Incase you're wondering how this fits into Gardner's DD Universe, or various connected series, surprise! It doesn't. BEFORE SHE DIED is a standalone from this prolific author and stands apart (at least for now?) and in a sense our protagonist, Frankie Elkin, feels like a combination of all Gardner's other leading ladies.

What Frankie does is investigate missing persons cases, specifically people of colour, whose disappearances have remained unsolved, long gone cold. This definitely gave me a bit of a Flora vibe, minus the vigilante thing, because Frankie has no investigative experience, isn't pretending to be a cop or a private detective. She is a full on civilian, leaning into the perks of having no red tape to contend with, while somehow managing to ask the right questions, poke the right bears, and use her single-minded focus as an limitless resource to do what the police can't : find answers. And though she is without training, and heeds no rules, she gave me serious DD vibes with her wit, and her addiction, as a recovering addict, made me think of Rainie. See? Little bit of everyone.

Did I like her though? I don't know. Sometimes. She definitely has a bit of mystery of her own, some backstory that haunts her, and haunts us too with teasing little moments that make us wonder what happened, what would possess a middle aged woman to be transient, traveling from city to city, state to state, working odd jobs to make a living wage for the length of time she needs to search out the missing person, only to pick up and leave. I love the idea of this. I love how Gardner leaned into the loneliness of it, the fixation, a different form of addiction -- one she doesn't resist, one she feeds, even as she fights the call of a drink -- and yet I never truly.. felt her, understood her. Maybe that's realistic, though. Maybe we're not supposed to. No one else seems to.

The mystery of this story? So unique. I'm not sure I've read one like it. It twists and turns, the pieces never seem to quite fit, much less seem to actually belong to the same puzzle, and yet it did all inevitably make sense.

What I liked almost as much as the concept? The setting and, as it went hand in hand, the supporting cast. This takes place in a very multicultural area in Boston and the mix of neighbours, the various people Frankie befriends, orbits around, they all felt rich, solid, like people I would want to know. It makes me sad that even if we get another story featuring Frankie, it won't be with these other characters. Or, rather, unlikely to be. Because that defeats the concept of her existence, of her mission.

Overall this was really solid, though I definitely found the first half more compelling, and while it probably won't make the cut if I ever did a Top Ten Gardner Books list? I still had a good time with it.

3.5 stars

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a new character and a different story line Frankie is a recovering alcoholic and is a very tortured character. She travels across the US looking to help solve missing cases. There is so much emotion in this book

I am a long time fan of Lisa Gardner, and fell in love with her new character, Frankie. A bit of a tortured and lost soul, Frankie tries her best every day. She believable, sympathetic and tremendously interesting. So hope we see more of her.

I enjoyed this a lot, I read the first half super quick and then it took me a bit to finish the second half but I still really liked it and would definitely recommend!

Wow.....I found myself stopping everything I was doing to read this, but the last hour I kept procrastinating because I didn’t want it to end. Frankie is a tortured soul who finds missing people. For no money, clout, reward, etc. she is fighting her own demons, and maybe trying to find forgiveness. Very bittersweet ending, but I hope we see more of Frankie!

Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner. Well written, intriguing and fast paced with an unconventional set of characters and different a perspective. A definite must read. Will Frankie's be finding more lost people? One can have hope. Piper was a bonus character for me. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I am always excited to see a new Lisa Gardner book out and was even more curious since this is a brand new character, named Frankie, a people finder so to speak, a tortured soul trying to save missing people, or is she really trying to save herself? I couldn’t put this book down, with an interesting cast of characters and multiple plot twists, this book will keep you hooked till the bitter end and you’ll come out wanting more.

WOW. This book (and Frankie) had me enthralled from the very first chapter. A twisty turning plot that is not only fascinating but also a quick paced thrill ride.

Frankie Elkin is no angel. A recovering alcoholic who battles her addiction every day, she nonetheless searches for lost souls. She looks for the people who have disappeared between the cracks, the vanished who have been forgotten or who were never missed at all. Now she’s looking for a Haitian teen who disappeared from her school months earlier. She gets nothing but pushback from local authorities and even the girl’s own family. She can’t help but wonder why, and the more walls they put on Frankie’s way, the more determined she becomes to uncover the truth. Lisa Gardner is an author I anxiously await to publish a new novel and I have never been disappointed. This is a stunner