Have you Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie (Review by Emily Evan)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Have You Seen Her is a solid mystery that hooked me from the start with a twist at the end that I did not see coming. The story features a dual timeline that gradually reveals pieces of the story in a way that kept me engaged and flipping the pages. The protagonist was compelling and I found myself rooting for her, especially as her past is laid out. There were multiple red herrings which kept me guessing throughout much of the story, and contributed to the overall engrossing nature of the book.

The main character, Cassie, is introduced as she makes her way across the country to start a job in California working with the Yosemite Search and Rescue team. Right away, it’s clear that she is trying to escape something in her recent past, while also confronting things from her distant past. As Cassie navigates relationships with people from her past and builds new friendships with people on her team, she is also pulled into Search and Rescue emergencies with increasing frequency. When people begin to go missing, the team is called upon to lead the search and investigate the disappearances. As things in the park come to a head, Cassie’s past is simultaneously catching up with her and leaves Cassie at her wit’s end. As the parallels between Cassie’s past and her present add up, it becomes clear that this cannot entirely be a coincidence.

While I was hoping for more resolution for a few of the characters at the end of the story, overall this was an engaging book that told a story I haven’t read before. The setting was unique and added a lot of dimension. It’s undoubtedly difficult to write a mystery with an ending that is not even a little bit predictable, but this author rose to that challenge!