And She Was
And She Was (Brenna Spector #1)
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...more
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...more
ebook, 384 pages
Published
February 21st 2012
by Harper Collins US
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My first read by this author and definitely not the last. Absolutely riveting! Gaylin knows how to ratchet up the suspense. Using as her main character a woman who has the ability to remember everything photographically was fascinating and a real stroke of characterization brilliance. It makes this thriller, interesting enough on its own, stand out in a truly unique way. Solid mystery/thriller and highly recommended.
Once upon a time, something “made up of whole cloth” was a good thing. Rather than sewn together from bits and pieces—remnants—a garment fabricated from a bolt of cloth had seams where they belonged, and an otherwise unblemished appearance. At some point along the line, unscrupulous tailors pawned off piecemeal clothing as made from whole cloth, and the meaning of the phrase was turned on its head.
I start with this little lexicological lesson not to suggest that Alison Gaylin has fabricated AND...more
I start with this little lexicological lesson not to suggest that Alison Gaylin has fabricated AND...more
Brenna Spector was inspired to become an investigator who searches for missing persons largely because her own sister disappeared mysteriously years earlier and was never seen again. Divorced, Brenna shares custody of her young daughter and must juggle her professional and parental responsibilities.
The thing that sets her most apart, though, is that she suffers from Hyperthymestic Syndrome, a very rare disease whose victims have perfect autobiographical memory. Brenna can recall in perfect deta...more
The thing that sets her most apart, though, is that she suffers from Hyperthymestic Syndrome, a very rare disease whose victims have perfect autobiographical memory. Brenna can recall in perfect deta...more
I give this book one giant 'Meh!'
And She Was is supposed to be a mystery/suspense novel, with an emphasis on the suspense ( I mean it even says it on the front cover ). Unfortunately for me, I was never in suspense. The author pretty much tells you what is going to happen to these characters chapters before it actually happens. I don't want to risk any spoilers, but believe me, you really won't be that surprised when certain things happen.
The book follows a private investigator named Brenna Spec...more
And She Was is supposed to be a mystery/suspense novel, with an emphasis on the suspense ( I mean it even says it on the front cover ). Unfortunately for me, I was never in suspense. The author pretty much tells you what is going to happen to these characters chapters before it actually happens. I don't want to risk any spoilers, but believe me, you really won't be that surprised when certain things happen.
The book follows a private investigator named Brenna Spec...more
I bought this book after a review on Tor.com knowing nothing else about it except 'a child goes missing, 11 years later a woman goes missing and they find Brenna's phone number in her wallet'. That's all. I was told by Waterstones that the book wasn't available in the UK but a friend found it on Amazon for me. I'm glad she did.
It's a 'normal' crime/thriller, nothing amazing about it except Brenna's memory which adds a very nice twist and the fact that I'm only 3/4 of the way through (I only star...more
It's a 'normal' crime/thriller, nothing amazing about it except Brenna's memory which adds a very nice twist and the fact that I'm only 3/4 of the way through (I only star...more
“And She Was” by Alison Gaylin is billed as a novel of suspense (on its cover, anyway), but it doesn’t quite fit that billing. Nevertheless, it’s a satisfactory enough read. Gaylin can write. That’s never in doubt. She turns many phrases beautifully but sometimes to the point where the language detracts from the story.
A little background: the story is basically about PI Brenna Spector investigating a years-old disappearance of a child named Iris and a modern-day disappearance that may be connect...more
A little background: the story is basically about PI Brenna Spector investigating a years-old disappearance of a child named Iris and a modern-day disappearance that may be connect...more
This was my first book by this author and for sure not my last. I have read a lot of books in my life and this one for sure has to be in my top 5! It was so unusual but exciting and entertaining all at the same time.
In the beginning of the book you meet, Carol Wentz. The first 9 pages totally took me for a loop. I had no clue what was really going on. Carol was impersonating, Lydia who's daughter, Iris disappeared long ago in a chat room for missing persons. And then people start disappearing. I...more
In the beginning of the book you meet, Carol Wentz. The first 9 pages totally took me for a loop. I had no clue what was really going on. Carol was impersonating, Lydia who's daughter, Iris disappeared long ago in a chat room for missing persons. And then people start disappearing. I...more
In 1998, six-year-old Iris Neff disappears. Eleven years later, Carol Wentz vanishes. This brings missing person investigator Brenna Spector into the search. Brenna has the unique ability to remember everything that has ever happened to her.
Carol had known Iris and felt that because she was curt with the little girl, it might have added to her disappearance. Brenna finds that Carol had joined a chat group for missing persons. She felt that she might get more results if she was a family member so...more
Carol had known Iris and felt that because she was curt with the little girl, it might have added to her disappearance. Brenna finds that Carol had joined a chat group for missing persons. She felt that she might get more results if she was a family member so...more
AND SHE WAS, by Allison Gaylin, is an exciting new thriller full of many twists that keep building on each other and come at the reader in a fast and furious pace, resulting in a climax that is a bit underwhelming, but the journey to get there was quite exhilerating.
Brenna Spector is a divorced, single mom, and also a private investigator that suffers from a disorder in which she remembers every little detail from every single day in her life. This disorder can be torture, like how it causes her...more
Brenna Spector is a divorced, single mom, and also a private investigator that suffers from a disorder in which she remembers every little detail from every single day in her life. This disorder can be torture, like how it causes her...more
I don't read a lot of suspense. Somehow the premise of this story and the description of the lead PI, in this book, apparently the first in a series, caught my attention. Brenna Spector is able to recall every detail of every day of her life. It's both a blessing and a curse that began with a traumatic event years earlier. Now Brenna is wrapped up in events happening in Tarry Ridge, a bedroom community of NYC. It appears a disappearance in present day may somehow be related to a five-year-old gi...more
And She Was
By: Alison Gaylin
I absolutely relished And She Was by Alison Gaylin. The story was so engrossing that I didn't want to do much else but read this book.
And She Was is a novel full of mystery and suspense till the very end,
Brenna Spector, a private investigator, has Hyperthymestic Syndrome. It is a very rare disorder that allows for perfect autobiographical memory.
This affords Brenna insight into her cases by allowing for total recall of things like documents, phone numbers people's...more
By: Alison Gaylin
I absolutely relished And She Was by Alison Gaylin. The story was so engrossing that I didn't want to do much else but read this book.
And She Was is a novel full of mystery and suspense till the very end,
Brenna Spector, a private investigator, has Hyperthymestic Syndrome. It is a very rare disorder that allows for perfect autobiographical memory.
This affords Brenna insight into her cases by allowing for total recall of things like documents, phone numbers people's...more
I'm a fan of Alyson Gaylin. She hits my sweet spot for suspense that's not too light or too dark, and I especially recommend her first book, Hide Your Eyes.
Having said that, I didn't think her last effort, Heartless, was up to her usual standard. There were things I liked about it - kind of a lot of things - but overall, I thought it was sort of corny and unfocused. It just didn't work for me. I only mention this in case you had the same experience and are thinking about passing on And She Was.....more
Having said that, I didn't think her last effort, Heartless, was up to her usual standard. There were things I liked about it - kind of a lot of things - but overall, I thought it was sort of corny and unfocused. It just didn't work for me. I only mention this in case you had the same experience and are thinking about passing on And She Was.....more
I bought this ebook because it sounded interesting and because it was discounted. It ended up exceeding my expectations. I love it when that happens.
Brenna Spector is a single mother working as a P.I. after her divorce. (By the way, I thought it was refreshing that the author didn't demonize the ex, which happens so much in books nowadays.) Brenna suffers from a rare disorder that gives her the ability (and curse) to recall every detail of her life. As a child, Brenna watched her older sister ge...more
Brenna Spector is a single mother working as a P.I. after her divorce. (By the way, I thought it was refreshing that the author didn't demonize the ex, which happens so much in books nowadays.) Brenna suffers from a rare disorder that gives her the ability (and curse) to recall every detail of her life. As a child, Brenna watched her older sister ge...more
Brenna is a private investigator who has Hyperthymestic Syndrome, a rare condition that gives the individual a perfect autobiographical memory. She recalls events to the time and date even those that occurred 10 years previously. Any small event, smell or sight will trigger a memory. Brenna's older sister disappeared when Brenna was 11 years of age and she has never forgiven herself. She promised her older sister, she would not tell their mother but when her sister never returned, Brenna has alw...more
Absolutely engrossing thriller. I could not put this book down. It was different from the norm and I was never quite sure where it was going. I did not find it predictable at all. I was browsing the books at a local big chain store and this one caught my eye for two reasons. One, it has written "A novel of suspense" on the cover, and I am always a sucker for that, and also on the cover is an endorsement from Harlan Coben, who is in my top five favorite authors. Good enough for me. This novel int...more
Mar 18, 2012
Karen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
hard-to-put-down-suspense,
great-mysteries
Even though this book had a few thing in it, I did not care for it was so awesome I had to give it a 5. When you do not want to finish the book, nor lay it down and you see the sequel will not be out for a year 2013 winter, and you want to cry ,you have to give it a 5. There is hope though she has others to do while waiting, Just not this series I believe. the protagonist has Hyperthymestic syndrome and uses it in her PI job helping to find missing. I am big on doing what I can with missing also...more
Wow. Just as you are trying to sort out each character and their relation to the story, you are confronted with weighing their good and their bad and does any good that they have done, justify the bad that they were ultimately responsible for.
I can sit in the middle of a very loud area and read a book, usual distractions do not bother me, but when I sat down with this book, I needed absolute quite. I was so intent on the story and the revelations that I did not want to miss a thing. When you beg...more
I can sit in the middle of a very loud area and read a book, usual distractions do not bother me, but when I sat down with this book, I needed absolute quite. I was so intent on the story and the revelations that I did not want to miss a thing. When you beg...more
This novel was good not great. I started reading this book almost three weeks ago and I read about 150 pages before I put it down for a couple weeks. It wasn't a real gripping read at that point and I only recently tried to get through it again. The second half of the book is really good! I read it in about two days. There were enough twists and turns to keep it interesting and to keep me turning those pages, and the mystery isn't solved until the very end. However, there were a few plots points...more
PI Brenna is hired by Mr. Wentz after his wife Carol disappears. Carol had been searching for Iris Neff, a six-year-old girl who went missing 11 years earlier. Brenna, who has perfect memory, had investigated Iris's disappearance because it mirrored her own sister's disappearance. Past and present collide in this mystery.
I enjoyed the story, although I would have preferred a faster paced read due to the genre. At times Brenna's memories and flashbacks from both her sister's and Iris's disappear...more
I enjoyed the story, although I would have preferred a faster paced read due to the genre. At times Brenna's memories and flashbacks from both her sister's and Iris's disappear...more
May 02, 2012
Carolyn F.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Carolyn F. by:
Karen @ Agatha Christie Group
It took a little while for me to get into this book but when I finally did I was so glad. Brenna is able to recall everything since her sister went missing. She remembers everything she sees, hears, smells, tastes, feels. When another girl is abducted in a blue car, she thinks it might have a connection to her sister. But no, it doesn't and her looking for answers ends her marriage. Ten years later, her name is given to a missing woman who was a peripheral part of the missing little girl, she's...more
Wow! Brenna has a condition that allows (or condemns) her to remember in detail everything that she has seen, heard, experienced since her sister disappeared 24 years ago. Now she is a private investigator, hired to help find a little girl who disappeared 11 years ago. I think I got this Kindle book about 2 years ago, and just read it. Then, when I looked for the next in the series, found that it was just available for Kindle on Jan 29! Karma. Anyhoo, now she has help in the person of the cute p...more
I really enjoyed this book. The detective has a disorder in which she remembers EVERYTHING she sees, hears, smells, etc. since a traumatic event in childhood. She can recall these things by choice, and more often than not, the memories take over at the worst of times...
That being said, she's on the trail of a killer who seems to be killing based on an event based in the past. There is the main mystery involved, but also side stories about her child, her ex, and how the current mystery may connec...more
That being said, she's on the trail of a killer who seems to be killing based on an event based in the past. There is the main mystery involved, but also side stories about her child, her ex, and how the current mystery may connec...more
Where are all these missing people? Carol Wentz, Iris Neff, Iris's mother, Lydia, and Brenna's sister, Clea? They all are missing from the same town within years of each other. Iris was last seen getting into a possibly blue car, just like the car that Breena's sister Clea had gotten into years before she disappeared.
In this story Breena has been hired to investigate the disappearance of Carol Wentz who was one of the last one's to speak to Iris before she disappeared.
Breena, the main character...more
In this story Breena has been hired to investigate the disappearance of Carol Wentz who was one of the last one's to speak to Iris before she disappeared.
Breena, the main character...more
I enjoyed the writing style of Gaylin. First book in the series, the characters are nicely developed. PI Brenna Spector has a medical condition where she remembers all details from every day of her life since her sister disappeared when she was a young girl. In this story, another young girl goes missing back in the late 90's and the mystery comes back to life 11 years later. People connected with the disappearance begin to die and Brenna feels compelled to solve the mystery. There are flashback...more
This was a clever suspense novel. It begins with the disappearance of a little girl, which creates a complex puzzle that plays out over a number of years. It's hard to describe the book without giving away the plot, so I won't say more about it. I was intrigued by the main character, a private detective who has is able to remember every detail of every moment of her life. She is sometimes frozen by her memories and is unable to remain in the present, which creates problems in her relationship wi...more
This is the first book I read by Alison Gaylin but it will not be my last. She can certainly write the way I like: descriptive - but not too much, emotional - but not sappy, suspenseful - but I don’t have to think too hard.
Brenna’s flashbacks throughout the story were fantastic. Can you imagine reliving all the experiences you’ve ever had with all 5 senses? Good grief. At least she put that skill to good use with her private investigator career. I would imagine this to be quite physically and e...more
Brenna’s flashbacks throughout the story were fantastic. Can you imagine reliving all the experiences you’ve ever had with all 5 senses? Good grief. At least she put that skill to good use with her private investigator career. I would imagine this to be quite physically and e...more
I picked this up in the airport last week not expecting much. I couldn't out the thing down!
I'm not sure ive read this author before but I enjoyed her writing and thought the story was great. I've never read a book where a character has this disorder and it certainly made things interesting.
There may have been a couple times I had to go back and reread a section because I got some of the characters confused but that could have been my just not paying close enough attention.
About half way throu...more
I'm not sure ive read this author before but I enjoyed her writing and thought the story was great. I've never read a book where a character has this disorder and it certainly made things interesting.
There may have been a couple times I had to go back and reread a section because I got some of the characters confused but that could have been my just not paying close enough attention.
About half way throu...more
I had a hard time taking to this character when I first started reading this book, but the mysteries of what happened to both Carol and Iris kept me interested. I was finally able to feel some connection to Brenna about 1/3 of the way through the book, and am looking forward to the next book. Ms. Gaylin definitely writes a great mystery that holds your interest and the solution was very satisfying. Especially considering I never saw it ending like that, and I usually have some clue as to who did...more
I bought this book because it was .99 in the Nook store, so I had low expectations. I've since added the author's other books to my list at the library. Very interesting story and creative premise. I am pretty good and figuring out the twists as they start to present themselves, and I didn't see this one coming.
It took a little while to get going, mostly because it took me a few chapters to really understand the back and forth between the present time and the memories that were triggered. Once...more
It took a little while to get going, mostly because it took me a few chapters to really understand the back and forth between the present time and the memories that were triggered. Once...more
Jan 08, 2013
Dixie Goode
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
suspense-mystery
When I first picked up this book from the paperback shelf in the supermarket and read the back blurb, I was convinced it was the basis for the TV series, "Unforgettable" about Detective Carrie Wells. I even noticed that the word "unforgettable" was used on the front of the book, above the title, to describe "And She Was." Certainly the back blurb could equally describe the TV show, and it isn't a common premise or about a common mental condition.
Both are about a woman who becomes an investigator...more
Both are about a woman who becomes an investigator...more
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Alison Gaylin is a journalist who has covered the arts and entertainment for more than fifteen years. Her first novel, HIDE YOUR EYES, debuted in March, 2005 with nearly a quarter of a million copies in print and was nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award for a first novel. The sequel, YOU KILL ME, was published in 2006 to rave reviews. Her first hardcover, TRASHED, out in September 2007, launc...more
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Mar 19, 2012 05:44am