Please See Us

I would like to thank Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster) and NetGalley for sending me an Advance Reader’s Edition. Because I did find the book “captivating and thrilling,” I am happy to offer this review. This is Ms. Mullen’s debut novel, and it is a page-turner. Please See Us is a crime drama about a serial killer...my favorite book genre. There are millions of books about serial killers out there, so it is hard to write an original one. Ms. Mullen managed to create for me a story that I had never read before. Nice work! I loved the chapters interspersed throughout the book written from the victims’ points of view. While I have heard stories about Atlantic City, I have never visited there. The description of the city became a story in itself for me. I could picture it as I read. Initially, I had some trouble with the two protagonists (Clara and Lily). I found their situations...while very different...combinations of bad luck and poor decision-making. As I continued to read, I decided that my initial observation was too harsh. After all, bad luck is no one’s fault, and who in their late teens to early twenties makes all good decisions? By the end of this book, I was pulling for them both. Truly, that hasty judgment is the only negative thing I have to say. I truly liked this book. For me, the most disappointing thing that can happen in a crime drama is for me to know “whodunnit” before the reveal. The first character offered up as a logical culprit had better not turn out to be the bad guy, and he wasn’t. That cannot be considered a spoiler, right? This character was actually my favorite character in the book. He is interesting, deep, and well-developed. He might just need a book of his own. The end is not what you might expect. I hope you like it. I did. Stars: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 4 solid ones