The Book:
Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie
Published June 27, 2023 by Atria Books
Date read: June 14, 2023
The Characters:
Cassie
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
Equipped with a burner phone and a new job, Cassie Peters has left her hectic and secretive life in New York City for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she begins working again with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where a case she worked a decade ago continues to haunt her.
She quickly falls into old patterns, joining a group of fellow seasonal workers and young adventurers who have made Yosemite their home during the summer. There, she meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older wife, keeping a detailed diary of the goings on of the park, and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, documenting their journey on Instagram.
When these three women cross paths, Cassie’s past catches up with her, and the shocking consequences ripple out far beyond what any could have imagined in this unputdownable thriller.
How did Have You Seen Her end?
The Ending:
Cassie was working with Petal and Jada. They had met on a forum for abused women and made a plan to get away from their partners. Cassie just wanted to escape Kevin, but Petal thought he should be killed. She had strangled Jim and then lured Kevin into the forest. Petal shot Kevin and set it up with fake texts to make it look like he’d be stalking and threatening Cassie, so Cassie was able to say she shot him in self-defense. Petal and Jada disappeared, but Petal texted Cassie to let her know she was still watching her.
I hope these Have You Seen Her spoilers were helpful.
The Review:
I LOVED the Yosemite setting. It’s so fun to read about a place you’ve visited! I’m not a rock climber, but I visited a few years ago to hike Half Dome and a few other trails. I absolutely adored reading Cassie’s hiking scenes, especially trails I recognized from my own visit to the park.
The mystery is interesting with great lead-up. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t wait to discover who the “her” in the title referred to. There are some flash-forwards to present day, but most of the story is told a few months in the past. The flash-forward chapters were just enough to tease the direction the story was going to take, but I didn’t guess the twist at all.
The reveal was satisfying, although I do wish we got to see a bit more of the aftermath of the events that occurred.
I would definitely recommend this thriller to hikers or anyone who enjoyed Breathless or The Last To Vanish.
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