
Before She Disappeared: A Novel (A Frankie Elkin Novel, Book 1)
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2022 Audie Award Finalist for Best Female Narrator
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, a propulsive 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, a recovering alcoholic with more regrets than belongings. But she 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 her 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 could be her.
- Listening Length12 hours and 7 minutes
- Audible release dateJan. 19 2021
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB08DF7CDNK
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 12 hours and 7 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Lisa Gardner |
Narrator | Hillary Huber |
Audible.ca Release Date | January 19 2021 |
Publisher | Brilliance Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B08DF7CDNK |
Best Sellers Rank | #1,794 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #21 in Women Sleuth Mysteries #28 in Police Procedural Mysteries #44 in Crime Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals) |
Customer reviews

Reviewed in Canada on January 22, 2021
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Can't wait for the next one!
<b>Before She Disappeared</b> is a thrilling read with so many twists and turns leaving the reader in the dark until the grand reveal where all the pieces lead back to one place. Frankie is a recovering alcoholic who spends her days moving from city to city, chasing down cold-cases on missing persons that others seem to have forgotten. This novel centres on the story of Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teen, from a rough Boston neighbourhood. Frankie is met with resistance, both from the police and family... but that doesn't stop her as she follows up on leads and uncovers more and more secrets.
I really enjoyed the plot of this novel - it takes your typical mystery/thriller told from the cop's perspective and twists it around. You have a civilian playing at detective on cases the police have since given up on... AND getting results while doing so. In that respect, I found it to be a very unique starting point.
Let's get more into Frankie. She's got spunk. She's a bit of a nomad, doing things others wouldn't dare do and getting herself into situations most people would run from. She's steadfast in her determination to bring closure to the victims families and doesn't mind stepping on the toes of the local law enforcement to do so. I really enjoyed her narratives, along with her witty and sassy responses. I found it interesting that we do get more of her back story as the novel progresses and learn about Paul, who is clearly important to her... but I must say that I am still a bit confused about their relationship and would have liked to uncover more of this. If Gardner makes this into a series where Frankie is the lead... and we get a little more time in Boston with Detective Lotham in the mix.... well you can bet I'll be diving in deep!
I was shocked at the layers that the plot had. Just when I thought to myself 'okay, this must be it... this has to be a dead end'.... well lo-and-behold, a new piece of information that leads us spinning our wheels to figure out how it all comes together. A spectacular read, no doubt about it. The grand reveal left me in awe, because I really hadn't seen it coming. A pleasant surprise to any mystery/thriller. The ending was bittersweet and left me wanting more... a sequel perhaps?
Finally, I must recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, driven by the narrative of a witty woman ready to risk it all!
<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada upon publishing.</i>
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What a disappointment. I did not enjoy anything about this book in fact I skim read most of it because it was so boring.
If this is the start of a new series I will definitely not be buying the book!

Angelique Badeau was 15 when she disappeared without trace leaving only her backpack and bewildered family behind. Eleven months later the leads have dried up, time has moved on, and Frankie, arriving in the Boston neighbourhood of Mattapan, knows she is the Haitian teenager’s last hope.
It's fair to say female, white, middle-aged, recovering alcoholics are not spotted that often in Mattapan but Frankie's used to being in the minority. Having found herself a job and somewhere to sleep she begins her task, but there are things happening which put all those involved in far greater danger than they can imagine and finding Angelique could be the least of their problems.
Lisa Gardner is a first class thriller writer and this very good standalone novel is an excellent example of her craft. Frankie is likeable, believable and motivated. Gradually her back story is revealed and adds so much to her character. This isn't a fast moving story, it doesn't hurtle rather it evolves slowly until everything is satisfactorily dealt with. Both Frankie and the reluctantly helpful police detective Dan Lotham would definitely warrant another outing sometime in the future.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed this very much, it is a good read.


I am no kicking myself for waiting so long!
Francie hunts for missing people. The ones that have been missing so long others have forgotten. Looking for Angelique was a much bugger and more dangerous case than she had anticipated.
I lived the writing style. It was well paced and gave you all the information you needed.
I really enjoyed the budding relationships between the characters and found myself sad when they were over.
This is my first book by Lisa Gardner, but o found myself putting off finishing it because I enjoyed it so much. I'm really sad that thus isn't a series. I will be looking out and reading more from Lisa that's for sure.