Wow! Gresyon is a heroine I learned to love and I absolutely wish we could get more Greyson Sikes novels in the future. While this poses as a thriller, its commentary on race and domestic abuse cut right through the mystery and stuck with me long after the last page. Amazing!

I don't even have words to describe how amazing this book is. This definitely wasn't what I was expecting, and I appreciate that the author didn't follow certain tropes we see a lot in this genre. Throughout the novel, you can't help but feel everything out the main characters, Gray and Natalie, were experiencing.

This was a good paced and somewhat creepy trhiller that I enjoyed. TW for domestic violence.

I had some trouble with the writing style and that it was very metrophorical.

Thank you Forge Reads for my copy of And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall, in exchange for my honest review.  This title published September 22, 2020.

This was my second book by Rachel Howzell Hall and it has officially stamped me a fan for life.

What starts out as a simple tale of a missing woman turns into so much more as the story unravels and the characters evolve.  The story alternates between the past and the present from the POV of Grayson Sykes, a newly minted Private Investigator who has just been assigned her first real case.  Grayson ("Gray") has been assigned her first case involving a missing woman, Isabel Lincoln as reported by her boyfriend and hot shot doctor, Ian O'Donnell.  As the search for Isabel goes on, Gray uncovers some of her own demons that she has run away from and her seemingly quiet life begins to fray at the seams.

A multilayered plotline with a compelling female lead this was a well-paced and methodical piece of crime fiction peppered with the perfect amount  of suspense to keep you turning the pages.

I loved what Hall did with this story as a whole and with her main female protagonist.  She took a run of the mill storyline and took a deep dive into what it's like to run away from the things we are most afraid of.  With her realistic characters, Hall weaves the perfect story within a story and sheds some light on the tumultuous life of a woman who has been broken so deeply but who discovers her determination to stop running once and for all.

As Hall peels away the layers of her character Grayson, she explores the depths of secrets kept and how the power of fear can take control of your life.  This was more than just a story of a missing woman, but rather the evolution of another woman and her pursuit to take back her life.  Hall took this character and turned her into a woman that could be related to and who will resonate with readers long after reading.

Hall's writing is flawless and reads so quickly, despite the advanced copy of this book being over 500 pages, I tore through this one in two days.  A quick and engaging read that will hook you right from the start.

Highly recommend adding this one to your TBR this Fall, especially if you are a fan of suspense/crime fiction.

This book was interesting. It was fast-paced and the main character was relatable. I enjoyed it, and I think anyone who enjoys thrillers would also enjoy it.

An Unpredictable Mystery/Suspense.

PI Grayson Sykes is on the hunt for a missing woman: Isabel Lincoln. The kicker here is that no one is quite sure if Isabel is lost or... not. What we know is that this case involved domestic violence.

While the premise here was intriguing, the plot lost me, nothing really resonated and the storyline and the dialog didn't quite work. I honestly can't quite put my finger on it but the prose was off and I ended up losing interest. In the end I chalk this up to my being the wrong reader for this novel and I urge others to seek out other reviews as I am only one reader.

Thank you to Macmillan Tor-Forge for the arc.

I was very excited to read this release after seeing glowing reviews from a few trusted friends.
Unfortunately after multiple attempts, I realize this just isn’t the right fit for me. I could not connect to the characters nor the storyline and kept putting the book aside.
The premise sounded so promising but it just didn’t deliver.
Thank you to Macmillan -Tor Forge for the opportunity to read and review this title.

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Rowzell Hall is absolutely amazing. Rachel skillfully takes us into the world of Grayson Sykes and makes her a reliable, relatable character that I'm sure we would be friends in real life. Although the plot of the book revolves around Gray's first PI case and trying to find Isobel Lincoln, I was actually deeply invested in Gray herself. I love her inner dialogue and the situations she finds herself in are ones that I could easily imagine happening to myself. I deeply hope that this is only the first of many Grayson Sykes novels!

3.5 stars.
I liked the main character Grayson Sykes, and I enjoyed her work as a Private Investigator, but the long and drawn out story of searching for Isabel took a LONG time. I may have enjoyed this more with a few less twists or the complications that Gray also had in her own life. The number of superfluous characters also made keeping track more difficult.
This still had some good bones and I wanted to finish, but there is something to be said for keeping things a little less detailed.
I had an E galley of this book but finally borrowed the audio from the library to complete it.

I tried several times to get into this book, but it just wasn't happening and I can't explain why. It just didn't grasp my attention enough to make me want to keep on.

I almost put this book down, but I found the plot intriguing and stuck with it.

Initially, I didn’t like it at all, a rarity for me. I thought the writing style was very elementary and it was disjointed, with poor dialog and an overuse of metaphors many of which just didn’t work.
As I read on, though, I either got used to it or the writing improved.

There did seem to be a few holes in the story, but I finished the book with a better attitude about it than I had for the first half of it. The action moved along quickly resulting in a fast read. I think it deserves more than 3 stars but I can’t quite give it 4.

I really liked the character of Grayson Sykes. She was strong, competent, but also nervous at times, looking for love, just very human and relatable. The story did drag at times, but all in all I look forward to more of Grayson and her PI adventures.

This book was ok for me , the plot took a long time to get going. The writing style just didnt do anything for me. I seemed to lose interest. It was repetitive in some areas. The twist at the end was awesome but it took far too long to get there.

This was a decent PI story that was full of twists and turns, but couldn’t quite pull me in and sustain my interest.

I heard so many great things about this book and was sure I would love it, but unfortunately found myself really struggling with the writing style and the characters. There was so much going on all at once that I lost track of the story and couldn't really get invested into any of the characters. It's probably just a manifestation of my current reading mood, but after struggling through to the 35% mark I have to concede that the book and I just aren't a good match right now. I decided to DNF.

I love this book right from the beginning. It was so very intriguing and the storyline was intense. Although you do have to be careful there are a couple trigger warnings within the book. One being domestic violence and the other being miscarriage forced due to domestic violence. I look forward to what the author brings in the future.

Author # Rachel Howzell Hall has a wonderful new novel. #'And Now She's Gone' is a twisty, surprising novel. For a full review please check out my Instagram blog at; Maddie_approves_book_reviews this week.💜🐾🐾

Oh boy, did I love this book!! The suspense of whodunnit, a woman trying to stay hidden from her abuser, another woman who claims to have been abused but is actually a part of something so much more sinister, I loved it all! I could not help but pull for Gray. I connected with her and the trials and tribulations she had gone through. I loved that she turned around from being abused to helping abused women get away from those that have hurt them. I cannot wait to read more by Rachel Howzell Hall!

And Now She's Gone is the latest standalone thriller from bestseller Howzell Hall and boy is it one hell of a thrill ride from exciting start to shocking conclusion. 39-year-old Los Angeles-based newbie Private Investigator Grayson ”Gray” Sykes is assigned a missing persons case by her new boss, long term friend and secret crush, Dominick ”Nick” Rader, the owner of Rader Consulting, and is really nervous about working the field once again. The client is cardiologist Ian O’Donnell who appears concerned about the fact that his girlfriend, Isabel Lincoln, has vanished along with his labradoodle but she may wish to remain missing. As she begins her investigation she discovers that apparent nice guy Ian was actually abusing Isobel and that she had even attempted to commit suicide in the past, which open old wounds and bring back memories for Gray as she had been abused whilst growing up in foster care. Isobel begins texting Gray asking her to stop the investigation and Gray comes to the realisation that Isobel may have changed her identity, something Gray also did eight years ago. Where is Isobel and should Gray stop looking into her case if she really doesn't want to be located?

This is a riveting, intelligent and scalpel-sharp thriller with two incredible women front and centre and twists that blindsided me every time. I wasn't expecting the dark, sardonic humour that was laced throughout but it really added a lightness which was much needed due to the book being heavy on the subject of abuse. Gray is a likeable, tenacious and flawed protagonist, which makes her very relatable, but the case is extra complicated by the fact that Gray truly empathises with Isabel as she has been in her shoes before. She is utterly conflicted. I can relate to her as she's as cynical as I am and is a strong character from the get-go. Like a set of Russian Matryoshka dolls if you peel away one strand to the story there is another underneath and the multilayering really worked and kept my interest in all of the plot threads for the entirety of the story. This is a nuanced, sophisticated and completely unputdownable page-turner and a must-read for all crime connoisseurs. The mystery is captivating, the shocking discoveries fascinating and the danger thrilling enough to have you on the edge of your seat. Many thanks to Forge for an ARC.

This book does a fantastic job at hooking you from the very first chapter. I was immediately intrigued by both Isabel + Gray’s characters. You know Isabel is missing right from the start + Gray is the P.I. that is trying to find her. This book is definitely more of a slow-burn mystery with a hint of thriller, but it was so well done. Rachel Howzell Hall’s writing style was fantastic + even when there wasn’t anything major happening plot-wise, it was still always so much fun to read.