Mystery, intrigue, thriller with great writing and pacing. Could read alone but I think it reads better having read the previous books, as they are referred back to. Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

Dark and twisted and wonderful this is a book you won’t be able to put down. Lisa Gardner is one of my favourite authors and this did not disappoint everything she writes. I cannot wait to read her writing transports me and keeps me gripped from beginning to end.

I just adore the Frankie Elkin series. She is stubborn and yet annoying brilliant and solving cold cases.

I much preferred this book to her last. The former, I felt spent too long inside her head. This book however, feels a bit more aligned with the initial 3 in the series.

Now, word of warning… this is a highly complex storyline. So you need to pay attention. I think perhaps because this plot is so detailed and twisty a lot of early reviewers found it hard to follow. I would agree with them on that point but luckily at the end we are given a neatly summarised epilogue.

Like all of Frankie’s endeavours this book places her in an unusual yet unique position to help those who are missing. During her investigation she meets a whole host of colourful characters, whilst humorous at times I think this was a detail too far with such a complicated plot.

Even so, this is a brilliantly written book that can be read (and enjoyed) as a standalone novel. It’s fast paced, complex (so take notes!) and really engaging.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC of this book.
When I read the first chapter I thought I might have to pass on this book as it was overwhelming, however, after that the "Frankie " effect kicked in and I was captivated by the story as uusual. Daryl, Genni and the animal family were a welcome addition and lightened the story somewhat as the overall feel was one of disaster.
So glad that Frankie got her call in the end as she deserves a bit of happiness too.
Can't wait for next installment.

Kiss her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner

The woman she is looking for, Sabera Ahmadi, is a wife and young mother, haunted by war, scarred by her past.
The police and Sabera’s husband seem indifferent to her disappearance.
But Frankie knows trauma. She knows it can fuel or destroy you.
And when she sees the distress in Sabera’s daughter’s eyes, she makes a decision she soon regrets: find Sabera.
Another great read by the author in her Frankie series .
I love that Frankie is flawed and that she knows it but is willing to put her heart and soul into finding the people and what happened to them for them to be where they are .
Loved the plot , although at times the descriptions of the situations make it a hard read.

Another fabulous novel by Lisa Gardner.
Frankie Elgin takes on another missing person case, this time an Afghan refugee.
The story reveals a little about life in Afghanistan, how difficult it is for women in that culture and why so many risk everything for a better life in another country.
A thoroughly engrossing story I highly recommend.

4* Not sure that I expected the tale that I got, but it was pretty un-put-down-able.

This book took me somewhere the blurb didn't tell me about, into the fall of Afghanistan and the arrival of the Taliban, lives shattered; lives lived with surprising freedoms and incredible strengths; people with courage and conviction; greed and betrayals; and then America where it all seemingly goes wrong. But does it?

Honestly, I was on my toes with the skilful weaving of past and present, not knowing who was good and who wasn't, and if Sabhera was hallucinating or mentally ill or actually seeing who she thought she was seeing. Then add in Frankie herself, whose courage and determination to try and get justice for others, is, I think, a way of righting her own shortcomings - as she perceives them - and stopping herself from looking back too much and having regrets and 'whatifs'. And then there's Genni. And Daryl, Roberta and Marc and the brothers - all have hidden parts to them. But all were prepared to do what it took to save Sabhera and her daughter, Zahra, or, as it seemed to be, only Zahra.

The ending, the reveals, the subterfuge and the chances presented meant that some people got helped, some got lied to, some got hurt - physically and emotionally - and some lost a little of themselves.

Whilst it wasn't the book I thought I'd be reading, it was a flipping good introduction to this author, and one I found myself coming back to every chance I got. I'd like to read more of Frankie, because she deserves to forgive herself, move on and maybe take a chance on someone from her past, who just might be worth a trip down part of memory lane.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Century, Penguin Random House, for my reading pleasure.

I was delighted to receive an advance copy of Lisa Gardner's new book before publication as I really enjoyed her previous book (Still See You Everywhere). It did not disappoint!
Frankie Elgin has taken on another missing person case and it leads her into all sorts of trouble again. The descriptions of the troubles in Afghanistan and the horror people went through to get to safety in the US were really amazing to the extent that I could see it all in my imagination. The characters were really vividly described as well.
Be prepared to be surprised, horrified, excited, sad and amused in equal amounts.

Great read and very twisty - I literally lost the plot at one point. It was also a very interesting setting and highlighted the plight of refuges trying to escape to something ‘better’. Lisa Gardners books never disappoint. I love the house sitting situation she ends up in, it’s a very nice touch and needed light relief to the narrative.

I’ve loved the previous Frankie Elkin books however I found this harder going although very eye opening about life as a refugee, I personally preferred the cold case investigations however this does have plenty of action and a genuine feeling of threat. I loved Frankie’s accommodation and the responsibilities that came with it although it was a crazy situation to find herself in and the staff were fabulous. There’s some great detail about life in Afghanistan and the process refugees have to endure but I did feel it detracted from the overall story for me as I wanted more escapism but I can’t deny it was informative. It will be interesting to see what direction Frankie takes next though.

I really like Frankie Elkin as a character, she is a damaged personality with tenacity and grit, and manages to bring closure to cases that have been given up on.

The cases she undertakes are always moving and usually not quite as have been reported to her, as is the case with this one. This involves a culture that is unfamiliar to most of the world, with women treated as second class citizens, having barely any rights of their own, and them moving to another country that has little interest in what becomes of them once they get there. Fortunately Frankie cares.

Another intriguing and thought provoking read from Lisa Gardner, with lots of twists and turns, unusual situations and a strangely satisfying ending.


Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoy Lisa's books and especially enjoy the character's that she creates. This one did take me a little while to get into, but I'm really glad I kept going because it turned into a thoroughly enjoyable story.

Frankie Elkin is a woman who gives up her time to look for missing people. In this story she is looking for Sabera an Afghan refugee who has been relocated to Tucson, Arizona with her husband and their four year old daughter. She has been missing for a few weeks and nobody has any idea what happened to her.
This thriller has lots of twist and turns, some good characters and gives a better understanding of the lives refugees have to endure.
Although it’s the fourth book in the series it can be read as a stand alone novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book four in Lisa Gardner’s gripping Frankie Elkin series, Kiss Her Goodbye, delivers yet another emotional, high-stakes journey that proves why Frankie remains one of the most compelling protagonists in crime fiction today. A seeker of lost souls, Frankie throws herself into the mystery of Sabera, a missing refugee, and in doing so, pulls the reader into a tense, multilayered narrative that spans from the shadowed streets of Kabul to the sun-scorched edges of Tucson.

Frankie is as complex and compelling as ever—haunted, resourceful, and driven by an unshakeable moral compass. Her unlikely partnership with Daryl, the older, ballroom-dancing foodie who brings both skepticism and wisdom to the table, adds depth and occasional levity to the story. And then there’s Petunia—a character who may not win you over at first, but definitely earns her place as the story unfolds.

Gardner’s talent for character development shines here. Each figure is drawn with care, adding emotional heft to a plot that already brims with urgency and suspense. The narrative tension is immediate and relentless, building toward a twist that caught me completely off guard.

Kiss Her Goodbye is more than just a mystery—it’s a story of resilience, unlikely friendships, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Another standout installment in the series, and I, for one, will absolutely be back for more.

Another gripping story from Lisa Gardner. Different to her usual style, I'd say, but a compelling and thrilling read.

Another fantastic story from Lisa Gardner. The protagonist Frankie is a brilliant character, flawed, brave and one of a kind. I have enjoyed previous stories with Frankie before and this one was particularly good as the story opened my eyes to the refugee experience. Fast paced, empathetic, really enjoyed this.

As a longstanding Lisa Gardner fan I wasn't so sure about the Frankie Elkin series at first which was a bit of a departure from her usual, but I now love it as much as the rest of her work - and this latest book in the series is the best yet.

Missing person Sabera remains a mystery to us for most of the book, which gradually shares her backstory as Frankie searches for her. The book is a tense, tight thriller, but also touches on the pain of refugees, the horror of refugee camps, and the grief and trauma of leaving behind your country, your home, your career, and having to start over in a new and strange place.

The Frankie Elkin books are tinged with loss and sadness and grief, both for the current case and Frankie’s past. Complex probably sums it up best - Frankie is complex, the missing people she finds are complex, and the deprivation often involved mean the cases aren’t given the attention those from more affluent backgrounds are. I appreciate that the events of past books stay with her and haunt her nightmares - she feels real. And she definitely deserves a break, but I'm also looking forward to what comes next for her.

Frankie Elkin returns to find more missing people. This time, she is on the hunt to find Sabera, a refugee missing, then seen on CCTV where 2 bodies were found.
Another gripping thriller, with a reptilian support act as Frankie tries to uncover the truth.
Another great book from Lisa Gardner.

Frankie Elkin specialises in missing persons cold cases. In this book she is in Tucson Arizona searching for Sabera, an Afghan refugee. Frankie has to delve into Sabera's past to find answers. This is a very well-researched novel which sheds light on the experiences of refugees. The issues highlighted are described in a sensitive way. It is very well-written with a range of diverse and believable characters. The dark plot is lightened by the antics of some unusual pets.
A thought-provoking, fast-paced and thrilling read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardener, which releases in August. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. Even though this is the 4th instalment featuring Frankie Elkin, you can quite easily read it as a standalone.

Frankie is a recovering alcoholic who investigates cold cases of missing people – or in her case mostly finding missing bodies to give closure to grieving families.

She receives a phone call which lands her in Tucson, Arizona to find a missing Afghan refugee. The woman, Sabera, has been missing for three weeks. Everyone in the complex where she lives thinks she has simply left her older husband, but she has left her 4 year old daughter behind.
The story is interspersed with snatches of Sabera as a little girl and then later while they are living in a refugee camp. We learn there is more to this family than them just being refugees. Isaad (the husband) is a brilliant mathematician and Sabera is a gifted linguist. Zahra, the little girl has a special gift of total recall, and she keeps repeating a certain phrase to Frankie, over and over again.

Just as Frankie agrees to start investigating, CCTV footage appears on the news of a woman wearing a patterned headscarf walking away from the scene of a brutal double murder. The headscarf is the exact same one that Sabera has.

To lighten the mood, Frankie has had to find a place to stay and she lands a temporary live in job which involves feeding a large iguana called Petunia, an enormous python called Marge and a dozen baby ball pythons. Reading this book, I found out that a herper is someone whose hobby is finding and observing reptiles and amphibians. Frankie is most definitely not a herper.

A compelling read. At the end of the book, the author writes about a chance encounter with someone and how they got to talk about Afghan refugees. The difficulties of resettling refugees; from setting them up with social security cards, showing them how to use the transport systems, applying for jobs, enrolling children in schools, all while trying to adapt to a new country while mourning the lives they used to live. This book was the result.