Krystina Foelker, who is active in Refuge LARP, a local Live Action Role Play, helped me understand LARPing. While LARPing, people take on the personas and abilities of someone other than themselves and then act out adventures.
Folks at the Barony of Three Mountains, my local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) let me observe their combat event, which featured armored participants. SCA is a medieval living history organization re-creating the arts and skills of pre-seventeenth-century Europe.
Macmillan Publishing’s anti-piracy manager, Catherine Bogin, helped me think about the ins and outs of selling illegally obtained book chapters on the dark web.
My agent, Wendy Schmalz, was a rock as we both learned to navigate the new pandemic world.
My editor, Christy Ottaviano, helped me figure out how to make this book the best it could be.
Associate editor Jessica Anderson has a sharp eye and keeps us all organized. Publicist Morgan Rath, who normally helps me with planes, trains, and automobiles, pivoted to help me with Zoom. Mike Burroughs designed the eye-catching cover, and Lelia Mander handled the copyediting and proofreading, with the help of Ana Deboo and Bonnie Cutler. Other wonderful folks at Macmillan include Lucy Del Priore, Katie Halata, Melissa Croce, Molly Brouillette Ellis, and Kathryn Little.
HONORS FOR APRIL HENRY
Edgar Award Finalist
Anthony Award Winner
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults
Barnes & Noble Top Teen Pick
Winner of the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award
Missouri Truman Readers Award Selection
TLA Tayshas Selection
New York State Charlotte Award Winner
Oregon Spirit Award Winner
One Book for Nebraska Teens
Nebraska Golden Sower Honor Book
YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers
OTHER MYSTERIES BY APRIL HENRY
Girl, Stolen
The Night She Disappeared
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
The Girl I Used to Be
Count All Her Bones
The Lonely Dead
Run, Hide, Fight Back
The Girl in the White Van
Playing with Fire
THE POINT LAST SEEN SERIES:
The Body in the Woods
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
April Henry is the New York Times–bestselling author of many acclaimed mysteries for adults and young adults, including the YA novels Girl, Stolen; The Night She Disappeared; The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die; The Girl I Used to Be, which was nominated for an Edgar Award and won the Anthony Award for Best YA Mystery; Count All Her Bones; The Lonely Dead; Run, Hide, Fight Back; The Girl in the White Van; Playing with Fire; and The Body in the Woods and Blood Will Tell, the first two books in the Point Last Seen series. She lives in Oregon. Visit her online at aprilhenry.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Bob: The Gun
Bridget: Compelled to Change by an Outside Force
Bob: How Far Would He Make It?
Bridget: Never Take Anything for Granted
Ajay: Struck a Nerve
Bob: I Don’t Think You Understand
Bridget: Something in Common
Bob: Buffalo
Derrick: Dangerous Combat Infraction
Bob: A Mask and Gloves
Bridget: Show Some Respect
Ajay: A Very Private Person
Bob: The Quick Brown Fox
Derrick: Non-Player Character
Bob: Added Up to Nothing
Bridget: Like in Real Life
Derrick: The Dark Side
Bob: In the Nick of Time
Derrick: Out of Game
Bridget: Stand on the Bones
Derrick: Mud and Moon
Bridget: My Daughter Will Have
Bob: All That Crazy Stuff
Derrick: Keep It in Character
Bob: Haldon Cam
Bridget: I’m Doing This for You
Ajay: Sudden Turns of Fate
Derrick: Much Better
Bob: A Thousand and One Nights
Bob: Time to Call a Halt
Bridget: A Rabble Approaching
Bob: False Words
Bridget: Not Completely Following
Ajay: What’s the Worst That Can Happen?
Derrick: A Sense of Unreality
Bridget: Tilting Off Its Axis
Ajay: Put Your Hands in the Air
Bridget: Imposter
Ajay: A Real Friend
Bob: Who’s the Fool Now?
Bridget: Alphabet Soup
Bridget: Safety Depends on You
Bob: An Odd, Defiant Joy
Bridget: Compact and Discreet
Derrick: Save Him
Bridget: How Much Worse Could It Get?
Derrick: So Wrong, So Fast
Ajay: Mix of Feelings
Bridget: Too Late
Bob: Save Yourself
Bridget: Until They Were Dead
Bridget: Freedom
A Note from the Author
Honors for April Henry
Other Mysteries by April Henry
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2021 by April Henry
Henry Holt and Company, Publishers since 1866
Henry Holt® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271
fiercereads.com
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Henry, April, author.
Title: Eyes of the forest / April Henry.
Description: First edition. | New York: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 2021. | “Christy Ottaviano Books.” | Audience: Ages 12–18. | Audience: Grades 10–12. | Summary: Seventeen-year-old Bridget is both an employee of author RM Haldon and his biggest fan, so when she starts to receive cryptic emails from him after he goes missing, she teams up with her friend to find Haldon.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020038061 | ISBN 9781250234087 (hardcover)
Subjects: CYAC: Missing persons—Fiction. | Fans (Persons)—Fiction. | Authors—Fiction. | Authorship—Fiction. | Books and reading—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.H39356 Ey 2021 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020038061
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First hardcover edition 2021
eBook edition 2021
eISBN 978-1-250-23409-4