Have You Seen Her

An incredibly atmospheric, slow-burn thriller in a gorgeous setting!

Catherine McKenzie does a phenomenal job of bringing Yosemite National Park to life—the wilderness feels like a character of its own, beautiful yet deeply perilous.

What worked for me:

The Mixed-Media Format: I loved how the story was told through a mix of traditional POV, journal entries, and Instagram posts. It made the mystery feel incredibly modern and engaging.

The Cast of Characters: Cassie, Petal, and Jada are all compelling, complex women running from secrets, and I loved seeing their paths slowly collide.

The Search & Rescue Details: The wilderness rescue elements felt realistic, intense, and exceptionally well-researched.

Why it's 4 stars instead of 5:
The show more build-up and suspense were fantastic, but the final resolution felt a bit abrupt and left me with a few lingering questions. Still, it was a highly addictive, wild ride that I would absolutely recommend to any thriller fan! show less

Cassie leaves New York City to move back to her hometown in California, bringing a burner phone with her. She gets a job with Yosemite Search and Rescue where she previously worked ten years ago. As she settles into old routines and meets new people, her past begins to catch up to her.

HAVE YOU SEEN HER sucked me in from the beginning and quickly became unputdownable. I was engrossed in the mystery of what was happening with Cassie and the other women that she met while in Yosemite Park. The pacing is fast and there is a dual timeline but the chapters are clearly marked so I had no problems following. I enjoyed the writing. I did not guess the big twist which made this book all the more enjoyable. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about show more was the ending. I wish that it had ended a little sooner and the very last few pages hadn’t been included. I think things were overly explained and I would have preferred making my own speculations.

HAVE YOU SEEN HER was an excellent read that I’d highly recommend to fans of mystery/thrillers with the feel of true crime. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I will definitely be adding her other works to my ‘want to read’ list.

Thank you to Atria Books for the giveaway ARC. show less

Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie is a highly recommended slow burning thriller set in Yosemite National Park.

Cassie Peters is escaping her husband and returning to a job she previously held ten years earlier when she lived in her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. She has it all planned. After dumping her phone and purchasing a burner phone, she heads off to her summer job working with Yosemite Search and Rescue. A case that occurred 10 years ago was the impetus for her leaving and this case still haunts her.

Also in the area is Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with Sandy, her much older partner. She writes in a journal daily observations about life around her. Also in the park are social media influencers and recent show more college graduates, Jada and her boyfriend Jim, who are documenting their trip to Yosemite on Instagram. Then, when a crisis occurs and hikers go missing, tensions run high and all hands are needed in the search and rescue team.

The narrative is slow to build but sets perfectly into place the final twist. Chapters alternate between noted "now" and "then" chapters, as well as journal entries and Instagram posts. Readers who enjoy novels from several unique points of view expressed in different ways will appreciate the format of Have You Seen Her. Some readers will need to take extra care to follow the layout of the novel, but most should easily follow the setup.

Clearly, the tension builds as you know something awful is going to happen right from the start of the novel. Character development is slowly established and similarities between characters are established. The women in the novel are fully established personalities that resemble real people. Although there are several surprises in store for readers that involve the character's personalities.

Those who love twists, a narrative told in a differing structure, and strong female leads will appreciate and hopefully enjoy Have You Seen Her for a great summer read.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/06/have-you-seen-her.html show less

Intrigue and danger in a national park.

This thriller takes off quickly and the fast pace keeps the reader hooked with some interesting characters and lots of secrets.

Cassie Peters returns to a familiar place after escaping an abusive marriage and starts a summer job with search and rescue at Yosemite. Petal, traveling with her partner, an older woman, is looking for something to write about and is usually observing and scribbling in her notebook. Jada is on an adventure with her boyfriend, Jim, and posting all the details on social media. The women meet at the park but really have nothing in common. Cassie’s days are consumed with work and she can’t really allow herself to feel safe as she remembers the last time she was in this show more area. Then, Jada and Jim go missing and a massive manhunt proves unsuccessful in finding the couple. Next, Petal vanishes. Are these disappearances connected and where are these people?

The narrative is told mainly from Cassie’s point of view and shifts back and forth in time from then and now. It’s all pretty dramatic and twisty at the end. It kept me interested and was an easy, entertaining read.

Rated 3.5 stars and rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. I also borrowed the audiobook from my local library and shifted between them. show less

Ms. McKenzie signature trade mark has been her success for years and she knows how to exploit it to maximum. In “Have You Seen Her” she keeps us in the middle of the action while taking her protagonist on a journey into her past as everything moves along she intermixes modern twists and provides us with a buffet of events to enjoy. As in her previous novel this latest is no exception to the thrill we experience.

Cassie Peter, the star player, decides to leave life in New York City to return home to Mammoth Lakes to start a new job working Search and Rescue at Yosemite National Park and reconnects with other seasonal workers. Being at the site she once worked at triggers memories of events that have been haunting her for years. Soon show more she crosses paths with Petal and Jada ......this encounter will turn out to be a summer that Cassie will never forget....

We have a solid narration to guide us even when the story spins around in deferent ways. The twists and turns keep teasing us to follow through, I surely love the suspense. This drama is well said and the characterization is up to par. Nicely done, Ms. McKenzie you penned a stunning thriller.

A large thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC show less

This was overall, fine. I liked the twists at the end. I have read from this author before and was excited to get into more from her. I enjoyed the setting and the writing style a lot as well.
My biggest issue is how similar the first half was to the Gabby Petito case, and a lot of the details being similar. I wasn't super comfortable with that, as there's still litigation surrounding that case going on currently.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance copy of this book.

Cassie is running from her past and her husband, Kevin. But, she runs back to Yosemite, where 10 years earlier, as part of the Search and Rescue (SAR) team, she found a missing woman, Cameron. Now, she is back on SAR, hiding in plain sight. At the park, there are several campers that are long-term residents, including Petal and Jada. When several people go missing, Cassie starts receiving anonymous threatening texts and she fears Kevin is getting closer.
As the summer season winds down, Cassie is questioned about a crime. What happens next will surprise you.