Please See Us is a debut novel by Caitlin Mullen which follows multiple perspectives in Atlantic City, all revolving around a series of murders. I had a difficult time rating this book because while it was well structured and enjoyable to read, I don’t know that I will be able to remember any of the characters names or the bulk of the plot.
However there were some key moments I did really enjoy, particularly the reveal of the NY drama for Lily and the loose end tie up with Luis.
This would be great for causal crime fiction readers.

I absolutely adored this book. It was dark and twisty and showed the REAL life situations that some of these girls live in. I liked the vast array of characters and the way they were all intertwined. The descriptions of different surroundings and the way I felt like I was actually IN these situations really kept me reading. The only thing I wanted to learn more about was the villain.. I want to know more about him (or her)!!

This was a tough book. The writing is good, and when I picked up a book about a serial killer, I wasn’t expecting a cheery read, but I also wasn’t thinking that every single character would be abused in some way, almost exclusively by men.

Clara is a teenage girl who’s getting by as someone who does have visions but is more con artist/thief than psychic. Lila is a woman who’s gone back to her hometown of Atlantic City to lick her wounds after her man wronged her, and what he did didn’t just impact her love life, it had a devastating impact on her career.

Clara and Lila work together after several woman have gone missing. They see a lot of ugly things about the underbelly of humanity along the way.

That’s all I can say without giving anything away. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 3, 2020.

This debut novel resonated on several levels for me besides it’s being a heart pounding story. This author describes the less than shiny Atlantic City environs of the book in such clear detail that a reader can see, touch, and even smell that world. It is essentially a thriller but does have a clear feminist message of the need of women to be masters of their own destinies and in most cases responsible for saving themselves. It also makes one consider the unkind way some of our fellows are dismissed as being of no importance as opposed to the more fortunate among us. I really look forward to this book being published and to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. 
W O W...I haven't read an ARC from a new writer like this in a long time.  Reminiscent of Dot Hutchison or Jeffrey Deaver.  This book was the closest I've come to 5 stars in a long time.  The story, descriptions, pacing are close to flawless.  The varying voices and stories of the Janes are just flawless.

Two young women, unlikely friends, both find themselves in Atlantic City.  Summer in AC used to be a time of packed boardwalks, casinos, and tourists. But no more. The only people out on the marshland are two dead women. Jane Does. Laid out behind a seedy hotel.

Clara, who is just a teenager, lives with her aunt and works as a boardwalk psychic to help pay the rent. The aunt was a real piece of work. When Clara begins having real visions after a visit from the father of a missing girl, she thinks the visions may be about her. And then more women go missing.

Lily, who used to work in the art gallery world, is just starting a job at the spa in town. She has had enough of her own drama to overcome but that won't stop her from teaming up with Clara to find the girls who are still going missing. 

But did they put their trust in the wrong person? Will they both come out alive?

This was eerie and heartbreaking. I loved the characters, even the wicked ones are done so well. Very good read!

NetGalley/ March 3rd, 2020 by Gallery Books

Twisty, dark, and sad. I read this in two sittings and it definitely holds the interest and moves well. Neither the ending nor the friendship were what I expected. Lots of complicated and deeply flawed characters. I look forward to reading this author again!

I was sent an invite to read this book
I liked that it was written by a debut author, so I read it with excitement.

I traveled to Atlantic City- I could see, hear and feel the areas.

I delved deep into characters' lives, and then deeper.
I felt for some of the characters and wanted to help or scream at them.
I was rushing to the end as I had to have the answers!

This was a great edge of your seat book! This book kept me captivated the whole time! I could not put it done!

Please see us is an incredible can’t put it down novel ! I live in NJ and to read something that hit so close to home with how run down Atlantic City was and how a killer was on the loose was just perfect. The story line flowed perfectly and kept you guessing until the very end, still wondering though who he actually was, I was very happy and shocked with the ending. A fan for any murder mystery lover or if your a fellow NJ member and want a close to home read then this is it

Four realistic, heart wrenching, in the love of crime thriller Gods stars!

I can hear “Temptations” song playing in my head: “Under the Boardwalk down by the sea”, the breeze on your face, sea gulls take their random tours in the air, people passing around, walking aimless, some of them dealing with their own daily troubles and cannot even see what’s happening in front of their eyes. But now those boardwalks are empty! There is something eerie, terrifying about this abandoned, empty please. You want to know what’s happening!

So just look down and see the water washes down the missing persons! They were taken away without their consent. Now those boardwalks turned into crime scenes of those innocent forgotten women.

Two of them are already found in the marshland behind Sunset Motel.

As the crime rates are getting out of control at the land, our main character is surprisingly a good psychic, reading Tarot cards starts getting visions from those women. Those images she’s seen are so realistic, vicious. Does her mind play tricks with her or could she truly know what has happened to those women? But she needs to find a way to help them because there is a killer out there hunting those innocent women who seemed like expendable enough not to be searched for.

The other heroine is Lily, working in a Casino spa, trying to make her ends meet. Those two women’s paths cross to find out what happened to those missing women.

This is slow burning story not mostly whodunnit or surprising, twisty, riveting page-turner but writing is flawless, neat, capturing your attention so you should consider this book as a crime fiction, drama before starting it but let me tell you this, the writer’s approach to the struggling women’s world to find their places at the cruel, competitive, challenging world is so good. This is a place where the prostitution, corruption, illegal actions, drugs, violence take control of the city. This is about the women who are ignored to be investigated, nobody cares to know their stories and whereabouts which make you the entire story so heart wrenching, depressing but also honest.

The ending is also stunning, a quiet hard to digest and not for some readers but it is obviously credulous and logical. This kind of story should be ended at that way. It’s harsh, sad, agitating but this is the best conclusion we could get from this kind of story.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this fantastic ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

This was a quite enjoyable mystery. It was gripping and suspenseful, with totally unexpected twists and turns.


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This was an interesting mystery. I found it to be somewhat of a slow read but with enough suspense to keep the reader interested. This is a book that I would recommend to others.

Caitlin Mullen paints a sobering portrait of the once flamboyant and famed Atlantic City, NJ. With glimpses of a beach resort town in its heyday peeking through the eyes of the characters, the stark reality of these peoples' lives take you on a harrowing journey of heartbreak, loss, helplessness and remorse. Mullen tells the stories of multiple characters in a revolving chapter-to=chapter way yet maintains cohesiveness in the meshing of their lives throughout. The psychic, the hometown girl, the New York artist, the deaf, mute janitor and the three young women hidden in the marshland waiting to be found. This is a much seamier Atlantic City and lives can intertwine is the strangest of ways. With its quick pacing and whodunit vibe, Please See Us keeps you hooked from start to finish.

A deep and budding friendship of two young women make it a little easier to get through trying and, for lack of a better word, slightly horrifying/scared times as disappearances hit left and right.

Please See Us is a thriller set in Atlantic City that follows two women as they go down the rabbit hole trying to solve a mystery. The "seer" and "spa" girl alliance gives the story a quirk as it moves with some quick turns.




Thanks for the ARC Net Galley

Really liked this! I’m from south jersey and have spent my whole life down the shore so I liked recognizing all the Atlantic City and south Jersey landmarks. I followed the story when those women were murdered (2006?) so this was really interesting. If you know nothing about the murders you’ll still find it to be an engaging story, but I think I liked it especially because of my connection with the area. Great read!!

Dark, gripping suspense. This is a story within a story within a story. The plot is absorbing and the characters well developed. Read it yourself and figure out who wants to be seen.

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)

I enjoyed reading this. It was a fast paced read that made it hard for me to put down.

Please See Us is a story about a serial killer operating in the area of Atlantic City, NJ. His victims are all women working in the area with casinos. The story can be a bit hard. To follow as it skips from chapter to chapter each solely about a single one of these women. When the author joins the stories together it can be hard to reconcile others’ view of the character with the one we’ve developed.

Please See Me is not for the faint of heart or for anyone demanding a happy ending. It is well written but can be overly wordy.