I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book. It is my first book read by this author. It is my first book read by this author. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

"Please See Us" takes place in struggling Atlantic City. It alters between viewpoints, but all of them are down on their luck, trying to overcome their own struggles. Main characters Lilly and Clara both want to leave the city, and every dollar they make goes towards that goal. Louis is deaf and not able to communicate via writing either. As a result, others regard him as an oddity to mostly be avoided....except the men on the street who routinely attack him on his way home.
The story also gives us a unique viewpoint of Jane #1-6, the women who fall victim to the man stalking the prostitutes in the city, and how they came into that lifestyle. On a few occasions, the story also follows the killers point of view.
From my description you can see there are a lot of altering viewpoints. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy any of them and the story was so slow moving I kept putting it down and reading something else. I just had a really difficult time finishing this one, though I finally did. I think the author did a great job humanizing the murdered women and I might have enjoyed this more if the story focused more on their viewpoints.

This book was super eerie, spooky, and atmospheric. It was a good creepy read. I couldn't put it down!

I do love me a good thriller. For Mullens debut novel, it was pretty good. I loved the story and the writing. The only downfall to me was that there were way too many characters to keep up with. But all in all the story itself is worth the read.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really unique take on what might otherwise seem like a standard dead girls thriller. I really liked the interstitial sections told from the POV of the victims, it added depth.

“There is a sisterhood among them, these women in the marsh.” --Janes 1, 2, 3 & 4

Clara Voyant is a skinny high-school dropout who reads tarot for a living and isn't above snatching the occasional trinket, thanks to her aunt Des's instruction in shoplifting. She longs to leave Atlantic City and set out for California, where she hopes she can reunite with the mother who abandoned her as a child. Lily Louten isn't any more enamored with the city than Clara but she has no plans to leave the town she grew up in anytime soon. In fact, after quitting a prestigious gallery job in New York and ditching her famous sculptor boyfriend, she has no plans at all. Working at a dead-end job as a receptionist at a struggling spa suits her just fine. But when Clara's visions begin to seem like they might be more than just her imagination, the two women find themselves unlikely allies. As they work together to find the truth, Clara and Lily become targets themselves.

Please See Us is Caitlin Mullen's first novel and I may have never come across a more fitting title. Unlike some thrillers, where the victims appear and disappear almost as quickly, the women who fall prey to the Atlantic City serial killer call out to us to witness their stories. They're not props to ratchet up the suspense, not victims to be pitied or fallen angels whose sole purpose is to serve as a warning. Though Clara's gift is the conduit that brings these women's lives into focus, it's actually Mullen whose talent is at work. Thus her Jane Does show us their struggles and hopes, their weaknesses and disappointments, even after death. They are addicts and whores, flawed mothers, flawed daughters, lost women who never gave up on the idea of escape until the very end. As they lie joined in a submerged circle in the marshes on the outskirts of the city, they almost take on the role of a Greek chorus. In their sections of the novel, they are watchers who observe tragedy but can do nothing to change it, nothing to avert the seemingly inevitable outcome.

Mullen also sees Atlantic City remarkably well. It is impossible to read this novel and come away without a strong sense of the place's own history, its descent into cheap glamour and money-grubbing tawdriness, its unsuccessful battle against Hurricane Sandy. “The empty buildings hulk against the shoreline, mammoth and spectral as shipwrecked cruise liners.” There is something oddly momentous about the city's fall, something reminiscent of The Titantic's fateful voyage and the death of all gilded things. Though I'm still struggling with the novel's ending, which will not work for all readers, it is in keeping with the novel as a whole. Ironically, despite the shimmering paranormal trappings and gorgeous writing style, this is a violently realistic story. I started out thinking the book would proceed along the lines of a traditional thriller like The Death of Mrs. Westaway (which also features an abandoned psychic teenager as protagonist) but it is much darker. The slower pacing and lack of typical plot twists reflect that, but Please See Us is definitely worth reading. And Mullen doesn't abandon the shimmer—she gives readers a bit of hope at the end, a vision to counter the darker side of the city. It will be interesting to see what she comes up with next.

Much thanks to Gallery Press and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I'm with the minority vote on this one : a surprisingly slow thriller with characters I just couldn't find myself caring about enough to keep reading. I'm a huge thriller fan and was intrigued by the setting (I've been to AC a number of times) and psychic angle, but ultimately found this one a flat read that just never grabbed me...

What a incredible read! Please See Us grabbed me from the very first page. I found this thriller to be haunting and intriguing. I loved the authors writing style and I felt the pace and flow were right on the money. The story is told from alternating points of view which works exceptionally well with the plot and added to the suspense. I knew after reading the description that this book would keep my attention, but I had no idea it would be so absorbing. I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of this book.

I had no idea what to expect when delving into this thrilling novel. What a fabulous ride. Not only was Mullen a great storyteller, but she developed the atmosphere as thoughtfully and insightfully as she did her characters. Her compassion for even the most problematic character was so powerfully moving and the violence was never seen as exploitive to these characters. Rather, the author made it a point to avoid victim blaming at all costs. Well done!

This was kind of a twisted little story. There seemed to be too many characters talking in this book. At times I had a hard time following and keeping them straight. I did enjoy the story and it kept my interest. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

In her debut novel, Caitlin Mullen offers a stunningly beautiful novel that is at once a crime thriller and a poetic expose on the throwaway women who are at the end if their rope. Set at the faded decaying eastern edge of the continent in the shadows of the once-glittering majestic casinos of Atlantic City, Please See Us peeks back the layers if glitz and glamour to reveal a rotten decaying core that no one wants to see. The victims of a sadistic serial killer are mounted in the stinky marshland behind the Sunset Motel, a monument to broken dreams and faded hopes.

With a nod to Springsteen’s iconic imagery from “Jersey Girl, Mullen’s Atlantic City isn’t filled with one last chance at the slots, but a one-way ticket with no hope of ever leaving. The women who arrive are teenage runaways and refugees from broken and battered relationships. Too proud to turn back, their descent is swift into drugs, prostitution, petty theft. And when they disappear, no one seems to care.

There are two primary characters. One, Clara, is a fortune teller and petty grifter. But, she’s got a special talent when it comes to visions. She wants a ticket to California, but that seems like an impossible dream. The other, Lily, once had it all in Manhattan, but after betrayal, plants herself in her childhood world of Atlantic City, where her father worked before being crushed to death by a collapsing parking garage. The third mJor character, Luis, is a deaf-mute custodian, trapped in his own silent world.

This is a well-written, meticulously crafted story filled with evocative prose. Although the backdrop is the women in the marsh, it’s not do much a serial killer book as one about these women and how they ended up falling off the edge of the continent, all alone.

Loved this book, but I love dark, disturbing books and felt this was truly one I could add to that pile! I thought it was well written in a spine tingling, unnerving, suspenseful manner, which really had me yearning to learn more. I highly recommend to those who enjoy the thrillers on the darker side, because I know you will definitely love this one! Be prepared for a slow burn, but shocking book!
I will make sure I buzz it up!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and impartial review.
What a great thriller, a well written and character cohesive read.
I loved the way the author voiced all the characters, whom were both interesting and colorful and could be in modern day Atlantic City NJ.
Awesome debut from Caitlin Mullen and I like her writing style. I will definitely be following and watching for more from her.

I was disappointed with this book as a whole. Not sure what I expected exactly with it but it was slow and I didn’t feel any connection to the characters or plot. I skimmed over to finish. Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

Please See Us is a dark suspense type read. Totally right up my alley. The story is slow moving at first. There are multiple view points. As a whole, this story was good. You get the good, the bad, and the ugly. It had the dark vibe going but I didn’t feel like I got closure with the ending. It wasn’t so much about the killer and more about the victims. The characters were okay. I felt for Clara but had trouble liking Lily. I did enjoy the author’s writing style and will look for more books by her. I give this 3 stars.

Many tourist destinations seem to attract those eager to spend their money and step outside their normal routine. They also call the poor, the mentally ill, drug addicts, and prostitutes. When a location is thriving, the unpleasant aspects are pushed aside. But what happens when a formerly bustling place falls on hard times? The casinos in disrepair, the shops closed down, and unemployment rampant. Those who could once count on making a decent living, reduced to a life of poverty, one rent payment away from being homeless, one meal away from starvation. This is the state of affairs as we head to Atlantic City, New Jersey, when Please See Us begins.
The story is told by multiple characters. Lily Louten, who has left her life in New York and hopes to figure out how everything went wrong. Clara Voyant, who lives with her aunt and knows more about the dark side of human nature than any teenager should. Luis Silver, a deaf-mute, harassed, beaten, and ignored by the police, searching for a way to get others to see what he sees. Finally, the girls, so many girls with such tragic stories, whose voices weren't heard in life, and now may remain silent in death.
Clara and Lily form an unusual alliance when Clara's psychic abilities show her things that are dark and she fears, oh so real. She believes someone is killing women, women who will not be missed and who need desperately to be found. Their lives and the journey they undertake together will be fraught with danger, and they may not survive a killer's anger.
This story looks at people powerless to improve their lives and those who take advantage. More than once, I wanted to look away, but the author's words kept pulling me into this riveting tale. It feels wrong to say that I loved reading such a bleak book about the worst things that can happen to people, but the honesty of every word on every page kept me engrossing until the end. 4.5 stars.

While I found this debut book well written, it did not captivate me. I was not drawn in by the characters and ultimately but the book down without finishing it. Over all, I was disappointed.

This is a debut novel. It is told from varying points of view. I enjoyed this, because it allowed me to get to know the characters better.

Clara/Ava is living with her Aunt Des since her mother left. Clara has a gift that she got from her mother. Clara's real name is Ava, but for readings goes by Clara. Des and Clara make their living by conning and stealing from people.

Lily Louten has returned to her home town following the betrayal then break up with her boyfriend. She is hired to work in a casino spa.

Luis Silver is deaf and mute. He works at the spa as a janitor. He lives in a boardinghouse and is often the target of being bullied. People tend to not notice him, but Luis notices a lot. Anger builds in him from being targeted and by police who ignore it. He channels his anger in a destructive manner, as a way to call attention.

Clara and Des show up to the spa in the hopes of getting readings, Clara has a vision of Lily that surprises her. Before they are chased out of the spa, Clara lifts something of Lily's.

There are missing women, and suddenly Clara is getting pieces of real visions. Clara confides in Lily where they form a surprising friendship. As they help each other, they are unaware of the danger they may be putting themselves in.

I'm a huge fan of paranormal genre, so the psychic element of the story pulled me in. In the beginning of the story, I didn't like Clara very much, but the more I got to know of her circumstances the more I rooted for her. I enjoyed seeing Lily become stronger and finding herself. I loved the ending where Luis finally has a figurative voice. A must read for those who enjoy thrillers!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via Gallery Books and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

This book was a slow burner to me that finished with a satisfying end. The descriptors were done so well I felt like I was at the boardwalk with Lily and Clara. I must admit for awhile I had no idea what the author was doing or where this book was going, and sometimes that is a bad thing for me, but not in this case. The way the story was twisted around to the ending made me stop at the end and nod my head in satisfaction. The story is told through various characters as we find out about the girls going missing from the boardwalk and being found in the marshlands. Are Clara's visions related to these? The way the story was told reminds me of how the media never remembers the innocent women who are subjected to the rage of men, and it was spot on. Follow Lily and Clara as they attempt to find out what is going on, even though it maybe at the cost of themselves.

Wow what a edge of ur seat book! It’s soo good and I enjoyed it very much! I highly recommend this one!