Lisa Gardner was one of the first authors I stumbled across after many years of not reading, and I ravenously consumed her back catalogue. You know how a baby mashes their whole face into a cake when they first try it? I mashed Gardner’s novels into my brain with the exact same relish and speed.

I’ve always known precisely what I like about Gardner’s novels, and I knew very early on that she was one of my all-time favorites. But it wasn’t until years later, after sifting through complex, flawed, and extremely brave women like D.D. Warren, Flora Dane (my personal favorite), and now Frankie Elkin, that I could appreciate the full scope of why I love her work so much. Lisa Gardner writes powerful women you root for, fear for, and never forget. I think her writing is a big reason why I have such high standards for complex characters.

Frankie Elkin is exactly the kind of character I dream of: layered, flawed, and brave. In Kiss Her Goodbye, she’s searching for a missing Afghani woman while struggling with her own personal demons and recent decisions. The dual POV is fantastic. It provides enough rich backstory to keep readers emotionally engaged in the search for Sabara, while offering present-day intensity as we follow Frankie in her search.

Plot + Devices
I am obsessed with how Gardner pulls readers in and treats them like they’re smart enough to follow along. The plot device of characters making choices that directly conflict with the truth readers know is both brilliant and effective. Gardner is a masterclass in emotional suspense, cultural nuance, and fierce female resilience. Plus, she weaves just enough levity to be tasteful, backs it with excellent research, and builds a puzzle you solve as much with your heart as your head. (Have I mentioned I think she's brilliant?)

Characters
If you're like me and are hungry for interesting, multidimensional, and diverse characters who are instantly lovable, villains with believable nefarious motivations, learning a little bit about misunderstood cultures, and have a compassionate heart that wants to peek at the dark side of humanity, along with a desire to see badass women repeatedly brave their fears and beat the odds (and also happen to be funny), look no further.

Also, I would just like to add that, like all of Gardner’s characters, Frankie Elkin has a clear evolution arc throughout the series. Her evolution in Kiss Her Goodbye makes me emotional. It is so beautiful. I feel like Gardner really loves Frankie, and it shows. Frankie Elkin doesn’t just search for the missing - she finds pieces of herself along the way.

5 stars, baybeeee!

I am so grateful to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for my enthusiastic, honest review.

I've really grown to love Frankie Elkin as she ventures out to find the missing people that society might not be searching for. In this 4th installment of the series Frankie comes to Arizona to search for a missing Afghan women named Sabera Ahmadi. Her friends feel something is off about her disappearing and seek the services of Frankie.

During the course of the investigation Frankie learns a lot about the struggles refugees face when coming to a new country. I really enjoyed how Lisa Gardner portrayed the reality these refugees encounter and how she put these experiences into the story line of the Ahmadi family. Frankie continues diligently to find answers and uncovers a trove of information that helps her crack thr case.

I listened to the audio book and felt the narrators did a fantastic job. I'd highly recommend the audio book and physical book if you are not into audio.

Frankie is on another case, and this time in Tucson to find Sabera Ahmadi, a missing Afghan refugee whose disappearance has not been taken seriously by local authorities. This case continued to take surprising turns and more disappearances, murders and chaos are slowly revealed! The pacing picked up, I wouldn’t say it immediately drew me in, but I did enjoy the story overall. Hillary Huber did great with the narration, her tone truly captured Frankie’s weary demeanor as this case was way more than she originally bargained for. Although this can be read as a standalone, this book will absolutely appeal to Lisa Gardner fans as well as fans of the Frankie Elkin series and I do recommend the rest of this series. Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

While I was enjoying the narration, writing and the build-up of the mystery, I was uncomfortable with the way the United States were being framed as heroes/the good guys/saviors in their involvement in Afghanistan in this story -- something we all know they weren't -- and have decided to stop listening at 48%.

Hillary Huber did a great job with the narration and the different accents, and I was enjoying listening to her. The production and editing seemed good, as I couldn't tell when/where edits or re-recordings where done, if any -- something that is a pet peeve of mine when done poorly.

I'm new to the world of Frankie Elkin, and was enjoying her character a lot. There was a surprising amount of funny moments even in a mostly serious story, which was neat. I especially enjoyed the scenes with Petunia the iguana.

Sadly just a case of not being comfortable with some of the content.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this ALC.

This was the fourth book in the Frankie Elkin series and was a great read.

Frankie is in Arizona on the trail of a missing woman, Sabera, who is an Afghan refugee only recently arrived in the US. Her friend insists she would not have just left her young daughter behind.

This was a slow burn at some points as we find out the background of the woman and her family, and yet a full on tense thriller at other times as a double murder is revealed.

I found the details of the journey that many Afghan refugees take, and the difficulties they face adapting to a completely different way of life, very compelling, and the author did a wonderful job of showing the many sides of these difficulties, and the compassion of the people to help them find their way in their new country. The author's afterword explains why they chose to focus on this story and that makes for good reading too.

Frankie is an excellent character - flawed, with a lot of history and back story that explains some of her behaviors - but a tenacious, loyal and fiercely determined to find the people that authorities forget or ignore. I really like this series, and I'm looking forward to reading more about Frankie.

I found the side plot about Frankie's living situation to be a bit of light relief in such a traumatic story. Her care of Petunia the Iguana and several snakes was funny at times.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was excellent. The book is told through the eyes of both Frankie and Sabera, and the narrator did the 'voices' of the characters very well.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-AAC of Kiss Her Goodbye.

I have enjoyed the Frankie Elkin character, and was looking forward to this latest installment. I listened to the audiobook of this version, and the narrator was fantastic. Her switch between perspectives was seamless and added a lot to an already engaging story. I'm looking forward to more by this author and will seek out other books by the same narrator.

Missing persons expert Frankie Elkin has been hired to find a missing Afghan refugee, Sabera. Her friend was asked to watch her young daughter and Sabera hasn't come back for her after weeks, so she is convinced that something bad has happened. Curiously, Sabera's husband doesn't seem concerned.

Frankie takes on a house sitting job, with unusual pets, and a chauffer who is also a ballroom dancer, with some unusual talents.

The story goes back to Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul. And even futher back to Sabera's childhood.

The complexity and twists make this a very interesting thriller.

I listened to the audio version of the book. The narrator, Hillary Huber is outstanding. Her general performance is right on, but her accents and voices are so well done.

This has been one of my favorite ARCs

This mystery had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would unfold next. This mystery is not a murder who done it kind of situation, but figuring out what happened to these incredible characters fascinated me.

Not only was this a first novel for me by this author, but it was also the first novel I have read on the subject matter. Rarely does a fiction book make me want to do research on real life, but this novel shined a light on a very pressing current issue. Gardner was well researched and intentional on including details that felt authentic to Afghanistan’s culture. I would say the only thing that felt forced was the sharing of information from government sources to civilians.
This absolutely will not be the last of novels that I read by this author.

Because I was driving, I did not get all the quotes down that I would’ve wanted to from this novel, but I still got plenty

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“Never trust people who fatten their bellies off other people’s pain, and never ever believe any man knows what’s best for you, even if it comes from a place of love….especially when it comes from a place of love.”

“The girl is clearly teetering on the brink of exhaustion, which is the problem with trying to save the world, it’s much too big for one person to handle.”

“ sometimes the best thing to offer a fellow warrior is faith in their fortitude.”

“Genius can be attractive in its own way.”

“What do we want most in life - the things that ignite our wildest imaginations, or the things that ping our deepest longings?”

“It is home…it doesn’t have to be perfect to feel like you belong.”

“When you have traveled so far out of your comfort zone, spent so long living what must surely be someone else’s life, can you ever return to the person you thought you were?”

“I think, there are moments that cost you nothing and yet demand everything. I think, there are choices that allow you to survive and yet eventually cause you to perish.”

“ what is it about gorgeous women that make men so stupid?” 😂

“ in the end, we are all the same wanting to love and to be loved and wanting to believe such sentiments can last forever.”

In this thriller, Frankie searches for Sabera, an Afghan refugee who disappears, leaving behind her daughter. A video of her leaving a murder scene complicates things even more.

While not my favorite, it’s still a good read. Frankie remains the highlight — tough, sarcastic, and always ready to risk it all for strangers (even while babysitting lizards and tarantulas!).
Beyond the mystery, the book explores refugee life, the Taliban, Kabul, and mental health. I listened to the audiobook, which had great narration, though the large number of characters and multiple twists were sometimes hard to follow and felt a bit forced.

Conclusion: Not Gardner’s best, but a must-read for fans of the series and a meaningful, layered thriller

When an Afghani Woman refugee goes missing in the US, finding her become Frankie Elkin's next job. This book dives deeply into what challenges refugees go through, both in their home countries and finding their place in the US. Haunted by her thoughts and memories from her past Sabera Ahmadi has disappeared leaving her three year old and husband behind.

The investigation takes so many twists and turns. Having to dig into their past in Afghanistan to see if the past has followed them to the present. This book keeps you guessing what's next. Finding the answer is not simple, it involves the past, murder, mental illness, jealousy, and an iguana. (The iguana may be my favorite character). "Kiss Her Goodbye" made me really think about what my life is vs what it could be.

I loved Frankie's sarcasm and smart, she made me laugh several times as I am much the same. I really liked this book as it finds a good balance between the dark and the more lighthearted moments.

The narrator, Hillary Huber, did a great job!

Thank you Netgalley, Lisa Gardner, and Grand Centeral Publishing for the advanced copy of "Kiss Her Goodbye". This is my own review and thoughts.

Frankie Elkant number four in the series. In this book she is looking for a pakanstanis family who are in grave danger

3.5 stars. Not my favorite Frankie Elkin book, but another enjoyable installment in the series. This one focused on an Afghan refugee who has disappeared, and also features a new cast of associates for Frankie--who she has met while temporarily reptile-sitting at the mansion of a super-rich young gamer. You can see that Lisa Gardner did a lot of research into the plight of Afghans trying to escape after the Taliban seized control and in particular what life is like for refugees in the US, and she did a great job of working that information into a suspenseful story. I found it a little convoluted at times, but thought everything came together nicely in the end.

Narrator Hilary Huber was great, as always, but it might have made sense to have someone else narrate the sections from Sabera's POV. It seemed like she was occasionally struggling to stay in that accent, but overall not a problem.

This was scary. This was phenomenal. This one blew me away!

So we open up with scenes of a young girl dreaming/remembering their childhood and her brother... in another place and time...

We then move on to a mother and/or father, speaking with their child, and apparently, again, remembering many things from her childhood... including the beautiful times they shared when they were younger...

Then, we have the Mom bringing the girl with her to the market, or spending lazy days together, yet reinforcing her penchant for remembering things, memorizing things, and passing down information to her daughter... things the girl will always remember.

Her Mom gets sick... and things in her world will change forever...

From here we move to the girl being grown up... and losing her boyfriend to the horrendous wars in Afghanistan... and then the rush to move her family to America... with secrets, fear, and it seems like nothing else...

And then the real sh*t storm begins....

Sabera Ahmadi journeys to the USA with her new husband, Isaad, and their baby... in hopes of making a new start, a new life.

But things are not always as they seem...
And it seems like there are people and forces out to get her... in any way they can...

*** TRIGGERS: There is a lot of bloodshed, guns, knives, torture and more. ***
But, if you can see your way through this, this is a terrific book that will keep you on your toes and engaged from beginning to end!

Oh… and be sure to listen to the authors note at the end… it gives so much insight into her thoughts on writing and how this one came about!!

4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫 for me, gladly rounded up to 5!!

#KissHerGoodbye (Frankie Elkin, #4) by @LisaGardner and narrated nicely by @HillaryHuber.

*** THIS ONE HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET!!! *** PLEASE LOOK FOR IT ON 8/12/25!! ***

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, #HachetteAudio and #GrandCentralPublishing for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

I enjoyed how the narrator brought the characters to life for me.
Frankie falling into the perfect house/pet sitting job which also includes the perfect people to help her accomplish her goal of finding Sabera was fun.
The clues along the way and the challenges they all faced drew me along. I was a bit disappointed that they used boy wonder’s compound to trap the bad guys.
However, this story did a good job in bringing the plight of what the Afghan or really what any refugees endure.

I am such a huge fan of this series. I love how the author put a spotlight on refugees and provided some necessary insight into the challenges and hardships. I also liked how secrets continued to unfold and how some of the key players had very unique characteristics. The reptiles were weird, yet fun! Thank you, NetGalley.

PS - My only complaint is the cover (with this book and the others in the series). I think this series deserves more creativity!!!

Three weeks ago, Afghan refugee Sabera Ahmadi exited her place of work. She hasn’t been seen since. There are no signs of foul play (or anything else for that matter), and local police are not investigating. Her husband seems ambivalent. Her closest friend swears Sabera would never willingly leave her 3 year old daughter. She reaches out to Frankie Elkin (book 4 in the Frankie Elkin series, but works just fine as a standalone) to investigate.

Frankie is just getting her feet beneath her in Tucson, AZ, where her search has landed her, only to learn a video has been released showing Sabera walking away from a murder scene.

Frankie has taken on a pet sitting gig for tech mogul Bart, in exchange for free room and board. While at the estate of the mogul, she engages with his driver and his chef, who are also full-time residents.

Sabera’s husband Isaad, a brilliant mathematician, disappears under mysterious circumstances after Frankie is on the case. Then an attempt is made on their daughter Zahra’s life. It appears someone is trying to take this entire family out, with extreme violence.

This was a fast paced, action packed book with aspects that also provided levity (house sitting a massive lizard, who likes to cuddle for instance.) I can see this adapting to the big screen very well.

But at the end, I’m left wondering why these essentially complete strangers (tech mogul Bart’s employees) are so taken in to Frankie's investigation. In a matter of a days, after meeting with Frankie, they are willing to repeatedly risk their lives. It wasn’t a cause, it was a potentially missing person. Plus, the strangers are employees of a tech guru. They are running around, on the clock, involved in Frankie’s case? The overarching story is good. Frankie is a great character. This particular book just didn’t quite gel with me like the last one in this series did.

I think the second book in this series is still my favorite, but this one was still good that I stayed up late one night listening to it (did not finish though). I liked our new cast of characters that joined our MC Frankie (silly Petunia) and that some might make a cameo one day. The storyline was intriguing as well as one that will make me think well after the book is done.

"Kiss Her Goodbye" by Lisa Gardner is a gripping thriller that centers around the complexities of love, loss, and the lengths one might go to protect those they care about. The novel introduces us to a powerful protagonist, who is both relatable and deeply flawed, navigating a tense plot filled with unexpected twists.

Gardner's writing is sharp and evocative, drawing readers into the emotional landscape of her characters. The pacing is relentless, with suspense building steadily as secrets unravel. The interplay between the characters adds depth, exploring themes of trust and betrayal.

What stands out in this novel is Gardner's ability to create a palpable sense of urgency, making it hard to put the book down. The unexpected plot developments keep readers on their toes, ensuring that just when you think you have everything figured out, a new revelation flips the narrative.

Overall, "Kiss Her Goodbye" is a compelling read for fans of psychological thrillers, showcasing Gardner's skill in crafting a story that is both thrilling and emotionally resonant. It's a reminder of the complexities of human relationships and the shadows that can lurk beneath the surface.

Book four in this series, featuring recovering alcoholic turned hobbyist PI, Frankie Elkin. I have only read book three previously and definitely feel this book works as a standalone if, like me, you are missing the background from the first books.

Frankie is looking for missing Afghan refugee, wife and mother, Sabera Ahmadi. I loved reading about Sabera's life up to her arrival in the USA; lots of heartache, but a strong and determined young woman with a very special talent. Amongst a gripping plot, the story is told with empathy towards the challenges faced by refugees every day. There was some humour in the shape of Frankie's pet sitting role while she is in Tucson investigating Sabera's disappearance and this was cleverly woven into the main plot as the drama came to a head.

There were some epic twists as the mystery of Sabera"s whereabouts unravelled and some hugely tense moments where I found myself holding my breath! A great ending!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Lisa Gardner and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I love whenever Lisa Gardner comes out with a new Frankie Elkin novel. Each book in this series has its own distinct feel while Frankie hunts down a missing person. In Kiss Her Goodbye, Frankie is looking for Sabera Ahmadi, a recent Afghan refugee, who is living in Tuscon. She has been missing for a few weeks when Frankie starts looking for her at the behest of Sabera's best friend. I liked the back and forth between present day and Sabera's memories as she speaks to her daughter. It helped to create a good picture of who Sabera is and what she's also trying to hide.

I listened to the majority of this book and really enjoyed the narrator. I thought she did a good job of differentiating the voices present so they were distinct. Although each book that features Frankie has a new team of side characters for her to interact with, I do really hope we get to see some of these characters again. Also I liked the events in the house at the end of the novel. It gave me a very Home Alone feel to it when they try to rob Kevin's house in the film.

Now I'll let the wait begin for the next time Lisa Gardner will write a Frankie Elkin book for us.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio, and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.