Winner of the 2021 Edgar Award for Best First Novel In this sophisticated, suspenseful debut reminiscent of Laura Lippman and Megan Miranda, two young women become unlikely friends during one fateful summer in Atlantic City as mysterious disappearances hit dangerously close to home. Summer has come to Atlantic City but the boardwalk is empty of tourists, the casino lights have dimmed, and two … casino lights have dimmed, and two Jane Does are laid out in the marshland behind the Sunset Motel, just west of town. Only one person even knows they’re there.
Meanwhile, Clara, a young boardwalk psychic, struggles to attract clients for the tarot readings that pay her rent. When she begins to experience very real and disturbing visions, she suspects they could be related to the recent cases of women gone missing in town. When Clara meets Lily, an ex-Soho art gallery girl who is working at a desolate casino spa and reeling from a personal tragedy, she thinks Lily may be able to help her. But Lily has her own demons to face.
If they can put the pieces together in time, they may save another lost girl–so long as their efforts don’t attract perilous attention first. Can they break the ill-fated cycle, or will they join the other victims?
A “beautifully written, thoughtful page-turner” (Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists), Please See Us is an evocative and compelling psychological thriller that explores the intersection of womanhood, power, and violence.
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How can this be a debut novel?? How?
Caitlin Mullen’s books will automatically go on my TBR from now on; I’ll read a fricking phone book if this chick writes it.
So apt were her descriptions that I could smell the sea air in Atlantic City and taste the salt water taffy.
I was gripped from page one. Someone is murdering prostitutes in AC and we are privy to his POV which I always love when someone is just cray-ZEE.
Clara, a seer and sometimes charlatan, has been troubled by disturbing visions and she teams up with an unlikely ally in Lily, an ex “art gallery girl” who has fled to AC to escape her own demons. Together they will figure out what is happening to the missing….or die trying.
We also get to hear the voices of the “Janes”, those whom the killer takes.
Throw in a dose of “Clara’s awful aunt” and we have a pretty perfect book.
So spot on were Mullen’s characterizations, so fluid the writing, that I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish this one last night.
Thank you, thank you to my friend, Jayme, for pointing me toward this book and loving it enough to get me to read it! Mwah, Girlfriend!
“Please See Us” by Caitlin Mullen is the story women and their tragic lives in Atlantic City. The exceptional narrative is told from various points of view, and each contributes uniquely to the story. Lily is working in a Casino spa, trying to make ends meet. Clara tells readers about her plans for the summer, working, reading palms, and using Tarot cards to tell stories. When a customer asks for Clara’s help finding a missing girl, things change for both Clara and Lily. Scenarios are packed with emotion; the missing might be on a bus, or in a shop. Where? How much longer?
The most compelling narrative is that by the women, the unidentified, the missing, the “Jane Does” out in the marsh. They had jobs; they had families. Now they have only each other, and they cry out to be found. They are sisters. When others join them, they understand. They are no longer women, and yet they are not yet free spirits. Time is running out to be heard. They are the story; they are the problem, and they are the answer.
Mullen created a unique book by giving the victims a voice. This is the story of the women in the marsh, and they cry out. I was given a review copy of “Please See use” by Caitlin Mullen, and Gallery Books. It is distinctive, gripping, and thought provoking.
A dark literary thriller about women who slip through the cracks. Disturbing, powerful, important.
This is the first time I have called a thriller; a haunting and poignant portrayal of women’s lives. I was completely blown away by Caitlin Mullen’s delitcate and brutal style of writing.
Going into Please See Us, I was expecting a face paced thriller with some police procedural elements thrown in. What I got was a slow unfolding study of the human condition and a reminder of how women are constantly exploited and devalued. Mullen wrote a beautiful novel full of grit and regret.
Although this is classified as a thriller, to me it was more of a noir-ish mystery combined with Quentin Tarantino’s style of having a bunch of different character’s storylines (some of whom seem completely irrelevant to each other) come together for a perfect ending…. Even if this ending didn’t have the usual conclusion of a thriller.
Please See Us took me a long time to get through since the writing is so descriptive and many of the situations are so depressing that I needed to take breaks to clear my head from all the negativity in the world. But even with all the brutality in the novel it was still a great read.
If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller, I would not recommend Please See Us. But if you want something to make you think and keep you thinking about for days afterwards, I would definitely recommend Please See Us.
Well written but depressing story
This is a tale of tawdry, down on its luck Atlantic City and some of the women that live there over one summer. It is told from many points of view including that of some women that have been killed (not really a spoiler since they are mentioned in the synopsis of the book).
Lily left her art gallery job in New York City and fled back to her hometown of Atlantic City after a major humiliating episode in NYC. She now works in a spa as a receptionist until she can figure out what she wants to do next.
Clara is a very young girl working as a psychic on the Boardwalk with her aunt in a town that has very few tourists any more. She and Lily become friends – an unusual pairing.
This story was slow moving, building up to a good finish. For me, it was pretty darn depressing even though well written. Might just be the winter blues and maybe I should have read it in the summer.
It did a great job with character development and a great job of describing the downturn in fortunes of Atlantic City.
I received this book from Gallery Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
This is a debut novel. It is told from varying points of view. I enjoyed this, because it allowed me to get to know the characters better.
Clara/Ava is living with her Aunt Des since her mother left. Clara has a gift that she got from her mother. Clara’s real name is Ava, but for readings goes by Clara. Des and Clara make their living by conning and stealing from people.
Lily Louten has returned to her home town following the betrayal then break up with her boyfriend. She is hired to work in a casino spa.
Luis Silver is deaf and mute. He works at the spa as a janitor. He lives in a boardinghouse and is often the target of being bullied. People tend to not notice him, but Luis notices a lot. Anger builds in him from being targeted and by police who ignore it. He channels his anger in a destructive manner, as a way to call attention.
Clara and Des show up to the spa in the hopes of getting readings, Clara has a vision of Lily that surprises her. Before they are chased out of the spa, Clara lifts something of Lily’s.
There are missing women, and suddenly Clara is getting pieces of real visions. Clara confides in Lily where they form a surprising friendship. As they help each other, they are unaware of the danger they may be putting themselves in.
I’m a huge fan of paranormal genre, so the psychic element of the story pulled me in. In the beginning of the story, I didn’t like Clara very much, but the more I got to know of her circumstances the more I rooted for her. I enjoyed seeing Lily become stronger and finding herself. I loved the ending where Luis finally has a figurative voice. A must read for those who enjoy thrillers!
I received an ARC from NetGalley via Gallery Books and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.
4.5/5
Whew, if you are looking for a slow-burning mystery that packs a wallop then you need Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen in your life right this instant. I loved how unique the format was and there are a few different viewpoints, but I personally thought the viewpoint for the Jane Does was the best and what an idea!! I loved this aspect of the book and it was a great way to get to know the dead women while also getting to know our two main characters Summer and Clara. Also having Clara be a psychic who sees visions added a great quality to the novel and it added suspense on more than one occasion. There are some very painful and disturbing aspects to this book, but it all fit well into the story and really added to the eerie and ominous feel of the plot. I loved both of the girls and was really rooting for them the entire time. They are each dealing with their own heartbreaks, and we definitely got to know them as the book goes on.
I decided to listen to the audiobook and what a decision that was – for the better! There are multiple narrators which are Corey Brill, Piper Goodeve, Hillary Huber & Dara Rosenberg, and having such a large cast was the best decision the publisher could have made. They gave so much depth to the story and if you like audiobooks even a little, that is definitely the way to go with Please See Us. This is a dark and gritty novel, and there are so many things that just blew me away. I am having a hard time coming to terms with this being a debut, and clearly, Mullen is an author to keep your eyes on. I was really frustrated by the fact that the police in the town seems to have no idea what was going on, but at the same time could see why something like this would happen based on who the women were. I was still frustrated though, and it was definitely a bit of an emotional ride. The ending doesn’t give you full closure which normally I would hate, but surprise! I didn’t mind it in this book. Can there be a book 2? Please?
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
This one kept my interest throughout. Interesting backstories for each character. I had a LITTLE bit of trouble with the jumping back and forth but a very entertaining read. You won’t be disappointed if you try this one.
Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen is a brilliantly written psychological thriller that grabbed hold of me from page one and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very ending. It is a unique and very dark story of two unlikely women who become friends as another young women’s life is in grave danger. Without giving away any spoilers, the author did a great job creating the characters, including the voices of the dead victims. There were times reading this crime fiction novel that I was terrified and chilled to the bone as I waited for the next turn of events. My congratulations to the author for writing such an excellent novel which takes readers on a spine tingling journey.
Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen is thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat! Told in interesting perspectives, readers will be captivated from start to finish. Clara is a struggling psychic who believes recent visions may be connected to the death of women in the area. Then she meets Lily, can she help Clara? Women are dying, but does anyone truly care? What is truly happening? The story was heartbreaking and focuses on the women in the story. Be ready for a thrilling ride full of surprising twists and turns!
Happy reading!
Dark, engaging, and original. Atlantic City, the setting, is as atmospheric as the story, which alternates between the Jane Does, a psychic and her aunt, and three spa employees. Realistic with some difficult scenes, a few surprises and an unusual ending. Wonderfully written and presented.
A look at nine different women in Atlantic City when things weren’t so good. A wonderful in-depth character portrayal of these women, who they were, and how they got to where they were. A moving story that will capture your heart and soul. I loved every page of it. I agree that this is a dark literary thriller about women who slip through the cracks. Definitely an important read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
My reason for choosing this book was the setting of Atlantic City. AC was where my family spent time down the shore, albeit in the 1950’s and 1960’s, well before casinos came to town.
I still don’t understand what happened to AC based on its proximity to New York and oceanfront location. Is there another oceanfront city or town that doesn’t do at least marginally well? Is there one with as much crime and blight as AC? Reading that the book has a supernatural edge to it, as well as the cutesy name given to one of the characters, I thought twice about picking it up. My first impressions were wrong! This was a fabulous book! Its grip held on from beginning to end, and I still have a lingering sense of sadness and bleakness, kind of like AC.
The story begins with two young women who become unlikely friends in Atlantic City. Ava, a 16-year old who uses the name Clara Voyant to tell fortunes on the AC boardwalk, lives with her aunt, Des. Times are tough, and Des starts setting up “dates” for Clara. Clara meets Lily, an AC native returned from New York after some personal and business problems waylay her. Clara reads Ava’s tarot cards, and Ava is taken aback at the accuracy of Clara’s reading of her past as well as the future choices she must make. And out in the marsh, two women are laid out in death, waiting for someone to find them. Clara begins having frightening visions, and the two women team together to see if they can make sense of Clara’s visions. But how many more will go missing? And who will miss them?
The chapters are the alternating points of view and personal stories of Clara, Lily and a whole host of other characters, yet it is smooth transitioning from one to the next. The character development is exceptional and the issues of power (individually, corporately, as a community), economics, prostitution, crime, drugs, violence and self-worth are interspersed throughout. The storyline is psychological suspense at its best, yet it isn’t the murder/serial killer theme that grips you. It is the everyday lives of the characters and what they must do to make it through another day.
What a debut novel!
Please See Us
Caitlin Mullen
My Rating:
Content Rating: 18+
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Publication Date: March 3, 2020, by Gallery Books
Please See Us, by Caitlin Mullen is a dark, edgy, psychological thriller that grabbed me from the first page of the prologue, and then slowly got under my skin. This story twisted my head and heart inside out and then spat it out in the dirt. I am blown away that Please See Us is Ms. Mullen’s debut novel. I am giving this book 5 stars rounded up from 4.5.
The setting of Please See Me is in Atlantic City. AC is a place that will always be near and dear to my heart. I spent many a summer at AC and remembered fondly what AC was like before the casinos took its pound of flesh from the city. As a child, I remember AC as a magical place, and then as an adult, I bared witness to its decline. Caitlin Mullen captures AC perfectly.
Ms. Mullen’s writing is clear and concise, painting a picture of the violence and grittiness of Atlantic City. Still, she also gives us a glimmer of its past beauty. Her writing style flows smoothly, and the pages turn quickly, seeming with no effort at all. The pacing of the story is perfect. What made this different from other serial killer books is that the emphasis is not on the serial killer, but on the victims. Mullen makes the reader care about these women by giving us a glimpse into not only their hopeless troubled lives but also their hopes and dreams. She gives these women a voice. They cried out to us from where they are posed, waiting to be seen.
“Look, they try to say”
“Look. Look. Please see”
“The man has turned their heads, so they both look in the same direction: east, toward the lights of Atlantic City. They have been placed there to watch, to warn. Their eyes are open. They wait.”
The two main characters, Clara and Lily, could not be more different; however, in some ways, they are similar. Clara is a sixteen-year-old clairvoyant that has dropped out of high school to help support herself by doing tarot readings. Later she seeks out a more lucrative but dangerous way to support herself. Lily is an ex-Soho art gallery girl who has fled New York after her boyfriend does the unforgivable. Lily finds herself working in a bleak casino spa where she meets Clara, who is trying to hustle her way into the spa. The two women develop an odd relationship, a friendship of sorts. When Clara begins seeing ominous visions about the missing women, she turns to Lily for help. That is all I want to say, no spoilers in my reviews. The ending was not at all what I expected, and I was not sure how I felt about it; however, it did fit the story perfectly.
“Seven women, seven warnings.”
“Not so lucky after all.”
Please See Us is original, well thought out, and well written. It exposes how women can be used up by society and then forgotten. It tackles difficult social issues that uniquely affect women in a hard and straightforward manner. There is no fluff in this book. I highly recommend this book, and I am looking forward to reading more by Caitlin Mullen.
** Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published**
*** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Caitlin Mullen. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. ***
I’ve been in mystery, suspense mood lately and Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen was right up my alley. The initial description of the crime scene reminded me so much of a crime podcast I listen to that I soon took the imagery from that real life scene and brought this one to life. It made it a touch more eerier and quite a bit more realistic, which I must admit, this book unfortunately needed.
With characters that felt two-dimensional and quite lacking personalities, Please See Us follows two main characters, and several secondary characters, in the failing city of Atlantic City. The glamour has faded, leaving behind only those seeking to escape, either by bus or through mind-numbing drugs. What begins as one missing Jane Doe soon increases to several, only no one really knows they’re missing or what sort of crime is really lurking beneath the surface. They only see the missing signs for one woman, the others, they’re part of the grimy underbelly the locals try to avoid and the visitors pretend don’t exist unless they need them. Clara, a clairvoyant, senses something is wrong, but it isn’t until she meets Lily, a returned local, that the pieces begin to fall into place.
While the story of the missing women is so interesting, it falls short with Clara and Lily. I personally loved Clara, she is full of vibrant life, but she’s being dragged down by the city, by her fate. Lily, on the other hand, never was more than words on the page for me. I struggled to find sympathy for her, despite her accolades she felt so vapid. The pairing of Clara and Lily only works to move the story forward, but it is the secondary characters that fully flesh out the story. We don’t know them well, but their chapters are enough to truly put chills down your back. The prostitution, the drugs, the men that use them and then return to a life these girls will never know. It’s profound and it’s sad.
It is certainly a suspenseful, thrilling read, with a crime so unique to the genre right now, but unfortunately it was only average for me. I can see this book working for some, but I suppose if I want more crime like this I’ll have to stick to the true crime podcasts I love.
This book focuses on the seedier side of life. The characters were not developed well as the author tried to give you an inside glimpse of each victim. The inly reason I finished the book is that I pride myself on finished any book I start to read. Will not read another book by this author.
Please See Us was an interesting read, but it didn’t wow me the way I thought it would. It opens with a creepy vibe, but then it slows down more than I care for. Things do pick up as the story progresses, and I did find myself getting more and more invested in the characters. I did like the perspective (For lack of a better word) of women in the marsh. It added an element to the story that I didn’t expect. The biggest downfall for me was that so much of this book was just sad and depressing that it was hard to stay with it. I will say that the author shows great talent, and there were passages that really stood out. In the end, there were things I liked and things I didn’t, landing me somewhere in the fair to middlin’ range. It was an okay read, but it’s not something I’ll think much about later.
Please See Us is riveting, the rare book that unpacks and deplores violence against women even as it depicts it. In Caitlin Mullen’s hands, everyone has a voice, and the dead speak as loudly as the living. Please See Us is a beautifully written, thoughtful page-turner, as well as a tribute to the women — not just victims, but full human beings — who so frequently go unseen.
Please See Us is so good I don’t even know where to start — it’s brilliant and it’s dark; it’s heartbreaking and it’s defiant; it’s a riveting thriller and it’s a literary gem. Here are true, beautiful portraits of girls and women whose lives might well otherwise pass by without notice, without proper human value. Caitlin Mullen brings us those lives magnificently — with subtlety, compassion, and utter dignity. This book is a stunner.
Kudos to Caitlin Mullen, the next big voice in crime fiction, on this gripping, innovative and finely written thriller. Please See Us takes the reader on a tense journey through the crumbling, seedy casinos and boardwalk of Atlantic City. Try to put this book down. You won’t be able to.