Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

I didn't realize this was apart of a series so I was lost on some parts but you can never go wrong with Lisa Gardener. I'll definitely be reading the others in the series.

3.5⭐️

Frankie really gets around! In her last investigation we were on an atolle, an island so different from others with wolf spiders and giant crabs!

Now we are transported to Tucson, AZ, hot and dry! I’ve visited there often and the heat is real!

Frankie is contacted to help find Sabera Ahmadi, an Afghan refugee who has been missing for 3 weeks. Her friend is very concerned as she knows Sabera would not willingly leave her young daughter behind.The police aren’t that concerned even when her husband also goes missing.

This was a bit of a slow burn but there is a lot of backstory to learn and characters to define, I was all in for this one.

The novel is told in the present through what Frankie’s actions and in the past by pages from a diary written by Sabera. What a sad and terrifying life she has led since the fall of Kabul - the Taliban have killed so many of her friends and family.

Since Frankie doesn’t have a permanent home and travels light, she always has to find a job that will hopefully include temporary housing.

When she answers the job for pet-sitting for a month she has no idea what she is getting herself into!! I don’t think any of us have ever been in a mansion occupied with less conventional pets - think giant iguana and snakes!!

There are lots of unique characters and an intricately layered plot. I had no idea how this book would end! Think of misdirection and illusions!

Can Frankie finally find a missing person still alive?? Has she taken on more than she is capable of?

This was a Witch's Words buddy read with Debra, be sure to read her awesome review.

I received a ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

Frankie Elkin is back! In Kiss Her Goodbye, Frankie has traveled to Tucson, Arizona to find Sabera Ahmadi, an Afghan refugee who has gone missing. Her husband does not seem worried but Sabera's friend knows that Sabera would not go anywhere without taking her three year old daughter with her. After find a unique living situation in which she must care for An Iguana named Petunia and some snakes.

Once Frankie is able to dig into her investigation, it becomes abundantly clear that there is more to the Ahmadi family than she could even imagine. This book goes back and forth to the present with Frankie's investigation and in the past during Sabera's young life in Kabul. It is a time of upheaval and Sabera experiences so much in such a short period of time.


Frankie continues to be a character to root for. She is not without her flaws and has seen hardship and addiction in her life. She is also resilient, determined, brave, and compassionate. Fans of this series will be happy with this latest installment. For those who have not read a book in this series, Kiss Her Goodbye will work very well as a stand alone book for you. Lisa Gardner gives enough background information on Frankie for new readers to becomes acquainted with her and what she does.

This book is full of tension, dread, mystery, heartbreak, and twists. I also enjoyed the author's note at the end of the book where she informs readers of what inspired her to write this book.

I received an ARC of this book from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I read everything Lisa Gardner writes, and I can now say I am growing more fond of Frankie Elkin.

This book was particularly impressive due to the subject matter and the research Ms. Gardner must have done into the conflict in Afghanistan, refugee camps (heartbreaking), and even traditional Afghan foods. I knew very little about any of these topics, but now I would love to try the firni pudding.

I also always love this author's cast of characters. How did she come up with a house of reptiles or a transgender chef? Or a ballroom dancing buff man? She always manages to add comic relief in the midst of murder and loss.

I had no idea where the mystery was going, which made it very satisfying, plus I didn't want to put the book down.

Will I eventually like Frankie Elkin as much as the FBI profiling Quincy family? Maybe. Do I already enjoy that the books now have very different settings than the USA northeast? Definitely.

I didn’t realize this was part of a series. It was fine as a standalone but sometimes I wasn’t quite sure about a few things. Overall not having read prior books wasn’t a problem. I very much enjoyed learning about the refugee experience which was heartbreaking. There were many twists and turns along the way. I would definitely recommend the book and will probably go back and read the earlier books in the series.

I was disappointed in this book and it did not feel to me like the type of book Lisa Gardner usually writes. I was confused a lot of the time and there so many characters I couldn’t keep track of everyone. There was also lots of killing, torturing and maiming. I was disappointed in the book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It makes no difference what you’re looking for,
you cannot go,wrong with our fearless, ingenious
investigator. It is always amazing that not only
does Frankie solve your problem and find your
missing, but she lives to tell about it!
Thank you to Grand Central Publisher
for the download copy of the book for
review purposes.

I have read the first three books in this series and loved them. I was really looking forward to this one, and it was good, but not my favorite in the series. I found myself losing interest about halfway through. Hopefully her next book in the series will be better.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC. I enjoyed the book immensely. Lisa Gardner did an amazing job with all of her research and it shows. The book was well written, the characters were lovable, and it was an enjoyable 5 star read for me.

Lisa Gardner delivers another gripping installment in the Frankie Elkin series with Kiss Her Goodbye. This time, Frankie is in Tucson, Arizona, searching for Sabera Ahmadi, an Afghan refugee and young mother who vanished without a trace. As Frankie delves deeper, she uncovers a complex web of secrets, including a video of Sabera leaving the scene of a brutal double murder.​
Goodreads

Gardner masterfully weaves a narrative that is both thrilling and emotionally resonant. The exploration of refugee experiences adds depth to the story, highlighting the challenges faced by those seeking a new life. Frankie's relentless determination and empathy shine through, making her a compelling protagonist.​

The pacing is tight, and the twists are unexpected, keeping me engaged throughout. Gardner's ability to tackle complex social issues within a suspenseful plot is commendable. This novel stands out as a testament to her skill in blending heart-pounding suspense with meaningful commentary.​

Highly recommended for fans of character-driven thrillers that don't shy away from real-world issues.

Although this wasn't my favorite of the Frankie Elkin books, I loved this for its unique and well written storyline. You can tell Lisa Gardner researches for her books in great detail and I learned so much about the life of a refugee in America through out this book. I also ended up looking up more information on this subject to better educate myself. My only thing is it didn't have enough "Frankie" in it. It just felt so different because of all the flashbacks into the missing persons life, which again I found fascinating and really enjoyed but I missed some of Frankie's character, her attention to details and her problem solving skills. Definitely recommend this book though. You will be shocked by the twists that come throughout the book.

"Maybe this kind of slow erosion is as powerful as any traumatic break. You lose your home, then your country. You lose your loved ones, then yourself. You lose your heart, then your soul."

Best Frankie Elkin Yet! I personally felt some much more invested in this story and attached to its characters than in any other of her books. It felt so real and emotional, and it’s because it is! Lisa Gardner was in Tucson learning about refugee camps and the afghan community that it really pays off in this newest edition of the Frankie Elkin books. I love the start, middle, and the ending. And I totally recommend this to anyone! HUGE thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read in exchange for my honest review.

(3.5/5 stars)
Kiss Her Goodbye is solidly written, smartly paced, and undeniably tense—but ultimately, it just didn’t click for me the way I hoped it would.

Frankie Elkin is a compelling character—flawed, relentless, and easy to root for—and Lisa Gardner clearly knows how to build a layered mystery with timely themes. The backdrop of Tucson and the focus on Afghan refugee experiences gave the story a unique, urgent texture. And the stakes? They’re high from the jump, with a child in danger, a missing father, and a family hiding secrets that could get them all killed.

But despite the high stakes and polished prose, I felt more admiration for the craft than emotional investment. The plot leans heavily into conspiracy and complex backstory, which at times felt more like exposition than momentum. There were moments that gripped me, sure—but others that felt like I was being held at arm’s length.

I can absolutely see why fans of the series or readers who love procedurals with international intrigue would enjoy this one. It just didn’t fully land for me on a gut level.

Not bad by any means—just not my kind of great.

I have always been a fan of Lisa Gardner's writing. This book will not disappoint readers with a quick pace read.

Frankie Elkin finds missing persons, and has problems of her own. She travels to Tucson, Arizona to find an Afghan refugee in the fourth installment of the Frankie Elkin series, Kiss Her Goodbye: A Frankie Elkin Novel. by bestselling author, Lisa Gardner. Frankie meets with the missing woman, Sabara Ahmadi’s best friend, Aliah, and feels like she must take the case. First she has to find a place to stay, since she is a wanderer. Luckily she finds a place with free room and board, and although she is essentially a pet sitter (a giant Iguana named Petunia and a huge Albino Boa Constrictor named Marge as well as a dozen babies), the offer is too good to turn down. Her employer is a billionaire gamer who made it big in software; the other live-in employees, a huge ex-con named Daryl, who is a chauffeur, and Genni, who is a transgender cook all get involved in finding Sabara.

Gardner is an excellent storyteller, and even though Frankie’s missing person investigation makes some sense, it isn’t particularly believable. This is fiction, after all, and Gardner has used her imagination to add twists and turns to the story. There are even some political undertones in this novel emphasizing Obama and Biden’s failures in Afghanistan, and what those lucky enough to come to America have gone through. One thing that also stands out is that there are food references to Afghan food, which will make foodie readers look up and try some of the Afghan dishes at home.

Gardner does an excellent job of developing her characters. Frankie is a great protagonist and is likeable. The supporting characters (including Petunia and Marge) are likewise well-developed and are fun. Even though this is a serious thriller with plenty of murder and violence (not graphic however), there is some humor that gives comic relief during stressful times.

All told, this is an excellent novel that is difficult to put down.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

A not-to-be-missed read, #KissHerGoodbye is LG at her best. The storyline is more than a simple missing person case. For Frankie Elkin, recovering alcoholic turned investigator, the itch to find the missing refugee Sabera is an escape from her own issues and in a way an opportunity for redemption. The characters are striking, the unfolding of the plot riveting and the loss of family poignant. I can't remember a book that drew me in so quickly from the very first scene.

Told through both women's POV, Sabera's voice is powerful, wistful and her story - terrifying. Tragedy strikes and Sabera is witness to a fallen Kabul, struggling to survive in the aftermath. Her saving grace is her daughter Zahra and the memories of her mother and older brother Farshid. She's a woman of secrets. She knows things and is clever at never quite revealing herself, lessons learned from her mother. Relocated to Tucson, AZ, Sabera accepts her new life stoically but then she disappears. Without. Her. Daughter.

Enter one Frankie Elkin. She has questions and she is relentless in digging for answers in her usual snarky, unrepentant manner that drives others to gnash teeth, grumble and tear out hair. I love this about her! Frankie's temporary lodging includes caregiving to a bunch of reptilian pets, much to her horror and our amusement as readers.

Frankie enlists an interesting cast in her search, from her "employer's" driver and housekeeper to the aid workers involved in relocating families. What moves the story forward is the "why" --- why did Sabera disappear? And LG teases us and teases us while also enlightening us to the plight of Afghan refugees and the stark reality of adapting to a new life in a new country.

While I thought the last Frankie Elkin book was stellar, #KissHerGoodbye is in a stratosphere all its own! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC, I highly recommend #KissHerGoodbye.

I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Written by Lisa Gardner and published by Grand Central Publishing division of Hatchette Book Group in 2025, this is a Story about the efforts of Frankie Elkin, finder of the missing. In this story, Frankie has been called to Tucson, Arizona to find a wife and mother who has disappeared. Sebera comes from a wealthy family in Afghanistan. She developed a close bond with her mother before she died of breast cancer. Sabera later becomes pregnant in Afghanistan with her daughter Zahra, who today is only four years old. The three generations of women seem to possess a special talent for solving encrypted messages, and for understanding foreign languages.

The story is set during and after the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and it follows Sabera’s travels as a refugee from Afghanistan, to Pakistan, to Abu Dhabi, to Texas and, ultimately to Tucson. Sabera has witnessed a lot of violence and trauma in her life, and it has affected her mental stability. She has a friend named Aliah who contacts Frankie and asks for help in finding Sabera after she fails to return home from work and is missing for three weeks. The first thing Frankie has to do after arriving in Tucson is to find a job and a place to live. She is hired by a very wealthy young man named Bart who owns a large mansion outside of town. All she must do to earn her room & board is to feed and care for the animals. Dogs? Cats? Easy, Peasy, right? Wrong!

The animals turn out to be an iguana named Petunia, who must be fed, massaged and entertained by the TV set every day, along with a five-foot-long albino Burmese python named Marge and twelve baby ball pythons. The babies must be fed live crickets every day, and Marge must be fed dead rats about twice a month. Bart earned his millions as a game developer and must travel to a gamers conference and world tour, so he leaves Frankie alone with the reptiles and his driver, a man named Daryl. The remainder of Bart’s staff consists of Genni, Bart’s 6’4” cook who appears to be a transgender woman who likes to wear a different costume every day. Frankie is able to control her fear of reptiles and successfully makes the feedings. Then, it is off to find Sabera.

This story has a very complex and confusing plot, and I had a lot of difficulty understanding what was going on for most of the book. Sabera’s family members play important roles in the story, and there is a lot of violence. The unique abilities of Sabera, her mother and her daughter seem to cross the bridge between adult fiction and fantasy. Truthfully, I did not find the story to be very believable. I also did not like the way it was written — a series of flashbacks by Sabera that slowly reveal what really might be going on. The author did tie up the loose ends at the end of the novel, but I still found it to be somewhat unsatisfying.

I normally appreciate this author’s works, and I usually award high reviews. Sadly, not this one. Rather than the usual five-star rating I grant to her stories, this one only rates three. If you are interested in the culture of Afghanistan, the give it a read. Otherwise, feel free to skip it.

This is a very good book, the author manages to create a likeable character in Frankie, with humor and intimacy issues, a compelling missing person case and a look at the pain and history of a time period in Afghanistan., where people who survived lost everything, the horrors of refugee camps, torture and a lot at ptsd, postpartum and other mental health issues as the ghosts of her past surround her, and to create a lovable community with a balldancing bodyguard , a transgender chef, an iguana and snakes and other memorable characters. 4.5

This is the fourth installment in the Frankie Elkin series. This can be read alone or with the series. This book is different from the previous series. It’s about an Afghan refugee who goes missing and Frankie is sent to find her. While it isn’t an edge of your seat thriller I enjoyed learning about the Afghanistan culture and history. It was apparent the author did her research and was thorough. Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

Lisa Gardner is a master of her craft, and Kiss Her Goodbye did not disappoint. Although this novel has a very different feel to it than previous ones in the series, it still has captivating writing, complex characters, and surprising plot twists. What I liked the most about the book is the very timely and thoughtful way that Lisa Gardner tells the story of a missing Afghan refugee. The intimacy of the letters from mother to daughter really sold me on having to find out what happened to her. I’m looking forward to going along with Frankie on her next adventure