This book could have been so much more. Good concept but poor execution. Endless and needless dialogue, unlikeable characters, no plot twist, and unending finger printing details. If more effort had been put in to improve those details, it would have been a better book. It's a shame Shaw spent more time and effort on her dead sister instead of her living family. Talk about obsession. I felt not knowing who the discovered bones were made the whole point of finding them not needed in the story.

SHAW CONNOLLY LIVES TO TELL

Sixteen years after her sister disappeared, Shaw Connolly is still chasing the truth, even as her marriage and career crumble. When mysterious calls start coming in from someone who seems to know everything, Shaw is forced to decide how much she’s willing to risk for answers.

This one feels dark and atmospheric, with that small-town Maine setting adding to the tension. It’s very character-driven, showing how grief and obsession ripple through a family, but still gives you the suspense of trying to piece together what really happened. If you like thrillers that are moody, layered, and a little unsettling, this is one to keep an eye on.

This was most definitely a slow burn. It had a good mystery and Shaw wasn't a bad character but some of the dialogue was just awkward. Unfortunately, between the slowness and the dialogue I couldn't really get into this one. But I did enjoy the ending and the atomspheric rural Maine setting.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I am giving my rating based on my own personal opinion and not that of any other party.

Fun and a wild ride. I enjoy books that take me on a journey and unravels the multi-dimensional characters. I laughed, I was intrigued, and I felt for the main character. I hope that there will be more to this story in the next book (if there is a next book).
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy. It

I love a thriller and this book gripped me and drew me in quickly from the beginning. I speed-read it and loved how deeply I fell into the story. I hadn’t had a great thriller in a while, and this book truly broke my mystery-slump and made me crave more suspense-filled stories. I’ll be keeping an eye out for this author in the future and would recommend for someone who loves a good atmospheric thriller.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

Shawn Connelly works crime scenes as a fingerprint examiner. It has been eating away at her for many years that her sister's disappearance remains unsolved. Consequently, she takes on the investigation which puts her in harm's way, when a stalker targets her with his twisted mind. I recommend this suspense novel to all readers if the genre. My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy.

Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell is about a women that will go to any length to uncover the truth with what happened to her sister's disappearance in this page turning read. This read kept me on the edge of my seat. The writing in this book was done exceptionally well by the author and I enjoyed every character in this one. Every twist and turn in the book was so well done. It has action, missing sister, stalker and so much more in this thriller. I loved this book so much and would recommend it to any reader especially to those who love thrillers. Thank you to Minotaur Books/ St. Martin's Press for sending me the book and to NetGalley and Publisher for the free digital book in exchange of my honest review of Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell by Gillian French.

I'm so glad I picked up this book. As my first from this author, it left me eager to read more of her work. I had the unique experience of reading both the digital copy (from NetGalley) and the audiobook (an ALC), and I'm still torn about which version I preferred. The audio brought certain scenes to life, while the digital book allowed me to fully immerse myself in other sections at my own pace. Ultimately, the ability to switch between both formats helped me stay engaged throughout the story.

The story centers on Shaw Connolly, a fingerprint analyst whose life is weighed down by a family tragedy. Sixteen years ago, her sister, Thea, vanished, and the mystery of her disappearance still haunts the family. This grief has put a strain on Shaw's marriage and her relationships with her sons. On top of that, her aging father has moved in with her, and a mysterious man named Anders has started stalking her, claiming to know what happened to Thea. Shaw cannot stop until she finds out the truth, even when she knows she shouldn’t pursue this.

While the pacing felt a bit slow in the middle, especially in the audiobook format, the final portion of the book was a complete thrill ride. The ending was non-stop action and suspense, and I couldn't stop listening or reading. It was a fantastic whodunit that kept me guessing until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and the author for the opportunity to read this book. My opinions are honest and my own!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I was very excited at the beginning of this book as I loved the premise of the story but I found that it was definitely a bit on the slow side for me. But apart from that I liked the story and it was an interesting read

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this novel--all opinions are my own.

Wow! I can't remember the last time I pulled an all-nighter with a book, but this one was totally worth it. The main character, Shaw Connolly, is as tough as they come--a woman who has been grieving the loss of her sister Thea, who's disappearance 16 years ago pretty much determined the trajectory of Shaw's life. The book opens as Shaw's marriage is ending due to her taking phone calls from Anders, a man who claims to be responsible for Thea's disappearance. The book was a wild ride of cat and mouse between Shaw and Anders...loved the fast pace and the darkness that Anders drags Shaw down into. It was gritty and relentless and really terrific storytelling.

Sixteen years ago, Shaw’s sister Thea went missing. Now, in the present day, Shaw is being stalked by a man claiming to be Thea’s killer.

This was the slowest of slow burns, and I usually enjoy a slow burn, but this one dragged far too much.
This book has no twists and with no twists to rely on, a story needs to be great, and unfortunately, this book just wasn’t.
It took me an entire month to finish because I just couldn’t get into it. The story didn’t really hook me until the last 5%, and by then, it was over.

Unfortunately, this is not one I would recommend.

This book falls in the lost sibling, nail biting, suspenseful, thriller trope.
It is very well done. I do think it needed a bit more originality, but overall was a good book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Shaw Connolly Lives To Tell by Gillian French was so good!! If you like missing persons, cat and mouse chase, police procedural, a stalker, and an animal companion, then you will love this book!!

Shaw Connolly is a finger print analyst who has been trying to find her sister Thea who has been missing for over 16 years. Shaw is being stalked by a man who she believes either knows what happened to her sister or did something to her. He is taunting her! Shaw is not likable and losing her sister has taken its toll on her!! Even though it’s been years since her sister went missing she has never given up, would go through and do anything to find out what happened to her.

I think French did a great job with the story line and characters. I was so into this book and there were times I didn’t want to put it down. Although you figure out who her stalker is pretty early on it doesn’t take away from the story at all!! This had me hooked and took me for a ride. This book was full of suspense, twists and turns, and shrouded in some mystery. This is my first book by French and I can’t wait to read more!! Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my late honest thoughts and opinions. I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and I think she did a fantastic job bringing this story to life.

Title: Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell
Author: Gillian French
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: June 17, 2025

I received a complimentary eARC from Minotaur Books, a division of St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Gritty • Tense • Chilling

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Shaw Connolly is no stranger to trauma. As a fingerprints analyst, she’s one of the first on-site for crimes, including murder scenes and a mysterious string of arsons popping up throughout the rural Maine community her department serves. But the tragedy of her little sister’s disappearance sixteen years ago has always weighed on her the most; Thea is never far from her thoughts or dreams, and Shaw knows that her obsession with finding the truth about Thea is driving her husband away and impacting her two boys. Still, she can't let it go and has even started taking disturbing calls from a man named Anders Jansen who all but claims to have committed the crime.

Anders taunts Shaw with hints and innuendo about what supposedly happened all those years ago. His calls go to the next level as he reveals just how much he knows about Shaw’s personal life, like her stalled career and ruined marriage. As his stalking escalates to threats on her and her family's lives, he begins to show just how dangerous he might be. Shaw is too desperate for answers to hang up now, just when she's getting close to finding proof. The only question left is what she must lose to learn the truth.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell was one of my most anticipated releases for the month of June. I was intrigued by the premise of a finger-print analyst doing everything she can to solve the cold-case of her sister's disappearance years earlier. This book is Gillian French's debut adult mystery, making it the first time I have read from her repertoire.

This is the type of story that takes some time to settle into. It is by no means a thriller, rather a slow paced mystery where the reader learns very early on whodunit, but will spend a good chunk of the book learning the reasoning as to why. The characters are realistically flawed and the isolated Maine setting created atmospheric tension.

There is a lot of focus on the relationships between characters, which I appreciated. And Shaw's unresolved grief plays a central role as Gillian French expertly manages to weave together past and present. Shaw's character is unrefined and resilient, going above and beyond for those she loves. The final third of the book really picks up on the suspense aspect and I found myself holding my breath until it finally came to a close.

Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell was one of those surprising reads that had me totally immersed. The reason it worked so well for me is because there was enough character/relationship building and depth while the mystery unravels at a steady pace. To be honest, I was somewhat surprised to see so many negative reviews for it, but if someone picks this one up thinking they are jumping into a thriller, they are bound to be disappointed. It's possible going in without really knowing what to expect ended up really working for me. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for my adult work from Gillian.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• cat-and-mouse vibes
• slow burn mysteries
• cold cases

⚠️ CW: death, child death, sibling death, murder, grief, stalking, sexual assault, drug use, drug abuse, cursing

✅ A main character haunted by trauma
✅ A creepy stalker
✅ Cat-and-mouse vibes

Shaw Connolly is haunted by her younger sister’s disappearance that happened 16 years prior. Thanks to her stalker, Anders, she rarely goes a day not thinking about her. He supposedly knows the truth about what happened, but can she trust him and is he a danger to her and those she loves?

As the cat-and-mouse games between Shaw and Anders ramp up, French works to build tension for the reader through a series of revelations and a seemingly endless chase for the truth. The pacing for this story starts out slow and doesn’t speed up until the last chapters as things are coming to a head. I felt like this could have been helped by cutting out some of the dialogue and events that didn’t have much of a connection to the main plot.

Overall this was a solid story with an interesting plot. There was a lot that I liked about this story that I wish would have been featured more. I think the Anders parts could have been amped up to leave the readers chilled by his presence.

Shaw Connolly Lives To Tell follows Shaw (a fingerprint analysis) and her family years after her sister Thea disappears. Shaw is being stalked,, trying to figure out what happened to her sister, working, all while taking care of her 2 boys.
I enjoyed this novel, but wasn't super surprised at the way it ended. It was well written and kept me wanting to know the why.

I am going to be honest; it took me a little bit to get into this book. I felt like I was a little lost and missing a few things in the beginning. Totally my fault with not being able to grasp the first maybe 50-60 pages. But once I was able to get into this and put things together it had such great twist and details as to what they thought might have happened in the past and really getting into what it feels like to be part of a family with troubles of a missing daughter/sister all these years ago and how it effects each person in their own way.
What really pulled me in was the mystery of how this Anders guy really fit into everything and how Shaw was handling it trying to piece it together.

Shaw Connolly has spent the last decade searching for her sister, Thea who dissapeared 16 years ago.
The police label her a troubled runaway. Shaw is facing a crumbling marriage, she is also raising two sons and caring for her aging father. Then a man from her pased named Anders Larsen reaches out claiming he is the person who took Thea. He starts to taunt and stalk her, but he won't give her the answers she needs. How far will she go to get them? The dialogue between the main character and the killer was a little boring. I kept reading thinking maybe there would that twist, but in the end, I thought it ended well.

Thanks for Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy.

I would probably rate 3.5 starts

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a slow start getting into this novel and connecting with Shaw. It may be because her style of communicating with her stalker/ alleged kidnapper seemed a bit too breezy. This was less of a mystery of Shaw's long missing sister and more a family drama about the aftermath of such a traumatic and its long-term effects. The story picked up towards the middle and I ultimately found it to be a satisfying read, if not particularly memorable.