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Brenna Spector #1
And She Was
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.
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.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2012
285 people are currently reading
3897 people want to read
About the author
Alison Gaylin
44 books1,770 followersUSA Today and international bestselling author Alison Gaylin has won the Edgar and Shamus awards, and has been nominated for many more, including the L.A. Times Book Prize, the ITW Thriller, the Strand Book Award, the Anthony and the Macavity. She is currently at work on her 15th novel.
Series:
* Samantha Leiffer Mystery
* Simone Glass Mystery
Series:
* Samantha Leiffer Mystery
* Simone Glass Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 443 reviews
April 4, 2023
After trauma and bereavement, Brenna grows up, serves an apprenticeship and branches out on her own as a P.I., finding missing people, involved in divorce, adultery and other mundane problems until Carol Wentz comes along, or rather, disappears.
Brenna is in Las Vegas, unfortunately reuniting an errant husband with his devoted wife, when she takes a call from Nelson Wentz whom the police suspect is behind Carol’s disappearance. Brenna agrees to search for her and, returning to New York state, the memory syndrome kicks in. Trawling the Wentz neighbourhood she recognises the town where a child went missing ten years ago. She was involved herself but, as an untried investigator, withdrew when warned off by the local police who were to close the case after making no progress.
Now Brenna is experienced and, aided (but often distracted) by that ambivalent syndrome, she senses connections between the two potential crimes. Some of the police involved in the earlier case are still serving; there are suggestions that Carol Wentz was looking for the lost child by way of the internet. And then her distraught husband, already a suspect where she is concerned, was questioned a decade ago in relation to the little girl. There are other suspects in both cases - a popular soap star appears to be playing a role in real life, not the only one - a number of residents in this affluent community have skeletons in their closets.
The domestic life of a protagonist is essential in today’s crime novels, and Brenna’s isn’t original - divorced mother, teenage daughter, but this girl comes over fresh, intelligent, volatile, the relationship with her mother as engaging as that between Brenna and her assistant, Trent. Trent is young, and vain with a fake tan and body piercings, harmless enough, he’s a total failure with women, but a wizard on the computer.
Brenna made for an interesting character, but although some parts were very good, others were not so much.
Brenna is in Las Vegas, unfortunately reuniting an errant husband with his devoted wife, when she takes a call from Nelson Wentz whom the police suspect is behind Carol’s disappearance. Brenna agrees to search for her and, returning to New York state, the memory syndrome kicks in. Trawling the Wentz neighbourhood she recognises the town where a child went missing ten years ago. She was involved herself but, as an untried investigator, withdrew when warned off by the local police who were to close the case after making no progress.
Now Brenna is experienced and, aided (but often distracted) by that ambivalent syndrome, she senses connections between the two potential crimes. Some of the police involved in the earlier case are still serving; there are suggestions that Carol Wentz was looking for the lost child by way of the internet. And then her distraught husband, already a suspect where she is concerned, was questioned a decade ago in relation to the little girl. There are other suspects in both cases - a popular soap star appears to be playing a role in real life, not the only one - a number of residents in this affluent community have skeletons in their closets.
The domestic life of a protagonist is essential in today’s crime novels, and Brenna’s isn’t original - divorced mother, teenage daughter, but this girl comes over fresh, intelligent, volatile, the relationship with her mother as engaging as that between Brenna and her assistant, Trent. Trent is young, and vain with a fake tan and body piercings, harmless enough, he’s a total failure with women, but a wizard on the computer.
Brenna made for an interesting character, but although some parts were very good, others were not so much.
August 6, 2019
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 looks for missing persons and you have Brenna Spector. Brenna is an intelligent, feisty, and very likable character whom I adored immediately. The plot was believable, fast paced, and most enjoyable, and I had a hard time putting it down. I loved everything about this book. It's a fresh and exciting new concept of the common detectives/police procedural mystery genre. I highly recommend all of Alison Gaylin's
books!
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 looks for missing persons and you have Brenna Spector. Brenna is an intelligent, feisty, and very likable character whom I adored immediately. The plot was believable, fast paced, and most enjoyable, and I had a hard time putting it down. I loved everything about this book. It's a fresh and exciting new concept of the common detectives/police procedural mystery genre. I highly recommend all of Alison Gaylin's
books!
March 17, 2012
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.
July 19, 2012
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 detail every moment of her life from the time she was first afflicted with the condition. This condition is at least as much a blessing as a curse and it both helps and hinders Brenna in her investigations and in her daily life.
When a woman named Carol Wentz disappears, her husband retains Brenna to find her. Brenna soon discovers that the missing woman had become obsessed with the case of a small girl who had disappeared eleven years earlier. The investigation leads Brenna into a murky conspiracy involving some very dangerous and ruthless characters, and not surprisingly, she may become a target herself of the forces who would rather that a lot of old secrets remain safely buried.
This is a good read with a unique and interesting protagonist. All of the characters are well-drawn; the plot is clever and moves along at a brisk pace. Readers who like intriguing suspense novels should certainly enjoy it.
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 detail every moment of her life from the time she was first afflicted with the condition. This condition is at least as much a blessing as a curse and it both helps and hinders Brenna in her investigations and in her daily life.
When a woman named Carol Wentz disappears, her husband retains Brenna to find her. Brenna soon discovers that the missing woman had become obsessed with the case of a small girl who had disappeared eleven years earlier. The investigation leads Brenna into a murky conspiracy involving some very dangerous and ruthless characters, and not surprisingly, she may become a target herself of the forces who would rather that a lot of old secrets remain safely buried.
This is a good read with a unique and interesting protagonist. All of the characters are well-drawn; the plot is clever and moves along at a brisk pace. Readers who like intriguing suspense novels should certainly enjoy it.
April 12, 2012
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.
June 8, 2012
A little too much back and forth in the timeline...
January 9, 2014
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.
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.
March 18, 2014
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.
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.
April 6, 2012
After 50 pages just didn't interest me.
May 5, 2021
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.
May 11, 2016
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.
Her disorder makes it challenging for her in her work and personal life but also makes for an interesting story.
May 10, 2020
Brenna Spector heeft een zeldzame afwijking waardoor ze niks kan vergeten. Voor haar werk bij het opsporen van vermiste personen is dit van grote waarde. Het heeft haar alleen niet kunnen helpen bij de vermissing van haar eigen zus. Als ze er een vrouw verdwijnt blijkt dit verband te houden met de vermissing van haar eigen zus.
De hyperthymesia was iets wat mij in dit verhaal erg aansprak. Lezen over hoe Brenna hiermee leeft was dan ook erg interessant. Er zijn altijd herinneringen die je graag zou willen vergeten.
Ik zat wel snel in het verhaal en wilde daarom ook weten hoe, en wat er precies gebeurd is. Toch sprak het verhaal mij niet echt aan. Het was wel een goed verhaal maar gewoon niet echt mijn ding. Het einde voelde voor mij ook wat makkelijk aan.
De hyperthymesia was iets wat mij in dit verhaal erg aansprak. Lezen over hoe Brenna hiermee leeft was dan ook erg interessant. Er zijn altijd herinneringen die je graag zou willen vergeten.
Ik zat wel snel in het verhaal en wilde daarom ook weten hoe, en wat er precies gebeurd is. Toch sprak het verhaal mij niet echt aan. Het was wel een goed verhaal maar gewoon niet echt mijn ding. Het einde voelde voor mij ook wat makkelijk aan.
December 1, 2022
Excellent suspense that left my mouth hanging open at the end. Highly recommended for main stream readers.
April 17, 2012
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 thought that maybe because of Breanna's ability to remember everything that happened in her life that maybe this book was taking a sort of paranormal turn and other's had abilities too. But that was not the case!
As the next couple of chapters went by I was engrossed in this book and loved it at page 82. And it just got better from there. As I read the book I kept thinking of how I would like my life if I remembered everything that happened. If I had flashbacks on every event that ever happened in my life and I honestly don't think I would want that. But missing persons investigator Breanna Spector has to live with it every day.
What I loved the most about this book was that I had no clue who was behind all the killing and people disappearing until the very end and even then it shocked me. I normally can guess about half way through in a suspense novel but in this one I had no idea.
I read the book in a day and a half and finished it late last night. Loved the ending but I didn't know this was going to be a series and the next book doesn't come out until the winter of 2013! Stinks I have to wait that long to see what happened to Breanna's sister all those years ago and what her "relationship" with Morasco might be.
If you like suspense novels this is a definite read!
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 thought that maybe because of Breanna's ability to remember everything that happened in her life that maybe this book was taking a sort of paranormal turn and other's had abilities too. But that was not the case!
As the next couple of chapters went by I was engrossed in this book and loved it at page 82. And it just got better from there. As I read the book I kept thinking of how I would like my life if I remembered everything that happened. If I had flashbacks on every event that ever happened in my life and I honestly don't think I would want that. But missing persons investigator Breanna Spector has to live with it every day.
What I loved the most about this book was that I had no clue who was behind all the killing and people disappearing until the very end and even then it shocked me. I normally can guess about half way through in a suspense novel but in this one I had no idea.
I read the book in a day and a half and finished it late last night. Loved the ending but I didn't know this was going to be a series and the next book doesn't come out until the winter of 2013! Stinks I have to wait that long to see what happened to Breanna's sister all those years ago and what her "relationship" with Morasco might be.
If you like suspense novels this is a definite read!
April 7, 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 into a light blue car. She's also been looking for a missing child who vanished a decade earlier ... she also was last seen getting into a blue car.
This last case has serious overtones and people are starting to die ... the father of the missing child, the mother's friend, her husband, a private investigator ... the list goes on and on. What could possibly tie all these deaths together?
I read AND SHE WAS several years ago and found it fascinating enough to read again. Brenna is a unique character with a medical issue I had never heard of prior. The book bounces back and forth with the things going on today and the much-detailed experiences from the past. Suspects are varied ... and some are lying. But who ... and more importantly, why? It's well written, a genuine page turner.
March 18, 2012
“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.
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.
November 23, 2014
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 important conversation from last week and so on. The author does a fantastic job of showing not only how Brenna's memory can come in handy, but also how it can make her feel trapped in a circus with no escape.
Brenna works as a private investigator helping to locate missing persons. She feels personally invested in her job because as a child, she saw her own sister disappear and she has never learned what happened to her. When she gets hired to find a missing woman named Carol Wentz, that case ties right back to one from years ago that haunts her - the disappearance of a small girl named Iris.
When I first started the book, I felt as if I wasn't quite sure what was happening. The author basically drops the reader into the middle of several plot strands at once, and added into that we get a view inside Brenna's unquiet head. I found it overwhelming at first, and wasn't sure I could handle staying inside Brenna's mind for an entire novel. However, as the action starts gearing up, things do start to flow better. I enjoyed following Brenna down the trails of her mysteries, even if some of the revelations ended up being a bit disappointing. Then again, more than a few real life mysteries have resolutions that feel a bit mundane.
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 important conversation from last week and so on. The author does a fantastic job of showing not only how Brenna's memory can come in handy, but also how it can make her feel trapped in a circus with no escape.
Brenna works as a private investigator helping to locate missing persons. She feels personally invested in her job because as a child, she saw her own sister disappear and she has never learned what happened to her. When she gets hired to find a missing woman named Carol Wentz, that case ties right back to one from years ago that haunts her - the disappearance of a small girl named Iris.
When I first started the book, I felt as if I wasn't quite sure what was happening. The author basically drops the reader into the middle of several plot strands at once, and added into that we get a view inside Brenna's unquiet head. I found it overwhelming at first, and wasn't sure I could handle staying inside Brenna's mind for an entire novel. However, as the action starts gearing up, things do start to flow better. I enjoyed following Brenna down the trails of her mysteries, even if some of the revelations ended up being a bit disappointing. Then again, more than a few real life mysteries have resolutions that feel a bit mundane.
February 9, 2016
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 recall everything perfectly w/ all 5 senses. Sometimes a great help … and sometimes a hindrance in allowing her to move forward w/ her life. She came to her profession due to a personal struggle -- her sister went missing when Clea was a teenager and has never been found. She is divorced w/ a teenage daughter that lives w/ her father and his new wife. Brenna's assistant, Trent, is basically the male version of a bimbo in looks but don't let that fool you … he's an ace researcher and has created a software that ages the missing person to get a fairly accurate representation of what they would look like now. Brenna is hired by a wimpy man, Nelson Wentz, when his wife suddenly disappears. To Nelson their life was fine and he is unaware of not only many of Carol's actions but also her feelings. Nelson and Carol a childless couple in their 50's live in suburban NY. Eleven years earlier, Iris, a young child of one of their neighbors vanishes. Brenna discovers Carol had an obsessive interest in Iris…
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 recall everything perfectly w/ all 5 senses. Sometimes a great help … and sometimes a hindrance in allowing her to move forward w/ her life. She came to her profession due to a personal struggle -- her sister went missing when Clea was a teenager and has never been found. She is divorced w/ a teenage daughter that lives w/ her father and his new wife. Brenna's assistant, Trent, is basically the male version of a bimbo in looks but don't let that fool you … he's an ace researcher and has created a software that ages the missing person to get a fairly accurate representation of what they would look like now. Brenna is hired by a wimpy man, Nelson Wentz, when his wife suddenly disappears. To Nelson their life was fine and he is unaware of not only many of Carol's actions but also her feelings. Nelson and Carol a childless couple in their 50's live in suburban NY. Eleven years earlier, Iris, a young child of one of their neighbors vanishes. Brenna discovers Carol had an obsessive interest in Iris…
October 5, 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 mystery in a single book. I loved it, from one mystery to the next. One would be resolved and another would rear up. It had me turning the pages and I almost felt I could not turn them fast enough. I loved the Setting, the plot, and the characters.
Our main character Brenna is a pretty amazing detective who struggles with many of her own problems, one of them being her neurological disorder that allows her to recall every memory, every detail of her life. It can both be a hindrance and a help to her. She must confront many obstacles to solve a mystery that surrounds a little girl named Iris Neff. I absolutely loved Brenna's character and the fact that she could still move forward, and do her job even with the issues she has to deal with herself.
I have to say I am pleased with my first experience with this Author and I look forward to the sequel Into the Dark.
I don't think I have ever read this much mystery in a single book. I loved it, from one mystery to the next. One would be resolved and another would rear up. It had me turning the pages and I almost felt I could not turn them fast enough. I loved the Setting, the plot, and the characters.
Our main character Brenna is a pretty amazing detective who struggles with many of her own problems, one of them being her neurological disorder that allows her to recall every memory, every detail of her life. It can both be a hindrance and a help to her. She must confront many obstacles to solve a mystery that surrounds a little girl named Iris Neff. I absolutely loved Brenna's character and the fact that she could still move forward, and do her job even with the issues she has to deal with herself.
I have to say I am pleased with my first experience with this Author and I look forward to the sequel Into the Dark.
June 22, 2012
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 started reading it yesterday) and we already know who the 'baddie' is, the rest of the book is going to be mesmerising as our main characters now have to keep themselves alive long enough to let everyone else know what happened!
I'll let you know how I got on.
Update: Well that didn't take long did it? Finished and passed on to a friend. Yes it's well worth reading this book, but don't read the beginning of the next book in the series at the end of this one, it's not going to be published for ages yet and I can't wait!!! It doesn't even seem to have a title yet!
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 started reading it yesterday) and we already know who the 'baddie' is, the rest of the book is going to be mesmerising as our main characters now have to keep themselves alive long enough to let everyone else know what happened!
I'll let you know how I got on.
Update: Well that didn't take long did it? Finished and passed on to a friend. Yes it's well worth reading this book, but don't read the beginning of the next book in the series at the end of this one, it's not going to be published for ages yet and I can't wait!!! It doesn't even seem to have a title yet!
July 5, 2012
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 that I found confusing and weren't quite cleared up in the novel, but maybe that is because I just read over them too quickly? Overall, Gaylin is a great writer, which was the redeeming quality for this book. And I might pick up the second book in the series if it's anywhere as good as the last half of this one.
March 8, 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 could have done better with the story. I'd have given it a 2 1/2. I really wish we had halves. Wouldn't rush to read another book from this author.
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 could have done better with the story. I'd have given it a 2 1/2. I really wish we had halves. Wouldn't rush to read another book from this author.
October 12, 2013
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 book to this story "Into the Dark".
December 2, 2016
Auch dieser Krimi hat mir ganz gut gefallen. Die Krankheit von Brenna finde ich total spannend und sie wurde auch sehr gut erzählerisch umgesetzt. Überhaupt finde ich Brenna als Hauptfigur interessant. Der Fall hingegen - hm - der hat mir nicht so gut gefallen, der war mir eine Spur zu konstruiert. Alles in allem gab es aber auch hier Punkte, die mich auf die Fortsetzung neugierig machen, beispielsweise das Verhältnis zu ihrem Exmann Jim, ihre Tochter Maya oder auch Nick. Mal sehen.
December 11, 2016
Sterke plot, vlot geschreven, ... Echt een boek voor mensen die houden van een goede thriller.
October 11, 2015
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!
July 3, 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.
December 9, 2021
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 and the sense of place that graces Krueger's writing. Missing are layers of personal and collective history, psychology and spirituality. The writing itself is serviceable but not memorable. I wanted to care about the characters -that's one of the things I look for in fiction- but I just didn't, at any depth. That's probably because they weren't written in much depth, save the PI Brenna. The last 20 pages were a start at redemption, but too little, too late.
February 19, 2019
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 fascinating, flawed characters, and just really good writing. I am definitely planning to check out more in this series.
February 4, 2017
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 memorising numbers after seeing them just once. She's freakin' awesome at her job and she doesn't take not BS.
When the author finally dropped the bombshell about the whole story I was absolutely flabbergasted, I didn't suspect in the slightest!!
This author's writing style will pull you in, making you feel as if you were in the story with the characters, fear chilled my bones as I read on and on about everything, I was scared for Brenna.
An amazing read, another psychological thriller to add to my top ten! I can't wait to read more from this author!
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 memorising numbers after seeing them just once. She's freakin' awesome at her job and she doesn't take not BS.
When the author finally dropped the bombshell about the whole story I was absolutely flabbergasted, I didn't suspect in the slightest!!
This author's writing style will pull you in, making you feel as if you were in the story with the characters, fear chilled my bones as I read on and on about everything, I was scared for Brenna.
An amazing read, another psychological thriller to add to my top ten! I can't wait to read more from this author!
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