I have recently finished reading the Colter Shaw series by Jeffery Deaver which follows Colter who is an investigator not linked with the police or any other organisations. I really enjoyed this format, slightly different to the usual detective novel so I decided to give Before She Disappeared a try. This has a similar type of protagonist Frankie Elkin who searches for missing people, but because of her troubled past she doesn't take any payment for the work she does. I really enjoyed Frankie as a character, and her no-nonsense attitude. I thought that the investigative techniques and police elements were incredibly detailed and interesting. My only issue with the story was that I couldn't quite believe that Frankie would be given so much info and involvement behind the scenes from the police when she has no background or official standing with them. Otherwise, a really enjoyable mystery/thriller.

I loved the main character. This is an inspiring well written multi layered story
The pacing was good
There were some twists and turns

I’m a big fan of Lisa’s books and find each one different and original.
Frankie Elkin is a finder of people and when she finds herself in an area of Boston that doesn’t want her there, she has a point to prove.
Really good twisty thriller

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

A gripping story with quite some unexpected twists and turns. I quite liked Frankie to be such a human main character, knowing that - with her line of work - the outcome isn't always a happy ending...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

"Before She Disappeared' by Lisa Gardner introduces you to Frankie Elkin.

Frankie Elkin is a great character and is well described. She is a middle aged woman who is on a mission to find lost people, no matter what the outcome. She is also a recovering alcoholic with her own traumas to deal with.

Frankie finds herself in Mattapan, a Boston Neighbourhood in search of a missing girl. She has to fight with not being wanted in this area and seeks to build relationships with the people of the town.

The characters she meets along the way are well described and you are almost there with her.

This story is well plotted with lots of twists and turns that you don't see coming. You definitely end the story with the wish to hear more stories with this main character.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to read in return for a review.

A great twisty thriller which kept me guessing. At times a bit too much White Saviour going on but on the whole the story and characters I liked. I would read more with the same protagonist.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It started good, then got a little mediocre. Still, I am a fan of Lisa's books, and I look forward to reading the next one.

You know if you have a Lisa Gardner book in your hand you need to clear the forseeable and allow time to read and this was no different

Another amazing book by a fabulous author. Could not put this down, could not stop reading, was racing to the finish but then gutted when it was over.

Amazing, as always, thank you for my copy. Huge fan already but very much appreciate the ARC to get my fix a little earlier than expected

Before She Disappeared is the first book i’ve read by Lisa Gardner and i rather doubt it will be the last. I was totally engrossed in the mystery of the disappearance of Angelique and devoured this in just a couple of days, as it was easy to gobble up in large reading sessions. The main protagonist, Frankie, was sightly irritating at times, but this minor gripe was easy enough to overlook. I enjoyed the different plot setting around the Haitian community of Mattapan in Boston, it helped with the gritty realism.
The least said about the plot the better, so as not to spoil a thing about the surprises of this page turning mystery thriller.

I received an advance copy of this book from Random House U.K, Cornerstone, Century through Netgalley, however this did not influence my unbiased honest review of the book.

Incredibly well written but I just couldn't connect with the main character which did affect my enjoyment of this book and left me a little underwhelmed. But the writing was so good that I'll definitely try another of her books in future.

Kept me riveted! I only put this book down because life or sleep were calling - I would've powered through if I'd had the chance.
The story flows, but the mastery of it is the character of Frankie herself. The book is told only through her voice, and what a voice, too! It rings, but without hurting the ears or the soul. Frankie is 'just' a person you get to know, and this is possibly the best compliment an author can receive, for crafting a character that feels more real than people you actually know in real life
The thriller elements were also skilfully handled, the suspense kept up until the very end, and the whole thing did not read finagled or like an afterthought - a lot of plotting went into that, and it's evident in the steady pace at which this flows throughout
I hope there's more coming from this series - Frankie Elkin is one such character that stays with you

Before she disappeared by Lisa Gardner.
Book 1 of Frankie Elkin.
Frankie Elkin is an average middle-aged woman with more regrets than belongings who 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.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great story and characters. I do hope there is more to come. 5*.

Wow loved this book. Could not put it down. read it in a day. Highly recommend . 5 stars good cover thank you Lisa Gardner for your wonderful books and Netgalley for allowing me to review them.

I actually quite enjoyed this book, and though I’d put off reading this for a while, I was fully engaged in the book and the characters and found myself second guessing a lot of things that were happening and couldn’t work out what had happened!

I really enjoyed how this was written, the chapters were very more-ish and “just one more chapter” was quite a strong phase for me through reading this book! I enjoyed Frankie’s character and her story and how that was shown through the book!

While I rarely enjoy stories told in multiple timelines, this one worked just perfect. As a mother myself, I always felt unsettled about my children’s whereabouts and could connect with Kim in every aspect of her search for her daughter.

It builds up slowly, and it’s so interesting to see how everyone lived what happened that night and what happened before and after those moments. So many twists and turns, so many puzzle pieces left by the author throughout the book, everything just to be tied up perfectly in the end.

Another must-read book from a long-time favourite author.

An original and fast paced missing person thriller, with a fascinating and troubled female protagonist Frankie Elkin. I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Frankie is an alcoholic in recovery who finds missing person cases and works them to find the person whilst working through her own issues. She's found plenty of missing persons, but none who are alive until Angelique’s case.

Great read with likeable characters.

A mystery thriller about a woman who independently investigates cold cases. Unfortunately the story and pace did not engage me and did not.finish.