The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

July 8, 2013
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 14âup. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency.

June 15, 2013
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)

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August 1, 2013

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

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
Grades 8-11 If you liked Girl, Stolen (2010), you'll love Henry's latest tale of abduction, escape, and paranoia. Cady, 16, wakes up on the floor of a cabin. Two of her fingernails have been yanked out. A man says, Take her out back and finish her off. Worst of all, she has total amnesia. To her shock, she discovers that she knows how to fightshe beats up her captor and flees, and what follows is 28 hours of outfoxing an unknown enemy who wants her, and apparently her family, dead. Cady's accomplice is Ty, a McDonald's cashier who risks his own skin to help her to safety. If it sounds convenient, don't worryHenry gives Ty a backstory that makes his behavior believable, and there isn't an out-of-place romance to gum up the breakneck pace. Cady's bewildered first-person voice gives the book a tumbling, breathless feel as we scrape for clues right along with our protagonist. For most of the book, readers won't know if Cady's sane or not, which gives this hurtling thriller a welcome, darker edge. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Henry is a dependable best-selling force in both adult and YA worlds, and this book is tailor-made to please her fan base.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)