Learning to Swim - by Sara J Henry (Paperback)

About the Book

After she witnesses a small boy being thrown into Lake Champlain, Troy Chance dives into the frigid water. She rescues the frightened boy only to discover that he had been kidnapped, and he is the victim of a bizarre and bloody plot.

Book Synopsis

A mysterious and suspenseful story that will move and disturb you to the very end.

When she sees what looks like a child tumbling from a ferry into frigid Lake Champlain, Troy Chance dives in without thinking. When she gets the child to shore she discovers that his name is Paul, he speaks only French--and no one is looking for him.

Her determination to protect Paul pulls Troy from her quiet life as a writer in a small Adirondack town into an unfamiliar world of wealth and privilege in Canada and then in Vermont. Her attachment to him--and the danger she faces when she tries to unravel the mystery of his abandonment--force her to evaluate everything she thought true about herself.

The first book featuring the unforgettable Troy Chance, Sara J. Henry's riveting, award-winning debut will keep you engrossed right up to its shattering conclusion.

Winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, and the Mary Higgins Clark Award

Review Quotes

"A single woman dives headlong from a ferry into Lake Champlain to rescue a child, and then must figure out what to do with him. Compulsively readable, this is all about what we do for love." --Boston Globe

"From the grabber beginning to the heartfelt conclusion, Sara J. Henry's Learning to Swim is an auspicious debut ... Fresh setting, well-realized characters, cleanly written, with a mysterious and suspenseful story." --Daniel Woodrell, author of The Maid's Version

"Emotional, intense, and engrossing... The talented Sara J. Henry introduces a thoroughly modern heroine with an independent spirit and a tender heart." --Lisa Unger, author of In the Blood

"A terrific debut. This moving and insightful psychological thriller features the inspiring Troy Chance--an everywoman hero who women will admire and men will want to meet. I can't wait for her next adventure."
--Michael Robotham, author of Watching You

"Readers will root for Troy Chance from the dramatic opening of Learning to Swim right through to its surprising close. Move over, Kinsey Millhone." --Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Four Ms. Bradwells

"From its shocking opening to its stunning conclusion, Learning to Swim is a frightening ride. Sara J. Henry will quite literally take your breath away." --J.T. Ellison, author of The Lost Key

"A thriller of the most thrilling kind--a smart and crafty story with whiffs of Rebecca that insists from the first sentence that you sit down and not stand up again until you've read the last word."
--Quinn Cummings, author of Notes from the Underwire

"Henry proves herself to be a smooth and compelling storyteller. And her lead is highly appealing: an athletic, fiercely independent young woman who, like crime-fiction author Gillian Flynn's feisty females, is capable of making delightfully acerbic observations." --Booklist

"Sara J. Henry's debut starts with a bang--or, more literally, a splash--and doesn't let up until the final page." --BookPage

"A compelling plot, a pervading sense of foreboding, well-constructed characters." --Kirkus Reviews

"Take a gulp of air before diving into Vermonter Sara J. Henry's new mystery, because you're likely to hold your breath for the whole first chapter." --Rutland Herald

"A stunner. This disturbing, moving, compelling book will keep readers engaged until the very last page. It is smart, intense, and full of unexpected plot twists."--Tucson Citizen

"Part mystery thriller, part family tragedy, part tentative romance, it succeeds on all levels."--Knoxville News Sentinel

About the Author

SARA J. HENRY's first novel, Learning to Swim, won the Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark Awards, was a Target Emerging Author pick, and was named one of Best Books of 2011 by the Boston Globe. Her second novel, A Cold and Lonely Place, is an Anthony award nominee for Best Novel and was a Reader's Digest Select Books choice. She has written for Prevention, Adirondack Life, Bicycling, Triathlete, and other magazines, was an editor at Rodale Books and Women's Sports & Fitness magazine, and was a newspaper and magazine editor. A native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Sara lives in Vermont. Visit www.SaraJHenry.com.