningful read but ok..
December 6, 2016
Not for me personally, maybe it's because all I read are murder books but...
May 30, 2024
This book sits a little uncomfortably between several genres. It's part old school mystery, the type where there is a genteel murder which is just shocking enough to cause some excitement over tea. From this, we get the gallery of suspects, the unprofessional detective, the reliance on "clues", and the general lack of any deep rooted problems stemming from the murders.
It's also part thriller, in that we get the point of view of the serial killer, so we know what he's after and why, and the tension comes from whether the innocents will figure it out and escape.
And we get a kind of angsty high school drama/comedy, where the main issue is the family and friends of the main character(s) and whether they are going to fit in.
None of these aspects was done particularly well (or badly), especially considering that this is very much a YA book. But at the same time, I did not feel like they fit very well together, especially the veering between it being a traditional mystery and a thriller.
The story involves three misfit high school students who meet while volunteering in Portland's Search and Rescue service. On their first actual mission, to locate an autistic person lost in the woods, they stumble upon the body of a dead girl instead. Of course, the local police are totally inept at solving this crime, so it is up to these three to do it instead.
All three of them are socially maladapted, lack friends, and think of themselves as outcasts. So basically we have Hercule Poirot meets John Hughes, with a slight touch of Hannibal Lecter thrown in. Before stumbling on the body, they run into five different men along the path. This is the gallery of suspects. It's not clear why the killer couldn't have hidden in the woods, or left by some other path, but one of these guys must be the killer because that's the way these mysteries go.
Then, early on, we get the killers point of view, showing that he would really like to kill the redhead among our group of three. At first, this intrusion just struck me as weird. Later, the author uses one of the killer's POV chapters to give away the mystery, which would be terrible except that it was already pretty obvious. Thus the mystery/thriller part of this book didn't work that well for me.
The interesting thing in the book for me was the exploration of normality/dysfunction. Ruby knows she is not normal, but she would like to be and her parents are pushing very hard for her to behave in a way that they consider normal. We, of course, take sides with Ruby on this. Alexis is very "normal" but her mom suffers from some mental illness, probably bi-polar. Alexis wants her mom to be normal, and we are pre-disposed to side with her, though there's a tension between this and what's going on with Ruby.
The third main character doesn't fit in so well with this. Nick wants to be seen as brave and a hero, though it appears at the beginning that he is a bit of a coward. He's living up to the memory of his father, who died in military service. On the other hand, the killer, who is our final POV, does fit with this theme very well, because he's decidedly not normal. Unfortunately, we learn little about him except what is needed to drive the plot.
Overall, this made for on OK, but not particularly interesting YA mystery. Apparently, it was good enough to spawn at least one more, since it's advertised as a "Point Last Seen" mystery. And for me, they have that right, its the last I will see of this series.
It's also part thriller, in that we get the point of view of the serial killer, so we know what he's after and why, and the tension comes from whether the innocents will figure it out and escape.
And we get a kind of angsty high school drama/comedy, where the main issue is the family and friends of the main character(s) and whether they are going to fit in.
None of these aspects was done particularly well (or badly), especially considering that this is very much a YA book. But at the same time, I did not feel like they fit very well together, especially the veering between it being a traditional mystery and a thriller.
The story involves three misfit high school students who meet while volunteering in Portland's Search and Rescue service. On their first actual mission, to locate an autistic person lost in the woods, they stumble upon the body of a dead girl instead. Of course, the local police are totally inept at solving this crime, so it is up to these three to do it instead.
All three of them are socially maladapted, lack friends, and think of themselves as outcasts. So basically we have Hercule Poirot meets John Hughes, with a slight touch of Hannibal Lecter thrown in. Before stumbling on the body, they run into five different men along the path. This is the gallery of suspects. It's not clear why the killer couldn't have hidden in the woods, or left by some other path, but one of these guys must be the killer because that's the way these mysteries go.
Then, early on, we get the killers point of view, showing that he would really like to kill the redhead among our group of three. At first, this intrusion just struck me as weird. Later, the author uses one of the killer's POV chapters to give away the mystery, which would be terrible except that it was already pretty obvious. Thus the mystery/thriller part of this book didn't work that well for me.
The interesting thing in the book for me was the exploration of normality/dysfunction. Ruby knows she is not normal, but she would like to be and her parents are pushing very hard for her to behave in a way that they consider normal. We, of course, take sides with Ruby on this. Alexis is very "normal" but her mom suffers from some mental illness, probably bi-polar. Alexis wants her mom to be normal, and we are pre-disposed to side with her, though there's a tension between this and what's going on with Ruby.
The third main character doesn't fit in so well with this. Nick wants to be seen as brave and a hero, though it appears at the beginning that he is a bit of a coward. He's living up to the memory of his father, who died in military service. On the other hand, the killer, who is our final POV, does fit with this theme very well, because he's decidedly not normal. Unfortunately, we learn little about him except what is needed to drive the plot.
Overall, this made for on OK, but not particularly interesting YA mystery. Apparently, it was good enough to spawn at least one more, since it's advertised as a "Point Last Seen" mystery. And for me, they have that right, its the last I will see of this series.
November 14, 2025
If a mind-twisting, page-turning, unable-to-put-down mystery thriller is what you seek from this book, I suggest looking elsewhere.
Do not misunderstand me: this was an alright book. It can, in part, pull you to the edge of your seat and keep you invested just enough to keep reading. If this was not the case, I would not have bothered to finish the book. (Though I was close to serval times.)
This book does contain several complex, heavy, and sometimes uncomfortable themes that some might find triggering. So, reader discretion is advised.
Possible triggering themes include:
Disparaging depictions of women in their teens and early 20s (the killer's main targets ); references to sexual undertones (at times the book reads as if the killer has a sort of power-play or domination kink they "gets off on" while in the act of killing); stalking, kidnapping, drug use, homelessness, financial instability, harsh depictions of poor mental health, semi-glorifying being killed in action( KIA), and a morally-gray/questionable portrayal of autism or autistic traits.
*Major Spoilers ahead*
Taking place in Portland Oregon's woods, our cast of soon-to-be teenage detectives include Alexis, Nick, and Ruby.
In short:
Alexis has mommy issues coupled with financial instability, Nick has daddy issues coupled with a hero complex, and Ruby reads as undiagnosed autism.
"The Body in the Woods" is a teen mystery that you might find predictable with some fairly heavy, close-hitting themes that some could find too triggering to continue.
The book outright tells you who the killer is by writing serval chapters from the killer's POV. (Admittedly, the full name of the killer is kept hidden for just a moment longer as his name-- Becker-- is kept out of the chapter's written from his POV). Becker seemingly gets his rocks off on stalking, drugging, and strangling young homeless girls. These chapters from his POV were uncomfortable and at times difficult to read though.
The ending to this story made me want to throw the book across the room. The unbridled disgust, bemusement, dissatisfaction, and range all from a single line was honestly quite astonishing.
...
A mystery. A thriller! That ends with a shitty kiss.
Overall:
Alexis gets the most character development of the three. That is to say, she takes three steps forward and one step back compared to Nick's and Ruby's one step forward, one step back.
Alexis is emotionally withdrawn due to balancing being a daughter to an, as the book puts it, mentally unwell mother while simultaneously trying to make herself stand out for financial aid while applying for college. This comes in the form of begrudgingly volunteering with Portland County's search and rescue and how she primarily interacts with the other two protagonists.
It is Alexis who discovers a teenage girl's body in the woods; Alexis who interacts the least with the, in all honestly, idiotic obsession of uncovering the killer but is somehow the person who uncovers the killer's true identity (reader notwithstanding); and in the in that last few chapters it is Alexis who saves the day when the killer has successfully drugged+stranged Ruby (his next victim) and stabbed Nick. These last few chapters really make Alexis feel more like a trauma-dumped Mary Sue of a character than a complex rough-out character the book was initially setting up.
Then! To top it all off, the very last chapter involves Alexis going on a totally-not-date-date in a cafe with Bran. (Bran is a fellow teenage volunteer who volunteers with some sort of trauma therapy group within Portland. He helped comfort her when she discovered the body in the woods.) What is most annoying about this interaction is that Bran is not even sure if he and Alexis are friends! They have this really awkward and strained relationship that just feels uncomfortable to read through-- like stepping in a plate of jello only to watch in trapped horror as someone picks up a spoon to start eating.
...
The last passage of the book describes Bran tentatively asking if they are friends... only for Alexis to lean across the table and kiss him!
Thats it! That's how this mystery of a novel ends! With an unconsentual kiss!!! (I cannot stress enough how much I disliked this ending.)
Final thoughts:
Ultimately, "The Body in the Woods" seems to include such heavy topics and pulls from reality (eg. homelessness) to, yes, tie the book to reality. However, this seems to be more ingrained to maintain the reader's attention than to add any world-building, flavor, or thrill that this book is claiming. "The Body in the Woods" is not a complex murder mystery and that's okay! It is a simple "thriller" mystery generated for pre-teen to teenage readers. However, I do think that these readers deserve a book that is more thought-provoking than this book can provide. Several of the sidelined characters and plot points of this book relates to homelessness, financial instability, and mental health. Most of these are, for the most part, left unresolved by the conclusion. It often seems that this book is more content on needlessly swinging around complex issues to add to the overall shock value than use these complexities to create a reality-drawn storyline.
A good murder mystery will pull the reader into trying to solve the case before the characters. It will supply enough information to leave a trail of clues to piece together and examine like shards of glass from a broken stained glass mural. That's part of the fun. An even better novel will artfully handle a nosy reader if they get too close to the answer. Or better yet, if the reader reaches the predetermined end, unmasking the forgone identity of the mysterious killer, this conclusion does not conclude the novel. Instead, it inspires fear. Fear for the characters who have yet to piece it all together. The reader should be enthralled to the very last word. (And don't end your book with a kiss unless there is an actual romance! Young adult should not have to correlate with goo-goo eyes or unprompted spit swapping.)
Do not misunderstand me: this was an alright book. It can, in part, pull you to the edge of your seat and keep you invested just enough to keep reading. If this was not the case, I would not have bothered to finish the book. (Though I was close to serval times.)
This book does contain several complex, heavy, and sometimes uncomfortable themes that some might find triggering. So, reader discretion is advised.
Possible triggering themes include:
Disparaging depictions of women in their teens and early 20s (the killer's main targets ); references to sexual undertones (at times the book reads as if the killer has a sort of power-play or domination kink they "gets off on" while in the act of killing); stalking, kidnapping, drug use, homelessness, financial instability, harsh depictions of poor mental health, semi-glorifying being killed in action( KIA), and a morally-gray/questionable portrayal of autism or autistic traits.
*Major Spoilers ahead*
Taking place in Portland Oregon's woods, our cast of soon-to-be teenage detectives include Alexis, Nick, and Ruby.
In short:
Alexis has mommy issues coupled with financial instability, Nick has daddy issues coupled with a hero complex, and Ruby reads as undiagnosed autism.
"The Body in the Woods" is a teen mystery that you might find predictable with some fairly heavy, close-hitting themes that some could find too triggering to continue.
The book outright tells you who the killer is by writing serval chapters from the killer's POV. (Admittedly, the full name of the killer is kept hidden for just a moment longer as his name-- Becker-- is kept out of the chapter's written from his POV). Becker seemingly gets his rocks off on stalking, drugging, and strangling young homeless girls. These chapters from his POV were uncomfortable and at times difficult to read though.
The ending to this story made me want to throw the book across the room. The unbridled disgust, bemusement, dissatisfaction, and range all from a single line was honestly quite astonishing.
...
A mystery. A thriller! That ends with a shitty kiss.
Overall:
Alexis gets the most character development of the three. That is to say, she takes three steps forward and one step back compared to Nick's and Ruby's one step forward, one step back.
Alexis is emotionally withdrawn due to balancing being a daughter to an, as the book puts it, mentally unwell mother while simultaneously trying to make herself stand out for financial aid while applying for college. This comes in the form of begrudgingly volunteering with Portland County's search and rescue and how she primarily interacts with the other two protagonists.
It is Alexis who discovers a teenage girl's body in the woods; Alexis who interacts the least with the, in all honestly, idiotic obsession of uncovering the killer but is somehow the person who uncovers the killer's true identity (reader notwithstanding); and in the in that last few chapters it is Alexis who saves the day when the killer has successfully drugged+stranged Ruby (his next victim) and stabbed Nick. These last few chapters really make Alexis feel more like a trauma-dumped Mary Sue of a character than a complex rough-out character the book was initially setting up.
Then! To top it all off, the very last chapter involves Alexis going on a totally-not-date-date in a cafe with Bran. (Bran is a fellow teenage volunteer who volunteers with some sort of trauma therapy group within Portland. He helped comfort her when she discovered the body in the woods.) What is most annoying about this interaction is that Bran is not even sure if he and Alexis are friends! They have this really awkward and strained relationship that just feels uncomfortable to read through-- like stepping in a plate of jello only to watch in trapped horror as someone picks up a spoon to start eating.
...
The last passage of the book describes Bran tentatively asking if they are friends... only for Alexis to lean across the table and kiss him!
Thats it! That's how this mystery of a novel ends! With an unconsentual kiss!!! (I cannot stress enough how much I disliked this ending.)
Final thoughts:
Ultimately, "The Body in the Woods" seems to include such heavy topics and pulls from reality (eg. homelessness) to, yes, tie the book to reality. However, this seems to be more ingrained to maintain the reader's attention than to add any world-building, flavor, or thrill that this book is claiming. "The Body in the Woods" is not a complex murder mystery and that's okay! It is a simple "thriller" mystery generated for pre-teen to teenage readers. However, I do think that these readers deserve a book that is more thought-provoking than this book can provide. Several of the sidelined characters and plot points of this book relates to homelessness, financial instability, and mental health. Most of these are, for the most part, left unresolved by the conclusion. It often seems that this book is more content on needlessly swinging around complex issues to add to the overall shock value than use these complexities to create a reality-drawn storyline.
A good murder mystery will pull the reader into trying to solve the case before the characters. It will supply enough information to leave a trail of clues to piece together and examine like shards of glass from a broken stained glass mural. That's part of the fun. An even better novel will artfully handle a nosy reader if they get too close to the answer. Or better yet, if the reader reaches the predetermined end, unmasking the forgone identity of the mysterious killer, this conclusion does not conclude the novel. Instead, it inspires fear. Fear for the characters who have yet to piece it all together. The reader should be enthralled to the very last word. (And don't end your book with a kiss unless there is an actual romance! Young adult should not have to correlate with goo-goo eyes or unprompted spit swapping.)
April 26, 2020
The ending had me holding my breath! 9/10 recommend this book. There were many twists and turns, along with unexpected surprises! April Henry writes with such good enthusiasm, and I was hooked on this book from the start! Definitely was not expecting who the serial killer would turn out to be.
June 27, 2025
3.5 stars. Audiobook. It was a nice quick easy lesson. I enjoyed the plot, but there were some predict abilities to the storyline. Specifically when the detective did not believe the three kids. Especially when they caught the first “Killer” you always know that the first suspect is never actually the killer. The character Bran could’ve been completely eliminated or developed more. I don’t know how I feel about him as he was just kind of there as a romance plot device. Also, who named their kid Bran? Maybe I heard it wrong.
April 17, 2019
It was really good.
August 1, 2022
it was good!! good climax and plot twists and plot in general. solid 4 stars, would recommend :)
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