Before She Disappeared: A Novel (A Frankie Elkin Novel)
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, a propulsive thriller featuring an ordinary woman who will stop at nothing to find the missing people that the rest of the world has forgotten
Frankie Elkin is an average middle-aged woman, a recovering alcoholic with more regrets than belongings. But she spends her life doing what no one else will--searching for missing people the world has stopped looking for. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never paid attention, Frankie starts looking.
A new case brings her to Mattapan, a Boston neighborhood with a rough reputation. She is searching for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school months earlier. Resistance from the Boston PD and the victim's wary family tells Frankie she's on her own--and she soon learns she's asking questions someone doesn't want answered. But Frankie will stop at nothing to discover the truth, even if it means the next person to go missing could be her.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, a propulsive thriller featuring an ordinary woman who will stop at nothing to find the missing people that the rest of the world has forgotten
Frankie Elkin is an average middle-aged woman, a recovering alcoholic with more regrets than belongings. But she spends her life doing what no one else will--searching for missing people the world has stopped looking for. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never paid attention, Frankie starts looking.
A new case brings her to Mattapan, a Boston neighborhood with a rough reputation. She is searching for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school months earlier. Resistance from the Boston PD and the victim's wary family tells Frankie she's on her own--and she soon learns she's asking questions someone doesn't want answered. But Frankie will stop at nothing to discover the truth, even if it means the next person to go missing could be her.
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Community Reviews
Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic and amateur sleuth who travels to a new place to find a missing person when the police have given up or have reached a dead end. She's cunning, determined, and has nothing to lose-- a scary combination that helps her find the missing. Haunted by the missing people she's found previously and past regrets, Frankie, consumes herself with the next case. This one brings her to Mattapan, MA to find Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenage girl. There are twist and turns that lead to a compelling story about a woman who won't give up until she's found those that have disappeared.
This book is quickly paced and exciting throughout. The ending isn't super easy to figure out and this leads to an engaging mystery and thriller as readers scramble to put the pieces together along with Frankie and Boston Police Department Detective Lotham. Lisa Gardner is a fantastic writer. Each character is complex and realistic, the communities in Boston are written about with respect and nuance, and the intricate complexity of alcoholism is handled with care.
This book is quickly paced and exciting throughout. The ending isn't super easy to figure out and this leads to an engaging mystery and thriller as readers scramble to put the pieces together along with Frankie and Boston Police Department Detective Lotham. Lisa Gardner is a fantastic writer. Each character is complex and realistic, the communities in Boston are written about with respect and nuance, and the intricate complexity of alcoholism is handled with care.
N
I actually read this out of order and read the second book first. That’s why I left one star off. The excitement of one step to far left me struggling through the first half of the book. It took a while of the slow burn to pick up. Once it started however it was gripping. I would have never guessed although a bit complicated the character development and the relationships were so well thought out. I will say Lisa Gardner has a true talent in making you feel like you are in the book as part of the investigation. If you can start with this book and move to others although not necessarily the order you NEED to go in.
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