Book Synopsis:
A gripping thriller featuring an ordinary woman who will stop at nothing to find the missing people that the rest of the world has forgotten.
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.
A new case brings Frankie 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.
But Frankie will stop at nothing to discover the truth, even if it means the next person to go missing will be her …
Before She Disappeared is published in ebook and hardback on the 21st January 2011. You can purchase your copy using the link below or through your local indie bookstore.
My Review:
I’m a huge fan of this author so you can imagine my excitement when I got invited onto the blog tour for this her latest book. I was definitely not disappointed as this was another fantastic thriller that helped me get over a bit of a reading slump.
Firstly i absolutely loved the heroic though flawed main character Frankie who I enjoyed following on her investigation. I really admired her determination and bravery as she tries to discover what happened to Angelique, despite some quite fierce resistance at times. Her missions appear so selfless as she doesn’t get paid for her work but does it just to help others which I think was lovely. A special mention has to be mad to the grumpy cat Frankie shares a room with who helps provide some comic relief to the story and some comfort to her too.
This story gripped me from the start with its rather intense opening. The author’s really vivid descriptions often .are me feel like I was in the story following Frankie as she investigates. This was particularly true at the beginning when I actually found myself feeling breathless whilst reading about her investigating under water. The story had a great pace to it and there was always something happening to keep my interest. I really enjoyed how there were so many different layers to the story which were gradually peeled back to reveal the truth. The ending was very clever and took me completely by surprise. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Arrow publishing for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
About The Author:
New York Times #1 bestselling crime novelist Lisa Gardner began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in police procedure, criminal minds and twisted plots into a streak of bestselling suspense novels. Her 2010 novel, THE NEIGHBOR, won Best Thriller from the International Thriller Writers. Most recently, she was honored with the Silver Bullet Award for her work with at-risk children and homeless animals. Lisa loves to hike, travel the world, and yes, read, read, read! Readers are invited to enter the annual “Kill a Friend, Maim a Mate” Sweepstakes, where they can nominate the person of their choice to die in Lisa’s latest novel. Readers have nominated themselves, spouses, bosses. It’s cheaper than therapy and twice as much fun! For more details, visit Lisa’s website, http://www.LisaGardner.com. Her latest, BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED, is available January 19, 2021. Meet Frankie Elkin, an everyday average person who specializes in finding missing minority children. When the locals have given up, when the media has never bothered to care, Frankie takes on the challenge. Her latest mission has brought her to Mattapan, Boston to find a missing Haitian teen. Eleven months later, Angelique Badeau’s disappearance remains a mystery. What happened to the quiet, studious teen? Frankie learns quickly the dangers of asking too many questions, but that won’t stop her from discovering the truth behind what happened BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED.
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