A kind of interesting slow burning mystery built around Afghan refugees and the problem that followed them. Detailed and complex.

Hillary Huber sounded great narrating (2x) and kind of carried the story, although overall, the story sounded like a report rather than a first hand account.

Included flashbacks from escape days to present time.

Read it as a standalone.

I had a hard time from the outset, buying into a PI-type person with no training, working for free, including travel.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for the advance listening copy.

First things first.... Frankie Elkin is back on the trail of a missing individual and this one has a lot of twists and turns and I'm here for it. I'm so very grateful for the opportunity to listen to an advance audiobook of the latest in this series. Lisa Gardner is on my auto buy list and this series in particular has really captured my interest. Frankie is a searcher of people that have gone missing and have been overlooked my law enforcement or communities because they are mostly the marginalized. This latest story is a deep dive into the Afghan communities and their resettlement in America. The story is told in flashbacks in Afghanistan and then to present day in Tucson, Arizona. There is a great spotlight on the difficulties that the refugees face relocating. There is a mystery and murders in this suspense thriller because it wouldn't be a Lisa Gardner novel without them. At the heart of the novel is Frankie and her desire above all else to find people that no one cares about anymore. I highly recommend you check out the whole series. First book was my favorite and this one almost tied it for the amount of depth and determination these characters felt. I really loved that we got the "behind the scenes" of our missing character as it really helped us follow along with the mystery of her disappearance. As always, Hilary Huber voices the audiobook and does an outstanding job!

Frankie Elkin is back! While this wasn’t my favorite in the series, I think Petunia might be my new favorite animal character.

I’m a longtime Lisa Gardner fan and audiobook listener, and I’ve been following the Elkin series from the start, so I was excited to get an early listen.

This time, Frankie heads to Tucson, Arizona, to find an Afghan refugee named Sabera. But does Sabera even want to be found?

I’ll admit, I struggled a bit with the narration at first, not because of Hillary Huber’s performance (I love her as Frankie), but because we open with Sabera’s backstory, and hearing Huber use an accent for an extended period threw me off. At this point, her voice is Frankie to me. It was kind of like when someone you know suddenly starts talking in an accent and you’re like, okay… that’s enough. I actually think this might have been one of the rare cases where a second narrator would’ve helped, or maybe it just didn’t work for me in first person.

Story-wise, it was eye-opening. Learning about what refugees endure was heartbreaking. I was invested, but between the shifts in timeline, perspectives, and the number of characters, it got a little confusing, and occasionally felt a bit farfetched. There were also a few moments in the action-packed ending that felt a little over the top.

Still, I enjoyed it overall and I’ll be back for every Frankie Elkin book, no question.

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

💜 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫 ~ 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5

Publication Date: 📍12.08.25 📍

💜 Book 4 of 4 Frankie Elkin Series
💜 Psychological Thriller
💜 Refugees
💜 Dual Timeline
💜 Heartache & Secrets
💜 Puzzles 🧩

I was extremely excited to become engrossed in the new Frankie Elkin instalment.

Frankie Elkin has dedicated the last 19 years to finding missing people. Those that no one is looking for. She takes no fee for this and moves from state to state immersing herself in these cases.

She has no home and no commitments and therefore is able to fully give herself to each case she works in the hope that she can give the families answers on their missing loved one.

In this instalment Elkin is searching for a missing Afghan refugee, Sabera Ahmed , who been in the US for 10 weeks with her husband and child hoping for a fresh start.

Sabera’s friend is concerned that Sabera has been missing for 3 weeks and calls on Frankie’s services.

Gardener tackles the emotional torture and physical hardship refugees face on a day to day basis with sensitivity and heart. You realise you will never be able to comprehend the struggles that are endured by many.

This book is a mixture of suspense, mystery, heartache, love and loss. This was not my favourite in the series but it was however incredibly thought provoking, educational and eye opening.

I listened to this on audio and found the narrators brought the story to life. @hachetteaudio

4.25 Stars ⭐️

What a great entry to this series! After being a little disappointed in the 3rd book in this series, book 4 comes in and knocked it out of the park. For the most part, I have really enjoyed this entire series, getting to meet Frankie Elkin, a very unusual FMC whose main job in life is to find missing people. Not the normal missing people, but marginalized people - those whom no one else is looking for.

In this book, we get a very deep dive into the personal perspectives of the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan and the effects it had on those refugees who were lucky enough to make it out. I know that may not sound interesting, but it really, really was.

Sabera Ahmadi is one of these recent resettled Afghan refugees, along with her husband and 4 year old daughter. She is the missing person that Frankie is asked to find. The story is told alternating between the events happening in the "now" and events in the past as told by Sabera's diary entries. It is a chilling look into happenings that I don't think I've ever thought about but found utterly fascinating, as they are given from the perspective of the people who had to live through it.

As usual, once Frankie gets involved, she discovers that there is more to the story, and we follow along as we try to understand what Sabera was involved in. It is a crazy and unexpected tale full of drama, action and twists.

I love it when I am surprised in a book and unfortunately, that does not happen as much as I would like it to and I'm happy to say that this book surprised me. Yes, there were some things I figured out in advance, but there was much more that I didn't. I also was so intrigued with the information regarding the real life experiences of the Afghan refugees - it was heartbreaking and devastating and something that I had never been aware of in the past.

This was an audio ARC and was narrated by Hillary Huber who did a wonderful job. There were lots of accents required in the telling of this tale and I felt like she did them superbly. Again, this is from an American who doesn't really know the differences between certain accents, but to me, they all sounded genuine and definitely added to the telling of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to listen to and review this Audio ARC. This book will be out for publication on August 12, 2025.

Overall this was mediocre at best. I can appreciate how it shed light on how difficult life can be for refugees coming to a new country and trying to assimilate to the new culture. However, I don’t think it portrayed refugees in the best light. Refugees and immigrants are already already unfairly stereotyped and discriminated against and this book didn’t seem to help that. Regarding the story itself, it felt like the narration jumped around a lot and made it a bit confusing as a listener because I couldn’t easily flip back and see what was happening.

Frankie Elgin is back, this time she’s looking for a missing Afghan woman who friends and neighbors say would never leave her daughter. The woman’s husband is unconcerned and the local police aren’t much help either. Because Frankie can’t afford a place to live while she searches for the missing woman, she takes on a side gig, babysitting the exotic reptiles of a wealthy young gamer. I loved everything about this book, from the authors, poignant depiction of the lives of the innocent people of Afghanistan, who are simply trying to survive, to the cast of characters that also live in her temporary home with iguana and a whole lot of snakes. This book is even more important during this dark time when our nation has lost its way and its compassion for people fleeing war and oppression. Highly recommended.

Kiss Her Goodbye is the fourth book in the Frankie Elkin series, written by Lisa Gardner, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

Our book starts with an idyllic childhood. A sister plays with her doting older brother, their mother and father are happy in their lives and marriage. Then the Taliban invade Kabul, the location of Sabera’s once joyous home. The peaceful, relaxed days morph in to fear, guns and roadside bombs. As an adult, Sabera finds a safe haven as a refugee in Texas, but her peace is very short lived.

I thought the writing was fabulous. There is so much going on, that it is quite a feat to weave all the characters, and individual little plots strands together so incredibly well.
I loved Genni and Daryl, the family formed by Bart. Kind, generous souls, seen by those who chose to look beyond the facade, that others may judge. Petunia was a wonderful and welcome light relief, in a heavy and dark read, I was less of a fan of Marge; something I have in common with Frankie.

Kiss Her Goodbye highlights the plight of people who have escaped hideous war torn situations, having already endured so much, who are then further marginalised when they reach a place of “safety”. At the same time, it is a story of family, of the special bond and strength between mothers and daughters.

The narrator works incredibly hard throughout the book. There are many accents, age groups and genders to voice. Hillary Huber carries it all off with great aplomb.

This is a tense, action packed thriller, fraught with danger at every turn. It is complex, and extremely well plotted, there is so much going on. I know Frankie can’t stand still, but I would love to read of Bart, Daryl and Genni again, they are fabulous characters. I loved everything about the book, 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

Kill Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner
Narrator, Hillary Huber
Frankie Elkin
I hate to confess that I own the first two books in this series on Audible but have not listened to them yet. So many books, you know the rest.
But now after listening to this excellent story I will have to go back and get to the earlier books soon. This is so different from Lisa Gardner’s earlier works but at least as good if not better. No disrespect to D.D. Warren or the Quincy family.
Anyone who pays attention has to know something about the horror of refugee life but this book really brings it home. The story is so compelling and poignant, and the characters so well developed that it was sometimes difficult to read but well worth it.
But I have to say that I still don’t love iguanas and please don’t mention pythons.
Narration by Hillary Huber was excellent as usual.

Wow! This was my first book of this series and now I need to go back and read the others. Such a great book with a totally unexpected twist at the very end!

Kiss Her Goodbye is the first book I've read in this series and I really enjoyed it. It's well plotted and I was hooked from the start. I really liked Frankie, I'm looking forward to going back to the other books in the series.

Many thanks for my gifted ALC.

This is the 4th book in the Frankie Elkin series, and my only complaint is that there aren’t already more books. I really like Frankie, she is one of the most intriguing characters I have read. Frankie is drawn to Tuscan to look for a missing Afghan woman that no one seems to be missing despite the fact that she left her 4 year old daughter behind. Frankie dives right in, and her job/temporary housing situation is wonderful and hilarious. I really liked all of the side characters in this one and while it was a little complex with spies and hidden codes it was still an excellent mystery. I listened to the audiobook and I really liked the narration a lot. I thought it brought the two main narrators to life. The book was told from Frankie’s perspective and from Sabera, the missing Afghan woman. Sabera’s perspective is a summary of her life and the traumas she has endured. I kind of hope the side characters in this one make an appearance again at some point, but I know that’s not how this series really works.

Audiobook: Narrated by Hillary Huber, the audio version of Kiss Her Goodbye pulls you straight into Frankie Elkin’s world with just the right balance of grit, heart, and subtle emotional layering. Huber captures Frankie’s weary determination perfectly, while also bringing depth to the supporting characters. Whether you’re listening or reading, this story grabs you and doesn’t let go.

This book is intense, raw, and deeply human. Gardner walks a fine line between suspense and emotional reckoning, and she does it masterfully. One minute I was chuckling over Frankie’s unexpected interactions with reptiles and her temporary housemates Genni and Daryl, and the next I was holding my breath as she uncovered layers of trauma, secrets, and survival among a displaced family in danger. The story doesn’t rely on twisty gimmicks, although there were still a few surprises, it held me in the moment, page after page, as the truth unraveled.

What really stayed with me is how emotionally stirring this was. It opened my eyes to a reality I’d never been exposed to, the pain, complexity, and hidden courage of refugee life in America. Gardner gave voice to the kind of story that too often goes untold. Powerful, heart wrenching, and unforgettable.

One thing I appreciate most about Lisa Gardner’s books is how thoroughly she weaves a story each time she writes a new one. This latest addition for Frankie Elkin further solidifies that. It is apparent that it has been deeply researched in ways different from her previous books, which she addresses in her author’s note, and it was time and effort well spent. The human experience is shared on a different level in the refugee experience, and it is clear to me that Lisa Gardner took great care to gain understanding from the sources who were opening to sharing with her.

I had both the ebook and audiobook for ‘Kiss Her Goodbye’. The audiobook narration is performed by Hillary Huber, who I feel did a great job with the material and the various accents that were needed. There is a large, diverse cast of characters in this particular installment, and I think the challenge is well met in the narrator’s performance.

Frankie is such a complicated character — one who is easy to root for in my opinion because of her complexities. She has had a hard life but has find a path in her recovery to tackle even tougher times for families and loved ones looking for answers that no one else is helping them find. This time around she has been asked to help find a woman who has been missing for weeks and is thought to be in danger. Sabera, the woman in question, is a refugee from Afghanistan with her own harrowing past that has drawn the danger to her new doorstep in Tucson for her, her husband, and her four-year-old daughter Zahra. What unfolds is an intricately detailed trail for Frankie to follow with an eclectic cast of side characters who added so much life to the story. With Frankie’s penchant for moving on, these are people I hope to see she somehow keeps in contact with if/when we get more of her story. The mystery surrounding Sabera’s disappearance feels slightly repetitive at times as Frankie and her crew work to make sense of the bread crumbs clues they’ve been left with, but the layers upon layers of deception and misdirection they face mean having to go over the same pieces from multiple different angles. It all comes to a tense conclusion with a worthy pay off.

I don’t know what is to come for Frankie — she seems to reach a bit of a breaking point in her work during this particular case, and I hope that if there is more to come for her that it comes with her finding a solid home base that she can look forward to returning to if or when she takes on her next case. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the eARC and Hachette Audio for the ALC, both via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Kiss Her Goodbye is book number four in the Frankie Elkin series. While I have not read the previous three, this book can be read as a standalone.

Set in Tucson, Arizona, Frankie is called on to help track down Sabera Ahmadi, an Afghan refugee who has vanished without a trace, leaving her husband and three-year-old daughter behind. A few days later, her husband is found dead, and the pressure is on for Franking to protect the Ahmadi’s daughter Zahra while tracking Sabera down. As Frankie investigates, she begins to uncover dark secrets about Sabera and the Ahmadi family. Will Frankie be able to keep Zahra safe and find Sabera before it is too late?

The book moves back and forth from present day to Kabul back when Sabera was young. I found this story to be fascinating as it gives insight into the life of a refugee and some of the experiences they go through and are forced to endure, while mixing in elements of suspense, mystery, intrigue and even some espionage.

I would like to thank Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book. Narrator Hillary Huber and the Hachette Audio production team did an incredible job bringing this intense and captivating story to life.

Another gripping installment in Lisa Gardner’s Frankie Elkin series! Kiss Her Goodbye takes readers to the sweltering streets of Tucson as Frankie searches for Sabera Ahmadi, a young Afghan refugee whose dream of a fresh start in America is threatened by danger, secrets, and the shadows of her past. Gardner sensitively explores the struggles refugees face—cultural isolation, lingering trauma, and the constant fear of losing the fragile safety they’ve fought so hard for—while delivering a heart-pounding mystery filled with emotional depth and relentless tension. A must-read for fans of intelligent, compassionate thrillers.

Thank you Lisa Gardner, Hachette Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

#KissHerGoodbye #NetGalley #NetGalleyARC #ARCReview #BookReview #WhatImReading #BookRecommendation #Bookstagram #ReadersOfInstagram #InstaBook #Bookish #AdvanceReaderCopy #ReviewCopyProvided #BookishThoughts #ReviewersOfInstagram

Rating: 4.25 ★ 

Sabera Ahmadi, a young Afghan refugee and mother, is trying to start over after a difficult past, but escaping old traumas isn’t easy. When she disappears from her job in Tucson and the police don’t seem to take it seriously, her friend pushes missing persons expert Frankie Elkin to get involved. Things take a dark turn when a video surfaces showing Sabera near a gruesome double murder.
As Frankie digs deeper, she discovers that the Ahmadi family is far more complicated than they appear. Sabera’s husband Isaad is a genius mathematician, Sabera herself is skilled in languages, and their young daughter Zahra has a remarkable memory—something that might actually put her in danger. When Isaad vanishes and Zahra becomes a target, Frankie realizes she must uncover the family’s hidden past before it’s too late.
With threats looming and violence on the horizon, Frankie faces a race against time to protect the family—and confront how far she’s willing to go for those she cares about.
I really enjoyed Kiss Her Goodbye and was drawn into the story right away. Frankie Elkin returns as the determined missing persons expert, this time searching for Sabera, a young Afghan refugee who disappears under mysterious circumstances. I appreciated how the book switches between the present and Sabera’s past, which helped me understand the deep struggles faced by refugees trying to start over in a new country. The author’s research shines through, making the story both powerful and emotional.
The characters felt very real and complex — Sabera, her brilliant mathematician husband Isaad, and their daughter Zahra with her amazing memory added a unique layer to the mystery. Frankie’s pet-sitting subplot brought some light moments and humor that balanced the heavier themes.
Although this is the fourth book in the Frankie Elkin series, I had no trouble following the story as a standalone, but I’m interested in reading the earlier books now. The pacing was sometimes a bit slow, but the emotional depth and twists kept me hooked until the very end. This thriller isn’t just about suspense; it also explores important social issues, which made it a meaningful read for me.
Overall, if you enjoy well-developed characters, a mix of suspense and heart, and stories that give insight into real-world challenges, Kiss Her Goodbye is definitely worth reading. I look forward to more adventures with Frankie.

Favorite Quote:
"you don't always have to be a hero. Sometimes, you just have to survive."