[Review] Before I Disappear - Cate Quinn

Summary: Criminologist April Anderson wakes up in a remote motel with a new name, a new identity, and absolutely no memory of how she got there. Told she's under police protection as the victim of a disturbing crime, she'll have to stand as a witness on a major trial that she knows nothing about. April isn't sure who to trust — the cop guarding her from an unknown threat, or the fiancé secretly tracking her.

As April's memories start coming back in waves, she discovers a side to herself she didn't know existed. A side she'd rather stay hidden.

With the trial drawing closer, the need for her to remember everything that happened to her the night of the crime becomes vital to her survival. But someone wants her silent, and her missing memories may be the only thing keeping her alive. Will she remember the truth… or disappear forever?

 (Pub Date: Nov 10 2026)

 

This is a thriller from an unreliable point-of-view in a situation where you'd already not rely on anyone else, so you will spend a lot of the book feeling like you're in a fog. Which Cate Quinn does very well.

April wakes up to find out she's in a witness protection program and that she's the key witness in a trial she has no idea what is about—and neither can Hollister, the cop protecting her, tell her anything for fear of leading the witness. The thing is, April doesn't remember anything happening to her, much less witnessing any crimes, even if the horrible wound on her head corroborates what Hollister is telling her. She's stranded away from her life and fiancé, the mafia could be after her, and she can't even trust her own feelings.

I read some reviews that said the premise is great but that the writing was all over the place. I can't disagree, but I feel there's more to it. For maybe half the book, it goes well, but the more you read, the more you start wondering if the problem is really April not remembering enough or the book needing more editing time. In any case, I suspect this book could have been all that if it had either kept the plot simpler or had been given more time so the mafia part of the story didn't sound so shallow.

I do like the ambiance. Although it reaches a point where April sounds too repetitive, I liked seeing this world from her eyes. Finding out all that is happening to her, and all that has happened to her. Also, that's a big part of it, but Cate Quinn was a master at making us suspect every single character in the book.

I'm not sure what made the plot so messy, if it was a lack of time to beat it into shape or what, but the book is still a quick read that will entertain you enough until the end. And maybe you'll read it so quickly you won't even bother with the flaws, as there's a lot to enjoy regardless.

I was excited to read another work by Cate Quinn, and though it could have been more, I'm not disappointed.

 

 

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Rating: 3 out of 5.