This was unfortunately too slow for my liking. There was nothing truly happening to keep me hooked and engaged which caused me to having to DNF.

Shaw Connelly is a fingerprint analyst for the police department. Her seventeen year old sister, Thea, disappeared without a trace sixteen years ago. Now someone is calling her, goading her, and saying that he was the one who killed her sister. Will she be able to finally know the truth?
I really enjoyed this book. The writing was crisp and the characters well developed. Shaw was a borderline dislikable person, but she had suffered a lot of trauma. Highly recommended.

Amazing! I loved this and couldn't put it down. Shaw was so relatable and I felt so captured by her plight to find her sister's murderer and remains.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks NetGalley!

I liked this book!

The thriller elements are undeniably compelling—especially the tension in Shaw’s pursuit of justice—but the story felt more like a family drama than a traditional thriller. I really appreciated the many characters (dad, ex husband, sons, sister) and at times they reminded me of my own family. It was sometimes inspiring to see Shaw chase justice for her sister but there were moments when I wished she had given up because it was greatly affecting her loved ones. The push and pull of those moments stood out to me.

The dialogue at times felt a little cringey, though I do think this was intentional - it seemed that Shaw was meant to be the cringey, out of touch older sister (in more ways than just dialogue).

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others!

Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell was SO good! I love a good detective story and was sucked right into this one. I loved Shaw as a character and loved the fast pace of the story. I feel a good way to describe it is captivating and tense. This has prompted me to get my hands on other books by the author.

slow, predictable, maybe a little flat? it felt like i got dropped into a series midway and i think that was the most frustrating part of it. it wasn't bad, per say. Just not for me. i genuinely had no issues with the writing or characters, but again, the story just didn't hit for me.

A page turning, compelling thriller about a woman who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance! Great read! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The storyline was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Shaw Connolly is my new favorite heroine!!! This was so good!!! I think it’s going to be a big hit. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This was a great suspenseful thriller. There were lots of twists and turns and the crime scenes were so detailed and descriptive. It kept me entertained and I enjoyed reading this book and finding out what happened

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Overall a great thriller, lots of suspense and kept me engaged. Some areas were a bit slow which lost my interest a bit, but I loved the twists and the spooky setting. Would recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last! This one was a win for me!

In Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell, Gillian French weaves a dark and chilling thriller centered around a woman whose relentless obsession with uncovering the truth about her sister's disappearance puts her entire life at risk. Shaw, a fingerprint analyst who has witnessed some of the most brutal crime scenes in rural Maine, is haunted by the unsolved mystery of Thea's disappearance 16 years ago. Her determination to find answers has not only strained her marriage but also disrupted her relationship with her children. As she begins receiving cryptic, increasingly disturbing calls from a man named Anders, who claims to know what happened, Shaw is pulled deeper into a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

The book balances intense, graphic crime scenes with a steady, suspenseful pace, keeping readers on edge as Shaw's obsession unravels the stability of her life. French does an excellent job of portraying Shaw’s desperation, making the psychological aspect of her journey as gripping as the physical threats she faces. The grim, atmospheric setting heightens the tension, and as the threats against her family escalate, the reader is pulled into a dark and twisted path where Shaw is forced to confront just how far she’s willing to go for the truth.

Overall, Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell is an engrossing read, combining gritty crime scenes, a tense investigation, and a deeply personal story of loss. It's a compelling, fast-paced thriller that keeps you hooked until the very last page. Four stars for its gripping suspense and emotional depth.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for sharing this captivating thriller's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Shaw Connolly is my new favorite heroine!
Shawnee has the unusual job of fingerprints analyst, and thus enters the crime scenes before most and comes face to face with some of the goriest murders and deaths that can be imagined in her small Maine town. None of this matters to her as she is still morning the loss of her sister from many years prior.

The whole family seems to be stuck in time from the death of Theodora and 16 years later, very little has changed. But when Shaw begins hearing from a known caller she thinks she might be getting close to finally get answers. It doesn't matter that the man on the other line knows far too much and is harassing her and becoming more and more aggressive. Shaw can't hang up, he knows too much and seems so close.
Gothic, gritty, creepy, sad and hopeful, don't miss this book!
#stmartins #shawconnollylivestotell #gillianfrench

This was an average book. I did not really connect with the main character though. I did enjoy the story though.

A finger print analyst in Maine may appear to have moved on after the disappearance of her sister 16 years earlier, but her marriage and career take a back seat to her continued search for the truth