Shaw Connolly works as a fingerprints analyst and is used to tough crime scenes, but nothing haunts her like the disappearance of her sister Thea sixteen years ago. When a creepy guy named Anders Jansen starts calling her with eerie details and threats, Shaw becomes obsessed with finding out the truth—even if it means risking her family and everything she has left. She’s closer than ever to answers, but the cost might be more than she’s ready to pay.

I was fully immersed in this read from start to finish, almost as invested as Shaw, but not quite as obsessed. I think Shaw was meant to be an unlikeable character from the very beginning but that played into the story so well. The author did a really great job at showing how losing your sister to unforeseen circumstances can affect you and other loved ones for years to come, and that is exactly what we saw play our throughout this book with the Connolly family.

The mystery of the book was really well done, and it wrapped up well. As the reader, I saw what was coming but I wasn't quite sure so all the pieces fit together until certain events happened, and I enjoyed that. This book kept me on my toes. We were really able to get inside of Shaw's head and that added to the suspense of the book even more. This is definitely a slower burn of a mystery but overall I enjoyed it and recommend it.

Rating: 3.5/5
Spice: 1/5

Tropes:
Missing Person
Stalking
Unreliable Narrator
Blackmail
The Big Reveal

Thank you so much Gillian French, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I DNF this book, it was hard getting into the story. I will give it a try maybe it was the wrong book for the wrong time.

I loved the description and thought i would love the book. It was all right, maybe my expectations were too high. Good story, and very atmospheric but it isn't something I would recommend to friends or ever want to read again. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Read a library copy of this since archive date got away from me and I missed it. This was okay and all but not one I'd probably read again. Not sure where a stand on rating it. If you like police procedure thriller books then this one might be for you

A twisty and provocative mind bend thriller. Whilst you know the killer early on, the mind games he plays still gives the same element of suspense as not knowing until the very end. I loved Shaw and her family’s story and search for justice, and the moments that solidified them as a family and proves that love and connection always win out in the end.

Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell by Gillian French is a tense, atmospheric thriller that grips you with its portrayal of obsession and the lasting impact of trauma. Shaw’s relentless search for her missing sister adds emotional weight to a plot filled with mystery and danger. The escalating threats from the enigmatic Anders Jansen keep the suspense high, and French’s background in YA lends a sharp focus on character and psychological nuance.

While the story is compelling and the pacing mostly effective, some plot twists feel a bit predictable, and Shaw’s personal struggles occasionally take the spotlight away from the central mystery. Still, the novel offers a solid blend of emotional depth and thriller elements, making it a worthwhile read for fans of character-driven suspense. A good start to what promises to be a strong series.

I was not a huge fan of this book unfortunately. I had a hard time getting into it and it felt kind of disjointed. There was a lot going on and it didn’t always flow together well. I also didn’t find it to be very twisty or suspenseful.

Gritty and rough around the edges, this gave me a Mare of Easttown feel. Shawnee 'Shaw' Connolly's sister went missing 20 years ago, something Shaw and her family were never able to move past. Her sister Thea is a heavy presence in this novel- rebellious and stubborn and hanging with the wrong crowd. Shaw, now a police officer, hasn't given up hope of finding out what happened to Thea all those years ago. Even if it's costing her her relationship and her future. Even if it may cost her her life.

The mystery of Shaw's missing sister is intriguing, especially since it's been unsolved for so long. It's clear the impact that Thea's disappearance has had on her family, practically stunting their growth in certain ways. Even though Shaw is a police officer, she doesn't always play by the rules and takes actions that at times I found to be incredibly frustrating. She lets her obsession with her sister overwhelm her, to the point of completely taking over her life and ruining her relationship with her husband. I wanted to shake her and show her how much she is missing in the present. As for what happened to Thea, this ended up being a so-so resolution for me. A 3.5 star read.

Firstly- thank you to Gillian French's team and NetGalley for allowing me to read this title before it's release date.

3 stars! My first Gillian French. I'm not sure if I connected with the writing style and often felt like I was behind if I didn't focus on every single sentence and word. I personally struggle with third person thrillers and found it hard to follow the characters and their relationships at times. I won't fault French for my inability to keep up- I DID think this was a good thriller once the ball got rolling. Beautifully chilling writing but this story probably won't stick out to me forever.

Shaw Connolly’s sister Thea went missing 16 years ago, never to be found. The torment of her missing sister has been with Shaw over the years, but she also has the added unhappy bonus of Thea’s self-admitted killer intermittently calling her periodically to toy with her. The phone calls have been ramping up, and Shaw is concerned for the safety of her and her family. Combined with local acts of arson that may or may not be connected to Thea, Shaw and the killer come to a final clash.

I thought Gillian French did a great job writing this book. It’s just a little slow for me. It took a while to develop what was really going on and for Shaw to figure it out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for sharing a copy of this book

I wound up DNF-ing this book around 20%. It was not holding my attention enough to continue. Another element that bothered me was the MC had these dueling personalities; she'd be a class-clown superior colleague at work and then a normal mom at home who is going through a divorce. Her dialogue scenes were odd to me. I don't know if her weird banter was supposed to be her coping mechanism but I'd be reading and then her personality would completely change; I wasn't sure if I was reading the same book. Some parts just felt inconsistent. I do really like the forensic side of the story but it felt bogged down.

This suspense novel is centered around the disappearance of Shaw’s sister, Thea, 16 years earlier. Shaw is now a mother, a fingerprint analyst and is also watching her marriage fall apart as she can’t get over the obsession of finding her sister or whoever is responsible for her disappearance. To add to her obsession, Anders Jansen is stalking her by calling her, taunting her about her life, her sister, her marriage. As the calls become increasingly threatening, Shaw’s family, job and even her life are in danger as she can’t give up on finding the truth, no matter what the consequences.

I read and listened to this one. Anders’ calls were even creepier on audio and the narration added to the urgency and the suspense in the second half of the novel. It is a slow burn at the beginning as the characters are developed and the setting is set for future action. I found this book just ok and a bit repetitive. If it hasn’t been for the audio, I might not have been able to get through it.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio @netgalley @minotaur_books @stmartinspress for a #gifted audio and digital copy of this novel

The plot was interesting and I liked Shaw as a narrator, but the book felt slow and the ending left so many things unresolved.

Shaw Connolly is a wife and mother with a good career and good life, but also with an emptiness that haunts her. Her younger sister Thea has been missing and is assumed dead. She has been gone for more than a decade but with no body recovered it only leaves more questions.

Shaw is on a path to find out what happened to her 17 year old sister all the years ago. She is also being tormented with calls from person who possibly know what happened.

Shaw is a very likable character caught in the always unpredictable cycle of grief.

I enjoyed this book and the family dynamics that were portrayed were believable. Well written and the story was easy to follow.

Would highly recommend to psychological thriller readers.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Shaw has been wanting to know what happened to her younger sister Thea all those years ago. She couldn't have simply just disappeared on not reached out to anyone. Then there's the calls from a man who keeps taunting her. Through this story we are able to see how the disappearance of a loved one affects family members differently and how sometimes wanting to forget is the only way one can feel like they are living. The suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Thanks to Minotaur Books for the eARC and NetGalley!

Gillian French is a tremendous writer. That is the first thing I noticed when I started reading. She has a way of getting in your face with her words. I had to look to see if I had read anything by her and I had not. I don't know why, but I am definitely a fan now! Her open, realistic way of character portrayal had me absorbed in the story and I could not wait to pick it up each time. She was able to keep the years-long mystery fresh and interesting, with the addition of a psychotic stalker. All of the characters are expertly developed, making it easy to become attached and invested in their welfare. I was on the edge of my seat until the end. I am grateful to have found a new-to-me author. Thank you to MacMillan and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

DNF at 34%. I felt like this was all over the place and went off course from the main plot. The writing style also just wasn’t for me, I had high hopes for this but I was just not interested.

Just finished Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell by Gillian French and felt compelled to write my review immediately. Despite a slow beginning for me, I'm so pleased I stayed with the book as it just kept getting better and better. Shaw Connolly is a finger print expert, a daughter, a mother of two boys, a separated wife and a sister. Her youngest sister Madison is a college student, her sister Theodora disappeared when she was 17. The Connolly family was never the same after Thea's disappearance; her body was never found nor a perpetrator arrested. Shaw, the eldest sister, and Thea were best friends as well as sisters, and although Shaw tried she could not let go of her memories or her regret at not being with Thea, holding onto the thought that she could have prevented the abduction or disappearance and saved Thea. I enjoyed Shaw's professional relationship with her latent finger print team: Jewel St. Bonaparte, the boss and her colleagues Tran and Gauthier. I can envision a series about Shaw and the team- oh the possibilities! Thea's suspected killer, Anders Jansen becomes obsessed with calling Shaw and eventually terrorizing her and her family. They play a dangerous game of cat and mouse that leads to a thrilling ending. Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell is a fast-paced, suspenseful, relationship focused thriller - a very rewarding read. Thank you toNetGalley, MinotaurBooksand the author for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book; my review reflects my honest opinion. 4 stars.

A thrilling police-detective procedural that was interesting and entertaining to read. Interesting in that we know the "who", but not the why early on.

A slow burn story of a woman coming undone, Shaw Connolly Lives to Tell was a somewhat mixed bag despite its many wins. But let’s start with the positives, shall we? With a dark and gritty vibe, a claustrophobic feel, and a messy protagonist, I was instantly pulled into Shaw’s slow, painful unraveling. Coming alive on the page in all of her no-nonsense glory, this tale of psychological suspense was more character study than thriller for much of the novel. Until the end when the slow-boiling pace erupted into action, that is. At that point, all I could do was hold on for dear life as I inhaled a climax and conclusion that saved this one from being just merely ho-hum.

Why ho-hum? Well, while I loved the adrenaline-fueled last third and parts of the buildup, it wasn’t as immersive as I had hoped for prior to diving in. From the overly detailed descriptions of Shaw’s job to the unnatural dialogue, this crime fiction lover had a difficult time falling into the story in the beginning. That being said, I adored Shaw’s dry sense of humor and the spot-on-perfect villain. Anders, in fact, just might be one of my favorite evil-doers of all time. Manipulative and alarmingly cunning, he made my skin tingle as I watched him creep closer and closer to this endearing family and their adorable dog.

All in all, while I had to power through some of the scenes in the beginning, the last one hundred pages were simply sublime. Tense, twisty, and chilling, despite knowing who the bad guy was for much of the novel, this why-slash-howdunnit was filled with mind games that got under my skin. Combined with the profound emotional depth and the ratcheting suspense, the few flaws that I found quickly vanished from view. That being said, the first two-thirds and the end felt like two different novels. If, however, you love a dark, twisted premise, realistically flawed characters, and a slow-burning plot, this book is definitely for you. Rating of 4 stars.

Thank you to Gillian French, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.