After She's Gone

Lisa Jackson

Dec 2015 · Kensington

About this ebook

In this explosive new thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delves into the deep bond between two sisters and their shared dream that becomes a harrowing nightmare of madness, hatred and jealousy…
 
Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie, learned the hazards of fame long ago. Together, they’d survived the horror of a crazed fan who nearly killed their mother, former Hollywood actress Jenna Hughes. Still, Cassie moved to L.A., urging Allie to follow. As a team, they’d take the town by storm.  But Allie, finally free of small-town Oregon, and just that little bit more beautiful, also proved to be more talented—and driven. Where Cassie got bit parts, Allie rose to stardom. But now her body double has been shot on the set of her latest movie—and Allie is missing.
 
Police discover that the last call to Allie’s phone came from Cassie, though she has no recollection of making it. Instead of looking like a concerned relative, Cassie is starting to look like a suspect—the jealous sister who finally grew sick of playing a supporting role. As the tabloids go into a frenzy, Cassie ends up on a Portland psych ward. Is she just imagining the sinister figure who comes to her bedside, whispering about Allie—a visitor of whom there is no record? Is someone trying to help—or drive her mad?
 
Convinced she’s the only one who can find Allie, Cassie checks herself out of the hospital. But a sudden slew of macabre murders— each victim masked with a likeness of a member of Cassie’s family—makes Cassie fear for her safety and her sanity. The only way to end the nightmare is to find out what really happened to Allie. And with each discovery, Cassie realizes that no one can be trusted to keep her safe—least of all herself…

Ratings and reviews

Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie are the daughters of former Hollywood actress, Jenna Hughes. Both had followed in their mother’s footsteps, however, Cassie really has no acting talent, while Allie is a star. They both have parts of a new movie, and in trying her hand at screenwriting has changed the very last scene. Cassie takes a smaller part in order to give her sister a bigger part. Unfortunately, the day it was filmed, Allie is a no-show and her body double is shot and nearly killed. The rest of the book follows Cassie’s adventures in looking for her sister. The plot gets a little convoluted, a little confusing. More murders are committed and they are all related to the movie in one way or another. They are found with grotesque masks mimicking the Kramer sisters. There are so many suspects, it is only when Jenna Hughes admits to a secret she’s carried for more than 20 years does the light start to shine. The ending is tense and suspenseful …. And not everyone makes it out alive. The plot was extremely complex and difficult to follow. I didn’t care for most of the characters, it even took a while for me to warm up to Cassie. I’ve read many of this author’s books and been very satisfied. Not so much this one. Many thanks to the author / Kensington Books – Zebra / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

After She’s Gone by Lisa Jackson is the third book in the West Coast series. Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie grew up with a famous mother. Their mother, Jenna Hughes was a famous actress. When she was a child, Cassie (and her mother) had a horrible incident with a crazy (and very dangerous) fan. Cassie still has issues with it to this day. However, that did not stop Cassie from moving to Hollywood to try her hand at acting. When her sister, Allie turned eighteen, Cassie encouraged her to join her. Allie was an instant success (with some help from their father). They are filming (actually filming it again) a scene for Allie’s latest movie Dead Heat, when Allie turns up missing. When Cassie ends up being the number one suspect, she checks herself into a psychiatric hospital in Portland, Oregon. One night Cassie gets a visit from someone dressed like an old-fashioned nurse (with the cape and nursing cap). The person tells Cassie that her sister is still alive (was she visited by a real person or was it a hallucination). Cassie checks herself out of the hospital the next morning and sets out to find her sister (she thinks she is the only person who can find her). Will Cassie be able to find her sister? After She’s Gone sounded like a great novel of suspense, intrigue, and mystery. It was actually a very predictable book with little intrigue (or suspense). The characters are very unlikable (especially Cassie). Cassie had so many issues (anger, trust, blackouts, hallucinations) that I wanted to commit her. There were so few clues that would help the reader solve the mystery (though it was very easy to figure out). The author used the same phrases and sentences several times throughout the book (it was like she was short on the required word count so she copied and pasted). There is also many pages of Cassie’s internal dialogue. It was monotonous (I just started skimming past it after a while). This novel was tedious and dragged on for too long (sorry, but just being truthful). I give After She’s Gone 2.5 out of 5 stars. I received a complimentary copy of After She’s Gone from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Couldn't put it down. Enjoyed each chapter. Figured Allie was in on it but never knew till end who was the bad person.

About the author

LISA JACKSON is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy-five novels, including After She’s Gone, Close to Home, Tell Me, Deserves to Die, You Don’t Want to Know, Running Scared, and Shiver. She has over twenty million copies of her books in print in nineteen languages. She lives with her family and three rambunctious dogs in the Pacific Northwest. Readers can visit her website at www.lisajackson.com and find her on Facebook.