Buried Diamonds is compelling, literate, moving. April Henry's complicated, three-dimensional characters lug around all the  baggage of modern life--family woes, relationship jitters, old age--and turbulent pasts. Unplug the TV, turn off the phone, and prepare to  be entertained in this polished gem from a writers' writer.

--Julia-Spencer Fleming

“A warm prize for a chilly day.”

- Library Journal

PRAISE FOR
LEARNING TO FLY

PRAISE FOR
HEART-SHAPED BOX

Salem Statesman Journal, March 18, 2001
"Adventurous and fun - just like Claire."

"April Henry delineates character with dazzle, insight, and grace. In Heart-Shaped Box, Henry probes past and present with power and perception. This is a compelling entry in a deservedly acclaimed series." —Carolyn Hart

About.com, February 15, 2001
"April Henry is a master of knowing how to make a book flow. She captures a reader's interest and does everything possible to keep it."

Oregonian, February 11, 2001
"Realistic characters put to the test in unusual, exciting situations ... When .. Belinda enters the reunion banquet room and keens like a stuck calf, it's a sure sign the fun is starting!"

Library Journal, January 2001
"Lively action, a tidy circle of appealing characters and a focused, small-town location make this a solid work for all collections."

Willamette Week, January 24, 2001
"One of Portland's most popular authors is back with another mystery starring that interpid redhead, Claire Montrose."

PRAISE FOR
SQUARE IN THE FACE

From The Seattle Times, March 12 2000
"Claire's return is chronicled in the engaging 'Square in the Face.'"

From The Washington Times, April 16, 2000
"April Henry is spoiling us. ... Grab Circles in one hand and Square in the other because this is a character you are going to like."

From The Oregonian - February 20, 2000
"The second Claire Montrose mystery is excellent. It's well-written, the characters are fully developed, the plot is fast moving and the mystery is satisfactorily resolved. ... a smoothly accomplished escapist confection."

From Library Journal - March 1, 2000
"Agreeable prose, a steadily engaging plot and a few vanity plate puzzlers thrown in for good measure make this a recommended purchase."

PRAISE FOR
CIRCLES OF CONFUSION

From Mystery News - April/May 1999
"Circles of Confusion - an artistic term - is a wonderful book! Amusing in voice, light and casual; it's an easy read. Henry spins an interesting plot.... Henry is adept at characterization.... This is a delightful book - I loved every minute of it! Henry humorously ends most passages with vanity license plate phrases, and in keeping with that vein, I have to say Circles of Confusion was GR8!"

From The Drood Review
"In her first novel, April Henry has created a cracker-jack plot that is intelligent, internally consistent and interesting. She has created an attractive protagonist and the tale is told in a strong voice that never drifts toward the cute. The art lore to which Claire is subjected in her search for the truth is thorough, fascinating and still doesn't interrupt the plot's pace and development. (The title refers to luminous spots caused by imperfections in a camera lens, an effect for which Vermeer was known.) A fine maiden effort."

From the March 21 Eugene Register Guard
"April Henry, a 39-year-old Portland resident who works in corporate communications, is attracting attention as a new writer to watch with this fast-paced debut mystery."

From The Mystery Reader
"...Ms. Henry has designed a worthy plot, then added some unusual twists and turns. In the beginning, despite Claire's skill at guessing vanity plates, she is somewhat slow at detecting. As the story progresses, she is able to fabricate some innovative tricks of her own. Admirably, Ms. Henry provides exactly the right amount of technical and background information, without writing a textbook full of extraneous details. She even creates an amusing game for her readers by including a number of unusual vanity plates to solve throughout the book – thankfully adding an answer key in the back. Circles of Confusion supplies abundant entertainment and tremendous potential for the continuing Claire Montrose mystery series."
-- Monica Pope

From The Oregonian - February 28, 1999
"A first time mystery novelist seldom strides onstage with more assuredness than April Henry. ... On the face of it, Henry's novel is of the popular mystery subgenre in which a spunky woman comes of age, realizing her personal potential by solving a crime. But Circles of Confusion is more than that - it's a deft and often witty story about art theft, historical guilt and the nature of memory and what is truly valuable in life. ... Such mysteries often settle for merely being cute. But Henry's artful writing elevates the story well above formula. Circles of Confusion is a galloping-fast red - smoothly written and bright with wit, but also tinged with somber reflections. There are good characters, a sense of consequences and a competence with shifting mood that's unusually skillful for a first novel. Henry's powers of description are formidable."

From The Denver Post, February 14, 1999
"There are many plot twists, all neatly foreshadowed in earlier chapters of the   book, and abundant clues unobtrusively planted throughout the narrative, as well as a splendid crash course in art history. But the most fun of all are the chapter endings, each one featuring a vanity license plate that needs to be deciphered....Want more? BYDBK

From Publishers Weekly, January 19, 1999
"An amateur sleuth with an unusual day job debuts in this lively, romantic mystery....An off-beat, vital first outing."

Romantic Times Magazine, March 1999
"Circles of Confusion is tremendous fun. It's the most adventurous, humorous and romantic novel since Dame Agatha gave us The Man in the Brown Suit. You'll be spellbound by Claire's adventures and will also find yourself envying her romantic interludes. The superb ending will have you shaking your head and smiling at the same time. Brava, Ms. Henry, and thank you for some highly diverting entertainment."

Phillip Margolin, author of Gone, but Not Forgotten
"Circles of Confusion is a thoroughly entertaining debut mystery. Claire Montrose is a heroine you can root for."

From The Poisoned Pen, January 1999
The title is drawn from the effects on painting of the camera obscura, a pinhole device that projects an image upside-down and backwards. The painter Vermeer liked it; this is in part his story. It opens in the Oregon [Motor Vehicle Division's] Custom Plate Department, where Claire Montrose whiles away her dead-end life at a dead-end job. Her only real diversion comes from deciphering the literal and figurative meanings of all the vanity plate plate applications that cross her desk. Claire's even beginning to think in vanity-speak. No one ever asks H20UUP2? Then a call reports the death of aged Aunt Cady, and the news that Claire has inherited Cady's complete estate. It's mostly trash, but hidden in the nest of the former WAC's WWII momentos is a little painting: lovely, unlit, warming. Claire falls in love--and nearly into the clutches of some roughnecks. Incensed, she dares book a flight from Portland to NY to show her painting to an auction house. Her naïveté is unnerving, but some guardian angel sits on her shoulder as she brushes against wily strangers, divergent appraisals, and new threats to her and the painting. MYTB$$.

The background to this little drama draws upon Nazi art thefts, and thus links to Loot by Aaron Elkins. MYSTBF8. I queried Henry about what next. She says the speech malady of Claire's will continue. Wonderful. This is a real cozy, and likely to score in the Agatha Awards/Macavity Awards. But more and beyond the clever hook, Henry shows a knack for characters, a wry view, and research smarts.

From Tucson's Clues Unlimited catalogue:
"An appealing, not-too-cute cozy with interesting art forgery lore."

From the Salem, OR Statesman Journal, January 17, 1999
"...Circles of Confusion...[demonstrates] Henry's attention to detail and her ability to infuse both the mundane and the sensational with a feeling of reality...Virtually every reader will hope that a [Claire Montrose] series is, indeed, in the offing, because Henry seems like anything but a beginner. Her writing is assured and deft, the mystery well stated, the characters just real enough to capture the reader's attention without resorting to eccentricity."