The Body in the Woods by April Henry

What a rag-tag trio of teenagers! Alexis has a mother who should be on medication. Nick’s father died serving our country, and Ruby is quite obsessive.

The three teens are all in the Portland Country’s Search and Rescue group.

When an autistic man goes missing, the kids are sent to a part in the forest to look for him while other teams are sent in different directions.

What they find, however, is the body of a dead girl!

Alexis notices that for all Nick’s bravado, he is the only one of the three to become physically sick at the sight of the girl.  Ruby’s parents are appalled when they learn she helped find a murdered teen.  They prohibit her from being a part of the Search and Rescue team.  Alexis’ mother’s mental illness is so severe she goes missing for days.

Despite these problems and complications Alexis, Nick, and Ruby can’t stay away from the investigation of the murder.

Is it possible they saw the man (murderer) in the forest that day? Could they set a trap to see if they can catch him? Will they put themselves in great physical danger as they try to unravel this mystery?

Read The Body in the Woods to find out.