I have always loved down at heel, gumshoe detective novels (is that footwear tautology?) Frankie Elkin isn't your average PI though. She sets her sights on a cold misper case, uproots herself and then goes immersive in the neighbourhood of the misper's family. Her payment? Well, fighting her own demons I suppose, but otherwise pro bono. Her ability to find out what the Boston PD couldn't, doesn't make her an instant friend with the detective assigned the case but she soon gets some grudging respect and maybe a little more?
I really liked the story, although thought it rather unlikely, bearing in mind the ages of those at its heart. Very entertaining and a good page turner.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy of Before She Disappeared, a stand-alone set in Boston.

Frankie Elkin hunts for missing people. She isn’t paid for it and has no training, a gifted amateur with a need to do it. She comes to Boston to look for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who disappeared without a trace from her school Elenuta months earlier. As a white woman in the overwhelmingly black neighbourhood of Mattapan she is met with suspicion and even more from the Boston PD who wonder what she can offer and still she manages a breakthrough.

I thoroughly enjoyed Before She Disappeared which held my attention from start to finish, to the extent that I read it in one sitting. I was hooked by the initial mystery - how does someone disappear without trace, especially surrounded by so much CCTV? The solution to that is clever, if slightly mundane, when it arrives but it takes a lot of other information and conjecture before Frankie and Detective Lotham get there. By then I was fully immersed in all the whys, hows and whats thrown by by Frankie’s persistent questioning. Having reached the end with all these questions answered I’m not so sure how plausible the plot is. It depends on highly intelligent teenagers with the nous to make connections and some unlikely events, but who cares because it is an entertaining and engrossing read.

Frankie Elkin is another troubled protagonist, in this case a recovering alcoholic with a traumatic event in her past that is alluded to constantly but not explained until the final pages. It appears to be the motivation for her rootless existence and relentless search for missing people. She is well drawn, if totally inexplicable to me, the homebody.

Before She Disappeared is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I loved this book, it was a fast moving all consuming thriller leading you to Boston’s gangland and the dark world of drugs, fraud and criminal activities. Frankie, a loner with no permanent abode lived her life moving from one place to the next trying to find missing persons. This book Frankie is on a quest to find Angelique a young girl who is missing. As an independent worker she was able to work alone because she was not tied to the rules of police or authorities. There was so much in this book to captivate with many aspect of human behaviour and emotions. Of course not forgetting Piper the obnoxious cat whose behaviour made me laugh out loud!
Would love to read more of Frankie in the future.

A new stand-alone thriller by Lisa Gardner is always a cause for celebration, and Before She Disappeared did not disappoint. It introduces us to Frankie Elkin, in her own words, "a white, middle-class, recovering alcoholic" whose mission in life is to find missing people that the police have given up on. As a lay person, Frankie can insinuate herself into the lives of the disappeared in a way denied to the authorities, and her track record is impressive - though so far all 14 of the cases she has solved have had a tragic outcome. Driven by demons that are explained as the story progresses, she arrives in Boston to investigate the case of 15-year-old Angelique, a Haitian immigrant and model student who vanished without trace from her school some 11 months before. Is she a runaway or a kidnap victim? Is she alive or dead? As Frankie takes a job in a bar and sets about her investigation, quizzing family, friends and teachers to build up a full picture of Angelique's life, she comes up against the might of the Boston police in the shape of Dan Lotham who initially suspects her of being a charlatan. But the pair form a grudging partnership - something Frankie is increasingly grateful for as she finds herself drawn into deadly danger in her efforts to locate Angelique.
This truly thrilling story introduces you to to a world of drugs, gangs and forgery - with humanity at the very heart of it! Frankie's complex, driven character will capture your sympathies immediately, while Angelique, her family and friends form fully before your eyes in descriptive prose that paints a perfect picture of the city they live in, their homes and their lives. From Angelique's heartbroken brother Emmanuel to dangerous gangster Deke, from laconic bar owner Stoney to the alcoholic mother of another missing girl, every character in the book is treated with respect and dignity by the author's pen, and this, coupled with its nail-biting plot, makes this a fantastic read.
Themes of guilt, survival and redemption add even extra depth to an already brilliant story. With the case finally wrapped up, Frankie moves on, but hopefully we won't have seen the last of her ...

Frankie is a loner, always trying to escape events in her past she seems to be trying to atone for. She specialises in finding missing people, not for money or glory just because she seems to have a knack for it. This brings her to a very rough part of Boston where she is determined to find out what happened to Angelique, a young Haitian girl who disappeared about a year ago.
Frankie finds a room and work in a bar and starts looking, she meets and manages to get along with one of the local detectives - Lotham, together they make some progress.
Events move quickly and Frankie unearths more and more leads including a connection between Angelique’s disappearance and that of another young girl.
A well constructed and fast moving plot. Plenty to keep you engaged until the end. Thanks Netgalley for the advance copy.

A very different story from Lisa Gardner but extremely gripping with twists and turns at every corner. Loved the character of Frankie and her story and I hope we haven't seen the last of her!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ just about 4 stars

This is a book of 3 parts; the first third was a bit hit and miss, slow to get going and a lot of long descriptive chapters. However I liked the characters of Lotham, Stoney, Frankie; they worked well.

The next third was a tad drawn out and repetitive in places; there was too much of Frankie thinking something, then explaining it to someone else, then repeating it to someone else.

The last third picked up - the story started unraveling and the pieces being put together. The main thread of the storyline was a little hard to believe and I still have some unanswered questions but I can’t deny the last part of the book kept me hooked to see how it ended.

This was a totally gripping read from start to finish, a consistency which is sometimes missing in books of this genre. Frankie Elkin is a sympathetic heroine, a recovering alcoholic who devotes her life to finding the lost and forgotten. The fact she is not a policewoman or detective gives her an enviable freedom. I really enjoyed the novel and its themes. it had a tremendous visual quality and would make a great series.
Thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for an advanced review copy.

A bit slow to get going but turns into an epic story wondering who can be trusted and where are the girls?

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
Absolutely loved this book. Lisa Gardener writes extremely well and this is rather an unusual story. Elkie is a strange character but does what she does very well and for no reason other than wanting to find lost people. The storyline draws you in and I did hope that she had now found some fulfilment and perhaps a man to welcome into her life. You need to read this to find out more.

OMG! WOW!WOW! LG has smashed it with this new completely addictive mystery thriller book. I can't say how much I enjoyed it. I was literally captivated through the Christmas period. The main character Frankie Elkin is a brilliant but slightly nuts middle aged woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. The opening chapter gave me chills and from then on I just could not stop reading. The plot is consistent and the character's relatable. A few times I wanted to jump in the book and just hug Angelique's aunt and brother. I wouldn't like to hug Piper though the mad cat, even though I think she could be very sweet but lethal. I would love to read another book featuring Frankie because I think she has more stories to tell.
I just want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Netgally and PRH for allowing me to read an ARC from one of my favourite authors.

I really like Frankie Elkin. There I've said it. And it's important because this book is told from her point of view and when you are looking at first person narrative, you've really got to like the character. And I did. I really did.

From the very beginning there is just something about her that drew me in as a reader. I'll admit that I was intrigued by her lifestyle choices - a finder of lost people as you will - rocking up where the police have failed and finding out what really happened to missing people across America. She doesn't do it for reward and lives a very humble and limited life as she remains as transient as possible. She finds the cases she wishes to take by using Library computers and checking discussion boards and missing person sites and she goes where she thinks she can make the most difference. She is haunted, yes. Imperfect, definitely. But that's all part of what makes her such a likeable character because she feels authentic, like someone you could expect to meet in the street. There is no pretence that she has super human skills or unlimited resources. She is just Frankie. Lisa Gardner really has done a brilliant job in establishing her character quite quickly whilst retaining a certain amount of mystery for us to slowly discover over the course of the book. And I wanted to know more about her, how. she came to choose this life and what drove her on in true 'Littlest Hobo' style, never wanting to settle down.

The case that she has chosen to follow up on this time is of missing Boston teenager, Angelique, or Angel as she is known to her friends. Her brother is insistent that she would not just run away, even though the Police think otherwise. Frankie believes him, her only job know is convincing the family that she can make a difference. And convincing the police that they are wrong too. The story is full of tension and between the gritty urban setting and the mysterious circumstances of the girl's disappearance, you are kept on a knife edge. throughout with a sense of threat underplaying all of the action. From direct threats to Frankie's life, to the more subtle methods employed by the people trying to prevent her finding out the truth, the tension and pacing are just pitched perfectly throughout, increasing my need to keep reading.

Now one of the key things about this kind of story is to retain that authenticity, to make it believable. You have a civilian who is insinuating themselves into a police investigation, finding out more that the Cops have been able to achieve in months. But that is exactly that Lisa Gardner manages to achieve. Inspired by real life and the civilians who continue to search for missing people when everyone else. has given up, the author has created a character who relies on her wit and her instinct rather than any overwhelming kind of intelligence to get people on side, using logic and an understanding of people and what drives them to get to the truth. And what a shocking truth it is too. There are so many connotations as to what could happen to a young girl who has gone missing, none of which are particularly palatable. The author manages to keep all in play whilst hiding the truth in plain sight, and the more we learn alongside Frankie, the more intriguing the story becomes.

Now while this is told from Frankie's perspective, she is not the only person searching for Angel. Of course there is her brother, Emmanuel, who. is certain she would never leave him and who is determined to find her. The author developed his character perfectly - that defiance and determination battling against the vulnerability which he tries valiantly to hide. Watching Frankie slowly win over his trust, and seeing how much he needed to believe that she can make a difference, really brought the human factor to the case. Then there are Frankie's co-workers, Viv and boss, Stoney, who may not be in the story much but whose presence is definitely felt. Viv adds such a colourful character whilst Stoney, a man of very few words, silently gives Frankie the confidence and support that she needs. But it is Frankie's relationship with Detective Lotham, the Cop in charge of the case, which really adds the fire to the story. Lotham is gruff, often angry, and always reluctant to include Frankie and yet seemingly unable to resist her clear charms. They often rub each other up completely the wrong way and yet there is such perfect chemistry between the two that it is a joy to read.

This is a truly gripping novel, full of tension and a surprisingly emotional core, with characters and story which kept be completely gripped from the off. I know I'd be happy to meet up with Frankie again in the future, but for now I'll settle for heading back to the Lisa Gardner back catalogue, see what other treats there are waiting for me.

Frankie is a maverick who has made it her life’s work to find missing persons- cold cases, ones the cops have long since shelved. She moves about from city to city. Her current mission is to find Angelique, a schoolgirl who disappeared 11 months ago.
I found Before She Disappeared overlong, and often struggled from paragraph to paragraph to keep the concentration going. It must have been the slow speed of the plot, as the background characters – Frankie funds herself by finding bar work, goes to AA meetings and develops a love interest too- were well worked out and the most enjoyable part.
Nearly very enjoyable.

From page one, this is a compulsive read. Frankie Elkin describes herself as “alcoholic, ex-lover. lost soul” and that moves her to try to compensate by devoting her life to finding missing persons whom the police have more or less given up on. She is not a detective, not a private investigator and has no training. Nor has she a home or any possessions. This is her way of dealing with her addiction. This time she has come to Boston to search for Angelique who has been missing for nearly a year. The story has good pace and a spectacular ending. It is very well written with many perceptive comments on addiction and life in general. I strongly recommend it.

Another mater piece by Lisa Gardner. Before She Disappears is true to the author’s style. A gripping crime story with a heroin guaranteed to steal your heart and a reminder about the forgotten people in the world. The minority groups among us that are so often overlooked, and when they are noticed they are stereotyped and pre-judged.
I have managed to consume 15 Lisa Gardner books this year and I simply cannot get enough. Her writing manages to draw you into the story from the very first page and keeps you hooked right to the end. I find myself completely lost in the story whenever I read one of her books and Before She Disappeared does not disappoint. I think Lisa Gardner has just created my new favourite character. I adore Flore Dane – from the DD Warren series – but Frankie Elkin is right up there with her. I hope we will be seeing more of Frankie in the future.
Frankie Elkin, a recovering alcoholic spends her life searching for missing people that the world has given up on in an attempt to provide closure to the families. She finds herself on the dangerous streets of Mattapan, Boston, in search of a Haitian teenager that has been missing for 11 months. Her search through this dangerous neighbourhood, among people who do not trust a mid-aged white woman asking questions, turns into a challenging, and life-threatening adventure. Will she find Angelique Badeau in time or will the locals succeed in scaring her off?
This book had me holding my breath almost all the way through. It s a touching story that reminds you not to judge a book by its cover when it comes to people, not to stereotype people and that some times those who appear to be the strongest are often the most broken among us.
Lisa Gardner is a master at creating a heroin that is completely broken, but strong and determined at the same time. Frankie Elkin is exactly that as well as selfless and caring. Move over Flora Dane, here comes Frankie Elkin! I fell in love with this heroin before I even knew what her full story was. The author did a brilliant job with this character and I look forward to reading more about her in the future.
In case you haven’t noticed by now, I LOVE this book! This is without a doubt a 5-star rating for me – I seldom give a book 5 stars – but Lisa Gardner and Before She Disappeared deserve it.
This book will appeal to mystery & thriller enthusiast across the board. A brilliantly written, original story that will keep you turning the pages.
I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough! Please, do yourself a favour pre-order the book today – make sure you get your copy as soon as possible!

This was a cracking read, as I expected from the always excellent Lisa Gardner. I was hooked from the off and kept gripped all the way through.

Before She Disappeared is the first stand alone book written by Lisa Gardner in more than a decade. It’s a good police procedural whodunnit.
Our gutsy main character is Frankie, an alcoholic, a nomad, with a clearly difficult past, who has very little regard for her own safety.
As the book develops, we learn more of what happened in Frankie’s past and how this had led her to her obsession for finding the missing. Those long forgotten by the press, whose cases are turning cold, on the desks of over-worked local police detectives.
Frankie’s latest search is for a 15 year old girl, Angelique, who has been missing without trace for 11 months. Mattapan is a down at heels Boston district, where Frankie stands out like a sore thumb being white, in the mainly Haitian community. Her no-nonsense, direct, hands on approach starts to make waves within the community, with those who have secrets, but also respect and trust from the family she is trying to help.
As ever, Lisa’s Gardner’s characters are strong, complex, troubled and believable. The story moves at pace, picking you up by the scruff of your neck and taking you along for the ride.
Before She Disappeared could easily become the first book in a new series, though I have no idea if that is what the author has planned. If there was a follow up, I would definitely have it on pre-order. A solid 4* from me.

Frankie Elkin found Lani Whitehorse's body in her car at the bottom of the lake. She knew that the twenty-two-year-old waitress wouldn't have left her three-year-old daughter and run away. Lani was the fourteenth missing person to be located by Frankie and now she's moving on again, this time to Boston where there's a strong Haitian community which was home to Angelique Lovelie Badeau until her disappearance eleven months ago. Frankie, middle-aged and white, gets a job and accommodation at Stoney's bar and sets out to investigate the community which is just about exclusively black.

Frankie Elkin is an addict. It was alcohol but she's been dry for more than nine years now and being around alcohol doesn't worry her. Stress does, though and like many addicts, she's simply replaced one addiction with another. Now her addiction is searching for missing people and it would seem that she's been more successful than a middle-aged woman without training has any right to expect. Frankie's working off some guilt and her great regret is that of the people she's found, not one was alive. Will Angelique - Angel to her friends and Lili to her family - be different.

Not much has happened in the investigation of late. The police seem to think that the probability is that sixteen-year-old Angelique has run away, but her family know differently. Lili and her brother Emmanuel are living with their aunt in Boston after the earthquake in Haiti but their visas will expire and they could be forced to return home. Lili wants to get a student visa, to become a doctor so that she will be able to stay in the States. She's even prepared to take extra classes. Then one day, eleven months ago, she walked out of school and disappeared.

Oh, but this is a good story. Why would a gifted student who seemed to have a great future run away? Why would she leave the brother whom she adored? Frankie knows that she wouldn't and Emmanuel realises that, unlikely as it seems, he can trust Frankie more than he could trust the police. Angelique has been clever: she obviously has some autonomy but isn't able to come home and she's leaving clues about what is happening. Then it becomes obvious that another girl has been held: her family are not exactly close and loving and didn't bother to report her disappearance to the police. The school didn't pursue her non-attendance but when Angelique Badeau and Livia Samdi are put together, a world of possibilities opens up.

My first experience of Lisa Gardner was Never Tell, which I finished within twenty-four hours, despite having planned to read it over a week - and that was a book from a long-running series. Before She Disappeared is a stand-alone and was even easier to slip into and be unwilling to put down. Angelique might be absent but her character spirals out into the story and it's impossible not to root for her. I was there behind Frankie Elkins too: a fighter if ever I met one and someone with obvious mental problems who's determined that they won't defeat her. I loved every moment of the book and I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

You might also enjoy another tale of a missing young woman: The Long Dark Road by P R Black.

Before She Disappeared is the new standalone novel from Lisa Gardner, and we meet her new ‘kick ass’ protagonist Frankie Elkin, a recovering alcoholic, she’s damaged, with a list of flaws as long as your arm, but she’s also feisty, determined and resourceful. Frankie travels the country investigating cold cases of people who have disappeared. The plot takes place in the Mattapan neighbourhood of Boston, a place with a reputation for gangs, turf wars, drugs, and violence. She is looking for Angelique Badeau, a teenage girl who disappeared from school one day and never came back.

Frankie encounters an array of characters in her search for clues to Angelique’s disappearance, some more intriguing than others, but through her conversations with the various characters, the reader gets a genuine sense of Frankie’s personality. Unlike the police, Frankie has a knack for asking the right questions, people trust her, and open up to her, which is a bonus when you are dealing with people who are wary of the police. Gardiner slowly peels back the layers, revealing the reasons Frankie is intent on finding the ‘forgotten victims’ I think Lisa Gardner has created a character who is worthy of a whole series.

The author firmly plants Frankie as the driving force, with the plot coming a close second, which I found slowed the pace. The plot is original and come the halfway mark, the tension and pace ramps up a notch. As Frankie digs deeper into Angelique’s disappearance, things become much more interesting as she tries to decipher the clues. I really enjoyed this read, I liked the characters; the plot is interesting, and there’s plenty of mystery, suspense and intrigue to keep any crime book junkies entertained.

Frankie is a loner. She spends her time searching for missing people, the cold cases that are still open but the police have drawn a blank. She comes to Boston to look for Angelique, a Haitian teenager who disappeared. The police have drawn a blank but Frankie starts digging.
The book starts off quite bleakly and I wasn't sure if I would like Frankie or what happens to her but I am glad that I did. Lisa Gardner cleverly shows us a different world, Haitian culture, and how easily teenagers can be sucked into crime.
After persuading the police and the missing girl's family that she is only after finding her, the tale unfolds.
I haven't read any of Lisa's other books but I do hope we meet Frankie again