One Step Too Far

This thriller is unputdownable! I read it in two sittings and the only reason in was not in one, was that I had to go to work at some point. I have just found out this is a second book in a series and I will certainly be reaching for the first one.

What happens:

On a stag night, the groom and his 4 mates go camping in the woods. Only 3 out of the 5 come back in the morning, and they are not able to account for the disappearance of the other 2:
“’Bear, bear, bear,’ first guy moaned.
“Mountain lion!” second guy insisted.
Third guy vomited.’

Search parties are organised and volunteers join. However, not much comes out of the searches and 5 years later, as every summer since the disappearance, the groom’s desperate father gathers a small group of experienced volunteers to search a yet new area. This year the group is joined by a new volunteer, Frankie Elkin – a woman with a knack for finding missing persons (or their remains). Frankie has a complicated past and is driven to seek the missing by her own demons, which only makes her more determined. Once Frankie joins the search party on a 7-day expedition into the wilderness, she soon senses the tensions among its members and starts focusing on the relationships between the missing groom and his family and friends, as much as on the clues and traces of his presence.

The initial short recount of the events (including the quote above) is written in third person, but we soon switch to first-person narration by Frankie Elkin. Her recount is in present tense, which normally rubs me the wrong way, but Lisa Gardner has turned out to be one of those authors who can pull the present tense narration off – the sentences do not feel rushed and abrupt, the pacing is just right and the book reads really well. Most of the narration is in a sombre tone, but there are some self-deprecating witticisms on Frankie’s part, which I greatly enjoyed.

One of the reasons why I found this book so gripping is the way the very physical exploits of the searchers in the woods are intertwined with short glimpses of Frankie trying to gauge the characters of the people she has set on the expedition with, and attempting to uncover the secrets they're keeping. There is a lot of scaling walls, crossing streams, exploring caves and at the same time getting to know the dynamics of the group and the personalities of its members.

There is one more reason I particularly enjoyed the book, and that is due to the fact it has one of my favourite tropes in it, which is salvaging resources the characters have left and making do with them. I do not know why, but I find this trope very satisfying.

The version I have read does need some editing work, such as typos and possibly words misspelled due to autocorrect picking the wrong option. I also came across a sentence that felt a bit awkward: “At any given time hundreds of thousands of people have disappeared.” The tense does not feel right with “at any given time”. I think it might sound better if it was replaced with Present Simple or Past Simple. Otherwise, the writing is very good, it feels natural and dynamic.

The book maintains the tension all the time, you never know what is going to happen next and you really do want to know – you are just glued to the book all the time. It is fast-paced, there is not one boring moment, and it also feels like the author knows what she is writing about in terms of search expeditions, especially the work of cadaver dogs.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable read, with a good twist and varied characters, of which Frankie herself is the most fascinating one. My first read of 2022 and it is a 5-star one!

One Step Too Far is such an amazing novel! To say that I loved it is an understatement, it’s phe-nom-in-al! I was already itching to share the book love only 10 minutes after I finished reading it, so I’m excited it’s finally review day.

This is the second novel in a series about Frankie Elkin, a woman – not a detective, not a professional – who tries to find missing persons. A new location and new characters in every novel in the series, it’s a wonderful idea because you can read them as standalones but the characters of the first book in the series (bar owner Stoney, his terrorizing cat (still love him) and the special detective) were so great that I wished she’d stayed in town. That was before I read this novel. By the end of it, I had exactly the same feelings all over again, so many of the characters captured my heart, not to mention the dog, a lab called Daisy who’s a cadaver dog but can also find people alive.

Frankie is on her way to investigate the disappearance of an 8 year old but decides to make a little detour and join a search party for Timothy O’Day who went missing 5 years earlier. The party consists of 8 people (and a dog): a grieving father, a hiking guide, three college friends and three semi-professional searchers. They set out to an area in the massive Popo Agie Wilderness Area that consists of woods, mountains, streams, lakes, gullies, cliff faces, wild animals, you name it. Frankie is the one most out of her comfort zone but this city girl is determined, focused and absolutely amazing at what she does. When night falls on day 1 someone sabotages the group but who? I was hyperalert all through the novel but I honestly couldn’t say and after a while they all wormed their way into my heart.

I’d love to go over everything they went through up on that mountain but that would mean we’d need another hour. Suffice to say that there is lots of blood and wounds involved and yeah people will also get murdered. It’s like a version of The Hunger Games but better, so much better. The plot was so clever. I also had not a single idea how this was going to end.

I really enjoyed the first novel Before She Disappeared but in all honesty One Step Too Far is even better. If this doesn’t make it on my top 10 end of year list I don’t know what does! This character driven novel has wrung me out emotionally too. I nearly cried once, then smiled when it all came to a close, and in the very last pages I was emotional all over again. I think it’s easier to say it’s hormones then to explain to non-readers.

It can’t get any better than this if you ask me, but I can’t wait to follow Frankie again in the next novel and see what trouble finds her there!

Lisa Gardner writes some cracking stories and this is yet another. It features Frankie, a character from a previous book ( which I haven’t read) and I enjoyed her backstory. This is a complex and compelling tale of loss and friendship. There’s a dual timeline; a group of five men go into the woods for a hunting weekend and one of them disappears, never to be found or seen again. Those events run along with the current timeline where the group return, with others to investigate what happened. It’s Bigfoot country. It’s menacing and treacherous. I’ve watched a few documentaries about people who disappear in these circumstances and the book captures that territory very well. It’s bleak and threatening and that tension comes across throughout.

People don’t just disappear without explanation, but this creates a gripping and realistic set of circumstances with numerous possibilities. It’s pacy and filled with strong characters who I was happy to invest in. Really enjoyed the book.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Set in a dual timeline. The disappearance of a man many years ago, who was never found, raises questions for his friends. Their pursuit of answers puts them in danger. A large range of characters means you don't get so involved with each one. Very tense story that has you praying for the right ending.

I wasn’t sure about this book when I began reading it, as it seemed to be a bit implausible - a group of friends go wilderness camping just before one of them is due to get married, and he disappears without trace. Five years on, a motley group of investigators, including his Father, three of his fellow wilderness campers, a Bigfoot hunter, a guide and our heroine Frankie Elkin set out to find whatever they can about his fate. The book soon sucked me in and didn’t let go until the very end. I found the pacing somewhat difficult to take at times, as the tension just keeps ratcheting up without any letup, which doesn’t make for a comfortable read, but if you want to be grabbed, shaken, stirred and held tight until the final word, this is the book for you!

It was so good to meet Frankie Elkin again!

She joins a search crew that meet year in year out of the day Tim went missing in the wilderness. This is the 5th Anniversary search and the final one. The group is led by Tim's dad, a local expert, a Bigfoot Hunter, a Search and Rescue member with her Cadaver dog, Daisy and Tim's buddies he was with he went missing - celebrating his stag do all those years ago.

One member of the team, Josh has to pull out and therefore Elkie has a place. She doesn't do hiking, her speciality is pounding the streets and speaking to people and the going is tough, as it is for the boys. Tim's dad was warned off doing the mission and so they also have to have their wits about them on the perilous climb.

We know Frankie is a recovering alcoholic and we get a bit of her backstory as well as those of the others. The hike to base camp is tough. When they set up camp unusual things start happening which can't be explained. The team feel uneasy - who is trying to sabbotage their mission and why??

I found the story absolutely unputdownable and fast paced.. There were lots of heart-in-mouth moments. So highly recommend! Roll on the next one!

Frankie Elkin is unique, damaged, and so very memorable. I loved her and was sad when I turned the last page on her story when I read "Before She Disappeared". I feel the same way now... Frankie is so endearing in her own stubborn, slightly reserved way. She is fast becoming my all-time favorite fictional character.

She is out of her usual urban element and it tests her in ways both physical and emotional. Driven by some unknown compulsion to bring back the body of a young man to his mother, she risks life and limb in her efforts.

I adored the writing in this book. The dreadful and disturbing circumstances which were lightened with levity and sarcasm. Many themes run through this page-turning narrative, the most predominant ones being guilt, remorse, loss, and human connection.

This is a character-driven thriller and an epic adventure of wilderness survival wrapped up into one.

Gosh... do I have to wait until next January to read more Frankie Elkin? Write faster Lisa Gardner!

Highly recommended! ALL THE STARS!

It's five years since the stag weekend. Five of them had set out: Tim (the groom) and his four groomsmen, Scot, Miguel (who was usually called Miggy), Neil and Josh. The first night they had plenty of alcohol - too much really - and in the night Scot managed to wander off. The remaining four searched for him in vain and it was decided that Tim, who was experienced in survival techniques, would go for help. When help didn't come the remaining three finally made their way back to town. Scott followed soon after but there was no sign of Tim. Every year, Tim's father, Martin, and the four friends have been back to continue the search although they do now acknowledge that they're looking for 'remains' rather than for Tim.

The story brought Frankie Elkin to Ramsay. Frankie's an average, middle-aged white woman and for the last ten years she's been searching for missing people. Of the sixteen cases she's handled she's only brought one person back alive, but even a body gives those remaining some closure. She had to bully her way onto the search team - her lack of wilderness experience did not stand her in good stead but Josh was forced to drop out and Frankie took his place.

This year, it's an expanded team. The leader is Nemeth, a former Shoshone National Park ranger, although Martin O'Day has considerable input into where they're searching. Martin's determined to find some trace of Tim: his wife, Patrice, is dying of cancer and she wants to be buried next to her son. The other additions are Luciana and Daisy - Daisy's a cadaver dog and Luciana her handler. On a search like this she usually finds a body but it isn't always the one they're looking for. A lot of people - at least five in the last twenty years - go missing in wildernesses like the Popo Agie. It's west of Cheyenne and south of Jackson in Wyoming.

This book is absolutely terrifying and completely unputdownable. I read it in a little over twenty-four hours because I had to know what happened. The trek into the wilderness is physically gruelling. There's not just a sense that they're being watched but some of their precious food supplies are stolen, which threatens to cut short the planned week-long expedition. Someone, something, doesn't want them in the Popo Agie.

I first encountered Frankie Elkin in Before She Disappeared and I knew then that if I was ever missing, I'd want Frankie to be looking for me. She doesn't have what you might think of as specific skills but she doesn't let go, knows when she's being lied to and is more than happy to confront anyone and demand that they tell the truth, no matter what the personal cost. And, talking of cost, Frankie doesn't charge for her services: she lives hand-to-mouth, has very few possessions and has nowhere to call home.

I read on the edge of my seat. The wilderness is perfectly evoked: sometimes I was slightly shocked when I looked out of the window and realised that I was in the Yorkshire countryside. The characters are well-drawn: you understand them, even if you don't always like them. Perfect. I did work out who was responsible but it didn't in any way spoil my enjoyment of the book. Highly recommended.

I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

While on his stag do with 4 friends camping in the wilderness, Tim O’Day goes missing and is never found. 5 years on, on the anniversary of Tim’s disappearance, Tim’s father, the 4 friends, a Bigfoot hunter and sniffer dog and hander are meeting to search for any sight of Tim. Frankish Elkin, who has dedicated her adult life searching for missing people wants to help with search party. In the wilderness, things taken a deadly turn, they are not the only ones out hunting.
An interesting plot with characters well defined and portrayed. The story is told from Frankies point of view, who is certainly an intriguing character! My first Frankie Elkin book, but not my last. 5 stars.

Another brilliant book from Lisa Gardner.
Frankie helps find missing people when the authorities have given up.
She comes across a group that are organising a search party for a man who went missing some years ago. His father is determined to find him and each year gets a group together to search for him.
When Frankie approaches the group they’re not too keen on her joining them as the terrain is hard going out in the woods in the middle of nowhere.
Eventually she persuades them and they set off on their search.
Soon things start to go wrong and people become injured.
After shots are fired at them it then becomes clear that they are being hunted and someone wants them dead.
Lives are lost and those remaining are in grave danger unless someone can make it back and get help.
This is a nail biting thriller that really had me on the edge of my seat.
A great read that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

As someone who can’t read enough good thrillers, I’m amazed I haven’t come across Lisa Gardner before.
It’s clear that she’s a prolific writer who knows her way around a plot and how to keep a reader in suspense.

This is only the second book in what is going to be a Frankie Elkin series of novels, and it’s a really promising start. I’m a big fan of the Tim Weaver David Raker novels. There’s something really fascinating about missing persons stories. Frankie, like David Raker, feels compelled to search for missing persons when the trail has gone cold and everyone else has given up, leaving families in despair. Like David Raker, Frankie finds meaning in life by giving the families of the missing person the closure they need to grieve.

A missing persons series gives the author free rein to place their protagonist in different environments and to explore different lifestyles. In this novel, Frankie joins a team of searchers in Wyoming who are about to tackle hostile mountainous terrain in a last ditch search for Tim, an experienced hiker who went missing on his stag do five years previously. His father Martin leads the gruelling hike and only reluctantly allows Frankie to participate when one member of the party drops out.

I really enjoyed all the details of the equipment and techniques needed to survive the battle against nature. Frankie struggles to keep up with the party and the reader admires her grit and determination to hold her own. For me, you can’t get enough tough female protagonists. They’ve been lacking for too long. Okay, Frankie’s back story is a bit clichéd - she’s a recovering alcoholic - but no doubt her character will develop as the series progresses. Four stars rather than five as I would have liked Frankie to be less sentimental.

I would love to see Frankie played by Frances McDormand.

Looking at Lis Gardner’s back catalogue, I’m delighted that I’ve got so many to look forward to reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Cornerstone Books for an ARC.

Wow, just wow!

I hadn't realised until I started reading, that this was the second book in a series following missing person specialist, Frankie Elkin. I usually only read books in order, but decided to give this one a go anyway, and I'm SO pleased that I did.

5 years ago, 5 friends hiked into the mountains for a stag party, but only four of them returned. Frankie joins a mismatched group containing friends, a bigfoot hunter, a mountain guide and a search and rescue dog in order to attempt to find the body of the missing groom.

This book is fast paced and so, so tense, it literally had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't read it quick enough. It is action packed and full of twists and turns, I couldn't guess what was going to happen next.

The author has a wonderful way of introducing the reader to the characters in a way that we get to really understand all of them, and I found myself willing them to succeed in their mission.

Easily one of the best books I have read in a while and I would highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy of One Step too Far, the second novel to feature missing person specialist Frankie Elkins.

Frankie is on her way to somewhere else when the hunt for Tim O’Day who went missing in Wyoming five years ago catches her eye and she diverts. She joins a group of eight people led by Tim’s father who are hiking into the wilderness to find him. It’s a trip fraught with danger.

Wow. What a read. I was fascinated by the story and the way it seems to morph from psychological thriller to all out action and still finds the time for a final twist. There’s a bit of everything in it, but mostly it’s a page turner. It starts first with a few inexplicable events, which in turn arouse suspicion and allow the secrets and deep held feelings to spill out, so when everyone knows everything, relatively speaking, the action can begin. I must admit that the violence came as quite a shock after all the psychology of secrets and lies, but in a good way as it’s a new phase and stops the novel getting stale. I’m not a real fan of psychological thrillers, but I was glued to the revelations in this one as they seem natural and relatable. The action scenes were tense and exciting mostly due to the emotions expressed, be it fear, shock, adrenaline or more. I think it was genius to set the novel in the wilderness with no communication possible as it adds to the atmosphere and the isolation leads to the spilling of secrets. I’ve always hated camping and this novel reinforces this hatred. Never, never, never. I’m not so sure about the ending. It seems a bit flat and superficial in comparison with what has gone before, but the journey to get there is well worth it.

Frankie Elkins is an odd duck. She is a drifter with no ties and few possessions and she doesn’t take money in her hunt for missing persons. She’s also a recovering alcoholic in search of something. It’s not my life and I can’t identify with her, yet I like her immensely. She’s smart and dedicated with a good heart, which overcomes her quirks.

One Step too Far is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I've just spent about a week on a bit of a terrifying adventure. Five years ago five young men go camping in the Forest on a stag weekend, only four of them return. Five years on a mismatched search party of eight go back to the Forest to retrieve whatever they can so that the family can have closure...Will it become survival of the fittest?
A really entertaining tale that will take you on quite a terrifying adventure. A story with well developed characters with emotional depth, a proper page turner. A book that will find you going on an emotional and physical journey side by side with the characters.

When I started this book I was unsure as to whether I would get into it. Books about hiking and all that it entails are not really my cup of tea but I was proved wrong.
Once the story got going I was interested and engaged and by the end of the book I was reluctant to put it down and read late into the night/early morning to find out how it ended.
The characters were well drawn and relatable with their personalities emerging more as you read.
I don't want to give too much away and spoil the enjoyment for others but I can say that, although it has repercussions, this book is less about the events of five years ago and very much concerned with the here and now.
A gripping read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this exceptional book

a camping stag party up the mountains can only end in tragedy....

frankie elkin main thing in life is to find missing people, she brings them home when all else has failed...she has no qualifications or any law enforcement knowledge, but she asks the questions that dont get asked and she gets results...they may not be alive when she finds them but she does for the family what law enforcement havent managed to do...she brings them home

so when she read about the missing man and its on her way to another case she stops off and goes to help...with no knowledge of how to survive in mountainous climate she isnt welcomed at first with open arms, she has no equipment or survival gear just her charm but she manages to get accepted on the hunt

and from the first day things start to go wrong...

man oh man i couldnt put this book down...riveted to this book, so many red herrings and when you find out who what and where you are left shattered by the revelations of it all...

this author can certainly write an edge of the seat book, cant wait for the next one

This is the 2nd book in the Frankie Elkin series and WOW! A one-sitting read for me, I really was unable to put this one down.

Frankie Elkin has her demons, she constantly battles to keep them at bay, but she manages and is 10+ years sober. She is such an interesting character and I am so glad that I had read the previous book Before She Disappeared.

Frankie lives a transient lifestyle, she has a job but it does not pay. She has no car, no possessions apart from what she can carry with her and she looks for people who are lost or missing. She decides to help in the search for a young man who went missing several years ago.

This is such a dark book and one that had me absolutely riveted. The way the author gradually increases the tension is great, but to be honest there is tension from the outset as Frankie joins the search. This isn't a walk in the park, this is more dangerous and extreme than that. The territory is harsh, has no phone signal is rugged and only those with experience tackle the area.

Having to prove herself to be fit for the week-long search shows how tough this job will be. A gruelling hike, camping out, wild animals and bitterly cold nights are just the beginning. The author does a brilliant job of describing the area and instilling the dangers as I read. At the same time, there is a mystery to solve, one that nags at Frankie as she learns more about the other people in the group and more about the missing man.

This is a story that is dark, it is devious and I did sort of twig on to the "who" but it was more of an " I wonder if it could be..." but I never saw the complete picture until the author was good and ready to fill in the details.

This is a fabulous read and one that makes me want to read more and more in this series. Gradually learning more about Frankie and her drive to search for the missing. If you like suspense and nerve-jangling thrillers then this is one you should definitely look out for. I would suggest reading the first book as it helps to see the journey Frankie has taken and about her past. Brilliant book and one I would definitely recommend.

I knew I was in for a treat with Lisa Gardner’s new release in the Frankie Elkin series (I really enjoyed the first, Before She Disappeared), but I didn’t expect to be this gripped. The story follows Frankie, who spends her life helping to find people who have disappeared a long time ago, as she gets involved in a missing person case where a stag do went terribly wrong five years ago, resulting in the injury of one of the attendees and the disappearance of the stag, Timothy!

Frankie joins Tim’s father and an array of colourful characters as they trek into the forest where Tim disappeared to try and find his body. But things don’t go quite to plan…

I really enjoyed this tense, addictive novel. Frankie is a great character and one I’ll always be happy to read more about. She unearths the truth where no one else can. The setting is very different to other novels – almost entirely set in the forest – and I thought this might become a bit dull but it’s quite the opposite: the location felt so vibrant it almost felt alive at times. It took me a little while to get into but once I did, I was hooked!

As the search into the forest continues, the danger ramps up as well, and the more I read the more I wanted to work out what exactly had happened out there. The tension is high and other are some twists I definitely didn’t see coming, but One Step Too Far also did a great job of further developing the main character Frankie, and allowed us to learn about the cast of other interesting characters who feature.

I struggled to put this book down – addictive reading!

year on year a group of young men return to the scene of a bachelor party where the groom never returned- ostensibly to search for him but their motivation are varied and well played out throughout the book.
When Frankie inserts herself into the search for the body things take on an even darker turn with no-one being above suspicion and motives coming to light as the party hikes into the wilderness.
With the danger level rising almost by page turn there are moments when you wonder who will make it home!
A fantastic thriller with an ending I didn't see coming.

The first book featuring Frankie was at the top of my best reads for 2021 so when I heard about One Step Too Far, I jumped. I wanted to meet Frankie again. But would it be as good as the first time?

I should not have worried as Lisa Gardner knows what she’s doing…

Did I like the book?
I FREAKING LOVED EVERY WORD. I read a lot of crime fiction, therefore I am pickier with every title. This one just hit all my happy buttons. I will be recommending it forever. I mean it.

Did I enjoy reading it?
According to my Fitbit, I went through rough patches, with my heartbeat reaching peaks without my butt moving from the couch! Are you looking for some adrenaline boosts? You’re at the right place! Do you want your brain to try and solve a situation that is just so much more than a missing person case? I say treat it to this book. Do you want your heart to be ripped out of your chest? Grab One Step Too Far
Warning: one of the characters is a dog and SPOILER don’t read the next line if you don’t wanna know: she makes it out alive.
So yes, in a nutshell, I enjoyed it. A lot. Too much for my Fitbit.

What did I feel?
A good thriller needs strong characters. Believable ones. Ones you will care for, or be suspicious of. Ones you may relate to. Ones who will find a way to reach you. This novel’s wealth is its array of protagonists. I flew through the story within 24 hours and the plot pans out through a short period of time, and yet… I got all the feels through their experience. I grew even fonder of Frankie, our main character who finds herself looking for lost ones. Her wit, her humor, her realness, she pokes at existential questions one minute and shares a crazy bad joke the next. What’s not to love? I want to hug her and never let go, but that’s not how it goes…
As for everyone else… Daisy, Nemeth, Bob, Martin, Luciana, Neil… They all have lessons to learn and lessons to teach. Lisa Garden’s sharp eye on humankind and our motives, weaknesses, and strengths is absolutely exceptional and she uses it expertly to write the most immersive thrillers.

How would I describe it?
Intense, physically and emotionally. Beautifully crafted. Tragically human. Riveting.

Anything to add?
Some gory details had me regret having dessert!