Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner

 

Serial killer Kaylee Pierson is a matter of weeks away from execution. Her one regret is that her younger sister, Lea, went missing the night she fled an abusive relationship. Convinced that Lea has been held captive by her abuser for over a decade, Kaylee asks Frankie Elkin for help tracking her sister down. Frankie is an expert in finding missing people, people everyone else has given up on.

The name Lisa Gardner is well known by fans of thrillers. When I checked the author's back catalogue I was surprised to find that it must be well over ten years since I'd read anything by the author. This certainly wasn't deliberate, as I've mentioned in a previous post there are so many brilliant female thriller writers around at the moment it is sometimes difficult to keep up with writers you enjoy. 

The description of Still See You Everywhere certainly appealed to me; a serial killer, a young woman being held captive, someone going undercover on an isolated Hawaiian island. I certainly wasn't disappointed by the opening chapters of the book.

We quickly meet Frankie Elkin, a wanderer who takes on jobs when she decides. Frankie is driven to help find people society has given up on. I could not help but compare Frankie to Jack Reacher, another wanderer who has his own moral code which results in him helping the small guy.

Frankie has been tracked down by the attorney of a serial killer, Kaylee Pierson, The Beautiful Butcher. Kaylee is not the type of person you want to get on the wrong side of, particularly if you're male. She has no remorse regarding what she has done and fully accepts she's about to die. Her only regret is that when she fled her last relationship she left behind her little sister. Desperate to re-establish contact with her sister and make sure she is safe and well she requests Frankie's help. The main problem is that her last relationship was with a tech billionaire who has an isolated island off the coast of Hawaii.

The island is in the process of being made into an exclusive ecologically friendly resort, so Frankie has to go undercover as a worker on the island. There are only a dozen other workers on the island so it should be easy for Frankie to track down Lea if she's there.

I am sure we've all dreamt of relaxing on a beautiful tropical island. After reading Still See You Everywhere I can state categorically that this is no longer a dream of mine, it would be more like a nightmare. The description of the floor constantly moving was enough to unsettle me, followed by instructions about hanging your shoes up to prevent spiders, geckos or scorpions from hiding in them. The deciding factor was when I Googled "coconut crab"! I've seen a picture of one before and thought it was a film prop, to discover they really exist was shocking and enough to stop me dreaming about tropical islands. 

The descriptions of the natural dangers on the island, along with a storm and someone trying to sabotage the building project made for a pacey story. Unfortunately, the momentum of the story ground to a halt a couple of times when Frankie started dwelling on the past. This didn't add anything to the story, it was just rambling. 

Chaos reigns in the conclusion, with some spectacular twists. I did feel that this nightmare scenario could have lasted longer, making for an even more frightening and panic-ridden finale.

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner will be published on 14th March 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for a review copy.