Please See Us is a strong debut psychological thriller by Caitlin Mullen. The story takes place in Atlantic City which Clara is a sixteen-year-old girl who was abandoned by her mother and she lives with her prostitute addictive aunt. She scrapes money together as a psychic. Lily has returned home from New York City leaving a successful career after being betrayed by her boyfriend. A serial killer is at large. There are six Jane Does. Lily and Clara work together and the story is told by both of them. We also hear from the dead Jane’s. At times this novel moves a little too slowly but I liked the characters. Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading a future Mullen novel.

3.5 stars

This story is quite interesting, but the author appeared to me to have gotten bogged down in too much detail. Clara, who reads Tarot and is psychic, and Lily, who works in an art gallery, become friends one summer in Atlantic City. Working together, the pair delve into the stories of a group of girls who have gone missing in the city. The author goes into the lives of the missing girls, presenting a lot of detail about their lives for the reader to absorb. I found it a bit confusing to switch between Clara and Lily and their lives/working together, not to mention going into the lives of the missing girls all along. The story does bring out the history and culture of Atlantic City, from its heyday with lively, well-known casinos and a thriving tourist season, to the current emptiness and dying of the city, as things close and tourists move on. The story is a great one and the writing well done, but the execution became muddied with so much about the lives of the two main characters intermixed with the lives of the missing girls. The story is a dark one. There are scenes in the book that are really not related to the murders, which only further muddied the waters. This is a good book for the reader who enjoys dark stories, with lots of things going on, who is not too interested in something very fast-paced, as it did not turn out to be fast-paced and, as I said, gets bogged down a lot. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

There is nothing I love more than finding a unique voice in a genre that at times feels over-saturated with the same-old. That's not to say that I don't love reading these books or that I will ever tire of these books, or at least not any time soon, but when one comes along that has that little something different, you definitely take notice.

This debut novel is certainly not going to be for everyone as it is dark and haunting, yet it is also completely captivating. It is the type of book where the setting absolutely works in favor of the story - Atlantic City is not what it used to be and this author was able to capture that in her writing and use it to full effect. The closed up shops, the empty board walks, dark hotels - it just lends itself to a dark, chilling setting and you already get that sense of foreboding and that stays with you throughout the story.

The book is told from many viewpoints and this can be confusing at first, but in the end it really comes together quite nicely. While all the characters are flawed and have dark pasts full of secrets, I found myself quite drawn to their stories, desperate to know more. I especially liked that we hear from the victims - the "Jane Does" and while this in and of itself is quite chilling, it is this unique angle that gives this book an edge over the usual serial killer story.

There is also a small supernatural element to this story that I think worked perfectly. Normally, I am not a fan of this kind of thing, but here I found it to be just right. Having Clara be a clairvoyant teen just seemed to make sense, especially with the Atlantic City setting. It wasn't over the top and this supernatural element actually gives the book a bit of a creepy vibe, which just adds to the overall suspense in my opinion.

This is the type of book that sticks with you long after you have finished reading it. It's heartbreaking and dark, yet the writing is phenomenal. I am definitely going to be keeping an eye out for what Caitlin Mullen writes next!

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into the writing - it didn't grab me the way I want a thriller to hook me.

Please See Us is a great debut novel. A great suspenseful story of Murdered girls in the setting of Atlantic City.
Characters were well developed. This was a twisty book that I really enjoyed.

Please See Us is a very well written book, with a complex and compelling storyline. That said, I don't greatly enjoy this type of serial crime book and had selected to read based on another reader's high recommendation. Genre is so personal, so I will certainly rate and review this book highly, but did find it a challenge to read. Thank you for the ARC.

I’m so conflicted on this one! This book had a lot going for it. The setting- Atlantic City, the casinos, and Claire’s fortune shop were definitely mysterious and interesting. I liked the slight supernatural undertones of Clare and her story. I’d say my favorite aspect was the characters. Our two main characters, Clare and Lily were complex and came with history and struggles. I felt invested in their stories. I also loved that the book gave a voice to the victims.

This is, however, a slow burn. It’s not an “edge of your seat”, “just one more chapter” kind of book. At times I found myself struggling to say interested. I should mention, though, that slow burn thrillers aren’t my thing, so while this may not have been for me, I think many people will enjoy this book. It is well written and the story telling is unique.

This story kept me interested from beginning to the very end. I had a hard time putting it down. The Characters are well developed. The main character ‘Clara/Ava’ is a very young psychic whom doesn’t really know what her true powers are capable of. Loved how the story unfolds. I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A pretty good debut novel. I really wanted to like this but found it rather slow. It took awhile for the friendship between Clara and Lily to develop. I did find the viewpoints from each murdered woman as it’s own chapter to be a good concept but sometimes these narratives went on too long. The use of seedy Atlantic City was very well written and developed.

What a wonderful mystery/thriller read. The many Jane Does want their stories to be told with all their flaws and secrets on display.

Clara is my favorite character in this tale of mystery. You want to find out what her future has in store for her. Her unlikely friendship with Lily drew me into the story and made me want to know the ending, which was not what I expected.

What an amazing, spectacular debut novel! Ms. Mullen has set an incredibly high bar for herself, and personally, I can't wait to read whatever she comes up with next.

The story is reminiscent of the discovery of the remains of 10-16 murdered women associated with prostitution along the south shore of Long Island. In the case of Please See Us, we meet two murdered women in a marsh along the boardwalk of Atlantic City. We're also told that although there are only two, there will soon be seven. The novel is told from four POVs. The first is of Clara, a 16-year old living with her aunt and trying to pay the rent by doing psychic readings. Mostly it's theater, but Clara actually does have some random psychic experiences. The second POV is Lily. Lily has just moved back home with her mother after a devastating break-up. She had been living in NYC and making a living as an art critic, hoping to start her own gallery, but now she's been reduced to working as a receptionist at an Atlantic City hotel spa. The third is Luis, a deaf mute who works at places like Lily's hotel as a janitor and handyman. And the final POV is from the murdered girls, beginning with "Janes 1 and 2," and growing as others are added to their midst.

The plotline of the novel is that Clara is sensing something very bad in the air. She has suddenly started having alarming visions that she doesn't understand. Clara eventually enlists Lily's help in helping her decipher the visions that she begins to fear are the last thoughts of dying women. Caitlin Mullen does a phenomenal job of bringing tawdry Atlantic City to life so that the city is as much a character as Clara or Lily. As a reader, you will feel immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of a city in the throes of its own death. Additionally, Clara and Lily are such beautifully layered characters. I was at their side every step of the way. One passage that caught me as the definition of what goes on in Please See Us is this:

"Above her, billboards show women in black lingerie, holding fans of cards with long, red nails. That's the problem -- men are always promised this, no matter who they are."

I absolutely loved this book! It is a wonderful murder/suspense/mystery, but it also a beautiful character study.

This book quickly took me to places I wasn't expecting. There are a handful of characters you just want to wrap and protect. You know that won't all, in the end. That's what makes this a great read. Back stories of each are brief, but build wonderfully as each journey unfolds. Be sure to pick this up and see how many survive after humiliation, or with what they have. I was fascinated to see 2 characters hot it off almost like soul sisters. Don't miss out on this great story.

Solid overall but a little too slow for me. A very good story and I enjoyed the writing but this is quite the slow burn. I would read her next novel, but this one wasn’t my favorite.

Please See Us is about all the invisible women of seedy, run-down Atlantic City. There is a killer stalking the boardwalk bars and motels, preying on women who are addicts, prostitutes, and just drifters in general, unlikely to be missed.

"Clara," a young boardwalk psychic is gifted with actual supernatural visions, when she's not pickpocketing or shoplifting. She lives with her aunt, Des, and they run small cons and try to drum up business for their fortunetelling booth. At first, they seem to be struggling together, but as the book goes on, imbalances begin to show.

Lily is back home after a terrible breakup with her boyfriend in New York. (Matthew is horrifically believable, turning their relationship into garbage performance art, and then refusing to acknowledge that this was anything other than pure genius branding.) She takes a job at what seems like a high-end salon. At first, this seems like a world away from Lily's fortune-telling stall, Des' boardwalk scams, and Georgia's street work. But there's a different, quieter exploitation of hourly workers, upselling fake luxury and bowing to a capricious, controlling manager.

There are some true moments of power imbalance highlighted in this novel. At one point, Matthew, Lily's obnoxious ex, is convinced that a waitress is into him. It's clear to Lily and every woman who's done service work, that smiling is just part of the waitress' job, and being harassed or pawed at by dudebros like Matthew is also an unspoken part of her job.

Emily, Lily's coworker, snaps into customer service voice for the rich ladies at the spa, and then snaps back into showing Lily a spot away from the security cameras, for secret phone-checking and snack-eating. (Because of course eating a snack or checking messages is forbidden at work.)

Georgia decides she wants a new life, and she makes it through rehab, only to have no money, no friends to help, and no place to go on release. There is a quiet desperation here, as she realizes she has one source of possible income left, back to the familiar streets.

The drama in Please See Us is not in discovering who the murderer is, or what his motivation is. We know, we know, he's just another man who hates women and wants to punish them. The drama is whether the girls of the city will survive. Will any of them make it out of Atlantic City? Will anyone ever pursue the murderer? Or are they all just washed-up girls with no one to care?

A dark thriller about a serial killer stalking Atlantic City, so full of lost souls that the victims are barely missed.

Teenaged Ava—calling herself Clara Voyant—supplements her aunt’s income by giving readings. But she is increasingly haunted by strange visions.

Lily has fled what she thought was her dream life in the art scene in Manhattan following a public betrayal by her boyfriend. She gets a low paying job in a spa, drowning her sorrows in too much alcohol. Despite her despair, she feels compelled to try to help Clara, particularly when she realizes she’s supplementing her earnings by helping pedophiles fulfill their fantasies.

Luis, the deaf and mute spa employee, is hiding a secret, but not the one Clara suspects.

This is one of those books you’ll remember long after you finish it, even if reading it is painful at times. So much pain and despair, and truly educational for those who are sheltered. It does end with a glimmer of hope (not so much for the victims of the killer).

Please See Us
Caitlin Mullen
My Rating:
Content Rating: 18+
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Publication Date: March 3, 2020, by Gallery Books

Please See Us, by Caitlin Mullen is a dark, edgy, psychological thriller that grabbed me from the first page of the prologue, and then slowly got under my skin. This story twisted my head and heart inside out and then spat it out in the dirt. I am blown away that Please See Us is Ms. Mullen’s debut novel. I am giving this book 5 stars rounded up from 4.5.

The setting of Please See Me is in Atlantic City. AC is a place that will always be near and dear to my heart. I spent many a summer at AC and remembered fondly what AC was like before the casinos took its pound of flesh from the city. As a child, I remember AC as a magical place, and then as an adult, I bared witness to its decline. Caitlin Mullen captures AC perfectly.

Ms. Mullen’s writing is clear and concise, painting a picture of the violence and grittiness of Atlantic City. Still, she also gives us a glimmer of its past beauty. Her writing style flows smoothly, and the pages turn quickly, seeming with no effort at all. The pacing of the story is perfect. What made this different from other serial killer books is that the emphasis is not on the serial killer, but on the victims. Mullen makes the reader care about these women by giving us a glimpse into not only their hopeless troubled lives but also their hopes and dreams. She gives these women a voice. They cried out to us from where they are posed, waiting to be seen.

“Look, they try to say”
“Look. Look. Please see”

“The man has turned their heads, so they both look in the same direction: east, toward the lights of Atlantic City. They have been placed there to watch, to warn. Their eyes are open. They wait.”

The two main characters, Clara and Lily, could not be more different; however, in some ways, they are similar. Clara is a sixteen-year-old clairvoyant that has dropped out of high school to help support herself by doing tarot readings. Later she seeks out a more lucrative but dangerous way to support herself. Lily is an ex-Soho art gallery girl who has fled New York after her boyfriend does the unforgivable. Lily finds herself working in a bleak casino spa where she meets Clara, who is trying to hustle her way into the spa. The two women develop an odd relationship, a friendship of sorts. When Clara begins seeing ominous visions about the missing women, she turns to Lily for help. That is all I want to say, no spoilers in my reviews. The ending was not at all what I expected, and I was not sure how I felt about it; however, it did fit the story perfectly.

“Seven women, seven warnings.”
“Not so lucky after all.”


Please See Us is original, well thought out, and well written. It exposes how women can be used up by society and then forgotten. It tackles difficult social issues that uniquely affect women in a hard and straightforward manner. There is no fluff in this book. I highly recommend this book, and I am looking forward to reading more by Caitlin Mullen.

** Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published**


*** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Caitlin Mullen. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. ***

Sixteen year old Clara is not your average teenager. Rather than picking out prom dresses and scouting colleges, she is working as a tarot card reader on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, New Jersey. When vulnerable women start disappearing, Clara’s gift allows her to see what has become of these women. Terrified for herself and possible future victims, Clara enlists the help of Lily Louten to investigate the disappearances. However while Clara and Lily are searching for the killer, the killer has already found them.

Lily Louten grew up in Atlantic City then moved to New York City to pursue a career in art. After a devastating breakup, she is back in Atlantic City. In New York, Lilly worked in a well known art gallery alongside her boyfriend Matthew. Lily was a “gallery girl" getting coffee, picking up lunch, and answering phones. Her long term goal being owning a gallery of her own representing artists like Matthew. The incident which led to Lily fleeing New York was terribly embarrassing but it could have also accelerated her career. Rather than seizing on the opportunity, Lily walks away with her pride bruised a bit, but in tact. It took a while to learn the details behind Lily’s departure but once I did, my respect for her went up a notch. Lily has integrity, this is why she was unable to walk away from missing women despite the danger.

Despite Clara’s young age, she has seen a lot and lived a difficult life. Not only is she supporting herself but also her aunt who is struggling with addiction. There were many times while reading Please See Us, I had to remind myself that Clara was just a kid. Lily’s and Clara’s paths cross at the spa where Lily works. Although Lily sees her current situation as less than ideal from Clara’s view - Lily’s life looks pretty good. Lily’s life has some stability, unlike Clara who has no foundation. Lily and Clara are so different but they both want the same thing, the chance to start a new life. Reading how their relationship played out was just as riveting as the central mystery.

I have only been to Atlantic City once, many years ago. What I remember is much different from what Mullen describes of the once prosperous city. However knowing Hurricane Sandy ravaged the world famous boardwalk in 2012 as well as the decline of the casinos, Mullen’s depictions are not difficult to imagine. Mullen illustrates a city on the edge of collapse, where jobs are few and it appears the residents have given up. Many of the once bustling casinos are now boarded up, the ones in operation are merely a shadow of what they once were. Atlantic City is the third main character of Please See Us. The story would not have been as gripping if it was set anywhere else.

As we approach the Spring season I am beginning to look back at the books I have read in 2020. Which books stood out, which books faded into the back of my mind. Please See Us holds a firm spot in the front of my mind. Please See Us is a thought provoking story with unique pacing and unforgettable characters. Readers looking for a socially relevant and engaging read should add Please See Us to their list of must reads.

Murder and Moore Rating :
4.5 out of 5 Stars

I've been in mystery, suspense mood lately and Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen was right up my alley. The initial description of the crime scene reminded me so much of a crime podcast I listen to that I soon took the imagery from that real life scene and brought this one to life. It made it a touch more eerier and quite a bit more realistic, which I must admit, this book unfortunately needed.

With characters that felt two-dimensional and quite lacking personalities, Please See Us follows two main characters, and several secondary characters, in the failing city of Atlantic City. The glamour has faded, leaving behind only those seeking to escape, either by bus or through mind-numbing drugs. What begins as one missing Jane Doe soon increases to several, only no one really knows they're missing or what sort of crime is really lurking beneath the surface. They only see the missing signs for one woman, the others, they're part of the grimy underbelly the locals try to avoid and the visitors pretend don't exist unless they need them. Clara, a clairvoyant, senses something is wrong, but it isn't until she meets Lily, a returned local, that the pieces begin to fall into place.

While the story of the missing women is so interesting, it falls short with Clara and Lily. I personally loved Clara, she is full of vibrant life, but she's being dragged down by the city, by her fate. Lily, on the other hand, never was more than words on the page for me. I struggled to find sympathy for her, despite her accolades she felt so vapid. The pairing of Clara and Lily only works to move the story forward, but it is the secondary characters that fully flesh out the story. We don't know them well, but their chapters are enough to truly put chills down your back. The prostitution, the drugs, the men that use them and then return to a life these girls will never know. It's profound and it's sad.

It is certainly a suspenseful, thrilling read, with a crime so unique to the genre right now, but unfortunately it was only average for me. I can see this book working for some, but I suppose if I want more crime like this I'll have to stick to the true crime podcasts I love.

Dark, engrossing and utterly captivating are the words that come to mind when reflecting on Please See Us. A story of murdered girls in Atlantic City told through various lenses paints a picture of the true underbelly of the city. Mullen adds a unique take to the story by introducing a psychic character - without making this a full fledged supernatural story. A true standout in Please See Us is Mullen's beautiful writing, truly setting this story apart from the saturated thriller market.

“Please See Us” by Caitlin Mullen is the story women and their tragic lives in Atlantic City. The exceptional narrative is told from various points of view, and each contributes uniquely to the story. Lily is working in a Casino spa, trying to make ends meet. Clara tells readers about her plans for the summer, working, reading palms, and using Tarot cards to tell stories. When a customer asks for Clara’s help finding a missing girl, things change for both Clara and Lily. Scenarios are packed with emotion; the missing might be on a bus, or in a shop. Where? How much longer?
The most compelling narrative is that by the women, the unidentified, the missing, the “Jane Does” out in the marsh. They had jobs; they had families. Now they have only each other, and they cry out to be found. They are sisters. When others join them, they understand. They are no longer women, and yet they are not yet free spirits. Time is running out to be heard. They are the story; they are the problem, and they are the answer.
Mullen created a unique book by giving the victims a voice. This is the story of the women in the marsh, and they cry out. I was given a review copy of “Please See use” by Caitlin Mullen, and Gallery Books. It is distinctive, gripping, and thought provoking.