Mystery novels and thrillers comprise a hugely popular literary genre. The popularity of mystery novels throughout literary history, from Wilkie Collins’s 1868 The Moonstone to Gillian Flynn’s 2012 Gone Girl, illustrates the enduring effectiveness of the genre. The hallmark of a mystery novel is a puzzling situation, usually a crime, which remains unsolved until the end of the narrative. Mystery novels draw on real-world fears to create compelling narratives, offering readers the opportunity to play detective by piecing together clues left by the author. Successful mystery novels usually contain enough detail to allow readers to follow leads but not enough to spoil the outcome of the central plotline.

April Henry is known for writing bestselling young-adult thrillers. The Night She Disappeared follows the classic mystery plot of an abducted girl and a race against time to save her. Along the way Henry utilizes several common tropes of the genre. She creates a large suspect pool and inserts a red herring in Cody Renfrew, who initially appears to be a promising suspect but is quickly ruled out by the narrative (though not by the police). Kayla’s abductor taunts the police, keeping his identity under wraps and manipulating their investigation by calling in a false lead.