I’m a big Lisa Gardner fan, and I’ve absolutely loved the Frankie Elkin series so far. There’s something about a missing persons investigator who’s not a cop, not a PI, just stubborn and driven, that always pulls me in. That said… spoiler alert: this is my least favorite installment of the series so far.
The setup is promising, Frankie is asked to find the long-lost sister of Kaylee Pierson, a convicted serial killer on death row with just three weeks to live. The case takes Frankie to a remote Hawaiian island owned by Kaylee’s tech billionaire ex-boyfriend, where secrets are buried deep and a literal storm is brewing. It’s got tension, stakes, and that classic Gardner pacing but the setting just didn’t land for me.
Maybe I’ve read one too many thrillers involving billionaires, private islands, and secret tech compounds, but the Hawaiian island backdrop felt less grounded than the grittier, more emotionally raw settings of the previous books. And getting Frankie or anyone from Texas to a tiny, remote island in under 24 hours (given some very specific plot circumstances I won’t spoil) just pushed the boundaries of believability a bit too far for me.
That said, there were some standout new characters introduced, and I’d genuinely love to see a few of them show up in future books. Gardner’s strength in crafting flawed but compelling characters still shines, even if the plot didn’t grab me as hard this time. I also found myself missing the more traditional procedural tone of the earlier books. This leaned more thriller, and while it works, it’s not quite what I come to Frankie Elkin for.
Still, I liked it. A solid 3.5-star read. I actually accidentally started Book 4 first and had to stop myself once I realized I skipped this one. So I’m excited to jump back in and see what’s next for Frankie. Just maybe back on the mainland next time.
Before She Disappeared Review | One Step Too Far Review
AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP | ★★★.5
Still See You is out now. Huge thank you to Grand Central Publishing for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.
