Lisa Gardner's Frankie Elkin: Searching for the forgotten ones

I am yet to review on my blog any of the books by American crime author, Lisa Gardner, as it's been a while since I've read one of her titles. I'm a huge fan of her books and have read pretty much all of them. That is no mean feat as Gardner is a prolific writer. She has written a bunch of standalone novels and three crime series: A pair of FBI profilers, a private investigator, and a Boston homicide detective. The Frankie Elkin books form the basis of Gardner's fourth and latest series, following the exploits of a loner and recovering alcoholic who finds cold case missing people the world has forgotten. Frankie is a kind of Jack Reacher, but without the deadpan humour and brute strength. She has no home or possessions to speak of and she searches for missing people without payment. These searches have become something of an obsession, an attempt to keep her alcoholism at bay. They are in keeping with her desire to shy away from a conventional lifestyle, given her family background.

Gardner's unique take on the missing persons genre is interesting to read, largely due to Frankie's flaws and her dogged determination to find missing people the world has forgotten about. I like that she is an ordinary person, searching for missing people using her street smarts and ability to blend in, without any qualifications or prior experience. Here is my review of books 1-3.

Before she disappeared | Published 2021 | Read November 2022

Book 1 introduces Frankie Elkin so there's lots of backstory so the reader can get to know her. I liked Frankie from the outset! She's an average middle-aged woman, a loner and recovering alcoholic, and a survivor of a tragic past. There are definite parallels with Lee Child's Reacher character, as Frankie has no fixed abode and wanders around the place carrying her limited belongings with her.

The reader learns that Frankie is on a mission to find the missing people no one else seem to be searching for, even though she is doing not doing it for money or accolades. It's all about redemption for Frankie, to make up for past mistakes and to keep the demons at bay that lead her to alcohol.

A new case brings Frankie to Mattapan, a Boston neighbourhood with a rough reputation. She is searching for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school months earlier. Frankie meets resistance from the Boston PD and the victim's wary family and locals are suspicious of a stranger prying into their business. Frankie finds a job in a local bar and starts to become part of the community.

I was completely immersed in Before she disappeared and was behind Frankie all the way. I liked the way Gardner crafted the missing persons case, highlighting the way Frankie figured it all out by connecting with people through her honest and heartfelt approach, being a good listener, and asking the right questions. The book moves along at an even pace, the case becomes more complex as Frankie digs deeper, and the resolution is satisfying.

I had high hopes for this series, so I gave the first book 5 stars, largely for the premise and Frankie's strong characterisation.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One step too far | Published 2022 | Read August 2023

We find Frankie in One step too far searching for missing man, Tim O'Day, on his father's annual quest to find what happened to his son who disappeared after a camping trip five years in the Wyoming mountains on the eve of his wedding. Frankie teams up with Martin, Tim's Dad, Tim's friends who were with him on the trip, a professional hiker and survivalist, (weirdly) a Sasquatch hunter, and cadaver dog, Daisy, and her handler. As the search for Tim marches on, Frankie discovers that others have gone missing in the wood before, and when strange things start happening to her search party, the action ramps up.

What did I like? Frankie's strong characterisation and set up in book 1 is still present in book 2. There is more of Frankie's backstory revealed. That said, I hope Gardner plans to show Frankie's character growth, because it all the self-criticism could become stale if Frankie move forward. I loved being immersed in the mountain setting and the gruelling search for Tim.

What didn't I like? The story is less about the skills Frankie shows to build relationships and ask the right questions in book 1 and more of a survivalist story in the wilderness. There's not a lot I can say about the search for Tim without giving it all away, but the serial killer element is weak and the motive for the killings is well...a bit silly.

I had trouble rating One step too far. There is no doubt that Frankie is a compelling character and Gardner has an interesting premise for the series. However, the whole thing makes little sense and explaining everything in an epilogue seems like lazy writing. I was disappointed in the ending, too, and a bit baffled by it. It's hard to explain that without spoiling, but trust me, plot holes abound and it's just not believable.

I wish Gardner had stuck to the formula in book 1, where Frankie uses her street smarts to find the missing person. In book 2, she is relegated to one part of a search party. The reason for Frankie joining the search team doesn't ring true as she has no wilderness survival skills to add anything to the quest to find Tim.

My 3-star rating is generous and based on the wilderness setting, my loyalty to Gardner, and the promise of better Frankie Elkin books to come.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Still see you everywhere | Published March 2024 | Read March 2024

In Still see you everywhere Frankie is called to a Texas death row prison to meet The Beautiful Butcher, a stunning young woman of Hawaiian origin who has been convicted of butchering 18 men after luring them home with the promise of sex. Keahi Pierson exhibits no remorse for her crimes and accepts her fate. She hires Frankie to find her long-lost younger sister, Leilani. The search leads Frankie to a remote atoll in the Hawaiian islands and to a vanity project of Keahi's ex-boyfriend, the mega rich Sanders McManus. Keahi hasn't seen her sister, now 17 years old, for 12 years, and she's desperate to rescue Leilani from McManus's clutches before her execution.

I read that Lisa Gardner took a year off writing to travel and Frankie Elkin book 3 was inspired by her visit to Palmyra Atoll. The book is full of descriptions of the basic conditions on the fictional atoll, the heat and humidity, the lush vegetation, wild weather, and crazy giant crabs and wolf spiders. Frankie is thrust into the dangerous world of the base camp with a small band of eccentric adventurers who are working for McManus on his eco lodge project.

Book 3 feels quite different to the other two. In the earlier novels, Frankie investigates the missing persons cases openly and without a clue as to the whereabouts of the disappeared. In Still see you everywhere, she is more passive in her search as she's supposed to be undercover. Actually, Frankie doesn't even have to find the missing person (which is weird) as she knows where she is from the get go. Frankie also does a pretty rubbish job of being undercover, revealing her mission and her true intentions to the group of fellow base camp workers without knowing who to trust. That seemed odd to me.

The set up is intriguing, though, based on Frankie's prison visit and Keahi's backstory. The premise is great, but Frankie's quest takes way too long time to gain legs. There is a lot of description for a good deal of the book of life on the atoll and its flora and fauna. When things get going, the action jumps describing from cooking and avoiding crabs to complete craziness!

I rather liked the wild ride of it all, but the whole book makes little sense. As other readers have commented, I'm not sure why Frankie is even there. As the chaos unfolds, it becomes clear that the Master Plan does not require Frankie to search for Leilani. It's hard to explain without spoiling, but the whole missing persons thing just doesn't vibe in this book.

The ending is a bit bonkers as well, but I still quite liked the twists and turns and not knowing who to trust or believe. Bonus points for the handsome and equally damaged Vaughan, the resort's project manager, and the two fun, eccentric cooks.

All that said, I love Frankie. She's an everywoman - tough, resilient, and flawed. Her struggles with alcohol and her quest to find her place in the world are nicely written, and I can connect with her as a character. Gardner makes it clear that Frankie does what she does to make amends for past mistakes and book 1 shows how much potential there is for this series to shine.

I had trouble rating book 3, just as I did with book 2. I love Frankie, so the stars awarded reflect that love. Like the wilderness location of book 2, the location in book 3 (and the band of eccentric characters on the island) is almost more interesting than the missing persons case. I will read book 4 (Kiss her goodbye, published in 2025) and hope that it is better than books 2 and 3.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐