Don't Turn Around [Hardcover]

Michelle Gagnon (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 28, 2012 | Series: Don't Turn Around

In Michelle Gagnon’s debut YA thriller, Don’t Turn Around, computer hacker Noa Torson is as smart, tough, and complex as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander.
 
The first in a trilogy, Don’t Turn Around’s intricate plot and heart-pounding action will leave readers desperate for book two.
 
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her hacking skills to stay anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in a warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa’s talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation threatens his life in no uncertain terms. But what Noa and Peter don’t realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who’d stop at nothing to silence her for good.
 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Be prepared to stay up all night reading." -VOYA (starred review)

“Gagnon’s YA debut is a pulse-pounding scary-great read…[that] will have teens begging for more. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for preteens and teens, a surefire hit.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

“A tight, well-written thriller from a best-selling adult writer. The action and the developments come fast and furious all the way to the end.” (School Library Journal (starred review))

“Be prepared to stay up all night reading.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review))

“A fast-paced, rip-roaring thriller for all ages.” (Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author)

“Gagnon’s writing draws readers effortlessly into an adrenaline-packed ride. This is a smart, gripping addition to the growing hacker-action genre with strong appeal to fans of Doctorow’s Little Brother and Falkner’s Brain Jack.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books)

“A sophisticated, mind-bending thriller.” (Katie Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Girls in Trucks and The Magnolia League)

From the Back Cover

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been a victim of the system ever since her parents died. Now living off the grid and trusting no one, she uses her computer-hacking skills to stay safely anonymous and alone. But when she wakes up on a table in an empty warehouse with an IV in her arm and no memory of how she got there, Noa starts to wish she had someone on her side.

Enter Peter Gregory. A rich kid and the leader of a hacker alliance, Peter needs people with Noa's talents on his team. Especially after a shady corporation called AMRF threatens his life in no uncertain terms.

But what Noa and Peter don't realize is that Noa holds the key to a terrible secret, and there are those who'd stop at nothing to silence her for good.

Fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will devour the story of Noa, a teen soul mate to Lisbeth Salander.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1 edition (August 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062102907
• ISBN-13: 978-0062102904
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michelle Gagnon is a former modern dancer, bartender, dog walker, model, personal trainer, and Russian supper club performer. Her bestselling thrillers have been published in North America, France, Spain, Argentina, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. BONEYARD was a finalist for a 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Her Young Adult debut DON'T TURN AROUND received Starred reviews from Kirkus, VOYA, and School Library Journal, and was an Autumn 2012 selection for the Kid's IndieNext list. She splits her time between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Thriller! October 10, 2012

By Marianne Houghtaling

Format:Hardcover

Imagine waking up on a cold table with an IV in your arm with no idea where you are, how long you have been there, and not knowing if anything was done to you? These are the questions facing Noa Torson. Noa is a brilliant computer hacker whose life went from happy to nightmare in an instant. She is a survivor, and she will need all her skills and strength to keep ahead of the fiends who are chasing her. I highly recommend this book especially if you like thrillers. The characters are so likable. You can feel their happiness and disappointments and are cheering for them all the way. I started reading this book late one evening and had to get up early the next morning to finish it. It was absolutely compelling. It is the first book of three in the series, and I anxiously await the second book.Don't Turn Around

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Irish Banana Review October 10, 2012

By Hannah @ The Irish Banana Review

Format:Hardcover

After a bit of a reading slump, I picked this book up off my shelf and, suffice to say, my reading slump is now over. Don't Turn Around renewed my love for books within the first chapter. Michelle Gagnon grabs you in a vise and doesn't let up ever. This book stole my breath in the best possible way.

The moment the book opens with Noa waking up, the action starts and doesn't let up. This book is heavily compared to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and I get the similarities. But Noa is not Lisbeth Salander. While both are tech-savvy geniuses who have lived on their own for a while, Noa has a heart that Lisbeth just never got. Noa is endearing, frustrating, and thrilling.

I will say that this story definitely focuses more on plot than characters, but that totally works here. I felt like I had a good grip on the characters--they were engaging, unique, and had chemistry--but the real gem is the plot. Gagnon spares no expense as she dives into the world of corporate and government conspiracies. She creates this complex and intricate plot that weaves together into an ingenious literary knot.

I am so thrilled that there will be more books because I did not nearly get my fill of Noa (and Peter--especially Noa with Peter) and this crazy world. I'm usually the girl who has to have a romantic storyline to really fall hard for a story, but that wasn't the case here. Yes, there's some fun moments between Noa and Peter, and I truly hope their relationship evolves through the series, but the story itself was so exciting, I was addicted from the first sentence. Gagnon already had an established fanbase with her adult audience and that it sure to increase significantly with the YA crowd. She wrote a novel that will easily appeal to teens and adults.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Hacking and Conspiracies September 2, 2012

By Nyx

Format:Kindle Edition

*SOME SPOILERS AHEAD*

I love books about hackers, and this one had just the perfect mix for me. Hacking, weird medical surgery, goons dressed all in black, and a conspiracy! WOOO xD

It was all pretty well done, I really liked the characters, all of them, even Mason with his creepy stalker-killer thing he had going on. I felt so bad for Peter with his a-hole parents, and I don't care how guilty the mom feels she still didn't do crap. Noa was pretty kick-ass although a bit clueless at times. I mean she is a big time hacker right? Why not actually put those skills to use to find out who the mysterious helper was. And she needed money, why not use her skills to get some as well? I guess my problem is that she didn't actually do much hacking at all, just at the start to get the info and at the end for her plan, which was truly genius *SPOILER*too bad it didn't truly work out*SPOILER*

I really liked how all the elements were woven in, the weird surgeries, the disease that killed Peter's brother, how Noa fits into all of it, the 'mysterious' helper, Amanda. It's all done to keep you guessing and trying to figure out what is going on, which it most definitely accomplished. I would still like to know how the government fits into all of it, and why they started making such fatal experiments in such a large scale when the Owner's daughter of the pharmaceutical company hadn't even gotten the disease yet. I'm guessing they both tie in somehow and that it will be answered in the next book.

The ending was...good and bad. Peter totally played the hero and didn't even get the girl! But at least she got away. I was NOT happy that *SPOILER*Cody was killed*SPOILER* was it completely necessary? I guess since he was the 'medical expert' and knew too much, but still, he was so nice! and my other problem with the ending was that we finally get to meet the mysterious helper and I am not a happy camper. I can tell there is a love triangle coming and I am hating it already. I don't like the new guy, he seems too convenient somehow. Really hoping the romance stays as understated as it was here, and if the triangle MUST happen that it at least is well done. I don't want to see a potentially good series go down the drain because of it.