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Before She Disappeared
By Lisa Gardner
Dutton, 9781524745042, January 19, 2021, 400pp.

The Short of It:

So far, Gardner has not disappointed me. Loved the amateur detective in this one.

The Rest of It:

Frankie Elkin is just an ordinary woman who chooses to find the missing people others have forgotten. She asks the questions that others don’t and because she has no personal ties or even a steady job to hold her down, she can blend into the scenery and find the clues that everyone else seems to miss.

I really enjoyed Before She Disappeared. Frankie is one of those perfectly flawed characters. As a recovering alcoholic, she is constantly aware of her weaknesses which makes her so likable and easy to relate to. In this installment, because apparently this is Book #1 in the Elkin series, Frankie looks for a young girl who has gone missing. Her family has been holding onto hope for over a year but no new leads have been found. Frankie gets herself a bar job, yep, as a recovering alcoholic it’s what she knows, works out a deal for housing which includes a very hostile feline roommate, and digs into the case.

The pacing is really good and I found myself reaching for my Kindle every chance I had. That’s the sign of a good read. I’ve lost count but this was read for 10 Books of Summer.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Boozehound's Disco Ball Restroom Here we are and it’s already Wednesday. It was nice to have that long weekend. We hit the road and headed to Palm Springs again. It was The Otter Pup’s bday and we hit this place called Boozehounds. It’s an event space/restaurant/bar but caters to humans and their dogs! Click on that link above. It’s a trip. She was treated to misters on the patio, a turkey gizzard treat and some chicken leather. What you see in the photo is the disco ball in the ladies room! It’s a fun, fun place. Us humans enjoyed iced lattes. Boy, Palm Springs was HUMID though. My hair was a lost cause the entire time we were there.

On the fourth, we drove to a silent fireworks/laser show. I thought it would be lasers via drones, like, in the sky. Nope. It was a ground show so the spot we picked did not make for good viewing. On the way back to my In-Law’s place we caught all sorts of illegal shows that went on until 3am! My pup was not happy and paced most of the night.

We never did get to see Jaws. We brought it but the DVD player at my In-Law’s place was not hooked up and apparently is not compatible with the TV they have now. We picked up pizza and settled in to watch and then, nope. No watching. I read, the girl napped and the guys watched sports. It was a nice weekend with good food and some pool time. The pup loves Palm Springs and her walks around the duck pond.

Not a lot going on the rest of the week. We were going to try to hit Knott’s Berry Farm before my son leaves for Kansas but now he’s not all that jazzed about those plans. So, the weekend is wide open right now.

On the reading front. I should have my review of Falling posted this week. I was supposed to read another book first but I tossed it into my pool bag at the last minute and I was glad I did. It took my mind off the horrid humidity. Come to think of it, I should have my review of Before She Disappeared posted soon too.

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