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April Henry is an American New York Times-bestselling author of mystery, thriller and young adult mysteries.

Raised in a tiny sleepy town in Oregon, April started reading by the time she was three.

When she was twelve, she wrote a short story about a frog named Herman, who loved peanut butter–setting the pace for a future in writing.

By the time she was in her 30s, April was writing mind boggling books about hitmen, kidnappers, and drug dealers.

A thorough researcher for her novels with a keen eye for detail, April currently has multiple mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults to her name.

Her books, which have won an Anthony Award and an Oregon Book Award, and shortlisted for the Edgar and Agatha Awards, have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, German, Polish, French, Russian, Farsi, and Turkish.

April currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.

Whenever she isn't working, April can be found running, cooking, reading and practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

More about April Henry

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult

Born: 1959

United States

Website: https://www.aprilhenry.com/

Non Series

  • Learning to Fly (2002)
  • Shock Point (2006)
  • Torched (2009)
  • The Night She Disappeared (2012)
  • The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die (2013)
  • The Girl I Used to Be (2016)
  • The Lonely Dead (2019)
  • Run, Hide, Fight Back (2019)
  • The Girl in the White Van (2020)
  • Playing with Fire (2021)
  • Eyes of the Forest (2021)
  • Two Truths and a Lie (2022)
  • Girl Forgotten (2023)

Claire Montrose

  1. Circles of Confusion (1999)
  2. Square in the Face (2000)
  3. Heart-Shaped Box (2001)
  4. Buried Diamonds (2003)

Girl, Stolen

  1. Girl, Stolen (2010)
  2. Count All Her Bones (2017)

Omnibus Books

  1. The April Henry Mystery Collection (2016)

Point Last Seen

  1. The Body in the Woods (2014)
  2. Blood Will Tell (2015)

Triple Threat (Co-authored with Lis Wiehl)

  1. Face of Betrayal (2008)
  2. Hand of Fate (2010)
  3. Heart of Ice (2011)
  4. Eyes of Justice (2012)

Detailed book overview

Non Series

Learning to Fly

The chaotic scene of a huge, fiery chain-reaction car accident leaves Free Meeker in the possession of someone else’s bag and the hitchhiker she had just picked up dead. By the next morning, 19-year-old Free, daughter of aging hippies, has discovered that the bag contains nearly a million dollars - and that the hitchhiker’s body has been identified as hers. 

Fate seems to be handing her the chance to make her life over. But when the owner of the drug money realizes it didn’t burn up in the fire, things get complicated. And when the hitchhiker’s stalking husband decides that Free must be some do-gooder hiding his wife, well...

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2002
Ebook: B0030EG3BS
Shock Point

Sixteen-year-old Cassie's stepfather Rick is about to strike it rich with Socom, a new behavioral drug in which Rick is a big investor. But then Cassie discovers that Rick, a teen psychiatrist, has already been prescribing Socom illegally to his patients--and three teens have died.

Before she can report him, Rick has Cassie committed to Peaceful Cove, a sadistic boot camp for troubled teens in Mexico where the only way out is to graduate at age eighteen. Cassie knows she has to get out now, before more teens die from Socom. But no one has ever escaped from Peaceful Cove alive--and even if Cassie gets over the walls and survives the Mexican desert, will anyone believe her story?

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2006
ISBN: 978-0142412404
Publisher: Speak
Torched

When Ellie’s parents are busted for possession of marijuana, the FBI gives her a choice: infiltrate the Mother Earth Defenders (MED), a radical environmental group, or her parents will go to jail. 

At first Ellie is more than willing to entrap the MEDics, but the more time she spends undercover—particularly with Coyote, the green-eyed MEDic that she can’t stop thinking about—the more she starts to believe in their cause. 

When talk turns to murder, Coyote backs out, but Ellie is willing to risk everything to save her family—even if it means losing Coyote and putting her own life on the line.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2009
Ebook: B00LEUE91Q
The Night She Disappeared

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part-time as a delivery girl at Pete's Pizza. One night, Kayla―another delivery girl―goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working.

Gabie can't move beyond the fact that Kayla's fate was really meant for her. She becomes obsessed with finding Kayla and teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete's. Together they set out to prove that Kayla isn't dead―and hopefully to find her before she is.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-1250016744
Publisher: Square Fish
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

"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 there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-1250044372
Publisher: Square Fish
The Girl I Used to Be

Olivia was only three years old when her mother was killed and everyone suspected her father of murder. But his whereabouts remained a mystery. Fast forward fourteen years. New evidence now proves Olivia's father was actually murdered on the same fateful day her mother died. That means there's a killer still at large.

Now Olivia is determined to uncover who that might be. But can she do that before the killer tracks her down first?

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-1250115232
Publisher: Square Fish
The Lonely Dead

A killer is on the loose, and only one girl has the power to find him.

For Adele, the dead aren’t really dead. She can see them and even talk to them. But she’s spent years denying her gift. When she encounters her ex best friend Tori in a shallow grave in the woods and realizes that Tori is actually dead -- that gift turns into a curse. Without an alibi, Adele becomes the prime suspect in Tori’s murder. She must work with Tori’s ghost to find the real killer. But what if the killer finds Adele first?

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-1250233769
Publisher: Square Fish
Run, Hide, Fight Back

Six teens must band together to survive after a shooting breaks out.

When a deadly shooting breaks out in a Portland shopping mall, a diverse group of teens ends up trapped behind a store’s security shutter. To her own surprise, seventeen-year-old Miranda finds the others looking to her as their leader. But she’s hiding a big secret―and she’s not the only one. The group has only three choices: Run, hide, or fight back. The wrong decision will have fatal consequences.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-1250308962
Publisher: Square Fish
The Girl in the White Van

A teen is snatched outside her kung fu class and must figure out how to escape―and rescue another kidnapped victim.

When Savannah disappears soon after arguing with her mom’s boyfriend, everyone assumes she's run away. The truth is much worse. She’s been kidnapped by a man in a white van who locks her in an old trailer home, far from prying eyes.

And worse yet, Savannah’s not alone: ten months earlier, Jenny met the same fate and nearly died trying to escape. Now as the two girls wonder if he will hold them captive forever or kill them, they must join forces to break out―even if it means they die trying.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-1250791993
Publisher: Square Fish
Playing with Fire

When a fire cuts off a popular trail in the Oregon forest, a small group trapped by the flames must find another way out―or die.

Natalia is not the kind of girl who takes risks. Six years ago, she barely survived the house fire that killed her baby brother. Now she is cautious and always plays it safe. For months, her co-worker Wyatt has begged her to come hiking with him, and Natalia finally agrees.

But when a wildfire breaks out, blocking the trail back, a perfect sunny day quickly morphs into a nightmare. With no cell service, few supplies, and no clear way out of the burning forest, a group of strangers will have to become allies if they’re going to survive. Hiking in the dark, they must deal with injuries, wild animals and even a criminal on the lam―before the fire catches them.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2021
ISBN: 978-1250821249
Publisher: Square Fish
Eyes of the Forest

Bridget is RM Haldon's biggest fan. She and her mom sought refuge in Haldron's epic fantasy series Swords and Shadows while her mom was losing her battle with cancer. When Bridget met Haldon at one of his rare book signings, she impressed the author with her encyclopedic knowledge of the fantasy world he'd created. 

Bridget has been working for him ever since as he attempts to write the final book in his blockbuster sword and sorcery series. But Haldon has gone missing, and Bridget is the only person who seems concerned. Can Bridget piece together Haldon’s cryptic clues and save him before it’s too late?

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2021
ISBN: 978-1250833242
Publisher: Square Fish
Two Truths and a Lie

A group of teens are trapped in an old motel with a murderer...

Nell has always wanted to be an actor, but doubts her ability. As a member of her school’s theater program, she prefers working backstage. On the way to a contest, an unexpected blizzard strands her acting troupe in a creepy motel. 

Soon they meet a group of strangers from another high school—including the mysterious and handsome Knox, who insists they play the game Two Truths and a Lie. When it’s Nell’s turn, she draws a slip of paper inked in unfamiliar handwriting:

I like to watch people die.

I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve killed.

Suddenly a night of harmless fun turns into a matter of life and death. As guests go missing, it becomes clear that a murderer is hiding in their midst ready to strike again. In a room full of liars and performers, the truth is never quite what it seems. Nell is going to have to act like her life depends on it—because it does.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2022
Ebook: B09FJM355L
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Girl Forgotten

Piper Gray starts a true-crime podcast investigating a seventeen-year-old cold case.

Seventeen years ago, Layla Trello was murdered and her killer was never found. Enter true-crime fan Piper Gray, who is determined to reopen Layla’s case and get some answers. With the help of Jonas—who has a secret of his own—Piper starts a podcast investigating Layla’s murder. 

But as she digs deeper into the mysteries of the past, Piper begins receiving anonymous threats telling her to back off the investigation, or else. The killer is still out there, and Piper must uncover their identity before they silence her forever.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2023
Ebook: B0B5SCWN7P
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books

Claire Montrose

Circles of Confusion

Why did dear departed Aunt Cady have an exquisite old painting buried beneath World War II paraphernalia? And how can a painting so dramatically shift Claire's perspective on everything from her uninspired love life to her ho-hum job in the Oregon state custom license plate division?

MSTBF8

(must be fate)

A sophisticated art expert tells Claire the painting isn't valuable. Why, then, is she being followed, her hotel room getting ransacked, and her life being thrown in a state of havoc that reaches back to her quiet home in Portland? The closer Claire comes to the truth about her inherited masterpiece, the more questions--and trouble--she uncovers. 

Though offers of help are arriving in very intriguing packages, Claire is caught in the middle of a dangerous tug-of-war that can leave her either richer in body, soul, and bank book--or broken, battered, and pushing up daisies.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 1999
Ebook: B0032UY4B6
Square in the Face

Hapydaze

Once upon a time, Clair Montrose was a mousy employee in the Oregon State License Plate Division approving vanity plates. Now this part-time sleuth has an artist boyfriend in New York City and a quirky group of friends and family that keep her happy in Portland. But danger is never far away...

Helpp!

When her friend and former coworker, Lori, calls with an urgent request, Claire can't say no. Lori's son is ill, and his only hope is a bone marrow transplant from a sibling. Long ago, Lori had a baby -- a girl she gave up for adoption to a secretive agency. Now, she needs Clair to find her long-lost daughter.

Dangrus

Scouring the city, Claire has little to go on besides common sense and her own two feet. Using her wits, charm, and savvy sleuthing skills, she begins to dig up old secrets -- secrets someone will kill to keep buried. Now, it's not just a young boy's life hanging in the balance, but Clair's as well.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2000
Ebook: B00332FF2U
Heart-Shaped Box

When Claire Montrose first reads the invitation, she reacts with a grimace (who wouldn't?). But while some things have changed since 1979, Claire, the curious, self-conscious heroine of April Henry's previous Circles of Confusion and Square in the Face, is still tall, thin, smart, and young-looking for her years. Deciding to flaunt the traits that kept her low on the high school social pecking order 20 years ago--and also show off her gorgeous Manhattan art curator boyfriend, Dante--Claire sends in her acceptance.

But the reunion weekend's first mystery crops up when Claire and Dante check in at Ye Olde Pioneer Village. Someone has left Claire a little heart-shaped box with a picture of her teenage self inside. And the first few drinks of the reunion icebreaker party have barely been downed when Cindy Sanchez, former head cheerleader and Minor High good-time girl, is found strangled in the parking lot, with another heart-shaped box in her hand.

As usual when she's faced with a puzzle, Claire's brain goes into overdrive. The chief of police (another old classmate) arrests a hotel employee who's found with Cindy's ATM card. Suspicion also falls on Claire's old friend Logan West, who's spent most of the intervening years in a mental hospital. But Claire doesn't think either man is guilty. 

Plenty of men might have found an excuse to slip out for a few minutes of auld lang syne with Cindy: Wade, her ex-boyfriend from senior year; Jim, Claire's own high-school flame; Richard, the class geek, now a high-tech millionaire; even Cindy's jealous, possibly estranged husband, Kevin. But none of them will admit to it. As the now-subdued weekend continues, Claire tries to narrow down her short list of could-have-done-its, knowing that she and the five other remaining women who received boxes may be in the killer's sights.

Though the clues--both real and false--are numerous and contradictory enough to seem a bit confusing, the murderer may not come as a big surprise to anyone who's read a few mysteries.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2001
Ebook: B00347A5SI
Buried Diamonds

Claire Montrose discovers an engagement ring that has gone missing for 50 years. Did the young woman who owned it really commit suicide? One of Claire's elderly neighbors harbors an old secret—and will kill to keep it hidden. Past and present grow more entangled when neo-Nazis target Claire's Jewish roommate. Henry's trademark mix of quirky characters, humor, and vanity license plates also explores the persistent shadows of the past.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2003
Ebook: B00359FF58

Girl, Stolen

Girl, Stolen

Cheyenne, a blind sixteen year-old, is kidnapped and held for ransom; she must outwit her captors to get out alive.

Sixteen year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her mom fills her prescription at the pharmacy. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, their car is being stolen--with her inside! Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne, all he needed to do was steal a car for the others.

But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes―now there's a reason to keep her. What Griffin doesn't know is that Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia, she is blind. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare, and if she does, at what price?

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2010
ISBN: 978-0312674755
Publisher: Square Fish
Count All Her Bones

A teen girl sets out to save her former captor...

he never meant to steal the girl asleep in the backseat. Panicked, he took her home. His father, Roy, decided to hold Cheyenne―who is blind―for ransom. Griffin helped her escape, and now Roy is awaiting trial. 

As they prepare to testify, Griffin and Cheyenne reconnect and make plans to meet. But the plan goes wrong and Cheyenne gets captured by Roy’s henchmen―this time for the kill. Can Cheyenne free herself? And is Griffin a pawn or a player in this deadly chase?

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2017
ISBN: 978-1250158741
Publisher: Square Fish

Omnibus Books

The April Henry Mystery Collection

Nobody knows mystery like April Henry. For the first time, the New York Times-bestselling author's mysteries for young adults are all in one place.

Included in this collection:

Girl, Stolen: Cheyenne, a blind sixteen year-old, is kidnapped and held for ransom; she must outwit her captors to get out alive.

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die: She doesn't know who she is. All she knows when she comes to there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her. And that she must run.

The Night She Disappeared: What if you were targeted to be kidnapped but the kidnapper got the wrong girl?

The Point Last Seen Series (The Body in the Woods and Blood Will Tell)

Portland Search & Rescue has three new, teen volunteers in this series full of riveting suspense, where readers are thrown into a world of harrowing rescues and crime scene investigations.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2016
Ebook: B019N4X1XG
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Point Last Seen

The 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.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-1250063137
Publisher: Square Fish
Blood Will Tell

When a woman's body is found in a Portland park, suspicion falls on an awkward kid who lives only a few blocks away, a teen who collects knives, loves first-person shooter video games, and obsessively doodles violent scenes in his school notebooks. 

Nick Walker goes from being a member of Portland's Search and Rescue team to the prime suspect in a murder, his very interest in SAR seen as proof of his fascination with violence. How is this even possible? And can Alexis and Ruby find a way to help clear Nick's name before it's too late?

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-1250080011
Publisher: Square Fish

Triple Threat (Co-authored with Lis Wiehl)

Face of Betrayal

A high-stakes suspense as timely as tomorrow’s headlines.

While home on Christmas break, a seventeen-year-old Senate page takes her dog out for a walk and never returns. Reporter Cassidy Shaw is the first to break the story. The resulting media firestorm quickly ensnares Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges. The three unique women are life-long friends who call themselves The Triple Threat--a nickname derived from their favorite dessert and their uncanny ability to crack cases via their three positions of power.

Though authorities think Katie might have been kidnapped or run away, those theories shatter when Nicole uncovers Katie's blog. They reveal a girl troubled by a mysterious relationship with an older man. Possibly a U.S. Senator.

As the three women race against time to find Katie alive, their increasing emotional involvement brings out their own inner demons and external enemies. There are many faces of betrayal, but they must find one face in a crowd of growing suspects before they become the next victims.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2008
ISBN: 978-1595548177
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Hand of Fate

When the host of a popular radio talk show is murdered, the suspects almost outnumber his millions of listeners.

Outspoken radio talk show host Jim Fate dies tragically when poisonous gas fills the studio while his polarizing show, “The Hand of Fate,” is on air.

The triple threat of FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges, crime reporter Cassidy Shaw, and Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce must piece together the madness, motive, and mystery of what just happened. And this time, it’s personal since one of the women was secretly dating the host and has access to his home...as well as possible evidence.

In the days following Fate’s murder, these three friends confront a betrayal within the team while unearthing the not-so-public life of Jim Fate. Together, they must uncover the stunning truths behind this cold-blooded murder.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2010
ISBN: 978-1595548184
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Heart of Ice

Elizabeth Avery could easily be the girl next door. But what she has planned will make your blood run cold.

At first glance, the crimes appear random. Arson. Theft. Fraud. Murder. But these are more than random crimes. They’re moves in an increasingly deadly game. And the one element they have in common: a woman who is gorgeous, clever...and lethal.

Elizabeth Avery has a winsome smile and flawless figure, but underneath is a heart of ice. She’s a master manipulator, convincing strangers to do the unthinkable. And she orchestrates it all without getting too close. Until now.

When Elizabeth ruthlessly disposes of an inquisitive young reporter, her crime catches the attention of Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce, FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges, and crime reporter Cassidy Shaw. They know they’re dealing with a cold-blooded murderer who could strike at any time. What they don’t know is that they’re already on a first-name basis with the killer.

And one of them may be next on her list.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-1401685041
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Eyes of Justice

When One of the Triple Threat Is Murdered, All Eyes Turn to Justice.

Cassidy, Allison, and Nicole fight for justice everyday—Cassidy as a crime reporter, Nicole as an FBI agent, and Allison as a federal prosecutor. Together they’re a Triple Threat to be reckoned with. A force that, together, has solved the toughest mysteries.

Until a ruthless killer finds a way to isolate and murder one of the three.

When the authorities keep the survivors at arm’s length in the investigation, the women’s desire for justice goes into overdrive. They find an unexpected ally in a quirky private investigator named Ophelia whose unorthodox methods seem to offer a possible breakthrough in the case.

Yet just as the police appear to have the killer in custody and justice within sight, the murderer strikes again. Not knowing whom to trust, the team must engage in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse where nothing can be taken at face value...and nothing will ever be the same.

A riveting Triple Threat mystery that will leave readers shocked and satisfied.

Author: April Henry
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-1401687588
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers