Title: And Now She’s Gone
Author: Rachel Howzell Hall
Narrator: Je Nie Fleming
Published: September 2020, Macmillan Audio
Length: 11 hours 30 minutes
Source: Publisher
Summary:
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.
My thoughts: This is my first book by Rachel Howzell Hall and it most certainly will not be my last. This book, whether it ends up being a stand-alone or the start of a new series, kept me engaged and captivated the entire time.
I love that this is not just your run-of-the-mill missing persons case. Yes, we do have a case where someone is missing, but it’s so much more than that. Grayson Sykes is charged with finding out what happened to Isabel Lincoln, who her boyfriend says is missing. But is she really? As Grayson starts investigating, we learn not only about Isabel and her life, but also we learn quite a bit about Grayson herself. We move and back forth in time to find out just what Grayson has been hiding from and how she ended up a PI herself.
I loved that we really get to know Grayson here in this book. It’s almost as if the author is setting this book up for a series – how awesome would that be!!! – as she is clearly laying a solid foundation on just who the main character is. Slowly we find out just what Grayson has been running from and why, and what she decides her next steps should be. She is such a complex character and I think, while we do learn quite a bit about her in this book, we’ve only scratched the surface.
The way this story is told kept me completely engaged the entire time. The suspense is there and each time I thought I knew where things might be heading, something new would come to light to change that. There were so many little twists that really keep things moving forward, which is good because I really think this is so much more of a slow-burning character study type of mystery than a fast-paced thriller. I honestly had no idea how this book was going to end and I loved that…I love a book that can keep me guessing all the way through. What a very clever cat and mouse game this turned out to be!
I can only hope that this is not the last we have seen of Grayson Sykes. This would be the perfect start to an awesome series and if it is…I am here for it! If not, it was still an amazing book!
Audio thoughts: I loved listening to this one…the narrator, Je Nie Fleming, did such a great job bringing this story to life. I had such a hard time putting this one down that I ended up listening to it in two days! Her pacing was great and she really did a nice job with the voices. If this book is the start of a series, I hope that Je Nie Fleming continues to narrate – I would love that!
