Please See Us, by Caitlin Mullen, is an excellent debut novel that stands apart from other thrillers and mysteries currently out there! Told in multiple viewpoints - we get to know Lily, who has just come home from New York and is trying to land back on her feet; Clara, a young psychic tarot card reader who is seeing increasingly scary visions; Luis, a deaf mute who works at the local spa and while everyone misses him, he misses nothing; and then there's the Jane Does, quietly stacking up in the marsh behind a run down motel and no one is noticing them -- they're just waiting to be found. So how do all of these seemingly opposite characters add up? You don't know until the final 10%! Mullen does an excellent job of keeping your interest, having side plots, and weaving together several different strands until the very end. I do wish there was an extra chapter or so to really tidy things up, but that's just because I hate guessing things and like a nice, tidy bow at the end of my novels. Very realistic, very heartbreaking - I was stunned that this was a debut! 4 solid stars.

Review coming soon. Fell behind due to illness, amd working on all of the old ones now.

This one will not be forgotten. Creepy! Exactly what girls are afraid of! Wow! Very good!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.


Pub Date was March 30, 2020
#PleaseSeeUs #CaitlinMullen #NetGalley

Please See Us was a pretty solid debut for this author. The writing was good and the story was hauntingly sad, at best. It took me a few chapters to actually get into this story but once I did I didn’t want to put it down. I liked the different points of view throughout the book, it helped the reader with the back stories of the women that were killed and left for dead. Overall I think you have to prepare yourself that this isn’t going to be a rosey read, but it was a good book and I would recommend it.

Lord. This book is a lot. It's so damn extra. I read the mediocre reviews beforehand and still picked it up because I tend to feel opposite than the mainstream does when it comes to books (I HATED Gone Girl and Girl On A Train). This book was such a miss for me, and that chaps my hide because I feel like it had such good bones. This story had to have been an easy 60 pages too long. Told from multiple points of view, so much of it wasn't necessary to the story. What could have been told in one page, took 5. It's a slllllllooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww burn. And then suddenly it's over. I stuck it out because I wanted to see how it ended, then it ended, and I felt like I just lost the hours spent reading, and I won't get them back.

It's 3 1/2 stars rounded down. Hopefully you like it better than I did.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4771764456

I don't know what I was getting into when I blindly went into Please See Us, and I'm glad I blindly went in! I loved the characters and the concept of the book. I liked the "gut instincts" from Clara Voiance. Each chapter was narrated by a different perspective, all l.inked to the evil lurking in Atlantic City.

So excited to read this book since I grew up 15 minutes from Atlantic City!

Loved this book! Right now my go to genre is psychological thrillers and this did not disappear.

Twisty and turning, it keep me guessing till the end.

Thanks to the author and Netgally for the ARC.

A touch of magical realism meets psychological thriller meets murder mystery. And I enjoyed the meet up. While I think the psychic helping thing is often times overdone in Tv crime shows, I haven’t seen it done a whole lot in books in a successful way. This really combines the struggling-psychic-sees-visions-of-a-murder with female friendships duo very well. It was nice to this type of book done with female protagonists on each side of it. That was my favorite part, much more than the murder & mystery.

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. I enjoyed this, but it didn't blow me away. However, I can't wait to read more by this author!

Two women become unlikely friends during a long hot humid summer full of dread, violence and murder in Atlantic City. I found it to be very slow in the beginning, but the story did build as I got to know the characters.I found the sense of place to be really strong but overall this was a story filled with despondency and didn't quite make it to the level of great read for me

Two dead girls lie in the marsh, not far from the Atlantic City boardwalk. A teenage psychic begins having disturbing visions. Please See Us is bleak and atmospheric and the plot slips between quite a few different characters. (It wasn't until the end of the book that I finally figured out I had thought that two different women were actually the same person and by that point, I wasn't about to go back and re-read it to get things straight.) The pace is slow, but the atmosphere kept me reading until it started to become clear how the different characters all fit into the plot.

This was quite the interesting thriller, I really liked the premise. Someone is killing Jane Does and leaving them out in the marshlands of Atlantic City to be found. Two unlikely women become friends while trying to solve who is behind these murders. Clara is a 16 yo boardwalk psychic who begins to experience disturbing visions and believes they are related to the murders. Lily is an ex-Soho art gallery girl who has just come to Atlantic City working at a desolate casino spa and is reeling from a personal tragedy. They work together to desperately try and save a girl from one of Clara's visions. This is a slow burn thriller, but it does not drag in the least. I was captivated from the beginning until the end and loved how it turned out. Dark, atmospheric, and unique, I absolutely recommend this one!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the digital copy to review!

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this novel. I was 20% in and felt like everything was still getting set up. It was extremely slow and I gave up. Thanks to Netgalley for sending a copy for review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Caitlin Mullen for the digital copy for my honest opinion.

We get to see much of the story through the eyes of six "Janes". Brutally murdered by a serial killer, all these women want, is to be found. Punishing Atlantic City and the prostitutes for their sins.

Clara, a 16 year old psychic, living with her prostitute, addict aunt. Forced to even start selling her own body, to steal, and to cheat, she is just trying to survive. That is until she starts having these vivid visions. Visions of dead women that leave her terrified and sick.

Then there is Lily. Successful in New York, comes back home after a huge and public breakup with her famous artist boyfriend. Starting over and trying to heal, she comes into contact with Clara, and their lives begin to intertwine while trying to save a girl from one of Clara's visions.

The final character we meet is a deaf-mute, Luis. Constantly ridiculed and beaten up, his anger and frustration comes out in violent ways.

Please See Us is definitely a slow-burn read. One of my favorite aspects of this story is the "Janes" story. All they are wanting is to be found but being prostitutes they aren't high on the list. It's heartbreaking to read their chapters. Even to this day, murdered prostitutes and drug addicts don't get the coverage they should.

Clare was another one of my favorites. Her character was heart wrenching and made me want to just wrap her in my arms. Some of the things her aunt made her do, really pissed me off. I instantly hated her aunt. The psychic abilities and the tarot card reading added another layer to the storyline.

I found Lily rather boring, She came across as whining and needy. I wish there was a little more effort put into her character.

I did find with so many characters, that it did get kind of confusing. I would definitely take your time reading this, that way you don't get to overwhelmed or lost.

Dark subject matter and dire situations ensured that this is not a ‘feel good’ novel. Like the characters within the pages, an overwhelming impression of hopelessness prevails.

Both young women have stories that make you root for them, especially Ava. She is so young and has never had a nurturing or loving family.

We hear the final ‘thoughts‘ of the dead Jane Does… How tragic, will their killer be found?

This is definitely not a tourism advertisement for Atlantic City. It depicts the place as having suffered from extreme economic downturn. The tawdry neon lights masking the shabby and sleazy under-layer is brilliantly described. As is the marsh where the girls are lying… the reader can almost smell the mud and decay.

This is a dark and oftentimes disturbing debut crime novel. The writing was polished and the plot well developed. So much so that you realize this is a talented writer to watch.

Anyone who likes their crime novels to be dark and realistic with genuine characters then this is the debut for you.

Two women with an unlikely connection work together to find missing women in this twisty story. One is a woman returning home after being humiliated in her career, and looking for a break. The other is a young woman with the ability to read and see things that others can’t.

This was entertaining and I would suggest this to others!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

4.5/5

Whew, if you are looking for a slow-burning mystery that packs a wallop then you need Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen in your life right this instant. I loved how unique the format was and there are a few different viewpoints, but I personally thought the viewpoint for the Jane Does was the best and what an idea!! I loved this aspect of the book and it was a great way to get to know the dead women while also getting to know our two main characters Summer and Clara. Also having Clara be a psychic who sees visions added a great quality to the novel and it added suspense on more than one occasion. There are some very painful and disturbing aspects to this book, but it all fit well into the story and really added to the eerie and ominous feel of the plot. I loved both of the girls and was really rooting for them the entire time. They are each dealing with their own heartbreaks, and we definitely got to know them as the book goes on.

I decided to listen to the audiobook and what a decision that was - for the better! There are multiple narrators which are Corey Brill, Piper Goodeve, Hillary Huber & Dara Rosenberg, and having such a large cast was the best decision the publisher could have made. They gave so much depth to the story and if you like audiobooks even a little, that is definitely the way to go with Please See Us. This is a dark and gritty novel, and there are so many things that just blew me away. I am having a hard time coming to terms with this being a debut, and clearly, Mullen is an author to keep your eyes on. I was really frustrated by the fact that the police in the town seems to have no idea what was going on, but at the same time could see why something like this would happen based on who the women were. I was still frustrated though, and it was definitely a bit of an emotional ride. The ending doesn't give you full closure which normally I would hate, but surprise! I didn't mind it in this book. Can there be a book 2? Please?

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was yet another roller coaster! I've been on a bit of a thriller kick and Please See Us did not disappoint! The stories of the women were intertwined in just the right way, and a grim trail of the dark side of Atlantic city. I will be reading more of Caitlin Mullen's work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a debut novel! A bit slow in some places, but it will keep you reading.

Hang on to your seat as you traverse the seedier side of Atlantic City and uncover the things people want to keep hidden.

While I had really high hopes for this book, It was just not a story for me. The characters and the story line were something that seemed so made up that I could not get into it.

Please see Us definitely lays bare the grittier side of life in Atlantic City. This book is for you if you follow serial killers, especially those who prey on prostitutes and other desperate women. It definitely shines a light on how little some parts of society are regarded; no one seems to care about these women or even seem them as valuable part of society, if only to their families.

The characters are well-developed and it definately made me think. Overall, I would recommend this book to most. Not for those who have a weak stomach or are disturbed by details of violence.