Body
in the Woods (Point Last Seen #1)
By April Henry
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: June 17, 2014
ASIN: B00HBPZ7GY
Amazon Synopsis:
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,
This first book in April Henry’s Point Last Seen YA mystery series, The Body in the Woods is full of riveting suspense, putting readers right in the middle of harrowing rescues and crime scene investigations.
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My Thoughts:
When
three Portland teenagers take part in a Search and Rescue operation in a local
park to find a missing person, they find much more than they bargained for.
Alexis, Ruby and Nick are Newbies to the Search and Rescue team so they are
sent of to search in an area where the victim is least likely to be found. Told
that it is just as important to be sure where the victim is not, they set off
on their search. What they do find however, is something they weren't
bargaining for. They find the body of a teenaged homeless girl who has been
strangled to death.
Each
of these three teenagers are unique (aka weird) in their own way. Nick's dad
died in serving his country when Nick was very young and Nick often imagines
himself as a soldier behind enemy lines. Alexis' mother is mentally ill and
often off her medication. Alexis tries to hide this from everyone. Ruby is
fascinated with birds, continuity errors, true crime and gum flavors.
Using
their wits and working together, each of these three teenage misfits use their
skills to help the Portland police solve the murder, albeit against the express
wishes of the police chief. The teens' investigation does not go smoothly
either. A lot of things are working against them individually, and Ruby can't
figure out why Alexis doesn't seem to want to be her friend anymore.
I
enjoyed the fact that the teens all learned something about themselves and that
being unique is not a bad thing. I liked that they persisted with something
that they knew was right instead of just giving up and not caring as many teens
seem to do.
I'm
not sure that the author's premise for who serial killers choose is exactly
correct, but the premise works for the purposes of this story.
This
was a clean story with little graphic violence or profanity, and no sex. This
book would be appropriate for teens and older. I gave The Body in the Woods
a rating of 4 stars out of 5.It was very enjoyable. Readers of mystery and
suspense should find it quite to their liking.
Thank
you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in
exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All
thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
If you've read one of my books, I would love to
hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.
My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written 13 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have gotten starred reviews, been picked for Booksense, translated into six languages, been named to state reading lists, and short-listed for the Oregon Book Award.
I also review YA literature and mysteries and thrillers for the Oregonian, and have written articles for both The Writer and Writers Digest.
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