Great start to a new series.
Frankie travels from town to town - after researching missing persons. She helps solve cold cases, as a civilian and volunteer. The police, communities and even families aren't willingnto work with her.
Angelique brings Frankie to Boston, a Haitian immigrant who moved with her brother. She's been missing for almost a year - no new leads, little activity.
After speaking with friends and family, Frankie uncovers a new friendship, Livia. She may the real target.
At risk teens, gangs, immigrants with temporary visas - pulled at my heart.
Fast paced with a surprise twist- great read.

I have been provided with a review copy of Before She Disappeared from NetGalley for an impartial review. I just really enjoyed this story and I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Before She Disappeared is an excellent novel. Frankie Elkin is the main character. She is a middle aged recovering alcoholic. I enjoyed how Gardner made us wait to find out the complexities of Frankie's personality. We know in the beginning that Frankie is a loner, an alcoholic, and that she is carrying around many emotional and mental issues. But the reality of just what makes Frankie tic is as much a mystery as the missing person case she is trying to solve. We are enlightened in the end but the added mystery of the main character, the added psychological aspect of the story was an added bonus. Gardner's character development was exceptional. She added quirkiness to the characters and I felt I knew each of them even the not so good guys. I miss Frankie as I closed the book and I have high hopes that Gardner will bring her back in another novel or two!

With the skilled hand of a seasoned pro, Lisa Gardner peels back the layers of her first stand-alone novel in twenty years through the eyes of snarky Frankie Elkin - a recovering alcoholic hellbent on finding missing persons while dodging the demons of her past. Suspenseful, gritty, intense. Before She Disappeared is Gardner at her best.
—J.D. Barker, NY Times bestselling author of A Caller's Game

A recovering alcoholic trades one addition for another when she becomes the unlikely savior for missing minorities.

In Lisa Gardner’s latest—BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED—we meet Frankie Elkin, whose regrets weigh more heavily than the bag she carries from place to place, called to find those the world has forgotten. She’s an ordinary civilian who seeks no praise or compensation when she commits to find those who’ve vanished, those police may have relegated to folders stacked cold and abandoned.

Elkin’s newest case takes her to the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston—an immigrant community with a rough reputation comprised of Haitians, Hispanics, African Americans and other minorities. Nearly a year ago, Haitian teenager Angelique Badeau disappeared from her high school, leaving her family devastated and without viable leads from police.

The detectives aren’t happy to see her, the family is skeptical, and soon, it becomes perilously clear her probing isn’t welcome by many in the community. But she pushes and pushes, until before too long, she upends everything Boston PD knew about the case, and uncovers unsettling truths others worked hard to hide. Frankie is on the brink of unraveling something far more sinister than expected and she finds herself in danger of being the next girl to disappear.

Gardner’s latest drew me in from the start with compelling characters, fascinating sleuthing, and a hold-no-punches story steeped in retable struggles and well-known demons. Frankie Elkin is a standout heroine—flawed and unflinching with a dogged determination to help those who may not have the recourse to help themselves. She had a Flora-esque quality to her (which I of course, loved) and hope we see more of her in books to come.

But no doubt, Gardner once again delivers a taut, propulsive thriller that’s exceptional in every way.

Before She Disappeared
by Lisa Gardner
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5

Entertaining, enjoyable, page turning, well written characters, fast paced and an interesting plot. I liked this book more than I thought I would. When I started reading it I got hooked and it was so easy to like the characters and so enjoyable to read. Every single chapter something new comes up and keeps adding up to the mystery so you're always getting more and more information about the case throughout the book but, because it's a case, they are always putting all the info together so you're never lost and it feels like you're part of the team as well but it can also feel too repetitive. The twists are pretty interesting and I didn't see them coming. The ending isn't a wow but it makes sense and I can't thing of anything being different based on the situation. Very good book!

>>> Frankie Elkin is an average white woman that used to be an alcoholic and still goes to AA meetings. Ever since she stopped drinking she's been addicted to finding missing people, specially the cold cases, the ones people have forgotten. A new case comes up and it brings Frankie to Mattapan, a tough Boston neighborhood where all the Haitians moved to after the Haiti earthquake 10 years ago, a place where a white woman isn't welcome. The detectives don't really like her presence. She is nothing but a civilian that asks the right questions to right person and finds new leads. "I'm growing on you" she says as she finds more and more info that leads them to Angelique Badeau, a teenage Haitian girl that has been missing for 11 months. Frankie needs to work quickly to find Angelique or the next person to go missing could be her. <<<

This is my first time reading a Lisa Gardner book and I found out that this is her first stand alone book in 20 years and it really is a treat! I'll definitely be checking out her other books! I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

A New Heroine for Lisa Gardner

Frankie Elkin, white, middle-aged, and a recovering alcoholic, has a unique occupation. As a civilian she looks for missing people. These are cold cases or cases where the police have given up looking. She has been remarkably successful finding the last sixteen people she looked for. The problem is these people were all dead. She’d like to recover someone living.

Her latest case brings her to Mattapan, a suburb of Boston populated primarily by Haitians. This is a neighborhood where she stands out and many of the residents are not happy about her or the fact that she’s looking for the missing girl.

Angelique Badeau is a teenager who disappeared after leaving her high school. There are no clues and the police have stopped looking. She was an intelligent girl who hoped to go to college. Frankie comes to be trusted by Angelique’s mother and brother. When another girl, a close friend of Angelique’s, is found dead, even the police are glad of Frankie’s help.

As with other Gardener books, this one has plenty of action. Frankie is a good heroine. She keeps on with her quest even when it might mean her own death. I enjoyed that part of the book. However, the book starts with an extended nightmare which is a bit off-putting. I also found the constant attention paid to the race of the characters a bit too much.

However, on the positive side, the minor characters were well portrayed. I’d like to see more of them. I particularly loved the crazy cat Frankie shared the apartment with.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

"My name is Frankie Elkin and finding missing people is what I do. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never bothered to care, I start looking"
Frankie is in Boston, out on one more of her missions to find the missing girl Angelique who has been missing for months. We follow Frankie's search for the missing girl, along with the police department. As the story moves along, we uncover unexpected twists and the plot keeps getting deeper and deeper.

I enjoyed reading this book. I usually do not enjoy police procedurals, but this was was unique in that sense because we were following a civilian trying to solve the case. Also, Frankie has her own past which the author keeps hinting at, which makes her a more interesting character.
I liked that the author was inspired by real civilians who devote time to solving cold cases, I thought the whole idea was very intriguing.
That being said, I felt the story dragged at some points and the same things kept being repeated several times which got boring quickly.
I wish the book was more action-packed, which would keep me wanting to read more. The ending seemed to fall flat and I just felt incomplete after the ending. Although, I think that is a personal opinion and each reader would feel differently.

Overall, it was a good book. If you like following missing person cases and police procedurals, this will be a great read!

Lisa Gardner has done it again! She has created another female character that's extremely flawed and also redeemable. Frankie has decided that her life is not really worth much, so she decides she's going to travel the country to try to find cold cases of missing children and she's actually pretty good at it. This is not her first case and it won't be her last but she's hoping this case the child will actually be alive still. Frankie is strong willed and takes risks most armed police officers wouldn't but she is so dedicated to her cause she doesn't care. This book had an interesting plot and I look forward to reading more stories about Frankie!

Thanks to Dutton and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Before She Disappeared.

I've never read a Lisa Gardner, but I kept hearing great things about this book so I was looking forward to reading it. I love police-ish thrillers/mysteries and this book about a normal woman who solves missing people cases sounded awesome.

Unfortunately, I didn't love this one that much. While it was fast paced and an interesting plot it had a little too much white savior complex going on and seemed too unbelievable. There was a little too much references to the minority community, that finding missing minorities is what I do, that I'm just an average white woman... While Frankie did have her own issues and past and the police were invested in the case, it just seems like a mostly immigrant community would be so willing to open up to a newcomer...

3.5 stars rounded up. Lisa Gardner has many dedicated followers but this is the first book I’ve read of hers. This standalone book features Frankie, a woman who is slightly rough around the edges who moves from place to place looking for missing people. I found the premise extremely interesting, especially because I’ve heard of people doing this in real life and wondered what it would be like fictionalized. This book builds very slowly with just enough twists and turns and well-researched details along the way (some I found predictable) to keep the reader engaged and curious to know more.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC.

Can you ignore your demons, run from your past but help someone now? Frankie is damaged goods but she’s got a knack for finding missing people, people the cops can’t find, people others have stopped looking for. Her latest case is a missing girl in Boston, all leads have gone dry. But when an outsider moves into the rough neighborhood of Mattpan asking questions, people take notice. It doesn’t take long for Frankie to make progress but will she be able to figure out the missing pieces before it’s too late?

Guys this was SO good! Fast paced, did not see it coming in the end. Had me yelling at the book multiple times!! Highly recommend if you like crime/suspense!! 4 ⭐️‘S

In our crazy world today, don’t we all wish that we could be more helpful in finding missing persons? The numbers of those who go missing is staggering. It’s so scary! I love the premise of this book - that Frankie Elkin sets out to help solve cold cases of missing persons.

This time Frankie heads to Mattapan, a rough area of Boston, to help find missing teen, Angelique. Angelique and her family are Haitian immigrants, and I found the immigration and cultural aspects to be very interesting. The trail to find her is cold, but Frankie asks the right questions to stir things up and bring new light in a new way. The complexities of Frankie’s own demons, AA meetings, Haitian immigrant dynamics, mixes of minorities, gangs, Boston PD, organized crime, bartending in the local pub, family dynamics and so much more really meld together in this story to bring some fascinating perspectives and interesting aspects to light. It took me to places I’ve never been (and I mostly don’t want to go.) I was both impressed and scared by Frankie’s boldness to put her own life on the line for someone she’s never met. Maybe fighting other demons helps her fight her own. She is both simple and complex; maybe foolish, but also heroic.

I put off reading this because I hate thinking about so many missing people - especially young girls. But I’m so glad that I read this! It’s a compelling story. There is a lot going on, but I was drawn in and able to follow it all pretty well. As it picked up I didn’t want to stop reading. I wanted to know if Angelique would be found. I wanted to know what might happen to Frankie. I was hooked!

This isn’t a happy tie everything up with a pretty bow kind of story. But it’s a really good story. Parts are very realistic; parts play on the fictional liberties. I really enjoyed reading it! Not quite everything I need in a 5⭐️, but it’s really close! Such an important topic and so inspiring. I would definitely recommend this book to most anyone!
I’m so thankful for the real life people like Frankie who offer their services to help find those who are missing! I wish stories like this didn’t exist, but I’m glad there is hope - especially with people like Frankie leaving no stone unturned.

My first 5 star of the year. It's been awhile since I've read a crime novel and I didn't realize quite how starved I was for a good one. This book is about a recovering alcoholic, Frankie, living day to day with regret and trying to solve missing women cases across the county. Angelique has missing for 11 months and has secrets like most teens do but are they enough to be the reason she's went missing? Working alone and then grudgingly with the local Detective, Frankie finds a connection that might be bigger than just a single missing girl. This book reminding me why I love crime mysteries, why I love Lisa Gardner. A well written, hard to put down, page turner of a crime thriller that is a must read for all.

Frankie does not live her life like most middle-aged woman. She searches for missing people, never staying in the same place too long. She makes more enemies than friends but finds closure for cases the police and media have given up on. Frankie finds herself in a rough neighborhood of Boston where she is searching for a teenager named Angelique who vanished from school some 11 months ago. Frankie stops at nothing to get answers surrounding the teens disappearance and learns a lot about herself.

My Thoughts: I loved the premise of this book and everything that went along with it. A recovering alcoholic, no real ties to anyone who lives above the bar she is working at while solving a huge case. Frankie has an unruly roommate in a cat named Piper who has glowing eyes in the dark and claws she is not afraid to use. A little humor in a serious plot!

This is my first Lisa Gardener book and I'd be lying if i say that i wasn't hooked from the get go. The plot might seem like any other missing person story but the execution is where i found it unique. The pacing is what makes or breaks a thriller and this book didn't disappoint.Frankie Elkin is a troubled middle aged woman and a recovering alcoholic who lives out of her suitcase. She is this civilian who helps resolve missing persons cases mostly young girls that are treated as lost cause by the local authorities in her attempt to bring some kind of closure to the families hurting and clueless of the whereabouts of their loved ones. She's been carrying the guilt of not being able to bring even one of those lost girls back "alive" all her life and this is what motivates her to risk living alone in unknown cities in a dire attempt to change that pattern and rescue theses girls safe and sound. And this time fate brings her to the Boston neighborhood where Angelique Badeau , a 16 year old of Haitian descent is missing since 11 months. She is not alone however in this undertaking and has quite the help from characters that are bound to grow on us. Detective Lotham, her AA meeting friend Charlie and the girl's brother Emmanuel. They navigate through very tricky plots to decode what the young girl was upto before she vanished without a trace. This story was nothing short of a page turner however the ending and the leading upto that faltered at times for me. The plot got a little predictable if you will for my liking but that definitely didn't stop me from cheering for this badass female protagonist.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. If you are a mystery lover who likes to be guessing until the end, this book is for you. Thank you!

4.5 stars! I'm a longtime fan of Garders - I love D.D. and Flora and Kimberly. So it's no shock that I also loved Frankie! I know this was supposed to be a standalone, but I REALLY hope we get a sequel (as long as we also get another Flora novel...soon. Please?) This is a must read for any crime book fan!

OᐯᗴᖇᐯIᗴᗯ: Running from pain in her past, Frankie Elkin decides the best thing she can do to make amends is to help find missing people who the police have given up looking for. She travels from place to place trying to find closure for families. This case lands her in a rough Boston neighborhood looking for a young teen girl named Angelique. Despite resistance from the police, she is determined to find the truth behind this girl’s disappearance and hopefully bring her home to her family.

ᗰY TᕼOᑌᘜᕼTᔕ: This was an amazing read and I loved Frankie and her spunk. The supporting characters are strong and the story is full of surprises and twists. I felt like I was investigating right along with Frankie as I kept coming up with my own theories! I’m kind of sad at the ending but only because I loved the characters so much. I have loved Lisa Gardner for awhile now, especially her FBI series and the D.D. Warren series. She writes strong, but flawed, female characters that you can’t help but root for. This one is Lisa Gardner at her best.

ᖇᗩTIᑎᘜ: ★★★★★

Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did a little happy dance when I caught wind that a new Lisa Gardner book (Flora Dane fangirl here!) and while I was initially a little disappointed when I learned that it wasn't another series installment, I was curious to see what she had in store with her first standalone in decades. Unfortunately, it didn't prove as palatable to me as I hoped. While this book had some of the aspects I've come to expect from the author - perfect pace, strong female lead, intriguing plot, the white woman savior thing got under my skin in a rather unpleasant way. I also found her near immediate embracement by the community in which she plunked herself (to say nothing of the police force) too hard to believe, even with the suspension of disbelief. In other words, the book fell a little short for me, but will I stop reading Lisa Gardner books? Not a chance!