And Now She's Gone

From the author of They All Fall Down (2019) comes this slow burn read that focuses on domestic violence and stars a complicated main character with her own insecurities, past and secrets.

Grayson Sykes is a new private investigator who is still learning the do's and don'ts of the job but comes off as bumbling instead of prime PI material. Gray's a confusing character - she's not easy to like, shares her scattered thoughts often with the reader and I'm still unsure why her recent appendectomy was mentioned so often. As the story progresses, readers see that Gray's own past influences her first case as she tries to find Isabel, a woman who has lived through similar experiences.

This is the epitome of a slow-burn kind of read and I'd strongly suggest reading it in large chunks to help keep the changes in time and POVs clear. There are a lot of characters to keep track of - between Gray's friends, the people in her case and the fact that a couple of people are referred to using multiple names which made things overly complicated.

There is decidedly less tension in this almost 400-page thriller than I had anticipated, but just enough to keep me reading. Instead, the focus is on the important issue of domestic abuse with readers being given vivid descriptions of abuse, with particular focus on the mindset of the abused partner. Definitely not for the faint of heart and could possibly be a trigger for some readers. But with this strong focus, the switching narratives and timelines and Gray's past and the current case, the tension was repeatedly broken and it made for a convoluted read.

While I appreciate that the story focuses on issue of domestic abuse, this story was more complicated than it had to be. With too many characters, too many metaphors and flashbacks and not enough tension, I wouldn't call this a thriller because the suspense never reached the point where the book truly gripped me. 

Disclaimer: I received this complimentary digital ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Rachel Howzell Hall

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: eBook from NetGalley

Publisher: Forge Books

First Published: September 22,2020

Opening Lines: She had to do it. 

She had to glance in her rearview mirror.

Book Description from GoodReads: Isabel Lincoln is gone. But is she missing?

It's up to Grayson Sykes to find her. Although she is reluctant to track down a woman who may not want to be found, Gray's search for Isabel Lincoln becomes more complicated and dangerous with every new revelation about the woman's secrets and the truth she's hidden from her friends and family.

Featuring two complicated women in a dangerous cat and mouse game, And Now She's Gone explores the nature of secrets -- and how violence and fear can lead you to abandon everything in order to survive.