As other folks have commented on here, it's hard to believe this is a debut novel. It's descriptions of a down and out Atlantic City are fantastic, and the struggles of the women in this story are gritty and way too real. It was hard for me to read sometimes, but that's because I hate to think about what so many women have to do to survive.

I didn't find this book particularly suspenseful, as is mentioned in the description, but I did find it riveting and the dangerous aspects gripping and dramatic.

Being a Jersey girl I was so excited for this book- but ugh. It did not hold my attention and I found myself skipping over to finish it. I may try to pick this up again and reread in a few months to see if I can get back into it!

A psychic/grifter and newly single New York socialite forge an uneasy partnership trying to figure out what is happening to the women who are disappearing in Atlantic City. Good suspense building narrative with sympathetic characters. It is always a little disappointing to me when a novel about women finding their power portrays almost all men as dirt bags; I applaud women of strength stories, I just wish it didn't usually paint men in such a bad light.

I absolutely loved this book. I have intimate knowledge of the boardwalk and Jersey shore so everything about this book felt real to me. The writing pulled me in immediately and I felt as if I was walking along with them. Would recommend this to anyone looking for a dark tale in a bright world.

Excellent debut novel by Caitlin Mullen. It was very well written, the characters were well developed and interesting. You felt their pain and understood why they were leading the lives they did. It was dark and gritty - it could be disturbing at times. I highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading more by the author. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Interesting novel of murders in Atlantic City. Thoughtful story but It just didn't keep my interest

4 stars.

A killer is on the loose in Atlantic City. Told from multiple perspectives— Clara the psychic, the Jane Does, Lily the art professional who escaped NYC after a traumatic breakup. All of these characters are connected, and the story flows as well as it could. Somewhat disjointed here and there but overall very easy to follow, and kept me guessing. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the author did a great job with the setting of this book - I could very clearly picture a declining Atlantic City where women do anything to survive. I could feel the sweltering heat and picture the shops along the strip.

I seem to be in the minority, but I thought this book was only ok. It was a bit disconnected at times where it swapped from the point of view of Clara/Ava, Lily, Luis, and the various Jane Does. I really didn't feel a connection to any of the characters and I wonder if it's because the story never really focused on any one character long enough?

The plot was promising, but felt a bit repetitive at times (in my opinion).

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

The references to Atlantic City's heyday and what it's like now were a powerful reminder of how some cities have really declined (on the other hand, the veiled comments about a specific former casino owner and his bankruptcies were just fun). Told by someone escaping a disastrous relationship in New York and by a teenage clairvoyant with a storefront on the Boardwalk, as well as by the various Janes - the dead women lying in the salt march - this story of who is killing the Janes and whether Clara and Lily can find a friendship and possibly figure out what is causing Clara's visions. Not being afraid to explore the seedier side of life is what elevated this from a 2.5 to a 3 star.

eARC provided by publisher.

This novel is told through the voices of eight people who are residing and working in Atlantic City and trying to make ends meet in a city that has lost its sparkle. Some are runaways, some are seeking a geographic cure, and some are townies who have never known another home. Amidst the casinos, hotels, and boardwalk attractions are women who have turned to prostitution to make ends meet. A serial killer is preying on these women and when they die, no one even knows they are missing. No one except for a teenage girl, a tarot card reader who calls herself Clara Voyant who has been having visions about the missing girls. She befriends Lily, a young woman who left a lucrative job in the art world of New York because of a failed romance, to return to Atlantic City. Clara and Lily are the main voices heard in the novel as they juggle their own self–discovery and reinvention attempts with tracking down the missing girls. A deaf mute man named Luis who works as a maintenance man at a high-end Spa knows much about the murders, but he has no voice to communicate. This is a story that exposes and humanizes the gritty underworld of prostitution, lust, and greed. Through the voices of the women and Luis, readers learn of the desperation and pain associated with living a life marginalized by society. Through the use of blended story-lines, interesting connections are made between the various voices. It is a haunting novel with well-developed characters that keeps the readers engrossed until the end.

Please See Us is an impressive literary debut from Caitlin Mullen. It takes place in seedy Atlantic City and features a semi-gifted psychic (“Clara Voyant”) whose talents kick in when the spirits of several murdered Jane Does connect with her. Recommended for readers who like a moody, ethereal story that’s not your typical suspense thriller.

Reading the plot synopsis, you may think that you've read this book, or some analogue of it. I guarantee you that you haven't. As rabid fans of mysteries and thrillers, we encounter innumerable female victims. What makes this novel exceptional is that it gives unique, sympathetic, and complex voices to the Jane Does. The interstitial chapters in their voices are chilling and heartbreaking.

This novel explores the liminal spaces of our society. The Jane Does are even left in a liminal space, a marsh separating ocean from land. The marsh seems to symbolize the way women of lesser means are often left to rot on the edges of society after their use and exploitation at the hands of men and an increasingly unequal economic system. The main characters are in transitional phases--late adolescence in one case, and between careers in another. It explores the vulnerability of these transitional states as well as the vulnerability women--and one special man--experience every day navigating the world. The marsh isn't the only overarching metaphor; the very decay of Atlantic City mirrors the decay of our culture and exposes the darkness some people grapple with as a course of daily subsistence.

If you are looking for a deep, reflective mystery that still delivers the promise of the genre's fast-pace and thrill, it would be difficult to do better than this stunning debut.

My last book was a muscle builder for the brain so I welcomed this quick-paced thriller by Caitlin Mullen. Taking place in Atlantic City, a young fortune teller (Clara) and a recently displaced young professional woman (Lily) cross paths and find common ground in apparent serial killings in the area. An interesting twist is the thoughts and memories of the deceased victims as they wait to be found, thus the “Please See Us”. I really liked the sensitive human touch Ms. Mullen gave to her victims, making their lives mean something besides another body in the marsh.
Lily has also befriended an elderly neighbor, and in the process, she’s discovered some beautiful sketches by an unknown artist from the area (I really liked the way this part of the story unfolded, but no spoilers here). And the tarot card explanations were interesting; I found myself getting absorbed in the card readings even though this is a work of fiction.
This is a quick and entertaining book that takes place in a slowly dying tourist trap with a believable plot.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Gallery, Pocket Books and NetGalley for making it available.)

The Underbelly
This is a story of two vulnerable Atlantic City girls and a chorus of murdered women hidden in the marshes behind a seedy motel. A serial killer is on the loose and he’s targeting women who trade sex for money.
Clara is a young tarot card reader, estranged from her mother and living with her aunt above their boardwalk business. She and her aunt are struggling to pay the rent and stay afloat when her aunt decides her sixteen year old niece should take on additional work to make ends meet. Clara is a psychic whose disturbing visions offer glimpses of the horror show happening around her. As young as she is, she knows her fate is sealed if she stays in this place much longer.
Lily is a New York City transplant. Her once-promising art gallery career is stalled due to a harsh betrayal. She finds herself living back in her hometown, licking her wounds and attempting to start over. She takes a job at a posh spa in a once bustling luxury hotel/casino trying to earn enough money to get back to New York. Lily is still reeling from the death of her beloved father.
Lily and Clara’s chance encounter form an unlikely alliance between the two. As Clara’s visions become more violent and intense, Lily discovers an unknown local artist through his paintings that lead to a deeper mystery, one she feels compelled to solve even at the expense of her own common sense and safety.
This gritty story exposes the dark underbelly of human depravity, the disregard women have for themselves when money is so desperately sought after and unhappiness settles in like the dampness in the coastal air, the disparities between men and women, and the sick and twisted games men will play in order to entertain themselves justifying using women whom they insist don’t matter. The dead women form a collective voice all their own as they seek to tell their stories, help solve their own murders and warn others from their fate. Watch for the clue offered in the prologue and how it foretells the surprise ending. Well done debut crime fiction.
BRB Rating: Read It.

This debut novel starts with two murdered young women in Atlantic City. The story is told in chapters from several points of view, as we meet several young women, and we meet a very dark side of Atlantic City. Although it was a bit confusing for awhile to follow the different women’s stories, it became very clear. Her writing is descriptive, atmospheric, and raw. The stories are sympathetically about the women, yet the sadly decaying Atlantic City is a prominent character. Ms. Mullen is such a good writer. Will definitely look forward to more in the future.

Please See Us is the debut novel by Caitlin Mullen. Ms Mullen does an excellent job of bringing the pages to life and the reader is able to easily visualize the scenes she is describing. I'm looking forward to the next story by this author, and would really be interested in a sequel showing more of one of the main characters from Please See Us. I want to thank Net Galley and Gallery Books for the early copy given me to review.

PLEASE SEE US
BY Caitlin Mullen

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC of this book. I voluntarily reviewed this book and all views expressed are only my honest opinion.

We start off with an opening scene of two dead bodies in a marsh, speaking that they want to be found. Throughout the book the number grows and so do their voices.

During this time, two main characters and unlikely friends meet. Clara, a clairvoyant who is a young 16 year old passing herself off as someone older to get by and making a living in Atlantic City. Living with a leech of an Aunt who raised her that ends up putting her in harms way to pay the rent and support her drug habit. Clara wants to escape this town and find her mother. Then we have Lily, who came back to her hometown, running from NY where she had a successful art career only to return to Atlantic City to work as a receptionist in one of the few remaining Casino Hotels on the dying Atlantic Strip.

There is an introduction of so many different characters and POV’s that it is hard to keep track. The friendship between Clara and Lily grows as Clara’s premonitions become more prevalent and they seem to tie all these characters together. It is just a really slow start in doing so. I love the characters but it wasn’t until after the 1st 200 pages that their true back stories were given and you felt a much deeper connection and understanding of why things happened or were happening the way they were.

Luis a mute who also works at the Casino, is who also plays an important role in the book. Clara sees him in her visions and she sees the bodies of the dead girls. Soon friends/acquaintances of Lily & Clara begin to disappear but they can’t make the connection and they can’t go to the police without sounding crazy.

This is some great writing, like a breath of fresh air. I love that the writer talks about violence against women and societies views on sex trade workers. This is not for the light of heart. The plot is well thought out and original, I just wished that some things at the end were in the beginning to start that bond with the characters sooner and also to help with the confusion. Some of the “voices” that were talking, I didn’t know if they were dead or alive yet.

As a debut novel, I see this Author creating some huge hits and a huge following. Again, personally I would need restructuring to read a lot more future novels so I’m not so lost and winging it in the beginning. The end ties it all together and brilliantly so, just would love a little more direction for us readers.

Two women become unlikely friends during a long hot humid summer full of dread, violence and murder in Atlantic City.

Clara a young psychic is struggling to attract clients so she can pay the rent. She begins having images. Images of violence against women. Lily is an ex-Soho art gallery girl who has returned to her hometown of Atlantic City after a humiliating and painful breakup. She now works in a spa in a desolate Casino. Both women have their own issues and demons but find common ground together and help each other when no one else seems to see, care or notice that something is very wrong. Two women already lay dead in the marshland behind the Sunset Motel, but soon they will be joined by others. Will Clara's visions enough to save them or is it already too late?

This was a good debut novel. I found it to be very slow in the beginning, but the story did build as I got to know the characters more. One part that I really enjoyed was the "voice" given to the dead women lying in the Marsh. I thought that was a unique and original touch. I also appreciated that this book focused more on the victims and their stories. Others are enjoying this book more than I did. I enjoyed it but it didn't blow me away. But I look forward to more books by this Author in the future. She has shown a lot of promise with this book.


Thank you to Gallery Pocket Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lily represents artists and suffers a horrifically humiliating betrayal from the man she loved and a client whom she considered a friend. She returns to her mother's home to recover and meets Clara, a young psychic, who, despite her gift, is manipulated by her aunt. Together, they forge an unlikely friendship and uncover the homicides of five women.