It’s been so long since I’ve read a book like this - a citizen trying to solve a crime with just her brain and her community. The story unravels so well - a little slow in the beginning but when it picks up, it flies! The mystery was also written so well with little details given - never enough for you to solve everything early, but you’re unraveling it as the MC is. Big fan of this one and it makes me want to read more books by this author to see if this style is typical for her!

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton Books for giving me an advanced galley!

Lisa Gardner has done it again, creating a masterful who-dunit, this time of the stand-alone variety.

Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic, trying to run from her past demons. She deals with her issues by searching for missing and forgotten women, long after the police have stopped looking for them. Her latest case brings her to the rough and tumble streets of Boston's South end, where she is searching for Angelique, a missing high school student who has been gone just under a year. While Frankie struggles to gain trust not just with Angelique's Haitian family, but with her tough new Boston neighbors, she quickly becomes drawn into Angel's mysterious disappearance. Angel was a solid student and an ambitious girl who dreamed of attending college and bettering the life of her family. However, it soon appears that she became involved in something that was far 0ut of her league. As Frankie delves into the mystery, she soon discovers another missing girl who Angel was connected to. It now seems clear that both disappearances are related. When a body shows up, Frankie must race against time to find the killer, before it is too late.

Gardner always has a solid mystery with excellent character development, and enough intrigue to keep me guessing throughout. Her latest work was no different. I definitely recommend for all fans of Lisa Gardner's work.

Lisa Gardner adds an exciting new character to her mystery lexicon in Before She Disappeared: Frankie Elkin,  a recovering alcoholic with a new addiction that helps control her unhealthy urges - the energy she once used to chase down her next drink is now used to find missing people.

Frankie’s brought closure to fourteen families by finding out exactly what happened to their errant kin and she’s determined to do the same for Angelique Badeau’s Aunt Guerline and brother Emmanuel. According to all the stories Frankie’s seen online, Angelique went to school as usual one day - and never came home. It was as if she just vanished into thin air; she doesn’t appear anywhere on the numerous cameras in the area, there’s no physical evidence of a kidnapping, and as is usual in that particular location, no one saw anything. Angelique has been gone for eleven months, so law enforcement is no longer actively looking for her-  which makes it the perfect time for Frankie to begin her search.

The first step in Frankie’s hunt is to move to the girl’s home turf - Mattapan, a Boston-Haitian  neighborhood with a rough reputation. The next step is to get a job. Frankie’s a meticulous researcher and she already knows where she wants to work and live - Stoney’s, a local pub with an apartment for lease directly above it. She sweet-talks the owner into giving her a position and letting her rent the flat, and then she heads straight to the Badeau residence; it is crucial that the family involve her in the investigation. They can request police reports, ask the cops to talk to her, tell her where to start looking - without the Badeau’s help Frankie will be stonewalled by officials and locked out of the now cold case search for Angelique.

They are understandably wary of this strange white woman trying to involve herself in the hunt for a missing black immigrant girl. Frankie explains her process, assures them she’s not after money and cajoles them into introducing her to the neighborhood police liaison officer. After checking out her credentials and talking to her in person, he in turn tells lead detective Dan Lotham about her.

Lotham isn’t excited about having Frankie involved in his case. He’s done a thorough job of searching for the missing teen himself. However, Frankie quickly demonstrates she is the real deal by finding information that had been missed in the initial investigation, thus proving to both him and the family that her dedication and skills will bring results. Then she finds the next clue and the next and quickly realizes that Angelique has been leaving a trail of breadcrumbs all along… miniscule hints as to what she’s caught up in that will result in an explosive, shocking conclusion.

This is an engaging story which will keep you riveted from start to finish. The irascible, damaged, tenacious Frankie is a fantastic heroine. We know she has had pain in her past - not just as a result of her drinking, but from the price her drinking forced others to pay. The ghosts of those she hurt - one man in particular - haunt her. She’s a clear headed, no-nonsense sleuth in spite of her demons - maybe even because of them - and she is determined to alleviate the suffering that families experience due to a relative disappearing. It’s an admirable quality and one that quickly endears her to the reader.

I appreciated that the story didn’t go about solving the mystery by highlighting police ineptitude. Instead, we discover there was nothing shoddy about Detective Lotham’s search for Angelique - he really had tried hard to find her and run a meticulous investigation. Lotham is another great character - driven, dedicated and like Frankie, a touch irascible and obsessive. I liked how these two persistent, motivated people tentatively begin working together, slowly learning what a dynamic duo they are. There are hints of the possibility of a romance as their partnership starts to blossom but will they act on them? Since this is a mystery and not a romance,  I’ll leave that for you to find out.

With all I loved about the book, though, I had some issues. Most mysteries are unbelievable and can be easily picked apart by in depth analysis, and the great ones keep you so involved, move you so quickly through the story you simply don’t have time to notice the flaws. Ms. Gardner does a fantastic job with the pacing - we move briskly from one point to the next - but I still found the character of Frankie so fantastical that I didn’t need to think too deeply to find her implausible. She is a lousy employee, yet gets to keep her job. She’s a total stranger and yet witnesses talk to her easily; she just happens to have the right people present when she is asking just the right questions… combined, these aspects really stretched my suspension of disbelief.

The second point is a quibble and is mentioned only because I know that a lot of people right now read books through a political lens, so I want to offer a mild warning regarding white savior complex in the text. Frankie describes herself as “an average middle-aged white woman with more regrets than belongings” and as having “no special skills or training”. She “finds missing people - particularly minorities. . . When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media have never bothered to care”. Again, this is very admirable. But it is also a touch disconcerting, that this broke, damaged - but dedicated - white woman could come into a black community, served by minority police officers and detectives - and solve a case they couldn’t.  The author very wisely gives no suggestion of incompetence to the cops, and she populates the community with caring, kind, engaged individuals. She goes out of her way to paint Angelique, her friends and her brother as smart people who will be able to do great things in the world. Nevertheless, it was a touch discombobulating to have one of the only white characters in the tale be the primary hero who swoops in and solves a puzzle  no one  else was able to.

I want to emphasize that I enjoyed Before She Disappeared despite its quirks. It’s a fun, quick mystery that is highly enjoyable if you don’t stop and think about it too much. Ms. Gardner is a talented wordsmith whose smooth prose, skillful characterizations and energetic pacing make her books a joy to read. I would recommend this to fans of the suspense genre, with the caveat that it definitely has a few issues which keep it from the perfection the author is frequently able to attain.

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This was my first Lisa Gardner read, but won't be my last! I stayed up late several nights in a row, desperate to finish reading it. There were some parts of the story that dragged on too long; the thing I dislike about mysteries is their tendency to repeat facts and details. Still, if you can overlook that, the story is very interesting. I really liked the main character Frankie! She was sarcastic and smart. The side characters are terrific -- even Piper the vindictive cat.

One thing that initially bugged me about the story was the constant dropping of political buzzwords. I really hate politics. As the story continued, though, that seemed to fizzle out.

I saw in other reviews that this is to be a standalone, and apparently that is unusual for this author. That disappointed me because I ended the book craving more about Frankie's story -- maybe one of her previous adventures.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this book! Opinions shared are mine

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC early. I have read 2 Lisa Gardner books in the past and really enjoyed them but its been YEARS. This book had an intriguing premise but I feel like pacing issues really got the best of it. I also wish the author's note would've been at the beginning because this story is about a woman named Frankie who investigates cases of minority teens who have disappeared. She does this as a hobby for no pay and with no association with the cops or any PI agency. She takes odd jobs here and there to get by, but her investigative work is where she spends the majority of her time. I've never heard of this situation so the whole time I had a hard time getting invested. It seems like Jane Shmo would never be able to get information from anywhere, so the fact that she's able to do what all these other people can't seems pretty unbelievable. However, the author says she wrote this based on reading an article of another woman who does exactly this, so maybe its a thing. Like I said, the story was entertaining enough, minus pacing issues, but I wanted more from the big reveal. It was fine, but thats it, fine. This book doesn't have me rushing to pick up more from Lisa Gardner, but it also didn't turn me off from her. Just okay.
Frankie is a recovering alcoholic who struggles somedays so TW for alcoholism.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
Frankie is investigating a teen girl who went missing one day after school. She starts talking to her brother and other people trying to find her and we find out that the girl is still alive and completing courses online. She's trying to communicate with her brother in code. Long story short, she got wrapped up in a situation where they were creating false documents/money, etc. Frankie solves the mystery and its the first girl she ever finds alive. Yay.

What an incredible book! I could not put it down! Edge of my seat reading all the way through!

Right from the start I can identify with Frankie in some ways, never still., always moving. Going from one missing person's case to the next--trying to help people get closure so that she can fill a hole inside her. I was amazed to think that there are people in this world that actually go out and look for the missing people whose cases have gone cold.

She is so brave to just move into the area where Angelique went missing and just assimilate into the life as one of them (even being a middle-aged white lady).Her interactions with the residents of the neighborhood and her incredible bravery grabbed me and held me until the very end of the story. I need to read another book to see where Frankie goes next!

Frankie Elkin is a middle-aged woman who's lost a lot in her life and is burdened by her own regrets. In spite of all the mistakes she's made, she's dedicated years of her life to finding missing people whose cases have gone cold. That's how she ends up in a rough neighborhood of Boston — she's going to find Angelique.

I love a book that can make me forget I'm reading a novel. This book had me alternating between thinking I was watching a crime show and thinking this was happening in my own neighborhood. I loved Frankie — and sometimes hated her for her self-destructive thoughts and even actions — but all in all, she was such an altruistic character who cannot help but root for.

The plot kept moving — it wasn't unputdownable, but kept me more than entertained. I had never read Lisa Gardner before (series scare me — too much commitment!) but I was pleasantly surprised!

What a great read!!! A true mystery with an intriguing storyline that was fast paced and had me guessing until the very end.

The story centers around Frankie Elkin, a recovering alcoholic who searches for missing people that the police & families have given up on.

This time Frankie is heading to the Boston neighborhood of Mattapan that has a rough reputation where outsiders are NOT welcome. Not an issue of concern for Frankie. She is on a mission to solve the disappearance of a teenage girl Angelique Bandeau aka LiLi.

Frankie situates herself in Mattapan securing a job and housing and thus begins her investigation looking for LiLi. Keep in mind that Frankie is “not a police officer, a private detective or does she possess any special skills”! What in the world is she doing investigating an 11 month old cold case???

What ensues are lots of twists an turns along the way as the storyline builds. The other characters LiLi’s family, Detective Lotham and Stoney are great as are the relationships that develop between them and Frankie. Bits and pieces of Frankie’s past are intermittently dispersed throughout that reveal her painful past and why searching is her life’s mission. This is not her first... it’s her 14th!

The ending is just as amazing as the whole story! I did learn that this is the author’s first standalone in quite some time. If by chance it is the first of a new series I am all in!!! I highly recommend this to mystery readers out there who enjoy a well written & unpredictable story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #BeforeSheDisappeared

Set to publish 1-19-21

“I am here to find Angelique. To save a girl. To redeem a sin I can never change. And maybe to chase a bullet I dodged ten years ago.”

Frankie Elkin is very passionate about finding missing persons (and a tad dramatic at times). Not a police officer, nor an investigator, she's taken on the burden of tracking down people who have been lost but ignored due to race, color and other differences which make them minorities. And that, exactly, is the one important message of Before She Disappeared which makes it a good book. This issue has been with us since the beginning of time, more so today. I applaude the author for daring to inculcate such serious, dangerous topic onto a story, making her voice, our voice (as I'm a POC) heard!

I love crime fiction. It's been one of my most preferred book genres during the last years. Lisa Gardner made me love the it more!

The first chapter of this book is very intriguing. It hooked me right in, creating a desire to delve into the pages and uncover the story within. Kick-starting the story with a strange nightmare (which I didn't know was a nightmare at first) was very satisfying, effective and tell-tale.

It's my first time reading a crime fiction with the investigator not being a professional one (an investigator whose line of work is with the force, for instance). A great new experience.

Lisa Gardner is a master at crafting wonderful characters and a world that is a perfect companion by the fireplace. Stoney is the type of grandpa I'd have died to have and I adore Viv! The writing style employed in this book is one of the best I've seen yet. Lots of imagery to aid the reader in visualizing, easy to read and makes the audience feel involved.

Most crime fiction have me think only of the endgame, but the author actually made me look at the process, a very rare occurrence.

I honestly had to take a long coffee break after the putting this book down. The climax had me gasping, thirsting for answers, all while trying to slow down my racing heart. How? The writer threw all her trump cards on the table at once, showing us so many possibilities and an overflow of information along with emotion.

Reading this book is an adventure that one MUST prepare for. Lisa Gardner is a genius and Before She Disappeared an overwhelming snowstorm, an astounding masterpiece. Full of love, dedication and wit.

This is not my first experience with Gardner's work, but that doesn't mean I wasn't impressed. Other works I've read are from her Quincy & Rainie series, which were really good from my distant recollection.

<b>Before She Disappeared</b> is a thrilling read with so many twists and turns leaving the reader in the dark until the grand reveal where all the pieces lead back to one place. Frankie is a recovering alcoholic who spends her days moving from city to city, chasing down cold-cases on missing persons that others seem to have forgotten. This novel centres on the story of Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teen, from a rough Boston neighbourhood. Frankie is met with resistance, both from the police and family... but that doesn't stop her as she follows up on leads and uncovers more and more secrets.

I really enjoyed the plot of this novel - it takes your typical mystery/thriller told from the cop's perspective and twists it around. You have a civilian playing at detective on cases the police have since given up on... AND getting results while doing so. In that respect, I found it to be a very unique starting point.

Let's get more into Frankie. She's got spunk. She's a bit of a nomad, doing things others wouldn't dare do and getting herself into situations most people would run from. She's steadfast in her determination to bring closure to the victims families and doesn't mind stepping on the toes of the local law enforcement to do so. I really enjoyed her narratives, along with her witty and sassy responses. I found it interesting that we do get more of her back story as the novel progresses and learn about Paul, who is clearly important to her... but I must say that I am still a bit confused about their relationship and would have liked to uncover more of this. If Gardner makes this into a series where Frankie is the lead... and we get a little more time in Boston with Detective Lotham in the mix.... well you can bet I'll be diving in deep!

I was shocked at the layers that the plot had. Just when I thought to myself 'okay, this must be it... this has to be a dead end'.... well lo-and-behold, a new piece of information that leads us spinning our wheels to figure out how it all comes together. A spectacular read, no doubt about it. The grand reveal left me in awe, because I really hadn't seen it coming. A pleasant surprise to any mystery/thriller. The ending was bittersweet and left me wanting more... a sequel perhaps?

Finally, I must recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, driven by the narrative of a witty woman ready to risk it all!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada upon publishing.</i>

I have read countless books by Gardner, and each time I know I’m in for a treat. While different from her other books, this one was no less enjoyable.

While I’ve been on a bit of a romance and thriller kick lately, it was nice to go back to my roots of a good old-fashioned murder mystery novel, and I can easily say Lisa Gardner never disappoints in this department. Personally, my only criticism is that the main character is a middle-aged woman who often makes retorts I could hear coming out of a twenty or thirty year old’s mouth.

What I personally loved about this book is that it took on important topics: what it’s like to be a recovering alcoholic, how to navigate life when you struggle to find a purpose, how to live through/with trauma, and how White people are not needed to save Black people – but all of this lies beneath the true mystery of the novel: what happened to a fifteen year old girl and is it possible to still bring her home?

I must open this review with a disclaimer: I’ve never read anything by Lisa Gardner before. I’ve certainly heard of her, but for some reason this was the first book of hers I actually read. And I can definitely see why her books are so popular.

Before She Disappeared, a standalone novel, is the story of Frankie Elkin — a self-described middle-aged white woman with no family ties, no place she calls home, and only waitressing and bartending as her job experience. But Frankie is really good at one thing – tracking down women who’ve gone missing after the police have given up searching.

Before She Disappeared sucked me in, and there were times I was holding my breath as Frankie dealt with some of the people connected to the missing girl. The twists and turns keep the story moving, and just when I thought I knew what was going on, something else got thrown in. The conclusion is both surprising and obvious at the same time, which is the mark of a good thriller, in my opinion.

As I mentioned Before She Disappeared may be my first book by Lisa Gardner, but it won’t be my last.

This is my first Lisa Gardner book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The thriller aspect kept me guessing and what I thought was going to be the ending was flipped on me. I did have my suspicions but about half way through the book I was suspicious of everyone. Frankie, our narrator, is a mysterious woman who sheds her many layers as the story unfolds. A recovering alcoholic, Frankie, lets us know sobriety is something she only has flimsy hold on. She switches one addiction for another and that is trying to find missing people. She has been successful in locating more than a handful but never alive. Frankie ends up in Boston solving the disappearance of a promising young girl from Haiti. What ensues is a nail biter of a tail that questions how well do you know your children? I did think there were some points where things happened a little too well and conveniently for Frankie but all in all I really thought the author kept us guessing. If she expands Frankie into a series, I would def keep reading. Her detective work is a little shoddy but so much more fun than going through the proper channels.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin-Dutton & Lisa Gardner for this ARC!

This wasn’t my first Lisa Gardner book and certainly wont be my last. She never disappoints.

Frankie Elkin is an addict. She suffers everyday, just like every other addict.. except she deals with it... differently? She travels all over the country in hopes of solving missing persons cases that have gone cold. Running from her owns demons, she is trying to cope herself and feed another “addiction”. Now, stumbled upon a case and ended up in Mattapan, a community in Boston. She’s looking for a girl names Angelique, a Haitian who immigrated here with her little brother to live with their aunt. Time is running out everyday as Frankie tries effortlessly to piece together this puzzle of clues that Angelique has left behind for her brother.

I really enjoyed this book - might be one of my new favorites—freelance investigator per se—it was so hard to put this book down. Angelique’s disappearance is not the only thing that keeps you interested. I really liked how Lisa Gardner had me on my toes from the first page until the last. I thought I had figured out what would happen next, but I didn’t.

I’d rate this 5/5. If you are looking for a page turner that will keep you guessing until the very end, this is the one. I hope to see more books about Frankie!

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin-Dutton, and Lisa Gardner for an ARC of this book!**

This was my very first Lisa Gardner book, and my first question is....how could I have waited so long?

Frankie Elkin knows the meaning of heartbreak: several years sober, her past has compelled her to pick up where the police leave off, an ordinary civilian armed with nothing but her razor-sharp instincts and a yearning for the truth. Specifically, she deals in missing persons cold cases that have stumped the authorities and have 'run their course' in the eyes of the law. She may not always find the subjects alive, but her irascible nature won't let her give up until she finds answers. This journey leads her to the town of Mattapan, where a Haitian community is reeling from the disappearance of Angelique Badeau, a teenager who vanished after school one day. Frankie finds herself a 'day job' at a bar Stoney's, becomes acquainted with her roommate (a persnickety feline named Piper), and hits the ground running investigating Angelique's whereabouts. Along the way, working with Detective Lotham, she stumbles into the reality that Angelique is not the only teenager missing...and it's up to her to suss out the connection. Luckily, whiz kid Angelique has left a few careful clues, and with the help of Angel's brother Emmanuel, Frankie is able to make out a few carefully coded messages. But will these breadcrumbs be enough to lead her down the trail to the teens? And what about the dark and ominous stranger Frankie has caught watching her in the shadows?

The premise of this book is fascinating , and I appreciate that Gardner actually took inspiration from real life for this one. It's hard to believe there are legions of brave 'regular' people out there who are so motivated beyond the norms of a police investigation that they will pick up where others left off, and I find that incredibly moving. I was excited to read this book because it was a stand-alone mystery/thriller, rather than the first in a long series featuring Detective or Inspector X, and to have the lead 'investigator' not as a member of a police force or a detective was so refreshing! I tend to steer clear of anything that personally feels like too much like a police procedural, but the beauty of this book is that it had several of these elements without feeling too slow, detail heavy, or stereotypical. Frankie is such a wily yet tortured protagonist, it was fascinating to climb inside her mind while the drama of the mystery played out simultaneously. Ironically, although this book wasn't set to become the first in a series, I certainly think it has the potential to become one if Gardner chose to go that route.

This foray out of the norm was welcome, thrilling, exciting, and an interesting journey from start to finish! This may have been my first Lisa Gardner, but assuredly it won't be my last!

Before she Disappeared is the story of Frankie, an average citizen who does an extraordinary thing, she finds missing people from cold cases. Fourteen to be exact. She then takes on the case of a missing teen girl and while doing so, discovers another girl is missing in the same town but was never reported. She works at the local bar in town to be able to have flexibility and an in with the locals, even though she is an alcoholic. And while working the case, she deals with the past that haunts her while coping with feelings about those in her present. It was a gripping page turner that involves crimes that I didn’t even know existed.

3 STARS

This one seemed slow and I couldn’t connect with the characters. The plot was mediocre. This wasn’t for me.

I think I will revisit Gardner’s Detective D.D. Warren series. I do still have a few more of her books on my shelf too!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Dutton and Lisa Gardner for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. This book publishes on January 19, 2021.

Wow. What an amazing book to start the year with. This book offers so many layers, but they all tie in together effortlessly. Relationships, addiction, mystery, thriller....I've read other books that tried adding a bunch of different layers, and they all fell flat. This book, I can tell will be a top ten on my list for the year! Kudos!

I've only read a couple Lisa Gardner books but I know she is very popular. I was delighted to be offered this one! It started off just a bit slow then took off like a bat of of heck! Thrilling and compelling, I felt like I could really relate to these characters! Twists, turns and a fabulous ending! I will DEFINITELY read more!

What an incredible read!

Frankie Elkin is an Addict who has exchanged her substance abuse for solving missing persons cases. As a civilian sleuth who never settles in one place for long, Frankie relies on her charismatic personality to connect her in new communities and with local authorities. This time, she has found herself in Mattapan, a largely Haitian community in Boston, searching for a gifted teen, Angelique. The cast of characters and the neighborhood of Mattapan are extremely well-developed and lovable. Frankie’s past is slowly revealed as she makes headway in the case and I was hooked from page 1.

This was my first Lisa Gardner novel and I sincerely look forward to my next. I understand that this is Gardner’s first stand alone novel in a very long time; I can’t help but hope that this is just the start of a new series. I am a HUGE Frankie Elkin fan and I want MORE.

I did struggle with the novel’s mild case of a White Saviour Complex. While the content seemed very well researched (confirmed in the Author’s notes), at the end of the day this is a story about a white woman finding specifically BIPOC missing female youth. I say it’s a “mild case” because Frankie is very well-intentioned, she has relatable struggles of her own, and it is never a case of her being superior in any way. This, coupled with a very minor LGBTQI+ storyline had me wondering if someone was trying to “check boxes.” However, I’m inclined to think that, much like the story’s heroine, the author is a very well-intentioned person and is advocating for diverse representation. I look forward to reviews by BIPOC readers.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGallery for making my wishes come true with an advanced reading copy for my honest feedback.