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

My first Lisa Gardener book and I really enjoyed it! I loved Frankie a troubled lady who had turned her life around and was now focused on finding missing people. This book was well written, kept me guessing throughout and made me want to read more from this author.

Frankie Elkin is a woman with a past. A recovering alcoholic who deals with her demons by searching for missing persons. To date she has been successful in finding bodies, but no live mispers. This time she is determined to get a live one!

The storyline and plot are good and I enjoyed the book. The pace became a little slow and sluggish at times, and was very repetitive; too many mentions of what they knew, what info they had, and the needing to drink became tiresome. That said, it is worth a read and I think worthy of 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

A brilliant page turner
Frankie is a recovering alcoholic who spends her life finding people who the police have given up on,
She is a lovable character who seems to get more answers from people than the police have,
Teenagers Angelique and Livia disappear three months apart and from two totally different households. Frankie finds out how they are connected and does everything to hopefully bring them back home.
I love all of Lisa Gardners books but only gave this a four star as two thirds of the way through I was a bit bored with them trying to find out why it was happening was it this, was it tha,t was it the other, otherwise would have been a five star.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

Another excellent read from Lisa Gardner. It’s always a bit of a worry when I realise that an author whose series I love has written a standalone book - what if the character(s) are what has kept me engaged and a standalone is disappointing?

No such worries with Before She Disappeared. Lisa Gardner has created another strong engaging female lead who really carries this story well.

Frankie Elkin is an alcoholic who has been dry for 10 years. She is honest about her struggles not to drink. She lives a lonely life, her only real focus being trying to find the missing people the police have forgotten about.

Her latest mystery is what happened to Angelique, a 15-year-old who went missing a year ago. Frankie wants to find out the truth, knowing as she starts the journey that there’s a good chance that all she can do is return a body to the family - as she has in 14 previous missing person cases.

Frankie is fearless and likeable, so the whole journey is easy to get on board with. A satisfying mystery this is a good solid read. A perfect treat for existing Gardner fans, and as a standalone book, a great entry into her work for first-time readers.

Frankie Elkin a woman with a very troubled past and a most unusual aim in her life,to find the missing, that all others had given up on. And not always with the ideal results. A really gripping story, well done Ms Gardner and thank you for a most enjoyable read.

This book grabbed me from the very beginning. It held my attention throughout and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to guess what would happen next. A tense and chilling read.
A must read for thriller fans.

I was really excited to read a copy of Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner. The smooth writing style and deep characterization of a passionate and driven sleuth, Frankie Elkin, made for an entertaining read. Gardner is a prolific writer whose books are well-known for their complex twists and turns, and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Hands up those who have always wanted to help out with a missing person’s case? Me! I knew this was going to be just up my alley.

An ex-alcoholic, itching to have just one more drink, Frankie inserts herself into a cold crime case of a missing Haitian teenager. Angelique Badeau disappeared in the suburbs of Boston and has not been seen since. Living above a pub — a test to her self-control — Frankie finds a job as a waitress, and settling into darkest Mattapan (Murderpan) is a far cry from what she’s used to. She hardly welcome with the locals or the investigators of the local police department. But the job has to be done. Frankie is certain that what the police have failed to find, she will unearth by whatever means. This is what makes me want to root for her, but with all the challenges along the way, intuition assures me she’s the right woman for the job.

Taking on cases of missing persons is nothing new for Frankie. Out of fourteen investigations, she has managed to find everyone, even though all of them have so far been dead. With that type of success rate, the Badeau family open up to her humble but professional personality. Frankie is able to make a profile of the missing teenager who, a keen scholar, has never gone missing before. There have been sightings of Angelique, but nothing concrete and the more Frankie digs, the more dangerous her investigations become. Two missing friends, one Summer Camp and a market for fake IDs. Stirring up a hornets nest brings new encounters, but Frankie braves each trial head-on.

This is the type of book you can really get your teeth into. A well thought-out plot with all the trappings of a compelling mystery. Although it’s a standalone, I’d love to see it as a series. You can’t help liking the middle-aged Frankie Elkin; an intuitive sleuth with a multi-layered personality and sense of humor to savor. She insists on seeking the truth and I was fully invested in her all the way.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the privilege of reading an advance copy of this book.

Angelique Badeau, 16 years old, has been missing for months and the police have run out of leads. Frankie Elkin is a middle aged alcoholic, but she is determined to find Angelique, even though she knows nothing about her other than she is still missing. Frankie has no job as such, but has spent the last 10 years investigating various missing persons cases.

Frankie is an intriguing character, determined, flawed, and with a good back story of her own that gradually comes out throughout the book. This is nicely paced, with some interesting ideas along the way. I liked the developing relationship between Frankie and the lead detective, although I can’t image that many police officers would be this accommodating to someone muscling into a live investigation like this. However, the story works really well, throws up some nice twists and is a very enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Lisa gardner does it again. What a fantastic book. Highly recommended for fans of police procedural stories. Amazing characters and setting too.

Frankie Elkin is an ex-alcoholic with plenty of baggage and an unenviable past. She uses her skills as a cold case crime investigator to bring home the missing or bring justice for their families. She does it for free and to atone. She takes on cases of forgotten missing persons with a huge amount of success: in the 14 investigations that she has conducted, she has located the person and has solved the crime on every occasion, but sadly all of the missing persons were dead.
She becomes interested in the case of Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who walked out of her school gates in the suburbs of Boston and never came home again. First Frankie secures a job as a waitress for herself, with an apartment above the pub as a welcome perk. She settles in and soon contacts the grieving Badeau family, Angelique’s mother and younger brother. She explains who she is and collects as much information from the family as she can.
Interviews with her friends yield few clues. The suburb of Mattapan is not the best of areas and soon Frankie feels unwelcome by the local minority communities and also by the ongoing investigators in the Boston Police Department who do not like amateur investigators on their patch. With no word from Angelique and just a few dubious sightings in the last few months, the investigators team are baffled by the girl’s disappearance. The area has an active crime problem but Angelique is a keen scholar and has never left home before.
Then another girl is found to be missing. Frankie is even more determined, especially when the family are ambivalent, almost unhelpful really and they certainly don’t want her back. Frankie feels their fear and she is intrigued when she discovers that the two girls had made an unlikely friendship at a local Summer camp. Crime is rife and it is rumoured that there is a huge market for fake ID’s. This leads to further investigations, at last with the PD on board, sharing information and helping each other with their findings. But Frankie has stirred up enough muck to make her a threat and soon she realises she is in mortal danger. Undeterred but wary Frankie sniffs success. But will she solve the mystery of two missing friends?
I enjoyed reading this standalone crime thriller and could well envisage a ‘Frankie Elkin Investigates’ series in the future. Frankie is an engaging but flawed main character with her unsavoury past stirring her on to be a passionate and driven seeker of the truth. The theme intrigued me, a middle aged lady who follows up on forgotten and stagnating missing persons cases, travelling far and wide, then walking away when the puzzle is solved waiting for another case to come along. Lisa Gardner is a prolific and talented author in this genre and once again she has produced a mystery full of twists and turns, danger and thrill and spills.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Century through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you so much for accepting my request to read and review this novel. These are my own honest opinions without any outside influences. I would describe this novel as an exciting and involving 3.5* read.

Teenager Angelique Badeau has been missing for months and there has been no clues in the investigation.
A middle age woman Frankie Elkins turns up at the teenagers home to offer her services to look for Angelique. She is a volunteer who travels about the country looking for missing people.
A slow paced thriller with a few twists.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars!
I honestly went into this book feeling like I was seeing one of my interests coming to life. I have always wanted to be able to go and help out in missing persons cases and this book is from the narrative of a woman who has given up her life to help these people.

THE PLOT & WRITING: I loved the writing and structure. I thought Lisa did a very good job of setting up the scene. The idea behind the book is something I hadn’t read before and I really could see thought went into this book. I will admit, it didn’t quite leave me reeling, but I was hooked all the same.
THE CHARACTERS: I liked Frankie but she didn’t develop much over the book. I found her intentions admirable and she was really there for the right reasons. Her relationship with the detective worked and was believable.
THE PACING: It starts of a little slow and towards the middle of the book it was a bit sluggish but from about 60% onwards, the book was accelerated and I really enjoyed it.
OVERALL: This book was a decent mystery/thriller with a well thought out plot and an interesting ending.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about missing people. The chase, the unravelling of the facts and the search is interesting and sometimes scary. The main character is a lone worker determined to solve these cases and insinuates herself into the investigation in order to show that she can do better than the current investigators.
She has a back story, of course which runs along the current investigation filling out her compulsive need to find the missing and to work through the the underworld.

I enjoyed the story but I have to say that, for me, the possibility of being welcomed in to someone else's investigation after. only a little difficulty seems unlikely.

However, it is a good read, and I recommend it

This author is the mistress of sleight of hand and take telling that absolutely woes in every book. Needless to say I loved it and would recommend that you read ALL her books. Just brilliant.

Having read Lisa Gardner novels before I know that her writing is excellent and always cleverly plotted. This is no exception.

This is a highly original storyline and the central character, Frankie Elkin, has so many facets to her nature. She is a feisty but flawed woman who trails around the country trying to find missing persons where nobody is taking any further action. She has no possessions and when she arrives in Boston, she takes a bar job with a room above the bar. She is a rundown part, Mattapan with a roommate who is a psychotic cat.

Frankie meets the Boston PD Officer, Dan Lothan, and develops an interesting relationship with him as she continues her pursuit to find Angelique whose disappearance seems to be inexplicable. Angelique’s family and friends seem unable to offer any solution and, on the surface, she was a clever, well-liked teenager.

All the characters are well-rounded and as we progress throughout the investigation, we find twists, turns and shocks as to what has happened and how difficult it is going to be to trace Angelique, even if she is still alive.

This is action-packed, fast paced with an underlying humour. I absolutely loved it. This is a character that I want to see more of.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, Cornerstone and Lisa Gardner for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Excellent read. Highly recommended.

A good read, slow to start but picks up about one third of the way in and never loses its pace again.

Frankie is a recovering alcoholic, a nomad who goes from place to place trying to solve missing persons cases which the police have been unable to solve. This is her addiction and once a case has been solved she hot foots it out of there and follows the trail onto the next one.

Her latest case takes her to a tough neighbourhood in Boston where being a white female sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. She is looking for a teenager. 15 year old Angelique Badeau disappeared eleven months ago. She left school one Friday afternoon and has never been seen since. Her brother and aunt swear it is out of character and that she is a quiet, sweet girl but how can she just disappear. Frankie takes a job in a bar which comes with an apartment and a feral cat. She won’t stop until she has answers but maybe someone doesn’t like that she is asking questions and searching for Angelique.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I must be one of a handful of people who have never read a Lisa Gardner book I’ve heard lots of good reports about her writing and she’s been on my TBR pile for ages, so, I’m glad this one came up and I was pleased I read it. It was good right the way through and the pace was kept up right until the end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.