Have you read Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner and need a plot summary? Looking for spoilers? Want to discuss the ending? You’re in the right place! Check out my Spoilers and Plot Summary for Before She Disappeared!
Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner. Published by Dutton on January 21, 2021.
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Plot Summary for Before She Disappeared
Frankie arrives in Boston to look for Angelique, a 16 year old Haitian American girl who went missing one day after school. She gets a room and a job bartending in Angelique’s neighborhood. Angelique’s aunt and brother reluctantly give her permission to investigate.
She learns that Angelique was a “10 year Haitian,” in the U.S. on a special ten year visa after the 2010 Haitian earthquake.
Angelique’s brother Emmanuel says she was secretly taking online classes to graduate from high school early and get a student visa to attend college. He was able to log into Angelique’s online course account on their shared computer and says she was still doing online schoolwork as of a month ago. Her brother realizes she has left a code for him in an essay she submitted: “help us.”
The lead cop on the case, Detective Lotham, reluctantly starts cooperating with Frankie after she searches Angeliques’s house and finds something missed by police — rolls of cash hidden in a lamp.
Frankie learns that another girl from the neighborhood, Livia, went missing around the same time. Livia was a talented graphic designer. The police discover that some of the money Frankie found in the lamp is counterfeit. Could the two girls have been kidnapped and are being forced to counterfeit money?
Angelique is spotted trying to buy a new burner phone. She flees, but drops her fake ID. Frankie focuses on the fake ID that Angelique dropped. Were she and Livia making fake IDs?
Spoilers for the ending of Before She Disappeared
Livia’s body is discovered. Frankie finds another connection between Livia and Angelique – a teacher from Livia’s school taught graphic design and 3D printing at the rec program attended by both girls. Frankie figures out that Angelique and Livia have been helping forge the documents needed to apply for a student visa.
Angelique’s brother is kidnapped. Frankie figures out that the mastermind behind the counterfeit scheme is is the head of the rec center, Frederic. He’s forcing the girls to work for him. Frankie goes to the rec center and rescues Angelique and her brother. Frankie is shot but recovers.
What did you think of Before She Disappeared? I really liked it. Often in these books, the missing person is found dead, but I came to like Angelique and her family and was really happy that she was discovered alive!
Frankie reminded me a little of Jack Reacher from the Lee Child series. And a little of Matthew Scudder, the recovering alcoholic PI in the books by Lawrence Block.
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what do you think if the whole Paul situation?
You’re right – I did not really talk about Paul and her sad backstory of the alcoholism and her feelings of guilt about his death. The Paul story does explain why Frankie now does what she does. Hopefully she got a bit of closure at the end of the book!