3.5 Stars
This book has 2 storied running in parallel, one of Gray-her past and present and another of the missing woman Isabel. There are some great characters in this story and they are well created. You will love or hate them as the author intends you to. That’s a great job done by Ms. Hall. I enjoyed Isabel’s plot throughly, the ending was appropriate the journey to Isabel was full of twists and turns and intriguing. It was satisfying to read her story. Ian was extremely annoying and a tad too flippant about his girlfriend.
Gray’s story on the other hand left me unsatisfied. The plot to her life is good, well laid but I hated 2 things- for an intelligent PI she sure made some ridiculously stupid decisions. I hate to see smart women behave dumbly in books. And the other thing is how the ending required a knight in shining armor to save her. Her story could have been written to give her credit for handling Sean and getting herself a happy ending.
Also I found the book too detailed and unnecessarily verbose. While I appreciate that Ms. Hall wants to give us a detailed picture I don’t think it was required. This isn’t a movie script that needs to describe each scene and character in so much visual detail.
If you can look past the problems above then this is a good engaging read. The plot is well handled and keeps your interest all throughout

3.5 Stars.

Gray Sykes is a private investigator who works for Rader Consulting - a firm that digs into people's pasts and, sometimes, creates new futures for them. Gray has a secret past of her own, one that includes several foster families and an abusive husband. Her first official case for Rader seems like a simple one - find a lost woman and the dog she stole from her ex-boyfriend. Gray is sure she can solve this within a couple of days and move onto a "real" case, but then the twists fly at her and she spirals into world she never imagined.

Gray is a wonderfully complicated, damaged, strong character. She made me want to tip this toward four stars. She's new at her job and it's written well. She's clumsy, doesn't always do or say the right things, and make messes for herself, but she's strong and smart and quick. You'll be rooting for her as she weaves her way through this crazy, gritty, and surprising thriller.

Though it is a great thriller, there were several things that bugged me about the book. In the beginning, the character descriptions are all outdated references (like a mother being compared to the Cosby Show mom, another to two dancers from the 30s) or stereotypes. I didn't enjoy this type of description. I don't need paragraphs on a person's looks but a simple rundown would be better than comparing them to people it's likely most readers won't recognize.

Another thing that nagged at me from the beginning was a transphobic exchange that was never properly addressed. I don't want to quote an advanced copy but the word "transgender" is used to describe a character that is not transgender. It's clearly meant as an insult. The event is mentioned more than once in the book but never in a way that felt like it was being addressed as a bad thing. The character doesn't seem pleased to have been described as transgender, but not for the right reasons. Transgender is not something that should be thrown around like an insult. This was not advertised as an LGBT+ book, and I'm not asking for it to be, but there's never a need for transphobia that is not clearly admonished, not in any genre.

It is often said that the ending can make or break a book. For me, this one definitely tipped it back toward 3 stars. I'm not a fan of loose ends, so the ending left me only somewhat satisfied. I should say that this book has two sides, two stories being told - one of the missing woman, one of Gray's past. The missing woman's story gets a powerhouse ending that had be shouting, "YES!" at my Kindle as it finally wrapped up. Gray's story, however, gets only a somewhat satisfying end that left me wanting more. That may just be my attachment to the characters, though. I was heavily invested in Gray Sykes.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It was frustrating and complex, but it was a good mystery with good characters. You definitely hated who you were supposed to hate and loved who you were meant to love. I'd recommend it to lovers of intense, gritty thrillers, especially if you're looking for something that features strong black female main characters.

#AndNowShe'sGone #NetGalley
"Everyone lies. Everyone leaves something
out of the narrative...There were big secrets everywhere"
special thanks to NetGalley and forge books for providing me with ARC.
This is the first novel to me by Rachel but hell it's freaking amazing, i really really enjoyed it and loved it so much.

Loved, loved, loved this book!

Five big enthusiastic stars !

This author is definitely one to watch

And Now She’s Gone is another satisfying mystery by Rachel Howzell Hall. This fast-paced detective procedural quickly thrusts the reader into the action. The main character is Grayson Sykes (aka Gray), a newly minted private investigator at Rader Consulting, eager to fly solo on her first case. Her assignment? Find Isabel Lincoln and the dog. For two years, Gray worked as a contractor for Rader Consulting, writing reports and transcribing recordings. This new case gets her away from that drudgery. We ride along with Gray as she gets her sea legs as a detective. She shows a healthy dose of self confidence, bordering on arrogance, as she trades jabs with her frenemy-coworker Jennifer, who thinks Gray is not ready to handle a case on her own.

We’re rooting for Gray as well as chastising her for her rookie blunders; such as wearing a yellow linen pantsuit to a stake out, or not having a working pen to take notes with during her first meeting with the client and trying to memorize what is said! Then we laugh as she has to weather the same embarrassment with the very next lead she interviews later that day. With no working pen, she quickly opts to record her interview on her phone’s voice recorder, but we cringe for her yet again as her battery dies before the interview is over. These foibles make Gray very human, likable, and a sympathetic heroine that we root for. As the mystery unfolds and Grey chases leads and uncovers clues, we get a glimpse of her backstory and understand how the case triggers her own personal tragedy. She quickly finds her missing person, but is presented with a huge dilemma. Things are not so simple when your client is the bad guy. Or is he?

Ms. Howzell Hall has successfully created another thrilling page turner in And Now She’s Gone. It has all the elements of a fun ride. While we try to figure out the mystery, we are entertained with snappy dialog, likable vividly drawn characters, swift plotting, numerous red herrings and a twist you won’t see coming.

And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall is a suspenseful thriller with an engaging plot. Did Isabel leave willingly or did something sinister happen to her? Private Investigator Grayson Sykes is on the case and given her troubled past, she is going to find Isabel. This is an excellent book with many twists and turns. Definitely recommend!

The way this story was told was very unique. This book starts off slow and simple, but as you get more into it, you realize how much is going on. It is very detailed and intricate with a lot of twists and turns.

Grayson Sykes is a private detective tasked with an unusual case. I found Gray's story more interesting than the case itself, and I appreciated how it touched on issues of race and gender as well.

How do you find a woman who doesn’t want to be found?

Shortest Summary Ever: Private Investigator Grayson Sykes is on her first case - finding a woman named Isabel Lincoln. The problem is Isabel may not be missing, she might be in hiding, and Grayson isn’t sure how she feels about that.

Thoughts: What I liked is the unique plot. Most missing person books it’s always so clear cut - help, our daughter/sister/wife is missing and a PI or cop comes in to find nefarious people doing sketchy things, finding the missing person - over, yay! In this case, the odd twist is that Isabel might not be lost... or maybe she is... Any more would be a spoiler. That suspense is done extremely well and made the book move quickly - a taut pace with quick page-turns. I found myself thinking about the book - it was unpredictable and that’s rare for me. Reading mysteries like I do I tend to find similar foreshadowing that reveals too much too soon, but not this book.

But a pet peeve of mine reared its head - weak female protagonist who does foolish, uneducated actions, has to be rescued by wealthy handsome man. I’m so OVER this trope. This book would have been so much better had Grayson been a stronger woman and not (literally) a bumbling nonprofessional. It’s a personal thing, so it might not bother other readers as it does me.

All my reviews available at scrappymags.com

Genre: Mystery/Domestic Thriller

Recommend to: If the “damsel in distress” archetype doesn’t bother you, you’re going to love this book - it’s well-written and fast-paced.

Not recommended to: If you’re like me and SO over the protagonist who has to rely on a wealthy man to save her. You’ll roll your eyes a bit.

Thank you to the author, Forge Books, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my always-honest review.

This book really intrigued me. The timelines got me somewhat mixed up at the beginnings of chapters but I quickly got caught up so that wasn't too bad. I loved the fact that the main character was a black woman, and I found myself rooting for her all along the way. I would definitely read another book by this author, especially another Grayson Sykes story. I did find myself wondering how all the plotlines were going to resolve in the last 5% of the book, and I will echo those that say it all felt a bit rushed, but it doesn't deter me from recommending it to others. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the advanced copy.

Wow. This one kept me guessing. It gripped me from the offset and I couldn’t put it down. It was so twisty and so well written. I can’t praise this book enough, I’ll definitely be recommending it to everyone I know. I don’t want to say too much about the plot because I don’t want to give anything away and spoil it for the next reader so all I will say is read it. It’s one of the best mystery/thrillers I’ve read this year and is my favourite book of the year so far.

I really hope the author does more because it was so good, I would definitely read more books in this series. I’ll definitely be looking into her other books and giving those ago as well.

"Everyone lies. Everyone leaves something out of the narrative...There were big secrets everywhere"

Grayson Sykes got her first case as a P.I. Isabel Lincoln is missing for weeks and her boyfriend wants her to be found. All the evidence points that she is hiding, and don't want to be found. But the case isn't that simple as it looks. Grayson is also hiding her own story and got many secrets. 

This book was all over the place, so many things were going on, so many characters were involved. It was hard to differentiate between both plotlines of Isabel and Grayson and their past. I still don't know if the story was focused on Grayson or Isabel. The author kept throwing information, information and information, after every chapter. Unnecessary details were spread all over the book.

Mystery and Thriller wise, this was fast pace book and many things were happening so it got so many twist and turns. But there were many parts which I found completely boring, I was zoning out throughout the book. The writing style also made it hard to focus on. The story is set in all over the USA, so many cities, places and things, which just kept coming, I was like wohooo slow down, I really don't know what are these...So what I am saying is maybe if you are American, you'll feel connected to the story more.

The ending didn't make sense for me. After 384 pages what we got? loose ends...

Isabel Lincoln is gone. But is she missing? It's up to Grayson Sikes to find her. This story takes place in LA on two timelines. Gray Sykes is a PI that takes on the case of Isabel Lincoln, a women who disappeared.
This is a long book and it draws you right into the case. There are flashbacks to show the connection Gray has to the case. Gray has a lot going on in her own twisted and imperfect life.
Read this roller-coaster thriller for yourself and see if you can see the twists coming! Enjoy this slow burn and also notice the well developed characterization, gripping story and tantalizing unexpected ending!!

Overall, a quick-paced and decent read. Grayson has just been promoted to investigator. Incidentally, she does have a shadowed past, knows all about needing to disappear, so she only wants to help her new client's girlfriend (Grayson suspects abuse at the hand of her client) possibly do the same. But this mystery is definitely a neverending roller coaster ride. There's also that persistent pain in Grayson's belly and images of a haunted past becoming too real; percocet only works for a short time.

This was an exciting thriller about a woman determined to survive despite a lifetime of challenges. No one is who they seem to be, and the surprises keep coming right to the end.

Compulsively readable. I'd read more Grayson Skies in a second. Great with some twists.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grayson Sykes starts this story as a newbie P.I. hired by long time friend Nick. Her assignment is to solve a missing person's case, the disappearance of a cardiologist's girlfriend. Through a series of twists and turns, we follow Grayson's step by step process to solve the case. We also are witness to flashbacks to Gray's past in an abusive relationship and her paranoia that her ex may be stalking her.

Grayson does grow on you, even as she struggles with the learning curve of a new job. Ultimately, she solves the case by stumbling onto most of the clues. The characters were well developed and the plot moves along with good pacing. I enjoyed this read and plan to seek out other novels by this author.

QUICK TAKE: if you can past the page length (it is LONG), then you're in for a treat. This new private investigator series is engaging and suspenseful (the diner scene at the end is excellent), and i was totally invested in the story of Grayson, a woman running from a dark past while trying to solve a missing persons case she feels connected to. I liked the specificity (Los Angeles is its own character) and the discussion of domestic violence, particularly towards Black women, was eye-opening and heartbreaking.

Dual-line story about an abused woman who changes her identity and becomes a private investigator. She tries to solve a mystery of who she thinks is another abused woman. The premise of this intrigued me, confused me in the beginning as so many characters were introduced, but kept me reading to see what was going to happen. It was a quick read and a page turner. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this advanced reader’s copy. It is scheduled to be published in September.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books for the ARC.
Publication Date: 9/22/2020

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

And Now She’s Gone is my first read by Rachel Howzell Hall and I am definitely going to be checking out her backlist because I absolutely loved this book. All 5 stars go to my favorite character so far this year - Grayson “Gray” Sykes.

And Now She’s Gone weaves together two timelines - the current timeline focusing on Gray as she takes on her first case as a private detective and a past timeline about a woman trapped in an abusive marriage. As Gray starts to investigate her new case that involves a doctor looking for his girlfriend, Isabel, who disappeared without a trace along with his dog, she realizes that the case is far more complicated than what her and her boss initially thought.

The only way I can think to describe the tone of this book is that it’s almost like Jane Evanovich started writing the new super dark/gritty/noir reboot of Perry Mason. It’s hilarious, weird, sharp, quirky, angry, and intense all at the same time. It touches on topics of race, gender, abuse, and family, while maintaining a sarcastic wit that makes you fall in love with Gray and her family and friends.

And Now She’s Gone is an entertaining mystery with a compelling protagonist that is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Karin Slaughter. Definitely add this to your TBR and pick it up when it releases on 9/22/2020!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I would say this was a 3.5-4 star read. I loved reading about a Black female PI and Hall made both Vegas and LA come alive in her descriptions. I do think this book being marketed as a thriller is somewhat inaccurate. There weren’t really any big twists and there wasn’t anything scary or creepy. It was just a good detective story. I also could have done without the romance between Gray and Nick. All in all, a good summer read that I will recommend.