Author Crush: April Henry!

In the spirit of April, I think April Henry is the perfect author to mention this month. She’s a fabulous teen (and adult!) mystery and thriller author who writes edge of your seat stories that make it easy to finish each book in one sitting. Both her teen and adult novels are solidly plotted with well-developed characters and lots of suspense; they’ll definitely keep readers guessing from start to finish. When she’s not writing, April visits schools to do book talks and book signings – she also has a link for fanmail on her page, so if you enjoy her books, don’t be afraid to drop her a message!

In Girl, Stolen, things are bad enough for Cheyenne, who is both blind and very sick, but when her mother runs into the pharmacy for her medication, leaving her in the back seat, someone steals the car without realizing she’s there. Things take a turn when the carjacker, Griffin, realizes that she’s the daughter of a very wealthy man and ransom quickly becomes involved in the situation. The plot takes the backseat, so to speak, to the interactions between Griffin and Cheyenne, as they try to navigate the situation. This story is not short on thrills, suspense, and character development – be on the lookout for the sequel, which comes out on May 2^nd of this year!

Pizza delivery gets downright scary in The Night She Disappeared, when Kayla, one of the delivery girls, goes missing while delivering an order. The customer had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night and Gabie, who drives the Mini Cooper, was supposed to have been working that night, but switched shifts with Kayla. Gabie becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Kayla, because from the sound of it, that call was meant for her. This book is an intense thriller written from multiple perspectives, news clippings, and case reports, which makes it even more intriguing as the case is pieced together.

The Girl I Used to Be is about a girl named Olivia, whose parents were murdered fourteen years ago while she was in the house with them, but the mystery gets more intriguing when new evidence indicates that her father didn’t kill her mother, as previously assumed. She decides to travel back to the scene of the crime, to the hometown she barely recall to see if she can remember anything about the murder. Olivia tries to conceal her identity, but being desperate for the truth, it’s difficult to stay unnoticed, especially as she begins to piece together her memories of the real killer. This straightforward thriller is very fast-paced with cliffhanger chapter endings and some twists that are totally unexpected.

These three novels are only some of what April Henry has written, but her other books are just as suspenseful and intense. If you want to know more about April or what she’s working on now, find her at her website, Twitter, and Facebook. If you enjoy her books and you’re looking for an author like April Henry, you might also like books by Paula Morris, Dawn Kurtagich, and Jennifer Latham.