Finding Imogene

by Teri Case

Frances Jerome has been tormented by the disappearance of her childhood best friend, Imogene, for decades. Despite her best efforts, Frances hasn’t built honest or intimate relationships with anyone since, including her son and daughter, and she’ll never forgive her father for the role he played in Imogene’s disappearance. Worst of all, she blames herself for turning her back on her best friend when she needed her most. After 43 years of remission, Frances’s cancer returns with a vengeance, and she knows she doesn’t deserve to rest in peace until Imogene can too.

Frances enlists the help of her daughter Jean, who is struggling with her identity as a mother and a wife, and Griffin, a burned-out private detective whose father was haunted by this case before his death. Together, they try to find Imogene before Frances’s time runs out. But will finding Imogene offer the answers, justice, and peace they each long for? Or will the truth expose far more than they can imagine?

In her third novel, Teri Case explores the complexities of familial relationships at the intersection when past and present collide, and the truth is finally revealed.

486 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2024

About the author

Teri Case is the award-winning author of Tiger Drive and In the Doghouse. Finding Imogene (Jan. 2024) is her third novel. She now lives in Washington, D.C. She often travels—watching, learning, and writing about people who want to matter.

Teri runs the Tiger Drive Scholarship for students who want to reach, learn, and grow beyond their familiar environment by attending college.

www.tericase.com

Reviews

[Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real psychological mystery. The revelations Frances, and her family, had during this book were excellent and I loved the way everything tied together. If you like mystery, family dynamics, or survival stories, I think you’d like Finding Imogene.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Imogene is a story that tugs on your heart. Frannie had leukemia and spent a lot of time in the hospital. This was in 1977, when doctors knew about the cancer but there was a lot to learn. Frannie met Imogene in the hospital as she also had cancer. This along is heartbreaking to think of children having to deal with cancer. Imogene disappeared and Frannie was determined to find her but eventually stopped when she saw it was tearing her family apart. Now Frannie’s cancer has returned as an adult and she wants to finally find out what happened to Imogene all those years ago.
The story is told from a few POV’s and each person has their own story outside of the search for Imogene. I was just as invested in their stories as I was with finding Imogene. This is an extremely well written book that I didn’t want to end. The characters become friends with the reader. This book is perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult.

[Charlie Helton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an emotionally driven read which brings forth the question of how far would you go to save your child? This exploration of complicated nature of family relationships, starting with how one choice by a parent can steer the direction of their child’s life and then domino effect into how their relationship with their own kids one day. In this read, Frances is faced with finding out she has cancer again as an adult after beating it as a child. Faced this this new diagnosis, it stirs up memories of her childhood best friend who mysteriously disappeared at age 9, never to be found again. She has always feared her father had something to do with it, and she spent her entire life after age 9 separately herself from her relationship with her father and being so controlling of her own kids lives it has affected their relationship. Now she asks her kids to help her figure out what happened to her best friend all those years ago, she wants to know the truth before her own impending death. This read was emotional in that it tears you down and builds you back up and definitely needs to be read!

[booksy.tx.ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg. First read of the year, and did I also find the best read of the year!? So soon!? Yes, it was that freaking amazing. This story captivated me immediately. I knew less than halfway through that it was 5 stars. The family dynamics were interesting and worked well with the story and the development of the characters. Frances, at the beginning, seemed sad and lonely, and you quickly see how her life became that way. Her relationship with her children is less than perfect and relates back to Imogene in very important ways. The way a lot of things lead back to Imogene was very symbolic. The story was more heartbreaking than I thought it would be. (I should have known since it deals with a missing child.) It had me in tears. Frances and Imogene’s story was everything.

Come read with me @booksy.tx.ana on instagram.

[dianas_books_cars_coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing read. I was invested in the story and couldn't wait to see what really happened to Imogene.

Frances Jerome battled childhood leukemia, but her best friend Imogene, whom she met in the hospital, helped her through. When Imogene goes missing without a trace, Frances is devastated. She blames herself for not being there. Her father was the last one to see Imogene. He never liked her. Did he have something to do with her disappearance?
43 years later, her cancer has come back, and this time, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. Her dying wish is to find Imogene. The disappearance that has tormented her for her entire life and making it hard for her to build intimate relationships with anyone. Her daughter Jean is willing to do anything to make this happen. Their relationship was never good, but after finding out what her mother has been dealing with alone, she is seeing her mother in a different light. Can the mystery of Imogene's disappearance be solved? Can Frances mend the relationships with the people she loves before it's too late?

Told in multiple POVs and dual timelines of the present day, and when Frances was a child, this book was an engrossing read. It was well written, and the ending was a shock. This is an emotional book that deals with family drama and what a parent will do to save their child. There was also the element of mystery that will keep you turning pages. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stop what you're doing and add this book to your
TBR. This story is told from Dual timeline (Then & Now) and multiple POVs from Frannie/Frances, Jean, and Griffin. I was invested in all of the characters POVs.
Frances's present struggles with cancer intertwine with childhood memories of Imogene, create an emotional impact of friendship and loss. Jean's and Griffin investigation into the decades old cold case kept me guessing until the final, shocking twist.
The story weaves family secrets and psychological suspense, keeping me glued to the page. Tears welled up as the characters grapple with devastating truth.
If you're a fan of family dynamics, secrets, psychological twist, and mystery be sure to check this one out.


A very special thanks to @terilcase @KateRockBookTours for the gifted copy.

[Elaine Schroller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The power and importance of childhood friendships and their enduring influence through adulthood

Teri Case deftly weaves a tale of Frances Jerome’s journey from childhood burdened with a life-threatening illness and over-protective parents to late adulthood with all the responsibilities of career, home, and adult children who don’t seem to want to be part of Frances’ life.

With her for every step of the journey is Imogene, Frances’ dearest friend and confidant. As a child, Imogene shared her deepest thoughts and dreams, but the girls are separated with devastating results for Frances. Imogene, and the thought of finding her again, is the enduring thread that Frances returns to time and time again.

Nothing is quite as it seems, and Case’s ability to pull readers into Frances’ heart and mind make her long search to find the truth about herself and Imogene even more poignant.

I loved Case’s first two novels, Tiger Drive and In the Doghouse, and I loved Finding Imogene, too. Teri Case has a gift for hitting all the painful, joyful, awful, wonderful family notes perfectly. I laughed out loud, teared up, and stayed up late to find Imogene.

[Jame_EReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so stoked to be hosting a spot with @katerocktours @tericase on this booktour, and my tour stops here.

I finished this one last night and what a ride. I am still trying to figure out what to make of it! This book got my attention immediately right after few pages in and if anything has to do with missing children, I’m all vested. The book is so well-written that the flow went so well. I was feeling Frances despite her “controlling” demeanor but that last ditch was all matters to her. There were times in the book that I wanted to stop because I couldn’t take it anymore, but Frances made it her mission to find the truth. What an absolutely stunning book! Just gave me goosebumps thinking about the what-ifs and the asinine situations! Definitely a must read y’all!

[Kathy Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Finding Emogene” by Teri Case is a contemporary novel juggling a family’s past lies and today’s immediate problems. A hospital administrator’s only daughter has cancer and he struggles to do any thing to save his daughter (including keeping a secret). This novel addresses cancer of the past and its medical strides and acceptable parenting since the 70s.

The family dynamics are played out over 40+ years and also the people who contributed to this family drama including a detective business, a hospital nurse, and a school administrator among others.

A complex read but very rewarding.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 UNPUTDOWNABLE STARS!

Finding Imogene had me on the edge of my seat!!! I got completely lost between these pages. This story was gripping, fascinating, haunting and completely mesmerizing.

Teri Case held me SPELLBOUND between these pages. I was completely transfixed! I could not put this story down. I was completely INVESTED in finding Imogene.

A truly remarkable and REMEMBERABLE read. Absolutely SUPERB writing, this is one of my favorites reads ever!

[Ananda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end

I stretched my reading out as long as possible to delay the end. Closing the book on this story is reminiscent of goodbyes in my own life. Each character had their own story and I loved each one. Frannie…she is complex and I get her. The intimate connection of love and fierce protector for those she loves most is something I understand. I have loved every Teri Case novel. This one though, loved me back.

[Jane Dennish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book by an Indie author!!! I am rounding it up to 4.5 stars. I loved the characters. I loved the different perspectives and the time shifts. That really developed the storyline. I loved the premise. And I loved the suspense. This reads like a family drama with suspense and mystery. While I figured out part of the plot twist, it did not ruin my experience because the heart and the emotion behind the story was pure love, desperation and childhood innocence.

Thank you so much to Kate Rock Book Tours and to the author for the gifted copy!

[Lorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Imogene is a bit genre-bending. A decades old mystery, a family drama, and compelling suspense. Author Teri Case brings depth and insight to each of the point of view characters. No good guys or bad guys here. Just real, flawed humans with very personal motivations for their actions, reactions, and the secrets they've guarded for so long to protect their loved ones.
A compelling page turner I finished way too quickly. If I hadn't NEEDED to find Imogene, I would have been sorry to see it end.
All the stars. All the feels. Very satisfying.

[Chelsea (gofetchabook) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Kate Rock Book Tours and author Teri Case for my copy of this book.

Plot -
Frances is the survivor of childhood cancer. Now that her cancer has come back with a vengeance, she enlists the help of her two adult children, letting them in on a buried secret. When Frances was 9, her best friend Imogene vanished without a trace, and her father was the last to see Imogene alive. Frances wants closure on the case and answers before it is too late.

Thoughts -
This book was amazing. It is on the longer side, with a lot of details, but it was necessary to highlight the relationship that Frances has with her children and her father, as well as the relationship Frances had with her best friend, Imogene before she went missing. The book leads us down the dark and twisty path as the truth is slowly unraveled.
The book is told in several different POVs in the present time, but also Frances’ POV from 1977 through 1979. Frances and Imogene met in the cancer ward of the hospital, and fought the parasite together. The friendship bond they formed was beautiful. When Imogene went missing, Frances’ parents swept it under the rug and forced Frances to move on, believing it was best for her. However, this had psychological and emotional consequences, and shaped the way Frances grew up and raised her own children.
The ending of the book was heartbreaking. Pretty early on, I guessed what was going on and what the answer to Imogene’s disappearance was, but I did not guess the full extent of what happened and everyone’s involvement in the coverup.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological mysteries mixed with family drama, but be prepared to feel the feels. It turns out to be more of a tear jerker at the end than you will expect.

[Kathryn Ramsperger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where is Imogene? Will she ever be found? Or has she ever been missing?

This novel starts as a cold case mystery, but rapidly digs into the depths of our souls, asking us what justice is. The author shows us all the repercussions and reverberations of a desperate parental action gone bad. But, the story goes further than the immediate results of a well-meaning but devastatingly poor decision. Bad decisions pile up and domino outward, and the reader sees each character the decisions touch. We observe the damage a desperate action, driven by love but corrupted by power, can leave in its aftermath. It lets us see the immensity of the rubble and heartache left behind. Each ripple in the pond an urgent decision or impulsive action causes: in a family, in another family, and in the community for generations.

Just like a multi-layered cake or fine wine, this novel crosses genres but remains a mystery to the core. Teri Case has an amazing ability to see the nuanced fine lines between black and white, good and evil, then asks us if a wrong can ever be righted. She does all this without dwelling in the novel's many dark moments and without preachiness or judgment. She lets the story allow you to come to your own conclusions. I'm in awe of her ability to do so.

The novel's tour de force for me lies beyond its narrative arcs. Every character was memorable, but Frannie and her sidekick Imogene will stay with me a long time to come. They triggered the little girl in me that had friends like them: two brave yet innocent young friends severed by illness, facing death, and perhaps most sadly, parents who think they know best. Sisters by circumstance and in the end, by the very marrow in their bodies. They'll pull at your heartstrings. Brava!

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another page turner from Teri Case with an ending you won't see coming.

No spoiler alerts here...but what happened to Imogene? And what can happen in the wake of one fateful decision? Is one decision ever really one decision? What happens to those left in its wake? How can people's lives, lives that didn't even exist at the time that decision was made, be altered? What does it take/is it even possible to change a trajectory that began decades, even a lifetime, ago?

Once again (check out Tiger Drive), Teri Case takes us on an intimate journey that connects us deeply to her characters' lives. Secrets. Lies. Pretense. Maintaining the status quo. As someone who has had my own journey, over decades, with the effects of a childhood that left its lasting marks on me, I so appreciate Teri's ability to highlight the ripple effects of traumatic experiences. And, the effort it sometimes takes to break their hold on us. We can want, so very badly, for things to be different than they are. So why can't we change them? The answer is both extremely complex and very simple. And how can parents and their children, even in adulthood, seem to understand one another so poorly?

SOOOOOOO many excellent questions raised for me as I was reading this book. And we get all the answers in very satisfying fashion! A must read!!!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I was fully invested in this story is an understatement. As soon as I started reading, I was hooked. All of the characters had something worthy to contribute to the story. So, no one was a side character.

Sometimes when there are two time periods in a story, I find that one is stronger than the other but that was not the case in this book. I found the past equally as engaging as the present. That is because the present moved forward and there were things happening.

The friendship that Frannie and Imogene formed is very strong. They may have been from different families, but you could call them sisters. That is how strong a bond they shared. I love that Jean and her brother, Art loved their mom so much that they did not discount her request. They with Griffin's help did try really hard to uncover the truth about what really happened to Imogene.

I really enjoyed this book so much that I am going to check out this author's other books.

[Micki Berthelot Berthelot · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of the book prepares the reader for a deep loss, and it does not disappoint. What a beautiful friendship between two little girls with different lives but bonded by their devastating illness. They’re fighting cancer in the same hospital and pledge to always be there for each other.
But Imogene’s disappearance will affect every aspect of Frannie’s life, her relationships with her father, the way she parents her children, her marriage.

In her mind, Imogene is never far away from Frannie. Then when her cancer returns, she hires a PI to find her friend. Finding Imogene takes the reader through a labyrinth of secrets and lies while holding one’s breath that the girls will “find” each other and get the closure they need to live or die in peace. Truly, a great read. I will recommend it!!

[Joan Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t help but root for them! Part mystery, part family drama, part police crime - this extraordinary novel hides its complexity with pure writer craft. Author Case has a knack for writing about family in a warm, inviting style that gives the reader instant connection with the vulnerability of her characters, which makes twists of plot all the more impactful and fun. The surprises kept my pages turning. Perhaps above all, the writing causes the reader to care enough that we can't help but root for protagonist Frannie, to indeed find her missing childhood best friend Imogene. Skillfully, Case pulls all the plot threads together in the end in a thoroughly satisfying, impressive conclusion.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between trying to solve the mystery of the loss of Imogene, Frances’s struggle with the return of her cancer, and the family drama, this book was heartbreaking. Add in the mystery components and you have a very interesting story. You will like this book if you are a fan of Jodi Picoult or Lurlene McDaniel (whose books I devoured as a teen).

[Jen Braaksma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Imogene is at once heartbreaking and heartwarming as a family drama but it's also an intriguing mystery that kept me flipping pages. The characters are raw, real and relatable and the love between them is messy and true. It's a story as much about what we need from our parents (no matter our age) as what we need from ourselves.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @terilcase & @KateRockBookTours for my complimentary book. My thoughts are my own.

SHORT SYNOPSIS:
Frances has been tormented by the disappearance of her childhood friend, Imogene, for decades. After 43 years of remission, Frances’s cancer returns with a vengeance, and she knows she doesn’t deserve to rest in peace until Imogene can too.

MY THOUGHTS: This was a captivating read! I became thoroughly invested in Frances’s story and her quest to find her childhood friend Imogene. The story unfolds in alternating perspectives, primarily those of Frances, her daughter Jean, and the private detective, Griffin. I would label this character-driven story as women’s fiction, but it does involve a mystery! The author explores family relationships, forgiveness, and doing what is right.

[Liz Powley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how the characters were developed. And found myself liking them all. Childhood cancer is an awful thing and the toll it takes on all is indescribable. The book explores this on all levels. The only disappointing thing is that I guessed the ending early on. But it still kept me riveted

[Shannon Poynter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did the chicken cross the road?

I absolutely despised the ending..not because it was terrible , it was brilliant, it got me, my heart was so sad to see the book end, beautifully wrote, thank you for letting the chicken cross the road 💙

[DeniseB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by Teri Case. A little slow at first then I couldn’t put it down.

[Mary R Caswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Imogene got my attention at the beginning and sustained it. The task was finding a person who disappeared forty years ago, and accomplishing it before the protagonist dies. The interaction among the characters is interesting and allows the reader to understand their fears and reluctance to reveal more...until the end. And that's where I have a problem. It didn't completely work for me. Did I enjoy the book? Yes! Will I read more books by this author? Definitely!

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! WOW! Thoroughly enjoyed from cover to cover! I want to say so much but read the darn book and be wowed! You're welcome in advanced.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent read from Teri Case; I couldn’t put it down. A sweet, sad and beautiful tale of friendship and family. I very much look forward to future books from this author!

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! But you definitely need a box of tissues for the ride the author takes you on. The mystery of Imogene's disappearance pulls you in. The family drama and dynamics hold your attention, and the love and revelation bring on all the emotions.