For teens grappling with unexpected, life-altering changes and the terrifying loss of their familiar world, this suspenseful novel explores resilience in crisis.
For a teen whose world has been unexpectedly turned upside down, this book provides a high stakes story about losing everything you thought defined you. Don't Look Behind You follows seventeen year old April, whose comfortable life is shattered when her family must enter the Witness Protection Program. Forced to abandon her friends, her future, and her own name, April grapples with fear, anger, and a profound identity crisis, all while a hired killer hunts them. This classic thriller is perfect for older teens (14+) and is a gripping way to open conversations about resilience, family loyalty, and what truly makes us who we are when familiar comforts are stripped away.
Several secondary characters are killed by a hitman, raising the stakes for the main family.
Sensitive Topics
The book deals directly with the constant threat of death and violence. Several secondary characters are murdered. The approach is not gory, but it is direct and suspenseful, focusing on the psychological terror of being hunted. The resolution is realistic for the genre: the immediate threat is eliminated, but the family's old life is irrevocably gone, offering a resolution that is safe but bittersweet.
Ideal Reader
A teen aged 14-17 who loves fast-paced thrillers and suspense. It is also an excellent fit for a teen wrestling with a major, unwanted life change (a cross-country move, a dramatic shift in family circumstances) who feels a profound loss of identity and control. This reader will connect with April’s rage and grief.
Parent Prep
Parents should be aware of the persistent suspense and moments of violence. Key scenes to know about involve the murder of a family friend and the final confrontation with the hitman. The book can be read cold as it is a self-contained thriller, but a conversation about the Witness Protection Program might add helpful context. A parent notices their teen is fascinated by true crime or suspense novels, or the teen has expressed extreme frustration about a life change, saying things like, "This is so unfair! My whole life is ruined!" or "I don't even know who I am anymore."
Age Experience
A younger teen (13-14) will likely focus on the page-turning plot, the mystery, and the thrill of the chase. An older teen (15-17) will connect more deeply with the psychological themes: April's identity crisis, the complex family dynamics under pressure, and the moral questions surrounding her father's choices.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many contemporary YA thrillers focused on high school mysteries, this book centers the crisis squarely within the family unit. It is a foundational YA suspense novel that masterfully explores the psychological cost of losing one's identity, making the internal struggle as compelling as the external threat.
Read plot summary
Seventeen-year-old April Corrigan's life is upended when her father agrees to testify against his former boss in a massive drug smuggling case. To protect them, the entire family is placed in the Witness Security Program (WITSEC). They are relocated, given new identities, and cut off from everyone they know. April, now Valerie Weber, resents her father and struggles intensely with the loss of her identity, her friends, and her boyfriend, Steve. Her attempts to maintain contact with her old life inadvertently provide clues to a relentless hitman, known as The Vampire, who is systematically hunting them down.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
April is furious with her father for his choice to testify, which puts the family in danger. Do you think his decision was brave or selfish? Why?
2
Throughout the book, April breaks the rules of witness protection, like contacting her boyfriend Steve. Were her actions understandable, or were they simply reckless? What might you have done in her situation?
3
At the end of the story, the family is safe but can never return to their old lives. What parts of her old self do you think April will manage to keep, and what parts will be lost forever?
4
If you had to go into hiding and could only tell one person from your 'old life' the truth, who would it be and why would you trust them?
