Have You Seen Me?

Have You Seen Me? by Kate White
HarperCollins: 4/28/20
eBook review copy; 384 pages

Have You Seen Me? by Kate White is a recommended novel of suspense.

Early in the morning Ally Linden arrived at her office disheveled and rain soaked only to discover she didn't have her keycard. Once her boss arrives, she is shocked to learn that she hasn't work there in five years and she faints. At the hospital Ally discovers that she is suffering from a dissociative episode and she can't remember the events of the last two days. She also doesn't have her handbag or cell phone. She does remember that she is married to Hugh, is a finance journalist, and other facts are readily available, but she cannot recall a single event from the last two days.

After finding a wad of bloody tissues in her coat pocket, Ally wonders if she saw some traumatic accident or if a past experience could have triggered this event. Ally decides that she needs to hire a private detective to try and uncover her actions over the last two days. She knows there was tension in her marriage because she is not ready for children, but could a fight over this trigger the dissociative event? Her husband seems caring, but distant and her best friend is not available, so she turns to her brother and therapist for support. She also feels, at times, like she's being watched.

Admittedly when the story started out with Ally not remembering where she was for the last two days I rolled my eyes, but I went along with it. Most of this uneven suspense novel consists of Ally trying to recall events and tracking down clues. While the writing is very descriptive, the pace is slow at times which made the novel drag a bit for me. I also tired of some of the descriptions of clothing, food, and homes. If you enjoy all of these details all the time, then it is very likely you'll enjoy this novel more. Frankly, I almost set this novel aside more than once due to the uneven pace.

On the plus side the characters were well developed and realistic. White throws in plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing and there are enough twists to keep you reading. The ending though.... rushed and unbelievable. 3.5, but I'm rounding down.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.