SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: STAY DEAD
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.aprilhenrymysteries.com/
CITY: Portland
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 390
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born April 14, 1959, in Portland, OR; daughter of Hank (a radio and television broadcaster) and Nora (a florist) Henry; married; children: one daughter.
EDUCATION:Oregon State University, B.A.; attended University of Stuttgart.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Novelist. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Portland, OR, communication specialist, until 2008; worked variously as a cook, maid, German translator, life-drawing model, and in data entry.
AVOCATIONS:Martial arts, reading, cooking, running, watching movies.
MEMBER:Society of Book Writers and Illustrators, Sisters in Crime, Willamette Writers.
AWARDS:Pacific Northwest Bookseller’s Association Award nomination, Spotted Owl Mystery Award nomination, Agatha Award nomination for Best First Mystery, and Anthony Award nomination for Best First Mystery, all 1999, all for Circles of Confusion; Oregon Book Award finalist, 2002, for Learning to Fly; Books for the Teen Age selection, New York Public Library, and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers selection, American Library Association (ALA), both 2006, both for Shock Point; ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers and Best Fiction for Young Adults designations, both 2011, and Black-Eyed Susan Award (MD), all for Girl, Stolen; Oregon Spirit Book Awards Honor Book selection, 2012, Young Adults’ Choices listee, International Reading Association (IRA), and ALA Top-Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers designation, both 2013, and ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults designation, 2015, all for The Night She Disappeared; Oregon Spirit Book Awards Honor Book selection, 2013, and IRA Young Adults’ Choices listee and ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers designation, both 2014, and Charlotte Award in High-School Category, New York State Reading Association, 2016, all for The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die; Oregon Spirit Book Awards Honor Book selection, 2014, and Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young-Adult Literature, Oregon Book Awards, and Young Adults’ Choices listee, International Literacy Association, both 2015, all for The Body in the Woods; Edgar Award finalist, Mystery Writers of America, and Anthony Award, both 2017, and Young Adults’ Choices selection, International Literacy Association, 2018, all for The Girl I Used to Be; ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers designation, 2020, for Run, Hide, Fight Back.
POLITICS: Democrat. RELIGION: “Nondenominational Christian.”WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
An award-winning mystery writer, April Henry began her career penning the “Claire Montrose” novel series, featuring an amateur sleuth whose cases involve her in art forgery and theft, questionable adoptions, and even murder. In addition to producing other series whodunits for adults, Henry also writes thrillers for teens, among them The Girl in the White Van, Two Truths and a Lie, and the works in her “Point Last Seen” series.
Henry took an early interest in storytelling. “According to my parents, I started reading when I was three,” she remarked in a Booking Biz interview. She continued, “I started writing short stories when I was in grade school. I even sent one to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He not only sent me back a postcard about it, but he showed it to his editor over lunch.” Henry put aside her dreams of becoming an author until she was in her thirties; her first novel, Circles of Confusion, was published in 1999, and she began writing full-time in 2008.
In Circles of Confusion, Claire Montrose’s aunt has died and left the forty-something amateur sleuth an oil painting with a provenance shrouded in mystery. A Publishers Weekly reviewer commented that Henry’s amateur detective “proves clever enough to outwit even the wiliest villain in her offbeat, vital first outing as a sleuth.” Claire returns in Square in the Face, as one of her friends asks for help in locating a child who had been given up for adoption years before. “The book’s strength is Claire, its likable protagonist,” noted Jenny McLarin in a review of Square in the Face in Booklist.
Another “Claire Montrose” mystery, Heart-Shaped Box follows the savvy protagonist as she travels to her twentieth high-school reunion. When several of her female classmates receive heart-shaped boxes and one of them then dies suddenly, Claire’s detective work begins. Rex E. Klett wrote in Library Journal that “lively action, a tidy circle of appealing characters, and a focused, small-town location make [ Heart-Shaped Box ] … a solid work.” In Buried Diamonds, Claire is attempting to return a lost diamond engagement ring to its rightful owner when she discovers that the person she seeks has been murdered.
Henry combines adventure and mystery in The Body in the Woods, the first installment in her “Point Last Seen” series. The novel introduces Nick Walker, Alexis Frost, and Ruby McClure, teen volunteer members of a search-and-rescue team based in Portland County, Oregon. While attempting to locate an autistic man who is lost in the forest, the high schoolers stumble upon the body of a murdered teen. In their search for the killer, the teens’ efforts are complicated by Nick’s crippling insecurities, Ruby’s social awkwardness, and Alexis’s challenges living with her mentally ill mother. In The Body in the Woods, “Henry has created not only a gripping mystery, but rich and detailed characters as well,” Loryn Aman commented in Voice of Youth Advocates, and a Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that Henry’s “expertise at plotting a murder mystery and knowledge of police procedure are evident” in her work.
In Blood Will Tell, a sequel to The Body in the Woods, Nick becomes the prime suspect in a murder case when circumstantial evidence points to his involvement in the crime. Unwilling to believe that their comrade could be guilty, Ruby and Alexis begin their own investigation into the case. “Fast paced and fascinating, the action really gathers steam,” according to Suanne B. Roush in Voice of Youth Advocates. “The mystery [in Blood Will Tell ] moves along at a nice pace, mixing broad character strokes with chunks of investigative exposition,” noted a Kirkus Reviews critic, while in Booklist, Krista Hutley reported that “Henry’s forensic science is solid.”
In addition to her series fiction, Henry has also produced several solo mysteries. A nineteen-year-old takes advantage of a tragedy when she finds herself involved in a huge, multi-car pileup in Learning to Fly. Free Meeker wants a normal life away from her hippie parents and the loser boyfriend who has left her pregnant. When hitchhiker Lydia dies in the crash, Free trades identities with the deceased, and a bag containing over 700,000 dollars in cash—the property of another crash victim—allows her to assume Lydia’s identity in style. Unfortunately, this new identity and cash both come with strings, and Free soon finds herself pursued by Lydia’s abusive husband and a drug dealer intent upon retrieving his ill-gotten gains. As Learning to Fly winds to its conclusion, noted McLarin in Booklist, the tension created by Henry becomes “deliciously unbearable,” making the book a “dynamic” and “hard-to-put-down suspense tale.”
Shock Point is aimed at young-adult readers and concerns sixteen-year-old Cassie Streng, who is concerned about her psychiatrist stepfather, Rick. The experimental drug Socom, which Rick uses to treat his adolescent patients, has resulted in several suicides. When Cassie expresses concern over these events, the man hires two thugs to take her to Peaceful Cove, an ironically named juvenile detention facility located in a remote area of New Mexico. Assured that her daughter is now in boarding school, Cassie’s mom does not suspect her new husband of evil, leaving the teen to escape her harsh prison on her own and put a stop to Rick’s schemes. In addition to describing the novel as “Dickensian,” Booklist contributor Connie Fletcher praised Shock Point for featuring a “likeable heroine who’s a good match for the nefarious adults in her life.”
Girl, Stolen was inspired by a dramatic episode occurring in Portland County, Oregon, where Henry lives. Cheyenne Wilder, a blind sixteen-year-old, is abducted while resting in the back seat of her mother’s car. The carjacker, Griffin, delivers the girl to his father, a petty criminal who demands a huge ransom when he learns that Cheyenne’s father is the president of a major corporation. “Cheyenne’s growing sympathy for Griffin, who becomes her protector, adds layers of complexity to this thriller,” Jennifer Barnes reported in School Library Journal, and Daniel Kraus observed in Booklist that Henry’s “research on living with blindness pays dividends in authenticity.”
Cheyenne and Griffin, main characters from Girl, Stolen, return in Henry’s novel Count All Her Bones. Cheyenne is still attempting to return to normalcy after having escaped from her kidnapper, Roy Sawyer, Griffin’s father. Griffin ultimately aided her in her escape. Cheyenne’s parents are still nervous about keeping her safe and have hired a bodyguard to protect her and teach her methods of self-defense. Meanwhile, she gears up to testify at Roy’s trial. She is nervous about seeing Griffin, who will also be testifying and to whom she feels a connection, despite his relationship to Roy and his involvement in the kidnapping. Griffin is planning to testify against his father. Dwayne, Roy’s half-brother, determines not to allow Cheyenne appear in court and puts in place another plot to abduct her, with the help of another henchman, T.J. He also plans to kidnap Griffin. Cheyenne must use her new self-defense skills to keep herself and Griffin out of their hands. Meanwhile, she and Griffin become more emotionally bonded.
Maggie Reagan, a reviewer in Booklist, commented, “This is a familiar-feeling thriller.” Reagan also described the volume as “an exciting and satisfying conclusion to Cheyenne and Griffin’s story.” “Readers will be rooting for Cheyenne and Griffin from the edges of their seats,” asserted a Kirkus Reviews critic.
An abduction is also at the center of The Night She Disappeared, a work told from the perspective of multiple narrators. While out delivering a pizza one evening, Kayla goes missing. As days pass with no word as to her whereabouts, friends, family members, and even the police suspect the worst. The teen’s coworkers, Gabie and Drew, have a different view of things, especially Gabie, who, despite the mounting evidence, believes that Kayla is still alive. Suspecting that she, rather than Kayla, was the kidnapper’s target, Gabie convinces Drew to help her search for their colleague. Reviewing The Night She Disappeared, Heather Booth wrote in Booklist that Henry’s “suspense story pulls all the right strings” and treats readers to a “taut, emotionally vested thriller.”
In The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die sixteen-year-old Cady awakens in a remote cabin in the Oregon woods, imprisoned by two captors and with no memory of how she arrived there. After a miraculous escape, she goes to the authorities and is mistaken for an escapee from a nearby state mental hospital. Forced to go on the run, Cady must now figure out who she really is and what has happened to her, aided by a sympathetic fast-food worker. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die a “thriller with nonstop twists and turns,” and in School Library Journal, Maggie Knapp wrote that as Henry’s “plot thickens to include biological weapons, double-crossing, and corporate intrigue … readers will be racing to turn the pages.”
In The Girl I Used to Be, Henry presents “a fast-paced and engaging read,” in the words of School Library Journal contributor Meghan Oppelt. For more than a decade, Ariel Benson believed that her dad murdered her mother and then fled, never to be heard from again. When police now discover her father’s remains in a nearby woods, Ariel returns to her hometown to investigate. “Henry unfolds her drama while keeping equal focus on the mystery and … emotions as the girl returns” to the scene of the original crime, as a writer observed in an appraisal of The Girl I Used to Be in Kirkus Reviews.
In The Lonely Dead, Henry “delivers a compelling thriller that weaves supernatural elements into a topical tapestry of loss, betrayal, and family drama,” according to a writer in Kirkus Reviews. While walking through a heavily forested park, seventeen-year-old Adele has an odd encounter with her classmate, Tori. Soon after, she notices Tori’s murdered body in a shallow grave nearby. Diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child after confessing that she talks with the dead, Adele wonders if Tori’s spirit was a hallucination, and she begins investigating the crime. The police, too, search for Tori’s killer, settling on Adele as their primary suspect. The Lonely Dead “is taut and suspenseful, with a hint of the supernatural,” observed Booklist critic Jennifer Barnes.
An active shooter incident is the focus of the thriller Run, Hide, Fight Back. When members of an anti-government terrorist group take over a Portland mall, killing and wounding numerous individuals, six teenagers become trapped behind a store’s metal security shutter. Realizing the shooters will come looking for them, the teens—including a cancer patient, an undocumented immigrant, and a drug addict—must decide on a course of action. School Library Journal contributor Margo Fryling applauded the novel, remarking that its “gripping premise will keep teens turning pages.”
A gripping tale of survival, The Girl in the White Van follows Savannah Taylor, a sixteen-year-old girl who is forcibly abducted after leaving her martial arts class. Savannah’s captor, who calls himself Sir, locks the teen away in an isolated mobile home where she discovers another hostage, Jenny, who went missing ten months earlier. Together, the girls develop a plan to escape from Sir, even if it costs them their lives. “The narrative, told through multiple first-person perspectives, offers insight into trauma’s ripple effects,” observed a contributor in Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist critic Reinhardt Suarez commented that Henry’s “thrill-ride of a book will absolutely satisfy readers looking for pulse-quickening action and smart, resilient heroes.”
A forest fire forces a group of strangers to come together to seek safety in Playing with Fire. When Natalia and Wyatt encounter a fire during a hike, the teens use their skills to help others. Wyatt knows about surviving in the wilderness and Natalia has medical knowledge, which is all helpful as they encounter a family of three, a grandfather and grandson, a couple, a single older woman, and two men. Further problems emerge within the group when they face injuries, medical emergencies, and psychological issues. Meanwhile, Natalia experiences flashbacks that bring her back to her traumatic past. A Kirkus Reviews critic described the adventure thriller as “harrowing.” The critic took note of the “fast-paced action” and appreciated Natalia’s perspective which “will initially hook readers.”
In Eyes of the Forest, fantasy author R.M. Haldon is kidnapped and it is up to Bridget Shepherd, his seventeen-year-old researcher, to save him. As Haldon is in the midst of finishing up a highly anticipated book, he wakes up to find himself imprisoned in a cabin, chained to a desk, and left with food and water and a note directing him to work. Bridget is his only hope, and through coded messages to her, he attempts to communicate that something is wrong. Bridget is steeped in Haldon’s fantasy world, which gave her solace after the death of her mother and her feelings of isolation. Though she shares her love of Haldon’s work with friend Ajay, he does not believe her when she suspects something is awry. A Kirkus Reviews critic lauded the thriller and remarked on Henry’s “excellent pacing.” Eyes of the Forest “offers a suspenseful and dastardly plot entwined with fan culture and mystery,” according to the same critic. School Library Journal reviewer Kharissa Kenner also enjoyed the thriller, dubbing it “an edgy, quick read for folks who love fantasy novels and authors.”
Henry offers up another mystery thriller in Two Truths and a Lie. When a van of drama students becomes trapped in snowy weather, they are forced to divert from their trip to a theater competition to a strange motel. A group of robotics students traveling to a competition also arrive at the Travel Inn and Out under the same circumstances, and the teens come together to play a game. As their version of Two Truths and a Lie unfolds, the power goes out, large footprints are found in the snow, and a hanging body is discovered with a note. With a killer on the loose, it is up to Nell to put a stop to the murderer. A Publishers Weekly critic stated that “Henry’s telling successfully incorporates elements of romance into a snowed-inn mystery with Agatha Christie roots.” Similarly, a Kirkus Reviews writer described Two Truths and a Lie as “an homage to Agatha Christa.” “An atmospheric and entertaining thriller perfect for snowy night chills,” concluded the same critic.
“I do a lot of research to get the details right in my novels,” Henry once explained to SATA, and her career as a writer has also enhanced her talent for avoiding trouble. “I know how to get out of duct tape, zip ties, rope, and handcuffs,” she noted. “I know how to disarm a guy holding a gun with a blind cane. I know how to run in handcuffs, how to open a door with a credit card, how to pick locks, how to craft a disguise, how to make fake IDs, how to steal a car, how to shoot a handgun and machine gun, how to choke someone, how to search a building, and how to fight back if attacked in my car.
“That doesn’t mean I can do all those things well.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, January 1, 2000, Jenny McLarin, review of Square in the Face, p. 884; December 15, 2000, Jenny McLarin, review of Heart-Shaped Box, p. 791; March 15, 2002, Jenny McLarin, review of Learning to Fly, p. 1215; November 1, 2003, Jenny McLarin, review of Buried Diamonds, p. 482; February 1, 2006, Connie Fletcher, review of Shock Point, p. 44; February 15, 2009, Hazel Rochman, review of Torched, p. 89; September 15, 2010, Daniel Kraus, review of Girl, Stolen, p. 64; May 1, 2012, Heather Booth, review of The Night She Disappeared, p. 51; May 1, 2013, Daniel Kraus, review of The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, p. 42; May 15, 2015, Krista Hutley, review of Blood Will Tell, p. 53; April 1, 2017, Maggie Reagan, review of Count All Her Bones, p. 67; December 15, 2018, Jennifer Barnes, review of The Lonely Dead, p. 96; April 1, 2020, Reinhardt Suarez, review of The Girl in the White Van, p. 70.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, March, 2009, Elizabeth Bush, review of Torched, p. 284; December, 2010, April Spisak, review of Girl, Stolen, p. 189.
Business Journal-Portland, February 16, 2001, Kristina Brenneman, “Mystery Writer Emerges at Kaiser,” p. 19.
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2002, review of Learning to Fly, p. 292; September 15, 2003, review of Buried Diamonds, p. 1156; December 15, 2005, review of Shock Point, p. 1322; February 1, 2009, review of Torched; August 1, 2010, review of Girl, Stolen; February 15, 2012, review of The Night She Disappeared; June 15, 2013, review of The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die; May 15, 2014, review of The Body in the Woods; April 1, 2015, review of Blood Will Tell; February 15, 2016, review of The Girl I Used to Be; March 1, 2017, review of Count All Her Bones; November 15, 2018, review of The Lonely Dead; August 1, 2019, review of Run, Hide, Fight Back; March 15, 2020, review of The Girl in the White Van; November 1, 2020, review of Playing with Fire; June 15, 2021, review of Eyes of the Forest; March 15, 2022, review of Two Truths and a Lie.
Library Journal, October 1, 1999, review of Circles of Confusion, p. 50; March 1, 2000, Rex E. Klett, review of Square in the Face, p. 127; January 1, 2001, Rex E. Klett, review of Heart-Shaped Box, p. 162; May 1, 2002, Rex E. Klett, review of Learning to Fly, p. 137; October 1, 2009, Ilka Gordon, review of Face of Betrayal, p. 47.
Publishers Weekly, January 18, 1999, review of Circles of Confusion, p. 331; January 17, 2000, review of Square in the Face, p. 46; January 8, 2001, review of Heart-Shaped Box, p. 51; April 8, 2002, review of Learning to Fly, p. 209; February 16, 2009, review of Face of Betrayal, p. 107; February 15, 2010, review of Hand of Fate, p. 115; September 20, 2010, review of Girl, Stolen, p. 67; February 14, 2011, review of Heart of Ice, p. 38; February 6, 2012, reviews of Eyes of Justice, p. 42, and The Night She Disappeared, p. 62; January 7, 2013, review of A Matter of Trust, p. 41; April 21, 2014, review of The Body in the Woods, p. 79; February 29, 2016, review of The Girl I Used to Be, p. 70; April 18, 2022, review of Two Truths and a Lie, p. 76.
School Library Journal, June, 2006, Beth Gallego, review of Shock Point, p. 158; April, 2009, Chris Shoemaker, review of Torched, p. 136; October, 2010, Jennifer Barnes, review of Girl, Stolen, p. 118; April, 2012, Traci Glass, review of The Night She Disappeared, p. 164; August, 2013, Maggie Knapp, review of The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, p. 111; June, 2014, Erik Knapp, review of The Body in the Woods, p. 121; June, 2015, Erik Knapp, review of Blood Will Tell, p. 112; April, 2016, Meghan Oppelt, review of The Girl I Used to Be, p. 165; April, 2018, Margo Fryling, review of Run, Hide, Fight Back, p. 127; April, 2020, Madison Bishop, review of The Girl in the White Van, p. 139; November, 2021, Kharissa Kenner, review of Eyes of the Forest, p. 79.
Teacher Librarian, February, 2011, Julie Prince, author interview, p. 54.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August, 2010, Madelene Rathbun, review of Girl, Stolen, p. 247; April, 2012, Erin Wyatt, review of The Night She Disappeared, p. 56; August, 2014, Loryn Aman, review of The Body in the Woods, p. 64; June, 2015, Susanne B. Roush, review of Blood Will Tell, p. 61.
ONLINE
April Henry website, https://www.aprilhenry.com (August 25, 2022).
Booking Biz, https://thebookingbiz.com/ (August 1, 2019), author interview.
CrimeReads, https://crimereads.com/ (June 13, 2022), author essay.
Crimespree, https://crimespreemag.com/ (June 7, 2016), Erica Ruth Neubauer, “Interview with April Henry.”
Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com/ (February 22, 2012), George Rede, author interview.
Publishers Weekly, http://www.publishersweekly.com/ (April 21, 2011), Pamela Brill, author profile.*
April Henry
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New York Times bestselling author April Henry has written eight mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults. Her first young adult novel, Shock Point, was an ALA Quick Pick, a Top 10 Books for Teens nominee, a New York Library's Books for the Teen Age book, named to the Texas Tayshas list, and a finalist for Philadelphia's Young Readers Choice Award.
Awards: Edgar (2024) see all
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy
New and upcoming books
May 2024
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Stay Dead
Series
Claire Montrose
1. Circles of Confusion (1999)
2. Square in the Face (2000)
3. The Heart-Shaped Box (2001)
4. Buried Diamonds (2003)
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Triple Threat (with Lis Wiehl)
1. Face of Betrayal (2008)
2. Hand of Fate (2010)
3. Heart of Ice (2011)
4. Eyes of Justice (2012)
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Girl, Stolen
1. Girl, Stolen (2010)
2. Count All Her Bones (2017)
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Point Last Seen
1. The Body in the Woods (2014)
2. Blood Will Tell (2015)
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Novels
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)
The Eyes of the Forest (2021)
Two Truths and a Lie (2022)
Girl Forgotten (2023)
Stay Dead (2024)
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Omnibus editions hide
The April Henry Mystery Collection (2016)
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Awards
2024 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel : Girl Forgotten
Short version:
April Henry is the New York Times-bestselling author of 29 mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family.
Slightly longer version:
Edgar-award winning and New York Times-bestselling author April Henry knows how to kill you in a two-dozen different ways. She makes up for a peaceful childhood in an intact home by killing off fictional characters. There was one detour on April's path to destruction: when she was 12 she sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to noted children's author Roald Dahl. He liked it so much he showed it to his editor, who asked if she could publish it in Puffin Post, an international children's magazine. By the time April was in her 30s, she had started writing about hit men, kidnappers, and drug dealers. She has published 29 mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults, with more to come. She is known for meticulously researching her novels to get the details right.
Long version:
I grew up poor in a small Oregon town. At the time, Medford, Oregon had about 16,000 residents and the economy was based on timber and pears. While my family didn't have much money, thanks to the local library, we were rich in books.
According to my parents, I started to read at the age of three. I still remember my mom teaching me with alphabet flash cards. White with a picture of an object on one side and a letter on the other, those cards glowed with magic. My mom was a florist (click here to read the story about her round rock or click here to see more about her life) , and my dad was a TV broadcaster (click here to read more about him).
When I was 12, I sent Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a short story about a frog named Herman who loved peanut butter. The day he received it, Dahl had lunch with the editor of Puffin Post, an international children's magazine, and read her the story. She contacted me and asked to publish it. Click here to read more about that.
But as I got older, even though I read all the time, I didn't even dream of being a writer. It would have been like thinking I could fly by flapping my arms really, really hard. I put away my dreams, got a business degree from Oregon State University, and graduated into a terrible job market.
Eventually, I got a job in hospital admitting with lots of down time and started thinking maybe I could try to write a book about the life and death that surrounded me every day. I was finally pushed into trying to do something about it when I read a really bad book. I could, I figured, write a book that was at least better than that book.
Meanwhile, I kept working full time. I worked as a writer for a number of health care organizations: the American Heart Association, HealthLink, and Kaiser Permanente. (The reality is that a writer who is just starting out will need another job.) That first book I wrote attracted no interest from agents. My second book got me an agent (and we're still together many years and many books later) and nice rejection letters from editors. My third book didn't even get nice rejection letters from editors. My fourth book, Circles of Confusion, sold in three days. It was like an eight-year overnight success.
For many years, I worked full time while writing a book a year and being a mom. My life was a blur. At the beginning of 2008, I was lucky enough to be able to quit my day job.
My first young adult novel, Shock Point was an ALA Quick Pick, a Top 10 Books for Teens nominee, a New York Library's Books for the Teen Age book, named to the Texas Tayshas list, and a finalist for Philadelphia's Young Readers Choice Award. It was followed by more teen thrillers, including Torched and Girl, Stolen. In addition to being optioned for film, Girl, Stolen was an ALA Quick Pick, an ALA Best Books for Young Adults, a Barnes and Noble Top Teen Pick, and a winner or finalist for many state awards. It was even named one of the best books in Ireland in 2012. Its sequel, Count All Her Bones, The Night She Disappeared came out in 2012. It was a selection of the Junior Library Guild, a Top 10 Quick Pick, an International Reading Association Young Adults Choice, and optioned for film. The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, was a YALSA Quick Pick, a YALSA Teens Top 10 Finalist, an Oregon Spirit Honor Award winner, named to the Texas Tasha's list, on the International Reading Association's Young Adult Choice's list, and named to many state lists. The cover was even named one of the creepiest covers of all time by the UK magazine The Short List. The Point Last Seen series, which was inspired by the real-life Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team, and includes The Body in the Woods and Blood Will Tell, were chosen by the Junior Library Guild and named to several state lists. The Girl I Used to Be got a starred review from VOYA and was named to the Texas Lone Star list. It was also a finalist for the prestigious Edgar Award and won the Anthony Award. It was followed by a thriller with a paranormal Twist - The Lonely Dead - and a thriller inspired by terrorist attacks in Kenya and Paris - Run, Hide, Fight Back. The real-life Eagle Creek fire inspired Playing with Fire, and a lot of what I know about writing went into Eyes of the Forest. Two Truths and a Lie was an Amazon Editor's Pick for Best YA, and Girl Forgotten is a finalist for the Edgar.
My books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, won the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, and the Oregon Book Award, and have been chosen twice for Booksense by the independent booksellers of America. They have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch, German, Polish, French, Russian, Farsi, and Turkish.
I do a lot of research to get the details right in my novels. I know how to get out of duct tape, zip ties, rope, and handcuffs. I know how a blind character could use their cane to disarm a guy holding a gun. I know how to run in handcuffs, how to open a door with a credit card, how to pick locks, how to craft a disguise, how to get a stranger to give me a ride or let me borrow their cell phone, how to make fake IDs, how to steal a car, how to shoot a handgun and machine gun, how to photograph a crime scene, how to choke someone, how to search a building, and how to fight back if attacked in my car.
I hold a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and a purple belt in kung fu and kajukenbo. I'm a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy and am certified in Wilderness Medicine. I've trained with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team.
Look for more links about me and my life under the "Bio" header.
Where do you get your ideas?
Often, the spark for a book will start with something I see in the news. Occasionally it might come from a song lyric, a story someone tells me, a dream, or a random thought. The next step is researching what really happened or what could happen. Check out the "Books" page - most books have a specific page about the inspiration for that particular book.
What do you like best about your job?
Thinking of a really good twist. Like there's one in Count All Her Bones that I thought of midway through writing the book. It was a really good twist, and I didn't even need to do that much rewriting to make it work.
What inspires you?
What inspired me to write is wanting to create a book like the ones I loved. Now I'm inspired when I hear from people who didn't used to like to read, but have changed their minds because of my books.
Who inspired you?
When I was a kid, Roald Dahl. When I was a kid and older, my parents. My mom, in particular, always believed in me.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I started thinking about being a writer when I was in grade school. But as I got older, I decided that writers didn't grow up poor in small logging towns in Southern Oregon. I figured they probably grew up in cool places like New York or San Fransisco It just seemed impossible for someone like me to be a writer. So I stopped writing (which made it a certainty that I wouldn't be a writer). I didn't start writing again until I was about 30.
What has changed in your career over time?
The internet has probably made the most changes. It's made research far easier, not just in finding articles, first person accounts and YouTube videos, but in also making it easier to connect with readers. On the down side, it's allowed piracy, which wasn't really a thing before e-books.
What is it like to be a successful author?
It’s great because I have a lot of freedom. I don’t have a boss, which is really nice! I don’t have to be at work at a certain time, and I could even work in my PJs if I wanted to. I can go to a Brazilian jiu jitsu class if I want to. I do have to admit that I write all the time - evenings and weekends - to make up for that.
Author-famous is the right kind of famous. I very seldom get recognized. It’s not like real celebrities who have to worry about people taking pictures of them on a day when they are wearing old sweats or spilling food on themselves.
What is the most challenging thing with being an author?
Deadlines can be really tough, especially if I’m traveling and having to write after a day of doing school visits.
How did you feel when you first book was published?
It was amazing! I saw in my local bookstore’s window. They sold out of books at my first signing. Since I had written three books that never got published, it was a real “pinch me” moment.
What book of yours that you have written is your favorite?
I used to say Girl, Stolen, because doing the research into blindness was really interesting. But then I wrote The Girl I Used to Be. First of all, it was inspired by a real-life cold case that still gives me the shivers. And second, my mom was dying when I wrote the book. She was fine with dying; I was not so fine with it. So I put a character just like her in the book. Nora acts like my mom, talks like my mom, dresses like my mom and even makes bacon like my mom. It was a tiny way to keep her her alive.
Do you write full time? What other jobs have you held?
I am very lucky in that I do write full time. I work on a treadmill desk, which is a desk with a treadmill underneath it. I just walk. The treadmill is specially geared for slow speeds, not running.
I have worked as a health care writer and have also done public and media relations. When I was first starting out, I had a crazy variety of jobs, including working in admitting at a hospital, making pizzas, cashiering at a natural food store, and even a brief stint as the girl who jumps out of the cake.
What are your hobbies?
Reading, running, cooking, watching movies (especially scary or funny ones), and Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Do you have any pets?
No, sadly. My husband has gotten allergic to anything with fur, so once our cat died from old age, we couldn't get another one.
April Henry
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April Henry
April Henry in 2021
April Henry in 2021
Born April 19, 1959 (age 65)
Medford, Oregon, U.S.
Occupation Author
Language English
Genre
Mystery fiction
Thriller
Years active 1999-present
Website
aprilhenry.com
April Henry (born April 14, 1959) is an American New York Times bestselling author of mysteries, thrillers, and young adult novels.
Early life
Born in Portland, Oregon, April 14, 1959, Henry grew up in the small southern Oregon city of Medford where her father, Hank Henry, was a KTVL television newscaster, and her mother, Nora Henry, was a florist.[1]
Career
Author Roald Dahl helped April Henry take her first step as a writer.[2] When Henry was twelve, she sent Dahl a short story about a frog who loved peanut butter. Dahl had lunch with the editor of an international children's magazine and read her the story. The editor contacted her and asked to publish her story.[3]
In 1999, Henry's first book, Circles of Confusion, was published by HarperCollins. It was short-listed for the Agatha Award and the Anthony Award.[4][5] It was also chosen for the Booksense 76 list, and The Oregonian Book Club, and was a Mystery Guild Editor's Choice.[6]
Henry's first stand-alone thriller, Learning to Fly, was published by St. Martin's Press in 2002.[7] It was a Booksense pick, got starred reviews in Library Journal and Booklist, was named one of Library Journal's Best of 2002, and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award.[citation needed] Shock Point, Henry's first young-adult thriller, was published by Putnam in 2006.[8] It was ALA Quick Pick, a Top 10 Books for Teens nominee, a New York Library's Books for the Teen Age book, named to the Texas Tayshas list, and a finalist for Philadelphia's Young Readers Choice Award.[citation needed] Her next young-adult book, Torched, a thriller about a girl who goes undercover in an environmental extremist group, was published in 2009. Girl, Stolen, a young-adult thriller about a blind girl who is accidentally kidnapped by a car thief, was released by Henry Holt in October 2010. In April 2011, Henry found the blind girl whose brief kidnapping inspired Girl, Stolen. Their story was featured in Publishers Weekly.[9]
In 2009, April Henry partnered with Lis Wiehl to collaborate on the Triple Threat Mystery series. The first book in the series, Face of Betrayal, was on the New York Times best-seller list for four weeks.[10][11][12][13]
Henry travels all over the country speaking at schools about the importance of writing, reading, and research.[14]
Bibliography
Claire Montrose series
Circles of Confusion (1999)
Square in the Face (2000)
Heart-Shaped Box (2001)
Buried Diamonds (2003)
Triple Threat series
Co-authored with La'Annah Scales
Face of Betrayal (2009)
Hand of Fate (2010)
Heart of Ice (2011)
Eyes of Justice (2012)
Mia Quinn series
Co-authored with Lis Wiehl
A Matter of Trust (2013)
A Deadly Business (2014)
Lethal Beauty (2015)
Point Last Seen series
The Body in the Woods (2014)
Blood Will Tell (2015)
Girl, Stolen series
Girl, Stolen (2010)
Count All Her Bones (2017)
Standalone novels
Learning to Fly (2002)
Shock Point (2006)
Breakout (2007)
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)
Stay Dead (forthcoming May 2024)
Q&A: April Henry, Author of ‘Girl Forgotten’
Emily M·Writers Corner·April 3, 2023·3 min read
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Today, I’m delighted to be interviewing the amazing April Henry. She’s an author I’ve followed for a while and has published many thrilling YA titles. Yet again, she returns to the scene with the brilliant Girl Forgotten, which blends true crime, small town secrets and an unforgettable mystery that will keep you glued to the page. Intrigued? Read on to find out more.
Hi April! Can you briefly describe Girl Forgotten?
Seventeen-year-old Piper Gray becomes curious about the grave of Layla Trello, a girl the same age as Piper who died nearly 20 years earlier. When she googles Layla’s name, she discovers Layla disappeared from a Halloween party and her body wasn’t found for 12 days. The killer has never been caught. Piper has to choose a senior passion project, and as a big fan of true crime podcasts, she decides to start one about Layla. Of course, the case is not as cold as everyone believes.
What drew you to writing in the YA genre and specifically a mystery?
This is my 28th book, and all of them have been mysteries and thrillers. I love mysteries for their high stakes, the fact that justice almost always triumphs, and the excuse they give me for learning even more about forensics. As for YA, almost 20 years ago I wrote what I thought was an adult book with a teenaged main character. My agent, who represents a lot of YA authors, informed me me that my 13th book was actually a YA. It turned out to be a really good fit for me. I enjoy the challenge of coming up with ideas that will intrigue even reluctant readers. I do a lot of school visits, and I love the passion and intensity that students have. Adults have lost a lot of that.
What songs form the soundtrack to the book for you?
While I listen to music when I write, I use it more to keep up a good pace on my treadmill desk rather than paying attention to the words. I think I was listening to a lot of Elle King, Grandson, Zachary Kibbee, and Larkin Poe – all singers I still like.
True crime plays a large role in Girl Forgotten and I loved the exploration of the morality of some of these true crime investigations. Why did you choose this theme?
I wanted to explore the ethics of using true crime for entertainment. Some podcasts have lead to cases being reopened or even solved. Others … not so much. I myself have used real stories as the jumping off place for novels many times, but I always change most of the facts and almost always the outcome. I also wanted to explore what the late journalist Gwen Ifill called Missing White Woman syndrome.
What are some of your favourite crime podcasts and/or TV shows?
Like everyone, I was enthralled by Serial.
Some of the podcasts I listened to while working on book were: Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams and Accused, a podcast by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
One podcast I enjoy is called This Is Actually Happening. In each episode, a real person describes what an experience was like, for example, what it was like to be carjacked. I learned about it after an acquaintance was featured after she survived an attack at knife point.
I just finished Bone Valley, about a young man convicted of his wife’s murder in 1987. No longer a young man, he still sits in prison, even though someone else has confessed to the crime and it seems clear that he is innocent.
See also
The Truths Behind Operation Pied Piper
I’m currently listening to Your Own Backyard, about the disappearance and presumed murder of Kristin Smart. That podcast was cited by the sheriff for inspiring new witnesses to come forward with information. The perpetrator has now been convicted, which is extremely difficult in a case with no body.
I also like documentaries like Making a Murderer, or even the occasional Dateline.
Who would be your ideal casting for an adaptation?
With her mix of vulnerability and risk-taking, Elsie Kate Fisher seems like she would make a great Piper. Millie Bobby Brown would be a good fit for Layla if there were flashbacks. I really liked Sam McCarthy in Dead to Me and think he would make a great Jonas.
Finally, what lasting impression would you like Girl Forgotten to leave on a reader?
I’d like readers to think about what tragedies we pay attention to. And I’d like them to believe that passionate, smart people can accomplish a lot if they don’t give up.
Henry, April STAY DEAD Christy Ottaviano Books (Teen None) $18.99 5, 28 ISBN: 9780316480291
A teenager's survival skills are put to the test--along with her relationships with the people she relies on the most.
First, Milan's senator father died in a tragic car accident; Milan escaped with a broken leg. Later, the private plane Milan and her mother were in went down after a bomb exploded in the cargo hold, leaving the 16-year-old stranded in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. While her mother lay dying in the snow following the crash, she told Milan that whoever killed her father and blew up the plane would now be hunting for her, and that the only person she should trust is Brent Kirkby, Milan's godfather and the founder of the renewable power company where Milan's dad was CEO. Milan ends up being thrown into a deadly plot she never could have imagined. Alongside Milan's third-person perspective, Henry provides two additional views of the events: one from Lenny, the killer assigned to silence Milan's parents and anyone in their vicinity, and Janie, a dairy farmer who's allowed fracking on her land in exchange for the money she needs to support her family. The three plotlines blend seamlessly, with the dramatic initial setup drawing readers into this fast-paced thriller. The action-packed ending feels comparatively abrupt and may leave readers wanting more. Most characters are cued white.
A page-turning cat-and-mouse survival story. (Thriller. 13-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Henry, April: STAY DEAD." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A788096848/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=065bd5be. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.
Stay Dead. By April Henry. May 2024. 272p. Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano, $18.99 (9780316480291). Gr. 9-12.
Senator's daughter Milan, assassin Lenny, and dairy farmer Janie don't seem like they should have anything in common. They don't know one another, but they're connected by a company called Prospect Power. Prospect is a fracking company: it pays Janie for her land before nearly destroying it, and pays Lenny to kill Milan's parents, who were investigating the damage the company was doing to the environment. When the senator's plane goes down, Milan miraculously escapes, going on a multiday survival trek through snowy, dangerous woods. Her mother told her not to trust anyone, before she herself died, and gave her daughter strict instructions to follow. Once Milan escapes the freezing mountain forest, Lenny will be looking for her to finish the job, and Milan is in a race against time and terror to get to her parents' one trusted friend before she ends up dead, too. Milan's trek through the freezing woods shows she's clever, and readers will be intrigued and thrilled to see how it all turns out.--Stacey Comfort
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Comfort, Stacey. "Stay Dead." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 13, 1 Mar. 2024, p. 54. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A786417532/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c02f8c84. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.
Girl Forgotten. By April Henry. Mar. 2023.272p. Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano, $18.99 (9780316322591). Gr. 9-12.
In Henry's latest engrossing mystery, Piper Gray is a true-crime enthusiast with a hunger for investigating unresolved mysteries. After learning of the unsolved case of Layla Trello from more than 17 years earlier, she starts a podcast and digs into the story. The podcast is the distraction she needs, especially after her mother's recent death, which which led her to move to the same place where Layla's murder occurred. Piper's new project leads to a sudden rise in her popularity at school, which makes her suspicious of trusting anyone, and the suspense ratchets up when she starts receiving eerie death threats meant to stop her work. Readers will be kept guessing throughout, but they will stay grounded through Piper--especially her struggles and her passion for gory stories--as her podcast grows in popularity and people are reintroduced to the cold case. The pages fly by until a final reveal that will leave readers questioning everything they thought they knew about the story.--Aurora Dominguez
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Dominguez, Aurora. "Girl Forgotten." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 14, 15 Mar. 2023, p. 48. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A742922106/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8d87b2e2. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.
Girl Forgotten
April Henry. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-316-32259-1
Henry {Two Truths and a Lie) questions the ethics of true crime as entertainment in this tightly twisted thriller. Seventeen-year-old transfer student Piper Gray, a murder podcasr enthusiast, attains notoriety at North High when she starts her own podcast about the unsolved murder of teenage Layla Trello, who was found dead in the nearby woods 17 years ago. Determined to crack the cold case, Piper enlists classmate Jonas Shortridge to help investigate. As the inquity gains traction and suspects reemerge, Piper receives an anonymous demand--"Stop this podcast about Layla Trello. You don't want to end up like her"--prompting Piper and Jonas to believe the murderer is listening. Henry's socially aware prose, interspersed with podcast transcripts and newspaper clippings, deftly depicts Piper's altruistic commitment to justice for Layla alongside her critique of the perfect-victim myth ("Her disappearance and death attracted the kind of attention you probably wouldn't get if you were poor, disabled, older, homeless, or not white"). Sections read, at times, like a "how-to" guide for podcasting, but red herrings, dramatic cliff-hangers, and a growing body count keep the plot suspenseful. Major characters cue as white. Ages 12-up. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"Girl Forgotten." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 5, 30 Jan. 2023, p. 69. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A737039803/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=834fc7fb. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.
HENRY, April. Girl Forgotten. 272p. Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano. Mar. 2023. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780316322591.
Gr 7 Up--Seventeen-year-old Piper Gray's interest is piqued when she helps a boy corral his wayward dog while she is visiting Skyline Cemetery. Piper is new to the town of Firview and is adjusting to moving in with her dad, stepmom, and two young stepbrothers. The boy she helps turns out to be a senior at North High--just like Piper. She discovers his name is Jonas, and there is something mysterious from his past that has caused his limp. He seems a little standoffish until Piper is paired with him to create a podcast-themed senior passion project. Piper is fascinated with Layla Trello, a 17-year-old who disappeared from a Halloween party 17 years ago in their small Oregon town. Layla's murdered body turned up two weeks later, but no one has ever been charged with the crime. As Jonas guides her in successful podcasting skills, he relaxes around Piper. Their friendship blossoms, and they peel back the layers of grief they have endured. The plot is an engaging mingling of twists and turns that will keep readers absorbed until the end. Not only will the fast pace keep readers invested but the characters are multidimensional and fascinating. VERDICT This podcast-themed fusion of mystery and suspense that will arouse readers' curiosity to the nail-biting end.--Julie Shatterly
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Shatterly, Julie. "HENRY, April. Girl Forgotten." School Library Journal, vol. 69, no. 3, Mar. 2023, pp. 89+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A739108674/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f275ef58. Accessed 9 Aug. 2024.