About the Book

From an Edgar Award nominee ("Hide Your Eyes") comes the haunting story of a female missing persons investigator whose hunt for a local woman, whereabouts unknown, connects her to a long-lost child and her own dark past. Original.

Book Synopsis

"A deftly plotted, completely involving novel with one of the most memorable protagonists to come along in years."
--Laura Lippman

"Label me a big fan."
--Harlan Coben

Edgar(R) Award nominated author Alison Gaylin is rapidly becoming a major player in the thriller game. A breathtaking novel of suspense, Gaylin's And She Was introduces a remarkable new protagonist: Brenna Spector, a missing persons investigator afflicted with Hyperthymestic Syndrome, a rare disorder that enables her to remember every moment of every day of her life. A twisting mystery, both chilling and surprising, And She Was sets the haunted investigator on the trail of a missing child who vanished more than a decade earlier--a case with disturbing echoes in Brenna's own scrupulously remembered past. Discover what Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardener, Laura Lippman, and other masters of suspense and crime fiction have already learned: Alison Gaylin is one of the best!

From the Back Cover

On a summer afternoon in 1998, six-year-old Iris Neff walked away from a barbecue in her small suburban town . . . and vanished.

Missing persons investigator Brenna Spector has a rare neurological disorder that enables her to recall every detail of every day of her life. A blessing and a curse, it began in childhood, when her older sister stepped into a strange car never to be seen again, and it's proven invaluable in her work. But it hasn't helped her solve the mystery that haunts her above all others--and it didn't lead her to little Iris. When a local woman, Carol Wentz, disappears eleven years later, Brenna uncovers bizarre connections between the missing woman, the long-gone little girl . . . and herself.

Review Quotes

"A fresh new talent." - Perri O'Shaughnessy
"[Gaylin's books] will blow your mind." - Lisa Gardner
"A deftly plotted, completely involving novel with one of the most memorable protagonists to come along in years. Brenna Spector is tough, loyal, and canny -- and that's just in her day-to-day life as the mother of an adolescent." - Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author
"The perfect storm; a serious talent hits on a great idea and sparks a wonderful new character we'll follow anywhere. One of my favorite writers raises the bar--again." - Lee Child
"Deftly plotted...with one of the most memorable protagonists to come along in years." - Laura Lippman
"Label me a big fan." - Harlan Coben