Book & Audio Review: The Lonely Dead by April Henry

The Lonely Dead
Author: April Henry
Narrator: Piper Goodeve
Publication: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (January 29, 2019); Tantor Audio (January 29, 2019
Length: 233 p.; 5 hours and 52 minutes

Description: A killer is on the loose, and only one girl has the power to find him. But in this genre-bending YA thriller, she must first manage to avoid becoming a target herself.

For Adele, the dead aren’t really dead. She can see them and even talk to them. But she’s spent years denying her gift. When she encounters her ex-best friend Tori in the woods and then realizes that Tori is actually dead in a shallow grave—that gift turns into a curse. Without an alibi, Adele becomes the prime suspect in Tori’s murder. She must work with Tori’s ghost to find the real killer. But what if the killer finds Adele first?

In The Lonely Dead, master mystery writer April Henry adds a chilling paranormal twist to this incredibly suspenseful young adult novel.

My Thoughts: This YA thriller stars Adele who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia just as her mother and grandmother were. But the diagnosis is wrong. Adele not only sees but can talk with the dead so long as she is in the same place as their bones are. With her parents dead, Adele lives with her grandfather who believes that she is schizophrenic and has her visit a psychiatrist and take pills. 

Adele is seventeen and decides not to take the pills anymore, but isn't telling her grandfather. She finds that her life is much better without the pills. She isn't anxious or sleepy or detached. But she is also seeing the dead again.

One day, while walking home from school, she discovers her ex-best friend Tori in the woods. Tori doesn't know that she is dead. Once Adele convinces her, she wants Adele to find out who murdered her. Tori has no memories beyond the party at her house where she caught Adele kissing her boyfriend Luke and threw both Luke and Adele out of her house. Both Tori and Adele had been drinking a lot. It was a first for Adele but a recurring pattern for Tori.

Adele makes an anonymous 9-1-1 call since she knows no one will believe that she can talk to the dead. And then Adele begins her own investigation to try to find out who murdered Tori. The police, however, think that Adele makes a great suspect and are constantly asking "just a few more questions."

Adele discovers a lot of potential suspect from the creepy next door neighbor, to Tori's dad, to the hunky student teacher that Tori was seeing on the side, to other friends who had reasons to be mad at her. But Adele also fears that she may have murdered Tori herself and forgotten about it in an alcoholic black out. 

The story was fast-paced and exciting. I enjoyed Adele's investigations. The only thing I really had a problem with was the idea that the dead hung around their bodies after death. That is one creepy idea!

Fans of the paranormal and thrillers will enjoy this story which was narrated by Piper Goodeve who did a great job with all the characters.

Favorite Quote:

All these years. All those pills. The doctors were wrong. My grandpa was wrong. The pills weren't suppressing delusions.

They were suppressing the truth.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.