Publishers Weekly
★ 11/23/2020
Recovering alcoholic Frankie Elkin, the narrator of this outstanding crime novel from bestseller Gardner (When You See Me), has found purpose, if not peace, in channeling her addictive personality into finding missing women no one else bothers to search for. Newly arrived in Boston, Frankie sets out on the trail of 16-year-old Angelique Lovelie Badeau, who seems destined to beat the odds in her tough Haitian community. What would drive Angelique, a girl with such a bright future, to simply disappear one day? Frankie’s search leads her through a thicket of gangs, traffickers, and institutional racism. The mystery’s solution is a neat twist on the obvious dangers that might destroy a talented girl’s dreams. Frankie, who describes herself as an “average middle-aged white woman,” is a nuanced character whose unflinching honesty and lack of self-pity allows the reader to empathize, if not completely sympathize, with her struggles. And cat lovers are sure to fall for Piper, Frankie’s equally dysfunctional feral companion. Gardner pulls no punches in this socially conscious standalone. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
In this rare standalone, the prolific Gardner has come up with one of the most original characters in recent crime fiction, a woman readers can care about even while not being entirely sure of what to make of her.”Washington Post
"This book, the best-selling author’s first stand-alone novel in 20-years, is a sharply-written, tension-filled yarn full of twists readers are unlikely to see coming. The most compelling element, however, is the character of Frankie, a recovering alcoholic whose obsession with the missing is a penance of sorts for the burden of guilt and grief she carries over a past trauma that took the life of a man she loves.”Associated Press
Named one of 2021's Most Anticipated Books by "Good Morning America," PopSugar, Bookpage, CrimeReads, and Mystery Tribune
"A masterpiece of post-modern noir....A riveting stunner of a tale where the rare appearance of the sun shines down on what is certain to be one of the best thrillers of 2021.”Providence Journal
“[An] outstanding crime novel…. Gardner pulls no punches in this socially conscious standalone.”Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Fans of this incredible author, police procedurals, timely immigrant stories, strong determined women, and tales that are not tied up with a pretty bow at the end will not be able to get enough of this intense page-turner.”Library Journal (starred review)
“It’s hard to tag just one stand-out element here, between the multidimensional portrayal of Mattapan’s Haitian expat community, Frankie’s humanizing demons and straightforward investigative technique, and a page-turning plot with all its ends tucked in unpredictably tight. Tense and immersive, Gardner’s latest…is a sure bet both for readers drawn to gritty gumshoe fiction and for the growing legion of true- crime podcast fans.”Booklist (starred review)
“Gardner is a pro at writing tough-as-nails, wiseass, broken-yet-steely female characters, and Frankie does not disappoint…Fans of Gardner’s Tessa Leoni, D.D. Warren, and Flora Dane will embrace her new heroine's grit and empathy.”--Kirkus Reviews
"The pace of Before She Disappeared makes it a faster read than the number of pages would suggest. For me, it fell into 'couldn’t put it down' territory, and of all Gardner’s books that I’ve read, I think this was the best.”St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Lisa Gardner delves deeply into her protagonist’s psyche in this tough, street-level, socially conscious thriller.”Florida Times-Union
“Before She Disappeared introduces what may be the most powerful sleuth of the decade, an “ordinary” woman driven to uncover the truth at any personal cost. There’s only one thing to ask for by the time the book ends: please, please, a sequel and a series.”New York Journal of Books
“As Frankie’s investigation progresses, it offers an up-close look into some of the issues that plague American society today—racism, antipathy toward immigrants and the trafficking of young women—while providing a blistering narrative and sympathetic characters…Before She Disappeared is billed as a standalone, but I’m thinking it would be the perfect setup for a terrific series.”Bookpage
"A propulsive mystery, one with enough twists and turns to keep even the most seasoned readers of the genre guessing until the end. But it’s also - perhaps more importantly - a fascinating character study, as Frankie wrestles with her own demons even as she grows closer to her goal.”Bookreporter.com
“Smart, suspenseful, and socially conscious, this novel knows how to concoct a thriller out of current affairs without cheapening the subject or deriding any of the people involved. Frankie is a troubled, complicated woman determined to do the right thing while also recognizing that she doesn’t have all the answers and is in no place to dictate the affairs of others. She’s a wonderful heroine for our turbulent times."Criminal Element
"Think Jack Reacher with a specific mission and a driving purpose…Socially conscious and deeply researched…this thriller will keep devoted thriller and suspense readers on their toes. Plus, Gardner knows how to write honest, believable female leads.”BookTrib
“Before She Disappeared is a first-class crime novel by a master of the thriller genre. I highly recommend it.” – David Baldacci
“To read Lisa Gardner is to put yourself in the hands of a master storyteller. In Before She Disappeared, she gives us a crackling mystery, gritty atmosphere and an unforgettable heroine. I loved the damaged, determined Frankie Elkin. You will, too.”— Riley Sager, bestselling author of Home Before Dark
“Before She Disappeared has a gutsy heroine, a timely, fascinating storyline, and a real sense of anticipation that kept me turning the pages.” – Tami Hoag
“This time Gardner truly hits it out of the park. Frankie Elkins is a heroine for the ages.” – Tess Gerritsen
“Nuanced and complex, Before She Disappeared proves once more Lisa Gardner knows how to set a hook better than anyone. It’s a ‘just one more chapter’ thriller that will have you reading into the night. I loved it.”Gregg Olsen, bestselling author of Water's Edge
“An exceptional amateur sleuth thriller…a very recommendable read.”Mystery and Suspense
"The case is intriguing and travels in refreshingly unexpected directions. . . . You're highly likely to enjoy this." —The Booklist Queen
"Fascinating . . . A page-turner about the search for a missing teenage girl in Boston and the mysterious woman obsessed with finding her." —The Big Thrill
"Hang on to some of the best moments in story telling by the master herself Lisa Gardner. Before She Disappeared may just be one of her best . . . and that is saying a lot." —Fresh Fiction
Library Journal
01/08/2021
It's been a while since Gardner (When You See Me) wrote a stand-alone; this one is well worth the wait. Readers will fall in love with her protagonist, Frankie Elkin, a recovering alcoholic lost soul who keeps sober by running from her past and roaming from city to city seeking cold-case missing people that law enforcement has given up on. After 14 cases, she's hoping to finally rescue her first living victim, Angelique Badeau, a local Haitian high school girl who went missing without a trace several months ago. As Frankie works this puzzling case, readers will have to pay close attention to the subtle carrots Gardner dangles in front of them. It's a wild ride through Boston's Mattapan neighborhood; a mix of real and imagined dangerous streets where her local characters perfectly reflect the rich mix of island cultures there. VERDICT Fans of this incredible author, police procedurals, timely immigrant stories, strong determined women, and tales that are not tied up with a pretty bow at the end will not be able to get enough of this intense page-turner.—Debbie Haupt, St. Charles City-Cty. Lib. Dist., St. Peters, MO
APRIL 2021 - AudioFile
Narrator Hillary Huber’s wry intonation perfectly matches the personality of loner amateur detective Frankie Elkin. AA meetings and prickly law enforcement officials are the only constants in her life as she travels around the country searching for missing women and girls, especially those from marginalized communities. Driven and haunted,, she keeps looking even though the cops have moved on and the media never cared. Her latest case involves a studious Haitian refugee teen who went missing from a Boston neighborhood full of gangs. Some of the neighborhood characters get a light Haitian accent, but the cops Frankie finds growing on her are distinctively voiced without New England accents. Huber’s pace quickens as Frankie races to make Angelique the fifteenth girl she recovers, and, she hopes, the first one to be found alive. S.T.C. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2021-03-03
Gardner introduces Frankie Elkin, a tough, street-smart survivor who has found her calling searching for missing persons.
Frankie is an alcoholic who considers herself responsible for the death of the man she loved. As penance, she travels around the country, volunteering to locate missing people for whom there may be no new leads. She knows that not everyone believes in her gifts or trusts her motives, but she cannot back down from the opportunity to find answers for these grieving families. When she comes to Boston to investigate the disappearance of Angelique Badeau, she takes a cheap apartment and a bartending job at a scruffy neighborhood bar, sticking out like a sore thumb but determined to make headway in a case that has baffled the police. Teenagers go missing and teenagers run away, but not Angelique. She and her brother survived the earthquake in Haiti to live with their aunt in America, taking advantage of opportunities to work hard and get a good education. Frankie discovers that Angelique is not the only teenage girl to have disappeared in the neighborhood; a few months after her, another girl went missing. This girl’s family, torn apart by gang violence and poverty, may have been reason enough to run away, but Frankie has been around the block enough to know: There are no coincidences. Then Angelique passes a message to her brother: proof of life, but no hint as to where she’s being held. With the help of a ruggedly handsome detective, Frankie digs relentlessly into the case—until people start dying. Now in a race against time, she must discover why these girls have been kidnapped—and why they might be running out of time. Gardner is a pro at writing tough-as-nails, wiseass, broken-yet-steely female characters, and Frankie does not disappoint. Plus, it’s a pretty solid mystery.
Fans of Gardner’s Tessa Leoni, D.D. Warren, and Flora Dane will embrace her new heroine's grit and empathy.