There are so many layers to this story that made it not only enjoyable, but an important read that everyone should pick up . Grayson Sykes is assigned her first real PI job and her task seems simple- find Isabel Lincoln. As she’s going through the investigation, it becomes clear that this isn’t a “typical” case. The more time that passes, the more reluctant Gray is to search for a woman who may not want to be found.

Abuse is a prominent topic throughout this novel. It’s heavy, you should now about it before diving in, but it’s worth the read. We don’t often get a view point like this. From physical abuse, emotional abuse, denying identity, there’s a lot here to unpack with one really prominent thread- it’s always the woman who is at fault for the abuser’s actions. Even in the eyes of the abuser’s relatives. How this, and other events in the book, intersects with race is also explored.

The plot and mystery at the center of this novel was phenomenal. I had no idea where Rachel Howzell Hall was taking me but I was here for the ride. It’s a slow burn but it really gives you the chance to know Gray. I absolutely loved our MC. Not only did she have so much character growth but she was surrounded by equally interesting, caring, sometimes crass people that made this story. They also balanced out the more unpleasant characters *cough* Ian...

I’m really hoping we get to continue on a journey with Gray in some form. The world Rachel Howzell Hall crested was so immersive that I was truly sad to leave it once I finished.

And Now She's Gone is the latest standalone thriller from bestseller Howzell Hall and boy is it one hell of a thrill ride from exciting start to shocking conclusion. 39-year-old Los Angeles-based newbie Private Investigator Grayson ”Gray” Sykes is assigned a missing persons case by her new boss, long term friend and secret crush, Dominick ”Nick” Rader, the owner of Rader Consulting, and is really nervous about working the field once again. The client is cardiologist Ian O’Donnell who appears concerned about the fact that his girlfriend, Isabel Lincoln, has vanished along with his labradoodle but she may wish to remain missing. As she begins her investigation she discovers that apparent nice guy Ian was actually abusing Isobel and that she had even attempted to commit suicide in the past, which open old wounds and bring back memories for Gray as she had been abused whilst growing up in foster care. Isobel begins texting Gray asking her to stop the investigation and Gray comes to the realisation that Isobel may have changed her identity, something Gray also did eight years ago. Where is Isobel and should Gray stop looking into her case if she really doesn't want to be located?

This is a riveting, intelligent and scalpel-sharp thriller with two incredible women front and centre and twists that blindsided me every time. I wasn't expecting the dark, sardonic humour that was laced throughout but it really added a lightness which was much needed due to the book being heavy on the subject of abuse. Gray is a likeable, tenacious and flawed protagonist, which makes her very relatable, but the case is extra complicated by the fact that Gray truly empathises with Isabel as she has been in her shoes before. She is utterly conflicted. I can relate to her as she's as cynical as I am and is a strong character from the get-go. Like a set of Russian Matryoshka dolls if you peel away one strand to the story there is another underneath and the multilayering really worked and kept my interest in all of the plot threads for the entirety of the story. This is a nuanced, sophisticated and completely unputdownable page-turner and a must-read for all crime connoisseurs. The mystery is captivating, the shocking discoveries fascinating and the danger thrilling enough to have you on the edge of your seat. Many thanks to Forge for an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Forge Books for the opportunity to read this book!

I had the opportunity to meet Rachel Howzell Hall over a year ago at the LA Times Festival of Books. I was so excited when I received her ARC copy of And Now She’s Gone! Grayson Sykes finally gets a chance to take on a real case as a private investigator. Isabel Lincoln has been reported missing by her boyfriend. Well, her ex-boyfriend. As she investigates, it is obvious that this is a troubled relationship and her boyfriend is to blame. But is it that simple? Grayson knows first hand that it is never that simple. In fact, her old life is stalking her every move. Can she solve this mystery and protect herself?

Now, THIS is a good thriller! I never knew which way the plot was headed. The plot is wonderfully twisty. Every twist slowly picks away at the facade and exposes the truth. These women are bold, beautiful, smart, and so dangerous. I would not want to cross paths with either one. Actually, I would love to be friends with Grayson, but I would not want to be her enemy.

One thing that made this book more special is how it takes place where I live…Southern California. In fact, one of the scenes takes them up to Idylwild where my family and I are moving to! The references made it all that much more fascinating. Also, no one can go wrong with adding In N’ Out references. NO ONE.

Be prepared this book is gritty, detailed, and contains domestic abuse, violence, and pregnancy loss.

I really recommend this book! I stayed up until 130 am finishing it because I could not put it down. I really can’t wait to read more by this author! I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. Be sure to pick up this book tomorrow-September 22nd!

"Unlike most men who vanished, women rarely got caught. They just wanted a new beginning."

I tried so hard to truly enjoy this book because the premise is good. The world needs more stories about strong women who have escaped abusive situations. Unfortunately, almost as soon as I started reading, I found myself pulling away from the story. The writing...it just wasn't for me. It's chock-full of metaphors, unrealistic dialogue, and has an almost manic quality-it's all over the place, to the point I had to keep circling back to see if I'd missed something.

Beyond that, it took forever for the story to develop...I was bored. Further, I was getting really annoyed hearing about Grayson's navel pain. Go to the doctor already! That storyline had virtually no impact on the story and was just really annoying.

I probably wouldn't recommend this one, which makes me sad.

2.5 stars
Available 9.22.20

**My sincere appreciation to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for my review copy.

Grayson Sykes has been given her first real case, a missing person’s case. The question she will have to answer is if the person, Isabel Lincoln, is really missing. Isabel’s boyfriend, Cardiologist Ian O’Donnell, tells Grayson that Isabel often takes off, but always comes back. Yes, they had a fight, but that is not new either. Grayson works for Rader Consulting, owned by Dominick Rader. Contacting Isabel’s friends and coworkers provides very little information, so where does she go next? Does Isabel Lincoln really exist? I read and enjoyed Ms. Hall’s Detective Elouise Norton series and looked forward to this book, but I did not enjoy this book as it was confusing from the beginning. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Interesting story. It kept me pretty involved, and riveted. One of the characters drove me completely nuts, but that was definitely done on purpose. I liked it, and would recommend this book to others.

This is the most complicated and intricate crime fiction that I have read so far as I can remember. There are so many angles and possibilities that you did not see coming. What started as a simple job of finding a missing person and a dog, turns out to be complete chaotic mystery.

Grayson Sykes who works for Rader Consuting was handed her first PI job. They were asked by their client, Ian O’Donnell, to find his missing girlfriend Isabel Lincoln and his dog. What happened next is a series of entanglements not just the mystery of what she is trying to solve but of herself as well.

I loved and enjoyed this book! It made me think of what will happen next, who doing what, who’s telling the truth and who’s lying. The way the author strings the events together is simply wonderful. A little bit confusing on the timeline as it goes back and forth from present and past but I love how justice is serve in the ending.

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howell Hall.... let's start with that amazing cover! Ugh... so pretty!

I would personally categorize this as more of a crime fiction with a series type of vibe then a thriller. The story is told through alternating timeline with Grayson Sykes in the present trying to find a missing woman and looking back in the past with Natalie Dixon in an abusive relationship.

Let me start out by saying... this never really felt like a thriller at all to me. It was a very long book and and I struggled from the beginning. Nothing really caught my vibe or my attention from the start. The pacing was incredibly slow and just was unfortunately pretty bored. And as I got to the end it just wasn't worth the storyline to me.

I tend to be an extremely hard reader to please especially when something is categorized as a thriller. I've been seeing a lot of 4 and 5 stars but this one just didn't do it for me.

Thank you so much to For-Tor and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5 stars

Publication date: 9/22/20
Published to GR: 9/20/20

I don’t know if it’s just how distracted I am now (a newborn and 4 kids under 4yo), or what, but I didn’t love the first few chapters and found the first twists confusing and hard to follow. But I was still hooked and as the book went on, the characters and twists sucked me in.
This is really a book about violence against women and identity, and I enjoyed it.

DNF @ 50%
TW: domestic violence, irresponsible drug use

I had to DNF this for many reasons, but the primary reason being the domestic violence descriptions being personally triggering (unusual for me). The writing was hard for me to get into it, and there were too many characters. I found that any time I started to enjoy the plot or the story, another character of interest was introduced, and I felt distracted and swamped. Additionally, there’s a way to do multiple plot lines in a book, past and present, and this didn’t work well for me. Instead of adding to the interest, I found myself internally groaning anytime we switched plots. We also just sort of offhand mention our main character abusing pain killers and driving and that was weird.

The intensity of this story will leave you breathless. Flawlessly paced and filled with tension that starts out with a bang and just keeps ramping up until the last explosive end. Happy reading!

Plot-driven story, well-drawn characters and electrifying twists = one hell of a thriller read!

it wasnt hard to be drawn on this book, I was hooked from page 1. the author's writing style is very unique, even with the back and forth story telling, it gives me a solid understanding of what is going on and on the character's development.

Overall, as interestingly hooking as the premise makes it out to seem with interesting characters and a shocking mystery to boot. Absolutely could not put this one down.

Whoa, this book was nothing at all what I expected! Gritty, suspenseful, and shocking, this mystery kept me guessing until the very last pages. I enjoyed the multiple, intersecting story lines which created depth for the main character, Grayson Sykes. Her struggles and pains are palpable and exhausting, and you will be rooting for her to figure out the mystery and to stay alive! I'd highly recommend this book!

Grayson Sykes, Private Investigator, is on her first real case. While trying to navigate her new life as a PI, and dealing with her tumultuous past, she needs to try and focus on finding Isabel Lincoln. Isabel's boyfriend claims that she has gone missing, but is that the whole story?? This #ownvoices book, by Rachel Howzell Hall, is a good mix of suspense and drama. There are quite a few twists and turns throughout that keep you turning the pages. Who can you trust? The answer may be no one!

Thank You to Forge Books and NetGalley for this free digital e-galley.

This is about Investigator Grayson Sykes and her first case. Lots of twists and turns but can be flat and boring in places. Comparable to Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell but not as good. Not terrible either. Thanks #netgalley for the digital copy of this book to review

WOW! When I thought I had this book figured out, it threw another plot twist that I could not have guessed. We follow the story of Grayson Sykes who has assumed a new identity to get away from her abusive marriage and home. She has made a new life for herself in Los Angeles working for her friend's PI company. She finds herself being assigned to a case to find a missing woman, but the more she dug, the crazier things turned out. Not only was the boyfriend a liar, but the "victim"/"missing person" herself turned out to be the ultimate liar. This is truly a must-read! If you love mystery/suspense, then this is the book for you.

Well this is super twisty! I really enjoyed this one. Nothing i love more than a detective book or in this case, a PI! There was plenty of twists and turns involved & it kept me guessing until the end! I loved the main character Gray. I was rooting for her the entire time for so many reasons. I love seeing women portrayed so strongly and so independent & overcoming so much.

The only negative i would really say is it seemed to shift to a later time without a pause or break. They’d say let’s go.. and All of a sudden they’re there. And it was a little hard to follow. If there was a break between paragraphs or a new chapter or something to let you know time had passed without just let’s go to the house. And then start talking about being there next sentence.

This is a new to me author and I have to say, I was impressed! This was a thriller, which I love and I read it really quickly because it was a page turner. It is a cat and mouse type thriller, focused on the search for a missing woman. The question is, does she want to be found?

Grayson Sykes is the leading lady and she is an investigator tasked with finding a missing person. A doctor is unable to locate or track down his girlfriend Isabel. His dog is missing too, which he found weird. Isabel has been known to run off before, but as Gray begins her investigation, it soon becomes clear that there is far more going on in this case. Gray, who suffered an abusive past relationship, soon finds that she is a lot in common with the missing woman.

I found this book very entertaining and I really liked the way it was written. The way it all came together was great and there were a number of surprises! I recommend checking it out!

A gritty, fabulously detailed rabbit hole suspense story that will have you up late racing to the end.

This book has gotten a lot of buzz pre-release, and I see now that it was all 100% justified! And Now She's Gone has made the list of one of my favorite suspense novels of 2020. Grayson Sykes is a rookie private investigator whose first big job turns out to be a never-ending twist of deception and dead ends as she searches for her abrasive client's girlfriend who doesn't seem to want to be found. The case also hits a little close to home for her, as the reader simultaneously gets glimpses of Sykes' own abusive and heavy past. Just when you think Gray has followed a lead to its end, another branch of deceit is waiting to lead you further down the missing person rabbit hole.

Rachel Howzell Hall has a unique and defined voice that gives you crystal clear images of characters and environments as you read along. This book hums and buzzes with the warmth and electricity of LA. Having gone to college there myself, I was instantly transported as a reader - from street names to food references. Hall floods your senses with her writing, making dazzling use of color and smell. There is a gritty undercurrent of sweat, heat and gut-wrenching discomfort (not only Gray's past experiences but the gone-wrong appendectomy that painfully plagues her stomach the entire book) that plays magnificently throughout. I felt sticky and uncomfortable right along with Gray, but we both pushed through to discover what lay at the end of this tangled investigation.

I did feel like the ending came a bit fast upon first reflection, but after thinking back through SO much that happened in this book, I realized how slowly and carefully Hall laid out a trail of breadcrumbs.