Frankie Elkin is an average middle-aged woman, a recovering alcoholic with more regrets than belongings. But she spends her life doing what no one else will—searching for missing people the world has stopped looking for. When the police have given up, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never paid attention, Frankie starts looking. A case brings her to Mattapan, a Boston neighborhood with a rough reputation. She is searching for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school months earlier. Resistance from the Boston PD and the victim’s wary family tells Frankie she’s on her own—and she soon learns she’s asking questions someone doesn’t want answered. Frankie will stop at nothing to discover the truth, even if it means the next person to go missing could be her. review: Lisa Gardner is an auto read author for me, so when I heard she was writing her first standalone novel in over 20 years I immediately added it to my list! Like her other books, this is a propulsive police procedural that doesn’t disappoint! I really enjoyed being introduced to new characters, whom I quickly grew to love. This book has quite the mystery to unravel and she provides you with just enough details throughout the book to keep you on your toes. Even though this is currently a standalone, I’m hoping there will be more books featuring Frankie in the future! *crosses fingers* If you’re looking for a crime thriller, be sure to pick this one up. rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️

Before She Disappeared is the first novel in what, I hope, will be a series. Frankie Elkin is a unusual hero. She is a middle-aged, recovering alcoholic who looks for missing people that the police have given up on. She does this completely on her own, without being paid, or even asked to be involved.

She goes to the Mattapan area of Boston to search for Angelique Badeau, 16 years old, who has been missing for a year.. Her fresh eyes on the case get the attention of the investigating officer, who reluctantly begins to accept her involvement.

I really enjoyed this novel - Frankie is a strong female figure, flaws and all. She is able to untangle a complicated missing person's case and discover the truth.

Thank you Penguin Group and Dutton for allowing me to read this very interesting book.

The plot is gripping and there are enough twists to keep you flipping from chapter to chapter. It is Frankie Elkin’s life work to find people that life has given up on. Frankie follows her own rules to do this. Her new case brings her to a new case which will have you saying “one more chapter” for hours.

Gripping contemporary noir set in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston.

Frankie Elkins finds missing people. She is not a professional, it’s something she is driven to do. So far she has found 14. None of them alive.

Her new case is a teenage Haitian girl, Angelique Bandeau, who disappeared 11 months ago. Frankie’s MO is to find a bartending job and somewhere to live in the town or neighborhood, where her missing person is from and ask questions. It’s a little tricky this time - she’s the only white person in the neighborhood and that automatically raises suspicions and hackles. But Frankie is dedicated to the point of obsession and her method seems to put things in motion.

I’ve not read anything else by Lisa Gardner (though I will now) and it seems to me that her real strengths are capturing the vibe of a neighborhood and creating characters that just stroll off the page. Frankie, the narrator, is an alcoholic, nine years sober, and has few delusions about her motivations and her flaws but she wins over friends in Mattapan, just like she won this reader over. Angelique’s friends and family, the investigating police officers, and the folks that Frankie meets in the course of her daily life and her investigation are all vivid picture-able people. Even Angelique herself becomes someone we know through Frankie.

The plot is solid and decent and, you may not like this but I did, there’s frequent summaries in conversations between Frankie and other people of where the investigation stands. Maybe it gets a bit repetitive but I enjoyed being reminded of what we know so far and what we are now speculating.

Is this a stand alone? I hope not. It would seem a shame that after creating all these people that I now know and like - Frankie, Detective Lotham, barowner Stoney, cook Viv, fellow AA meeting attendee Charlie, and even bit parts like Charadee at the Dunkin Donuts - the author makes them disappear in a puff of smoke.

Thanks to Dutton and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Lisa Gardner is amazing. Before She Disappeared is another great book. I could not put this book done. I can't wait for the next one.

I was a little sad that this wasn't a Flora book, BUT when I found out that it was Lisa Gardner's first stand-alone in a while. I'm excited to see more books involving Frankie! I'm such a huge fan of Lisa Gardner and look forward to her new books! The books are ALWAYS gripping and fast-paced with lots of twists. This one was no different!

Wow, Lisa Gardner has done it again! I was hooked from the very beginning and could not put it down. If you are looking for a new thriller to keep you up at night, then this one is for you!

I really enjoyed the plot and the layers that were added to this mystery. However, what I liked the most was the protagonist, Frankie. I loved the way Lisa made sure to not write this character to be a "white savior" and instead, embraced her privilege while also making herself likable to the community around her. I really appreciated how Frankie didn't try to "save" anyone other than the missing girl she was trying to find.

Thank you again Netgalley and Dutton Books for gifting me a copy for my honest review!

This might not be one of my favorite Lisa Gardner books, but it was a good read with an interesting, complex main character. I feel like this book was more about Frankie and her life and her mission than the mystery itself. There wasn't a lot of suspense, but the mystery did keep unfolding.

This was a really fun ride and a fast paced read. Thank you so much to the publisher for offering me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I look forward to reading more by Gardner!

Scheduled to post 3/6/21.

I'm a big Lisa Gardner fan and I'll read anything she's written if it's put in front of my face (or offered to me) so I didn't even hesitate in accepting BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED. It was a no-brainer. While I didn't necessarily dislike the book, it wasn't one of my favorites either.

There's definitely a bit of a white savior element to the story, and it's something the blurb leaves out: that Frankie is white. She goes into a predominantly Black neighborhood to fix an issue no one else seems to be able to fix. I understand that there are actually people out there who do this (by this I mean search for missing people that the authorities have given up on), but it just kind of felt off to me. It tries to be really self-aware, especially at the beginning, but it felt more like it was overcompensating for the fact that it knew it was white savior-y.

As the story progresses, it's really not just Frankie doing all this work and meeting all this resistance, like the blurb insinuates. At first, sure, but once she finds the first thing the police missed, it unravels from there. But ultimately it's not just Frankie solving this kidnapping. She genuinely wouldn't have been able to do it without everyone else around her. She just helped them look at things a little differently, plus she was able to go places and do things that the cops couldn't because she's not bound by the Constitution as a civilian the way the police are.

Frankie is an okay character. There's nothing particularly exciting or compelling about her; she just kind of is. It's difficult because compared against the likes of DD Warren or Flora Dane, Frankie is such a pale comparison. Frankie was really where the story felt lackluster. Like it was trying really hard to make her backstory more interesting than it was, and it just didn't have the same oomph that Gardner's other books have.

I enjoyed the story enough to read it through to the end, and it does start to pick up eventually. But yeah. I don't think BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED is Gardner's best showing. It's something different, sure, and I think with a more compelling main character the story could have been more engaging. But Frankie just wasn't doing a whole lot for me.

3

This book is an engaging, easy-to-read mystery for anyone from die hard crime fiction fans to amateur mystery readers. The author combines humor and honesty, and her narrator is refreshingly real and relatable without cynicism. There are access points for all readers, from a detailed and engaging plot to a dynamic cast of characters. If this is your first foray into the work of Lisa Gardner, dive in!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Frankie goes to places that have experienced missing girls. She is good at finding them but they are mostly dead. You have to like Frankie and the good Boston cop who comes to trust her. The plot 'keeps you moving and is filled with twists and turns. Loved the characters and was sad when it was over.

Before She Disappeared is a stand alone book from author Lisa Gardner, she based her main protagonist Frankie Elkin on real life common people who look for missing persons after the police give up on them.

As a disclosure I'm a huge fan of Lisa Gardner and enjoy most of her books, sadly this one didn't connect with me as most of her other books.

Frankie is a middle age troubled woman, a recovered alcoholics who has changed her addiction for another type of one, she helps find missing people, forgotten by the public, media and society and given up by the police.

Her last case is Angelique Nadeau, a teenager girl from Boston, Frankie travels there and takes a job as a bartender, her usual job when looking for missing persons.

By looking with fresh eyes and asking questions she discovered new evidence that leads to Angelique, but can she brings her home alive? Could she be the one that Frankie can save? After all she has had found fourteen bodies but no one alive so far.

Even though the the plot sounded very good and Frankie is an interesting character the book didn't grab me.

Thanks to Penguin Books and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I tend to either love Lisa Gardner books or not. For this one, I’m going with not. However, it’s based on my personal preferences, not because the book is not as good as others. It’s great - the story is fast paced, the mystery keeps you engaged and leads to a thrilling conclusion. I really enjoyed Lotham and Stoney and pretty much all the characters except for our new main character introduced, Frankie. She is why I can’t love this book.

Frankie is a recovering alcoholic. She is a drifter with little to her name going from place to place trying to find missing people. It’s a noble cause, but she has a traumatic past and it prevents her from really doing something with her life. As a main character, she projects a sad and almost hopeless persona and it’s hard to resonate with her and enjoy the story. In fact, I had hoped the story would be a start for a new life for her, but it’s not. Frankie is going into the same bucket I have Tessa Leoni. I’ll read their books because it’s from Lisa Gardner hoping the next one is DD or Quincy or even better - bring back Bobby Dodge!

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

One woman on a mission to find the missing people others have forgotten about.


BRIEF REVIEW: Frankie Elkin is a middle-aged woman and a recovering alcoholic, who is obsessed with searching for cold case missing persons. She travels light and lives dangerously. Her latest mission brings her to the Boston suburb of Mattapan, a place know for rival gang activity. She gets a job as a bartender and a tiny apartment above the bar as long as she's willing to share it with a feral cat who comes and goes. When she's not working or talking with locals she off trying to work the cold case.

Her current missing person is a high school girl named Angelique Badeau who disappeared after school eleven months earlier. The girl's backpack and cell phone were found in the bushes by the school. It seems Angie may have even been spotted yet no one is talking. Angelique has Haitian roots and was a bright girl who had dreams of being a doctor. Her family and police are not happy about Frankie snooping around for answers, at least at first, but she persists.

This is a stand alone novel that had some interesting characters. The story is told in the first person so that we slowly get a more intimate look at our troubled protagonist Frankie. She's tough on the outside yet vulnerable and battling her own demons as her story unfolds. Then there is Stoney, the bar owner who takes a chance hiring Frankie and Viv the cook at the bar, who has taken a liking to Frankie and encouraging a romance between her and Detective Lotham. The story is a slow build, and although some of what happens seemed a bit unrealistic, that it could have even been pulled off, overall I enjoyed the story quite a bit. There were some tense moments with gang activity and a twist here and there as well. I'd like to read more about Frankie should she appear in another offering.

RATING: 4/5 stars

This was my first time reading a Lisa Gardner book and now I want to go through her backlist tities. I really enjoyed reading this story of Frankie Elkin, a women who helps find missing persons--forgotten cold cases, people living on the margins of society, the cases that the public never hears about or doesn't care about.

In this case, Frankie hears about a missing Haitian teenager from a neighborhood outside of Boston. She takes a job as a bartender at a local bar and begins to blend in with the locals to gain more access to the community of the missing girl. Frankie's flaws and strengths combine to make a memorable character. She tells her story in this book. I loved all the secondary characters as well and I also learned a lot about the immigrant Haitian community.

I thought this was a great mystery and the ending was realistic. Frankie is a character I'll long remember. I'm really looking forward to reading more of Lisa Gardner's books.

4.5 stars! Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for my copy.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC to this book.

What can I say? I liked the book. It's about a woman who goes from state to state, solving missing persons cases that were either forgotten, closed out, or tossed to the wayside. Let me tell you, she doesn't belong to an police station, she's not tied or affiliated with the FBI, and she's not being paid to find anyone.

Because of something that happened in her life, she is tortured by dreams and once she latches on to a cold case, she won't let go. Because thousands and thousands of people go missing each year and if the detective assigned to the case can't find that missing person, he gives up and closes the case. This woman wants to bring these missing girls home, and will stop at nothing to do it. Every person missing, has a mother or older sister or brother pining away for them, their lives irrevocably ahattered. Even if it's sad news, nobody wants their child, mother, cousin, friend, laying in some ditch, deteriorating. They want their loved ones brought home , preferably alive of course, but if not put to rest.

I wish I could do this. But I'm only giving the book a 3.5. It has the bones of a great book, but in some parts, the meat is missing. Because it's for a good cause ( am rounding that 3.5 up to a 4.

This is my second Lisa Gardner book and I plan on reading more in the future! I enjoyed the investigative parts of this book without it being written from the perspective of law enforcement or a private investigator. The plot was very interesting to me, I don't think I've read a novel quite like this. It kept me guessing the whole time and even when I mostly knew what was going on, I was still engaged. I would say this book is medium paced and focused on the characters more than some other mystery/thrillers, but it was a good thing in this case! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery! 4.25 stars!

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Started of my 2021 with one of the most anticipated reads for crime fiction addicts! BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED by Lisa Gardner.
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A huge thanks to @duttonbooks for sending me the @netgalley link. This was definitely a memorable reading journey! ♥️🖤
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Have you ever came across a book that didn’t feel like a book but a car ride with the protagonist? Where you are listening to them speak one of their experiences and you fall in love instantly?

🍂🍁 Book Review 🍁🍂

I am already missing the thrill of reading this book. Oh what an engaging and obsessive week I’ve had!
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The book tells you a story of Frankie Elkin. She is not a detective and she does not have a permanent residence anywhere. She is a gypsy who finds cold missing person cases and solves them. For herself.
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The story starts with Frankie dreaming about a recent case she’s solved. And we enter a different case when she wakes up from the dream, giving us an insight of how dedicated she is with what she does.

The next missing case takes place in Mattapan, Boston. And Lisa doesn’t only tells us a story but she envelopes us in an invisible cloak and takes us with Frankie, in her journey.
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The case involves a missing teen and Frankie steps in to solve the case. Being an outsider she’s not welcomed by the locals and the police are convinced she has an ulterior motive.
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How will Frankie get to the bottom of this cold case? How will she survive the past she’s desperate to overcome? Can she finally let go of what’s holding her back and get free?

Grab a copy of #beforeshedisappeared and let’s find out!
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I really hope there is more to Frankie’s journey. She’s definitely a character I’d love to read more about or go an multiple other journeys with.

This book has definitely consumed me throughout the reading journey!
Will give it all the 🌟s I can! 🕵🏻🖤

I loved this book, as I have loved all of Lisa Gardner's books. This is an amazing novel especially if you like well written mysteries with a strong, independent female protagonists. All of the characters are fully developed and the breakneck pace had me reading late into the night. I finished it in one setting. This is promoted as a standalone but would make a wonderful series. Highly Recommended