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In the Crosshairs: A Novel
A school principal is plunged into the crosshairs
On the first day of the school year, Carlisle High School principal Abbie Chambers is elated. After two years of distance- and hybrid-learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s over the moon about a return to normalcy. But when driving home at the end of the day, she learns that sophomore Claudia Barrington has been reported missing and was last seen at her home two days earlier. Abbie is once again blindsided by the reminder that high school is a cross-section of society that includes not only the good but also the terminal illnesses, vehicle accidents, drug overdoses, suicides, and now this. Unless Claudia is found, the new school year will be a profoundly tragic one.
Despite the best efforts of detective Robert Henderson to uncover evidence and establish leads, weeks and months pass with no sign of Claudia. And then gunshots ring out on the Carlisle High School campus.
About the Author
Helen Gladden is a retired high school and middle school principal, as well as a former English teacher. She grew up in Oakland, California and earned a B.A. in Rhetoric from U.C. Berkeley and an M.S. in Educational Leadership from California State University, East Bay. Helen lives with her husband in Northern California.
Praise for In the Crosshairs
“...both page-turning and a procedural that never loses sight of the human costs behind headlines and rumors. Highly recommended.”
—Valerie Saul, author of The Badass a Mystery
“...will keep you up reading way past your bedtime.”
—Julia Underwood, author of six published novels including Protection in Paradise and Talon and the Songbird.
“I was hooked by the jolting first scene of In the Crosshairs and read non-stop to the end. It’s that good! ”
—Linda Milanese, author of WTF??! I’m Old!
On the first day of the school year, Carlisle High School principal Abbie Chambers is elated. After two years of distance- and hybrid-learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s over the moon about a return to normalcy. But when driving home at the end of the day, she learns that sophomore Claudia Barrington has been reported missing and was last seen at her home two days earlier. Abbie is once again blindsided by the reminder that high school is a cross-section of society that includes not only the good but also the terminal illnesses, vehicle accidents, drug overdoses, suicides, and now this. Unless Claudia is found, the new school year will be a profoundly tragic one.
Despite the best efforts of detective Robert Henderson to uncover evidence and establish leads, weeks and months pass with no sign of Claudia. And then gunshots ring out on the Carlisle High School campus.
About the Author
Helen Gladden is a retired high school and middle school principal, as well as a former English teacher. She grew up in Oakland, California and earned a B.A. in Rhetoric from U.C. Berkeley and an M.S. in Educational Leadership from California State University, East Bay. Helen lives with her husband in Northern California.
Praise for In the Crosshairs
“...both page-turning and a procedural that never loses sight of the human costs behind headlines and rumors. Highly recommended.”
—Valerie Saul, author of The Badass a Mystery
“...will keep you up reading way past your bedtime.”
—Julia Underwood, author of six published novels including Protection in Paradise and Talon and the Songbird.
“I was hooked by the jolting first scene of In the Crosshairs and read non-stop to the end. It’s that good! ”
—Linda Milanese, author of WTF??! I’m Old!
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 26, 2026
In the Crosshairs by Helen Gladden is a tense, fast-moving suspense novel that captures how quickly a school community can fracture when fear takes over. Set at Carlisle High School, the novel begins in the midst of a crisis at a graduation ceremony before rewinding a year to reveal the devastating events that brought Principal Abbie Chambers and her students there.
Abbie begins the school year hopeful that Carlisle can finally return to something resembling normal after years of pandemic disruption. But that hope collapses almost immediately when sophomore Claudia Barrington disappears without a trace. As weeks turn into months and Detective Robert Henderson finds no meaningful leads, uncertainty hardens into suspicion. Then gunshots on campus turn an already traumatized community into the scene of an unthinkable emergency.
Gladden understands that the damage of a crisis does not end with the event itself. The disappearance at the center of this novel sends shockwaves through every layer of the school community: students, families, staff, neighbors, and law enforcement. In the absence of answers, people fill the silence with assumptions. Rumors become accusations, and feelings are treated as proof. The novel is particularly effective in showing how quickly people can point fingers without facts and how those accusations can detonate lives.
At the center of it all is Abbie, a principal who has to keep moving even as the world around her becomes increasingly unstable. I appreciated her steadiness. She is dealing with immense professional pressure, the fear and grief of a missing student, the responsibility of protecting the young people in her care, and her own health concerns. Yet she remains focused on what matters: her students and her community.
The novel also does not shy away from the ugliness that can surface during moments of public panic. The racism directed at Abbie’s husband by a neighbor adds another painful dimension to the story, showing that fear often gives people permission to expose prejudices that were already there. Those moments make the book feel more than simply a mystery; it is also a portrait of how a community behaves when its sense of safety is shattered.
In the Crosshairs is a gripping school-based mystery that balances escalating suspense with an emotionally grounded look at leadership, prejudice, public judgment, and the terrible consequences of misinformation. The opening crisis creates immediate urgency, while the structure—moving back a year to explain how everything unraveled—kept me invested in the question of what happened to Claudia and how Carlisle reached such a breaking point.
A compelling read for anyone who enjoys suspense that is as interested in the human fallout of a crime as it is in solving it.
Abbie begins the school year hopeful that Carlisle can finally return to something resembling normal after years of pandemic disruption. But that hope collapses almost immediately when sophomore Claudia Barrington disappears without a trace. As weeks turn into months and Detective Robert Henderson finds no meaningful leads, uncertainty hardens into suspicion. Then gunshots on campus turn an already traumatized community into the scene of an unthinkable emergency.
Gladden understands that the damage of a crisis does not end with the event itself. The disappearance at the center of this novel sends shockwaves through every layer of the school community: students, families, staff, neighbors, and law enforcement. In the absence of answers, people fill the silence with assumptions. Rumors become accusations, and feelings are treated as proof. The novel is particularly effective in showing how quickly people can point fingers without facts and how those accusations can detonate lives.
At the center of it all is Abbie, a principal who has to keep moving even as the world around her becomes increasingly unstable. I appreciated her steadiness. She is dealing with immense professional pressure, the fear and grief of a missing student, the responsibility of protecting the young people in her care, and her own health concerns. Yet she remains focused on what matters: her students and her community.
The novel also does not shy away from the ugliness that can surface during moments of public panic. The racism directed at Abbie’s husband by a neighbor adds another painful dimension to the story, showing that fear often gives people permission to expose prejudices that were already there. Those moments make the book feel more than simply a mystery; it is also a portrait of how a community behaves when its sense of safety is shattered.
In the Crosshairs is a gripping school-based mystery that balances escalating suspense with an emotionally grounded look at leadership, prejudice, public judgment, and the terrible consequences of misinformation. The opening crisis creates immediate urgency, while the structure—moving back a year to explain how everything unraveled—kept me invested in the question of what happened to Claudia and how Carlisle reached such a breaking point.
A compelling read for anyone who enjoys suspense that is as interested in the human fallout of a crime as it is in solving it.
October 22, 2026
A gripping, contemporary novel, IN THE CROSSHAIRS dives deep into the life of high school principal, Abbie Chambers, whose hopeful reentry into in-school learning after the pandemic is immediately thrown into crisis when one of the students suddenly and inexplicably goes missing.
With each chapter titled by how many days that student is missing, the tension and anxiety amongst the entire community ramps up, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat as they traverse, along with the characters, the torturous days, discoveries, events, and emotions that accompany the search. Abbie and the main detective on the case, Robert Henderson, carry the narrative forward, their goals and urgencies sometimes clashing, when, to add excruciating weight to their burden, two events follow: Abbie’s discovery of a breast cancer tumor, and a school shooting.
The pile-on is explosive, on both personal and professional ends, but we are invested, and walk with Abbie through her health journey, and the one that leads this story to its powerful and emotional conclusion.
Beautifully written and realized by author Helen Gladden, it’s a book that holds your attention and emotions on so many different levels it’s impossible to put down. A high recommend.
With each chapter titled by how many days that student is missing, the tension and anxiety amongst the entire community ramps up, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat as they traverse, along with the characters, the torturous days, discoveries, events, and emotions that accompany the search. Abbie and the main detective on the case, Robert Henderson, carry the narrative forward, their goals and urgencies sometimes clashing, when, to add excruciating weight to their burden, two events follow: Abbie’s discovery of a breast cancer tumor, and a school shooting.
The pile-on is explosive, on both personal and professional ends, but we are invested, and walk with Abbie through her health journey, and the one that leads this story to its powerful and emotional conclusion.
Beautifully written and realized by author Helen Gladden, it’s a book that holds your attention and emotions on so many different levels it’s impossible to put down. A high recommend.
October 22, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher.
In the Crosshairs is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that blends suspense with a realistic look at the challenges facing school administrators. Through principal Abbie Chambers, Helen N. Gladden explores the difficult balance between leadership, student safety, and the responsibility of protecting a school community when tragedy strikes. The disappearance of a student and the threat of gun violence create an atmosphere of uncertainty that keeps the story engaging while raising important questions about the pressures educators face. The novel’s greatest strength is its reminder that school leaders are human beings navigating complex situations, often with no easy answers. I appreciated the book’s timely subject matter and its attention to the emotional weight of responsibility. A few aspects could have benefited from deeper development, but overall, this is a worthwhile read that combines mystery with meaningful social commentary. Four stars for a relevant, engaging story that encourages readers to look beyond the headlines and consider the people caught in the crosshairs.
In the Crosshairs is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that blends suspense with a realistic look at the challenges facing school administrators. Through principal Abbie Chambers, Helen N. Gladden explores the difficult balance between leadership, student safety, and the responsibility of protecting a school community when tragedy strikes. The disappearance of a student and the threat of gun violence create an atmosphere of uncertainty that keeps the story engaging while raising important questions about the pressures educators face. The novel’s greatest strength is its reminder that school leaders are human beings navigating complex situations, often with no easy answers. I appreciated the book’s timely subject matter and its attention to the emotional weight of responsibility. A few aspects could have benefited from deeper development, but overall, this is a worthwhile read that combines mystery with meaningful social commentary. Four stars for a relevant, engaging story that encourages readers to look beyond the headlines and consider the people caught in the crosshairs.
October 11, 2026
Wow. I love how we jumped directly into the crisis to immediately be drawn in, then were sent back one year ago where it all began. Immediately hooked. This author also did a great job illustrating how wide the effect of just one incident can spread, and how greatly it can impact everyone involved. It also pinpoints just how cruel some people can be in a time of panic and fear, and how they will use that as an excuse to bring up their own hidden prejudices. For me, that took this a step further than just being your typical read. It really puts things into perspective and makes you think. Also, good for Abbie for always managing to hold it down no matter what is coming her way! This was a great take on a scary subject and incredibly eye opening as well.
Thank you so much Helen Gladden and Netgalley for my gifted arc in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you so much Helen Gladden and Netgalley for my gifted arc in exchange for my honest review!
August 26, 2026
What an engaging and nuanced look at the life and tribulations of a public school principal! As a retired educator, I really loved this book so much. It was also such an enthralling crime drama. Helen Gladden is a gifted writer and creates a world that pulls the reader in from the very first scene. I cannot recommend more highly. Buy this book; you will not regret it.
September 9, 2026
The use of a post-covid back-to-school setting turns into a brilliant device for revealing American challenges large and small. The school administrator's point of view reveals rarely considered perspectives that deserve greater empathy than they typically receive. I highly recommend this original and well-written book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews