This book is a perfect YA thriller “who-done-it” novel. It’s got suspense but not gore. Intrigue, but not morbidly so. I definitely will be picking up more books by April Henry!
When Arial was three, her mother was murdered in the woods near their house. Arial, who was with her mother at the time, was randomly found three hours away at a Walmart with no memory of the event. Her dad was the prime suspect, however, no one’s seen or heard from him since…until his jaw bone is found in the same woods fourteen years later. Arial, who changed her name to Olivia, decides to investigate on her own and moves back to her hometown. Estranged from her family and incognito, she tries to find her parents real killer before they decide to come after her too.
Honestly, at first glance, the cover kind of creeped me out. I usually don’t do well with scary, horror stories, however, a friend read this one and convinced me it was more of a mystery (which I’m TOTALLY in love with). So don’t judge this book based on the cover…no one is drowning nor are there any paranormal things. Just a pure crime story.
What I really liked about this story is that the story and characters evolved very naturally. There were no awkward parts (except for an accidental kiss…but it is YA so a little romantic attraction is expected) and I really didn’t get a sixth sense for who the killer might be until close to the end—which is good because my husband says I have an uncanny ability to figure out endings very quickly.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read and very appropriate, even for middle schoolers.
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