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)
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
Narrated by Cristina Panfilio
April HenryUnabridged — 5 hours, 24 minutes
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
Narrated by Cristina Panfilio
April HenryUnabridged — 5 hours, 24 minutes
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Overview
"Take her out back and finish her off."
She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that two men are arguing over whether or not to kill her.
And that she must run.
Editorial Reviews
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 page—in which men are taking Cady out to kill her—to 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, which—paired with a relentlessly fast pace—ensures a tense read.” —Publishers Weekly on Girl, Stolen
09/01/2013
Gr 9 Up—Henry fans will be pleased with her latest thriller (Holt, 2013). Cady wakes up not knowing who she is or what has happened to her. Two of her finger nails have been pulled out and she's being held captive by two men who want her dead. Over the next 48 hours, she must unravel the mystery of who she is, try to save herself and her family, and bring down a biological weapons scheme. With only one ally, Ty, a teen whom she meets while on the run, the odds are not stacked in her favor. The plot is solid and moves quickly. Some details seem to be given too readily by the enemy, but listeners will forgive this because of the fast action and believable characters. Cristina Panfilio's narration helps to build suspense and she represents all of the characters with varying inflections. Give this title to fans of Henry's Girl, Stolen (Holt, 2010) or Caroline B. Cooney's Code Orange (Delacorte, 2005).—Rebecca Flannery, Lyman Memorial High School, Lebanon, CT
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)
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172495335 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
| Publication date: | 06/11/2013 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
DAY 1, 4:51 P.M.
I wake up.
But wake up isn’t quite right. That implies sleeping. A bed. A pillow.
I come to.
Instead of a pillow, my right cheek is pressed against something hard, rough, and gritty. A worn wood floor.
My mouth tastes like old pennies. Blood. With my eyes still closed, I gently touch my teeth with my tongue. One of them feels loose. The inside of my mouth is shredded and sore. My head aches and there’s a faint buzzing in one ear.
And something is wrong with my left hand. The tips of my pinkie and ring finger throb with every beat of my heart. The pain is sharp and red.
Two men are talking, their voices a low murmur. Something about no one coming for me. Something about it’s too late.
I decide to keep my eyes closed. Not to move. I’m not sure I could anyway. It’s not only my tooth that feels wrong.
Footsteps move closer to me. A shoe kicks me in the ribs. Not very hard. More like a nudge. Still, I don’t allow myself to react. Through slitted eyes, I see two pairs of men’s shoes. One pair of brown boots and one pair of red-brown dress shoes that shade to black on the toes. A distant part of me thinks the color is called oxblood.
“She doesn’t know anything,” a man says. He doesn’t sound angry or even upset. It’s a simple statement of fact.
I realize he’s right. I don’t know anything. What’s wrong with me, where I am, who they are. And when I try to think about who I am, what I get is: nothing. A big gray hole. All I know for sure is that I must be in trouble.
“I need to get back to Portland and follow our leads there,” the other man says. “You need to take care of things here. Take her out back and finish her off.”
“But she’s just a kid,” the first man says. His tone is not quite so neutral now.
“A kid?” The second man’s voice hardens. “If she talks to the cops, she could get us both sent to death row. It’s either her or us. It’s that simple.” His footsteps move away from me. “Call me when you’re done.”
The other man nudges me with his foot again. A little harder this time.
Behind me, I hear a door open and close.
“Come on. Get up.” With a sigh, he leans over and grabs me under my arms. Grunting, he hauls me up from behind. His breath smells bitter, like coffee. I try to keep my body limp, but when my left hand brushes the floor, the pain in my fingers is an electric shock. My legs stiffen and he pulls me to my feet.
“That’s right,” he says, nudging me forward while still holding me up. “We’re going to take a little walk.”
Since he already knows that I’m conscious, I figure I can open my eyes halfway. We’re in what looks like a cabin, with knotty pine walls and a black wood-burning stove. Yellow stuffing spills from sliced cushions on an old plaid couch and a green high-backed chair. Books lie splayed below an emptied bookcase. Someone was obviously looking for something, but I don’t know what, and I don’t know if they found it. Past the red-and-white-checkered curtains lie nothing but fir trees.
With the guy’s arm clamped around my shoulders, I stumble past a table with four wood chairs. One of them is turned away from the table. Ropes loosely encircle the arms. A pair of bloody pliers sits on the table next to what seems like two silver-white chips mostly painted pink.
I look down at my limp left hand. Pink polish on three of the nails. The tips of the last two fingers are wet and red where nails used to be.
I think I know where I was before I ended up on the floor.
I keep every step small and shuffling so that he’s half carrying me. It’s not easy because he’s not much bigger than me, maybe five foot nine. The guy mutters under his breath, but that’s all. Maybe he doesn’t want to get to where we are going any more than I do. The back door is about twenty feet away.
Outside, a car starts up and then drives away. The only other sounds are the wind in the trees outside and the man grunting every now and then as he tries to make my body walk in a straight line.
Wherever we are, I think we’re alone. It’s just me and this guy. And once he manages to get me out the door, he’ll follow instructions.
He’ll finish me off.
Kill me.
Text copyright © 2013 by April Henry
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