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And She Was

(Brenna Spector #1)

Alison Gaylin (Goodreads Author)

3.76 · Rating details · 2,952 ratings · 413 reviews

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

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Paperback, 355 pages

Published February 21st 2012 by Harper

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· 2,952 ratings · 413 reviews

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Jan 31, 2017 Li'l Owl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series, psychological-suspense-thriller, to-read-again, private-detective-investigator, owl-s-books-own, mystery-crime-suspense-thriller

Wow! Alison Gaylin is brilliant!
This is the first book in the Brenna Spector series and I'm so glad I already have the next two, Into the Dark and Stay With Me in my library. Hyperthymestic Syndrome is an exceedingly rare condition in which a person has the ability to recall any date and remember everything about that day. Not just the contents of the memory but the memory including all five senses, as well. Now take this real life, very rare condition and apply it to a private investigator who ...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Rick rated it it was amazing

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.

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Jul 18, 2012 James Thane rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-fiction

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

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Apr 02, 2012 Kelly rated it it was ok

I don't know if it's fair to rate this book because I didn't finish it. I was halfway through the book when I just couldn't read any more. The main character, Brenna, is so dull and boring. The story was dragging on and on without anything exciting happening. ...more

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May 21, 2012 Christine rated it it was ok

A little too much back and forth in the timeline...

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Jan 09, 2014 Alisha Marie rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery-thriller, e-books-i-ve-read, read-2013

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm going to say this: I had absolutely no idea that And She Was was the start of a new mystery series. I honestly thought that it was a stand-alone novel. Had I known that it was written as the start of a series, I might have been more lenient towards it as it is only the first of what is (probably) many and therefore, it's going to (probably) get more detail-oriented (and better) as the series goes along. But again, I had no clue, so leniency was not given. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm going to say this: I had absolutely no idea that And She Was was the start of a new mystery series. I honestly thought that it was a stand-alone novel. Had I known that it was written as the start of a series, I might have been more lenient towards it as it is only the first of what is (probably) many and therefore, it's going to (probably) get more detail-oriented (and better) as the series goes along. But again, I had no clue, so leniency was not given. And I do have to say that with And She Was...I was just not impressed.

The Good: I liked most of the characters. And now realizing that this is going to be a series, I can totally get on board with numerous books featuring these characters. I liked Brenna. She was sassy and sarcastic and just how I like my female characters to be written. I adored her relationship/bromance with Trent. In fact, that was probably my favorite aspect of And She Was. I was interested in Brenna's background and wanted more of it. I wanted more of her relationship with her sister and her relationship (both past and current) with her mother. Her disorder (can't remember how to spell it) was intriguing enough that I want to read more about it.

The Meh: Okay, I'm just going to get this out of the way, I don't like bratty teenagers...And despite my love for YA novels, I hate reading about them. Therefore, I could not stand Maya. Her general existence (as well as her overbundance of eye-rolling) really aggravated me. Another thing that really took me out of And She Was was the name-dropping that kept occurring. Great, the author knows who Death Cab for Cutie is. Awesome, she knows about Rachel Yamagata...but I really couldn't care less. Especially since the name dropping had nothing to do with the case. It seemed like the author was just trying to show how "cool" and "hip" she is...it didn't work.

The Bad: Brenna's disorder is interesting. I would love to read a non-fiction book about it. Her disorder is also really annoying to semi-experience from a reader standpoint. The constant flashbacks that would happen seemingly out of nowhere and had absolutely no order to them confused me. I understand that that was the whole point of the way And She Was was written; to somewhat showcase what this disorder does, but again, as a reader, I was turned off by the way it was executed. I'm someone who can generally follow along pretty well in a mystery novel. But the flashbacks serving as a semi-introduction to way too many characters meant that I spent the first half of the novel trying to figure out which current character was in which flashback and the second half of the novel finally not giving a crap. Too many characters that only showed up as a blip on the radar made it sort of hard to follow, at least for me. So by the time I reached the end of And She Was I just didn't care about the case or the whodunit...I just wanted it to be over with.

So overall, I found And She Was a bit disappointing. It had all the elements of a good series: intriguing characters with intriguing backstories, but the case on this one was just not up to snuff...at least for me. And as a standalone, it left a lot to be desired...As the first book of the series, I guess it was okay. I'm interested enough that I will definitely be taking a look at the next in this series.

...more

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Mar 18, 2014 Max Everhart rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery

I’ve been looking for a new series to obsess over, and well, the search is over. And She Was by Alison Gaylin stars Brenna Spector, a forty-something private detective who specializes in missing person cases. And here’s the intriguing bit about the protagonist: she is stricken (if that’s the right word) with Hyperthemesia. (It means she has an incredibly detailed autobiographical memory…yeah, I had to look it up, too.) Spector recalls, with breathtakingly stunning clarity, practically every sing I’ve been looking for a new series to obsess over, and well, the search is over. And She Was by Alison Gaylin stars Brenna Spector, a forty-something private detective who specializes in missing person cases. And here’s the intriguing bit about the protagonist: she is stricken (if that’s the right word) with Hyperthemesia. (It means she has an incredibly detailed autobiographical memory…yeah, I had to look it up, too.) Spector recalls, with breathtakingly stunning clarity, practically every single moment of her life.

And She Was starts with the disappearance of Iris Neff, a little girl who suddenly walks off from a neighborhood barbecue, never to be heard from again. Cut to a decade later when one of those present at the barbecue–Carol Wentz, a mild-mannered wife with a seemingly boring husband–becomes obsessed with the case. After years of secret investigations, Carol manages to get a beat on Iris, but before she can reach out to her Carol ends up in the trunk of a car, murdered. That’s when Nelson Wentz, the prime suspect in the murder, hires Brenna Spector, not to track down Iris Neff, but to figure out who killed his wife. The tension mounts at every turn as Spector finds haunting parallels between the Iris Neff case and her own life. And, naturally, Spector comes to the conclusion that the Iris Neff case and Carol Wentz’s murder are related.

Once again, I always return to the characters in a story, and Brenna Spector is downright fascinating. Because of her Hyperthemesia, she is constantly being dragged into the past, revisiting every single detail of her life. Now, on the surface, this might sound cool, but man, could it get annoying. The strain of this affliction coupled with the stress of working what amounts to two cases simultaneously really make Spector a dynamic character. The tension between Spector and Nelson Wentz, who is creepy in a vanilla kind of way, helps create an atmosphere of suspicion, and the love-hate dynamic between Spector and her metrosexual assistant Trent provides comic relief.

Bottom line, I want to read more books featuring Spector, a tough yet vulnerable detective. I anxiously await the next installment in this series. In the meantime, read And She Was; you won’t be disappointed.
...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Cheryl Karkoff rated it did not like it

After 50 pages just didn't interest me. ...more

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Apr 29, 2021 Rebecca Neely rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, crime-fiction, mystery

Clever story premise kept me glued to the page. Pacing dragged in a few parts but twists and turns kept me eagerly reading. Witty, insightful, edgy writing. Enjoy character of Brenna and look forward to next in series.

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Apr 25, 2016 Terri rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries, thrillers-suspense

Brenna Spector has an unusual neurological syndrome which makes her remember everything. One of the interesting things about this book, is we get to see a bit of how this works in her internal dialogue. A disappearing child in the past and woman in the present make a complex investigation for her and Detective Morasco who is working with her.

Her disorder makes it challenging for her in her work and personal life but also makes for an interesting story.

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Apr 16, 2012 Trisha W. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-books, favorites, read2012

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

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Apr 07, 2021 Linda Strong rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2021

Brenna Spector is introduced as a private investigator diagnosed with Hyperthymesstic Syndrome.

Hyperthymesia is a condition that leads people to be able to remember an abnormally large number of their life experiences in vivid detail. It is extraordinarily rare, with only about 60 people in the world having been diagnosed with the condition as of 2021.

Brenna's older sister disappeared 25+ years ago and has never been seen or heard of since. The only clue anyone ever had was that she seen getting ...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Q. Kelly rated it liked it

“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 “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 connected. Add to that the fact Brenna’s sister disappeared when they were kids, Brenna was a witness and the trauma caused Brenna to have a condition in which she remembers everything perfectly. So, a lot of the book is filled with flashbacks triggered by a certain sight, smell or taste. Yeah, it’s annoying. It disrupts the flow. But that’s kinda the point, isn’t it? This is what Brenna has to live with, and it’s disruptive as all heck for her.

So, anyway, a bit more on the bad: I didn’t particularly care about many, if not most, of Brenna’s flashbacks. Skim land there. This also happened for other swaths of the book (especially where there was some fancy language, the only point of which was to show Gaylin can write). The mysteries also get too convoluted about 3/4 through.

The good stuff: Brenna has an awesome assistant named Trent. He’s like a kinda intellectual “Jersey Shore” person. He shines. He leaps off the page, more than anyone else. I wanted more Trent! The resolution of the Iris mystery (the whodunit) was also satisfactory. I was glad to see none of the convolutions came into play there.

There’s a sequel planned in winter 2013. I’m not sure if I’ll read it. Maybe I will if I come across it, but it’ll be nothing I put on my advance reading lists. It promises to follow up on the disappearance of Brenna’s sister, but quite frankly, I never much cared about it in “And She Was.” I wanted more on the cases Brenna was investigating, and her sister’s disappearance, in my opinion, felt like filler.

Three stars: decent mystery, decent protagonist with an unusual memory twist. ...more

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Nov 07, 2014 Lynn Spencer rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

3.5 stars Gaylin starts with an interesting premise, and gives readers a heroine that I found to be the strongest part of the book. So, if you read for good heroines, you might want to add this to your list.

Brenna Spector has a rare neurological disorder that causes her to remember every detail of every day of her life. This isn't as helpful as it sounds; Brenna has equal memories of the cornflakes she ate one day for breakfast 15 years ago jockeying for equal importance with her memories of an ...more

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Feb 09, 2016 Pam rated it it was amazing

Shelves: new-york, suspense-thriller, 2016-books-read

AUTHOR Gaylin, Alison
TITLE: And She Was
DATE READ: 02/08/2016
RATING 5/A
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS Suspense/ 2012 / Harper / 355 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: #1 Brenna Spector
CHARACTERS Brenna Spector /Private Investigator for Missing Persons
TIME/PLACE: 2009 / NY
FIRST LINES Are you ready, Brenna? Dr. Lieberman says.
COMMENTS: Loved it! Brenna Spector is a missing persons investigator, she has a rare neurological disorder -- hyperthymestic syndrome. This autobiographical memory allows her to rec ...more

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Aug 22, 2013 Janie Johnson rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013

Alison Gaylin is a new author for me, and I love discovering new Authors. This one was a bit iffy for me. It started off with a bang and was very captivating then somewhere just around pg. 50 or so it seemed to slow way down. I am not sure if that was the book itself or the fact that I was reading multiple books at the time and did not find as much time for this one. Once I picked it back up and started again it really took off and was one heck of a ride.

I don't think I have ever read this much ...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Helen rated it it was amazing

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

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Jul 05, 2012 Lauren rated it liked it

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

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Feb 13, 2012 Maggie61 rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2012

I couldn't decide for a lot of the book whether I liked it or not. The constant flipping back and forth from past to present I definitely didn't like. Many books can pull this off, I don't feel this one did. Sure, there were dates provided of when some of the events took place, but I don't have the same gift or affliction as the subject in the book.
The storyline I liked. Two missing girls years apart. Are they connected? Some of the events I found a little improbable and I think the author coul ...more

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Sep 13, 2013 Samantha Cheney rated it really liked it

This is the first book I've read by Alison Gaylin, and it definitely won't be the last! The only reason I gave this book a 4 star rating is because the beginning took like ten chapters before it finally started to spark my curiosity. It's a good thing that once I start a book I have to finish it or I probably wouldn't have finished. Although there was a lot to tell it just got monotonous after a bit, but then the fun really started. I couldn't put this book down! I can't wait to read the next bo ...more

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Sep 30, 2015 Shannon Young rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. It was a suspenseful, quick paced thriller. I never guessed "who dunnit", which is rare for me. I will continue this series. Thanks Stephanie for the recommendation! ...more

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Dec 09, 2021 Bob Stains rated it liked it

This book has an interesting protagonist: a private investigator who has the rare disorder of never forgetting any experience she's had. This helps in her mission of finding people, those who are lost or those who want to remain invisible. The plot was interesting, too, with enough unexpected twists and turns to keep me reading. But I read this after having read all of William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connell mysteries, and Gaylin suffers by comparison. This book lacks the richly drawn characters a ...more

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Feb 18, 2019 Melanie rated it really liked it

Shelves: suspense, mystery

I flew through this really thoughtful, entertaining book. The whodunit part of the mystery ended in a way I didn’t expect, but it felt a bit forced and anticlimactic. Some of the “bad guys” were fantastic, and the ride to get to the end was so great that I could overlook the disappointing twist. The psychological aspect, Brenna’s disorder, is fascinating and makes the story so unusual, but also really contributes to what is happening. There were some lovely and thought-provoking lines and fascin ...more

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Jan 05, 2017 Lucii Dixon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another incredibly astonishing, mind gripping read from this author. I was so addicted to this book that I found it hard to put down... to say my house is a tip would be an understatement.

I was overwhelmed with the amount of information provided and also I was astonished to find out about a disorder I've never heard of before. I mean, how amazing would it be to have a perfect memory? Brenna Spector is a woman who remembers everything from her past; from family time to something she's read, to m ...more

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May 21, 2020 Tasula rated it really liked it

Good mystery, mostly based on the disappearance of a little girl (Iris) and about a decade later, the disappearance of a woman who was Iris' neighbor. The primary protagonist, Brenna Spector, is a private investigator hired to find the missing woman; Brenna is recently divorced, sharing custody of her pre-teen daughter with a husband with whom she is still friendly. None of her personal issues overshadow the mystery or the work she does (good work Gaylin!). ...more

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Jul 06, 2020 StarMan rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery-crime, people-not-like-us

VERDICT: 3 stars. (Book 1 of 3 in a series).

Mostly slow pace until the last 1/4. I guessed the whereabouts of a missing person before the P.I. & cops did. Otherwise, a perfectly adequate crime novel.

BONUS: Protagonist has an unusual gift/curse.

Would I read another book by Alison Gaylin? Yes.

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Mar 04, 2021 Dorina rated it liked it

Interesting main character with a neurological disorder that enables her to remember every detail of her daily life. When a woman goes missing, Brenna is the one trying to solve the case. I have mixed thoughts on this one since I just finished the book. I felt it a bit too long, flashbacks were okay, parts very good and parts simply blah. Deciding whether to read the sequel.

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Nov 08, 2017 Martha Malavansky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Photographic memory

I believe back in the day it used to be called photographic memory. With that said this is one of the better suspense books I have read in a long while. Let's be glad that painful memories are short and tend to fog with time and happier days are recalled as blessings. ...more

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Feb 08, 2021 Audrey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A solid PI mystery.
Few too many ham-fisted pop culture references and comments that took me out of it a little bit but overall kept me wanting to keep reading and guessing. Hopefully my library will have the next two in the series at some point...

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Jul 01, 2019 Angie rated it it was ok

Shelves: 5000-books-2019

So so book and overall story. Too much going back for memories that didn't seem to add much to the story. Not worth the time I spent reading it. ...more

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About Alison Gaylin

Alison Gaylin

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USA Today and international bestselling author Alison Gaylin has won the Edgar and Shamus awards, and has been nominated for many more, including the ITW Thriller, the Strand Book Award, the Anthony and the Macavity. She is currently at work on her 13th novel.

Series:
* Samantha Leiffer Mystery
* Simone Glass Mystery ...more