nikkihrose's review
4.0
I have read countless books by Gardner, and each time I know I’m in for a treat. While different from her other books, this one was no less enjoyable.
While I’ve been on a bit of a romance and thriller kick lately, it was nice to go back to my roots of a good old-fashioned murder mystery novel, and I can easily say Lisa Gardner never disappoints in this department. Personally, my only criticism is that the main character is a middle-aged woman who often makes retorts I could hear coming out of a twenty or thirty year old’s mouth.
What I personally loved about this book is that it took on important topics: what it’s like to be a recovering alcoholic, how to navigate life when you struggle to find a purpose, how to live through/with trauma, and how White people are not needed to save Black people – but all of this lies beneath the true mystery of the novel: what happened to a fifteen year old girl and is it possible to still bring her home?
While I’ve been on a bit of a romance and thriller kick lately, it was nice to go back to my roots of a good old-fashioned murder mystery novel, and I can easily say Lisa Gardner never disappoints in this department. Personally, my only criticism is that the main character is a middle-aged woman who often makes retorts I could hear coming out of a twenty or thirty year old’s mouth.
What I personally loved about this book is that it took on important topics: what it’s like to be a recovering alcoholic, how to navigate life when you struggle to find a purpose, how to live through/with trauma, and how White people are not needed to save Black people – but all of this lies beneath the true mystery of the novel: what happened to a fifteen year old girl and is it possible to still bring her home?
readswithrosie's review
5.0
So someone remind me why I stopped reading thrillers for so long?
Before She Disappeared follows Frankie Elkin, a regular citizen but with a not-so-regular gift: she is great at solving unsolved missing persons crimes that have been forgotten. She has her own personal demons she combats with as she works through her most recent missing persons case in the big city of Boston.
Let me say this- I was invested, y’all. Edge of my seat, 100% confused as to where it was heading, completely engrossed in the characters type of invested. Gardner is now a go-to thriller author because it was fast paced while still going into detail with both plot and characters. This book definitely made me rediscover my love for thrillers- I had almost forgotten how they draw you in at the very first page. Perfect when paired with a rainy afternoon, plenty of caramel chocolate chip cookies, and sufficient hours to finish the book because it is SO hard to put down. 4.8⭐️
Before She Disappeared follows Frankie Elkin, a regular citizen but with a not-so-regular gift: she is great at solving unsolved missing persons crimes that have been forgotten. She has her own personal demons she combats with as she works through her most recent missing persons case in the big city of Boston.
Let me say this- I was invested, y’all. Edge of my seat, 100% confused as to where it was heading, completely engrossed in the characters type of invested. Gardner is now a go-to thriller author because it was fast paced while still going into detail with both plot and characters. This book definitely made me rediscover my love for thrillers- I had almost forgotten how they draw you in at the very first page. Perfect when paired with a rainy afternoon, plenty of caramel chocolate chip cookies, and sufficient hours to finish the book because it is SO hard to put down. 4.8⭐️
anne_27's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Geweldig boek. Moest er even inkomen, maar uiteindelijk kon ik niet meer stoppen met lezen.
khughes200's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bramazing's review against another edition
3.0
Het boek wist me niet zo te grijpen als dat ik had gehoopt, het begin was wel goed en zat er ook wel genoeg vaart in het verhaal, maar het middenstuk duurde gewoon lang en ik kon het soms niet echt volgen wat er precies gebeurde of wat de hele stand van zaken was met de zoektocht naar Angelique, ik vond Frankie een beetje een vervelend personage die wel heel erg last had van haar verleden. Ook de andere personages wisten me niet zo goed te boeien. Het verhaal was gewoon een rustig beekje wat maar wat door kabbelde zonder “echt” vaart te maken. Een prima boekje, maar zal me niet heel lang bijblijven (ik schrijf deze review pas later en het is nu al een beetje het geval niet alles meer op m’n netvlies te hebben.
Spoiler
Frankie spoort vermiste mensen op wanneer de politie hier geen actie meer op zet en de zaak onopgelost dreigt te raken. Dit keer begint ze te zoeken naar Angelique. Zij is na school verdwenen en nooit meer gezien. Frankie duikt in deze zaak en ontdekt dat Angelique vriendinnen is geworden met een ander meisje op een soort jongerenhuis. Angelique wil graag gaan studeren om zo in Amerika te mogen blijven met haar broer. Hiervoor heeft ze geld nodig en samen met haar nieuwe vriendin besluit ze identiteitskaarten te vervalsen, later ontwikkelt dit zich in dat ze samen studievisums gaan maken door een nep universiteit op te richten waarbij mensen een visum aan kunnen aanvragen. Hiermee verdienen ze veel geld, dit doen ze eerst samen met de broer van haar vriendin, alleen dan gaat het plan mis en neemt de directeur van het jongerenhuis de zaak over en ontvoertAngelique en haar vriendin. De broer wil ze redden maar is te laat en de beste vriendin wordt vermoord, later gaat ook de broer nog dood maar Frankie weet Angelique net te redden en doodt de directeur. Vervolgens laat ze alles achter zich en begint een nieuwe zaak naar een ander vermist persoon of zoiets.paperbackmatt's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
yuna's review against another edition
Too much of being true crime junkie wish fulfillment. Having all the BIPOC characters point out to the MC that she's exuding vibes of white woman savior doesn't change that the center of this book is a white woman savior...