Not typically a reader of longer books (just not my personal preference), my first thought upon receiving an ARC of And Now She’s Gone was probably a sigh…because at first glance it looked “too long.” I was completely, totally, 100% WRONG. This story is so engrossing, so gripping, and it is that edge of your seat exciting that the pages just fly by. Add to that the fact that you won’t want to (and won’t be able to) put it down once you have picked it up, Rachel Howzell Hall has given us a true “Must Read!”
Grayson Sykes has been through a lot in her life, but now she has just become a full-fledged private investigator for Rader Consulting and she is on her first case. Her assignment is to track down their client’s missing girlfriend, who took the client’s dog when she suddenly left town several weeks ago. As there is no body, no signs of assault, kidnapping, or foul play, and it is not illegal to just walk away from your life, as an adult, the police have not been interested in this case. Grayson’s search for the missing Isabel Lincoln is nowhere near as simple and straightforward as she thought it might be. As first cases go, this one is intense!
As Grayson starts talking to different people who fill various roles in Isabel’s life, instead of getting a clearer picture, things just get muddier with every step. Who is telling the truth and who isn’t? Some of the dangerous elements Grayson uncovers makes her, at times, think that maybe it would be best if she didn’t find Isabel at all.
Along the way, we get to know Grayson, what she has been through, who she is, and how her life has led her to where she is right now. Grayson and Isabel are both fascinating, complicated characters, and Hall brings them both, along with a host of other characters, sharply to life with such themes as domestic violence, manipulation, extortion, religion, and familial ties.
This novel is told in a manner that takes the reader back to Grayson’s past and some of the trauma she has had to survive intermingled into the current events that are happening as the search continues for Isabel Lincoln. I realise not everyone loves this storytelling device like I do, but I personally love getting background information handed to me just a little at a time. I like piecing things together to make them fit into what is happening in the present timeline. The pacing of the story stays strong as these flashbacks occur in just the right places.
At times clever and witty, and other times incredibly dark and painful, And Now She’s Gone is a fantastic thriller, excellent character study, and tightly constructed bundle of suspense and tension. This was my first experience reading Rachel Howzell Hall, but it will certainly not be my last!
And Now She’s Gone is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up And Now She’s Gone? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | 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.
