Have You Seen Her
A Novel
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Table of Contents
About The Book
Equipped with a burner phone and a new job, Cassie Peters has left her hectic life in New York City for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she begins working again with Yosemite Search and Rescue, though she is still haunted by a case she worked on a decade ago.
She quickly falls into old patterns, joining a group of fellow seasonal workers and young adventurers who have made Yosemite their home during the summer. There, she meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older wife, keeping a detailed diary of the goings on of the park, and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, documenting their journey on Instagram.
When these three women cross paths, Cassie’s past catches up with her, and the shocking consequences ripple out far beyond what any could have imagined. “Taut and atmospheric with as many jagged peaks and valleys as its dramatic setting, this captivating page-turner will keep you guessing until the end” (Katherine St. John, author of The Vicious Circle).
Excerpt
Now
We’re losing light!” Ben yells over the whir of the blades. “We need to go!”
I turn to look out over the field to the tree line, taking in the scene of the crime. The dark green conifers, with their exposed lower limbs. The trampled grass. A wrapper from a protein bar tumbling over and over like a gymnast. A dark patch in the dirt that looks like it’s tinged by rust.
I can’t hear anything but the helicopter’s whine, but the screams are still caught in my thoughts—sharp, terrified, then cut out, cut off.
“Cassie!” Ben yells next to me. “Move it!”
The fear in his voice unsticks my feet. I turn away, following Ben to the Huey. He goes up first, and I put my foot on the landing gear, careful to keep my head bent as I was taught, conscious of the blade spinning above me. Ben crouches in the opening and reaches out his rough hand. I grab it and let him haul me into the helo’s belly. I stumble, then right myself, still bent over.
“You got this?”
I nod and he lets me go. I shuffle to one side and sit in an empty seat, facing Ben and Gareth. As I strap myself in, I try not to think of the body that rests on the floor between us, zipped into a thin black bag by Ben and Gareth after they found me. But the space is so tight that I can’t put my feet on the floor without resting them on it. That possibility brings bile to my throat, so I raise my legs in front of me. They protest; I won’t be able to keep this position for long.
The pilot checks us over his shoulder. He, like Ben and Gareth, is wearing a dark helmet, a microphone by his mouth. The pilot points to a helmet hanging on a hook next to my head. I grab it and put it on, adjusting the volume with a wheel on the side. It’s tight and uncomfortable, edging into the headache that’s been building since yesterday.
The pilot’s voice is tinny and distant. “We have ten minutes till pumpkin hour.”
Ben gives him a thumbs-up, and I feel a moment of confusion until the meaning of the term thunks into place. The helicopter can’t fly safely after dark in this mountainous terrain. They call it pumpkin hour, and there won’t be a fairy-tale ending if we flirt too hard with that deadline. I know this, I knew this, but the shock of everything that’s happened has affected more than my motor skills—I can feel it eroding my memory, like a thick fog descending that I must find my way out of before it’s too late.
“Everyone strapped in?” the pilot asks as he does his final checks.
“Ready!” Ben says, giving a thumbs-up again. Gareth does the same, and then it’s my turn.
I pop my thumb up in a gesture that feels more positive than possible. But I do have some things to be grateful for.
That they found me before it was too late.
That I’m alive.
That there’s only one body in a bag at my feet.
The pilot turns away, and then the engine changes gear. The blades above us spin harder, faster, louder as we lift slowly from the ground. It’s deep twilight now, the world fading like a watercolor left in the sun, and I cling to the straps holding me in place, petrified of the open door, and that I’ll never be able to erase what I saw. What I did.
The Huey banks, heading back to the Heli Base at Crane Flat, circling over the small field we just left.
I don’t want to look down, but I can’t help but throw a last glance at the scene below. And maybe it’s a trick of the fading light, but I swear I can see the faint outline of someone waiting at the edge of the tree line, watching to make sure we fly away.
About The Author
Catherine McKenzie was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. A graduate of McGill University in history and law, Catherine practiced law for twenty years before leaving to write full time. An avid runner, skier, and tennis player, she’s the author of numerous bestsellers including I’ll Never Tell and The Good Liar. Her works have been translated into multiple languages and I’ll Never Tell and Please Join Us have been optioned for development into television series. Visit her at CatherineMcKenzie.com or follow her on Twitter @CEMcKenzie1 or Instagram @CatherineMcKenzieAuthor.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (June 27, 2023)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668011119
Raves and Reviews
"When Cassie Peters returns to her life as a search and rescue worker, a man winds up dead. Who is he? And what was she running from? A full cast of characters explored through shifting timelines make Have You Seen Her a fabulous adventure. The writing is superb and the twist a brilliant surprise! Another killer read by Catherine McKenzie." —Wendy Walker, international bestselling author of Don’t Look For Me and What Remains
“With a compelling cast and a story choc-a-block full of twists, McKenzie drops you into the beating heart and ticking clock of a Search & Rescue outfit in Yosemite California. A uniquely fascinating setting that befits this thrilling, propulsive read!”
—Daniel Kalla, best selling author of Fit to Die and Lost Immunity
"Set in breathtaking Yosemite park, Catherine McKenzie's Have You Seen Her follows a capable but haunted woman on the run who must confront her past in order to move into the future. Taut and atmospheric with as many jagged peaks and valleys as its dramatic setting, this captivating page-turner will keep you guessing until the end.”
—Katherine St. John, author of The Vicious Circle
“I love that each book Catherine McKenzie writes is completely unique. HAVE YOU SEEN HER is no exception. McKenzie immediately hooks us with a wonderfully flawed, layered protagonist trying to unravel her past by returning to the scene of one of her greatest traumas. With the incredibly vivid setting of Yosemite National Park, captivating characters, and superbly executed twists, this thriller is mesmerizing from beginning to end. I absolutely devoured it!" —Samantha M. Bailey, author of Woman on the Edge and Watch Out for Her
“I am fully obsessed with Have You Seen Her. From the stunning setting to the vibrant, complicated characters, from the pitch-perfect pacing to the stellar twist, Catherine McKenzie’s latest had me from page one. Clear your schedule and prepare to be thrilled!” —Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told and Follow Me
"Sleeping with the Enemy meets Free Solo in the latest hypnotically immersive thriller by Catherine McKenzie. In the tradition of Gillian Flynn, with nods to our current true crime obsession, Have You Seen Her is a stunner. I couldn’t read it fast enough." —Mindy Mejia, international bestselling author of Everything You Want Me To Be and Strike Me Down
“Danger lurks within the gorgeous setting of this addictive thriller. With a premise that feels ripped from the headlines, Have You Seen Her will appeal to fans of true crime, but it’s the layers of mystery—from the protagonist’s dark past to the novel’s roster of missing persons—that make it especially difficult to put this one down.” —Megan Collins, author of The Family Plot
“Have You Seen Her is a delicious mix of the physical dangers of the Yosemite wilderness and the secret lives of the humans who visit. McKenzie’s latest illuminates that we are, none of us, who we seem, nor can anyone predict what we’re capable of when pushed to the limit. A smart, twisty thriller that will have readers glued to the page until the final, explosive chapter, Have You Seen Her? belongs at the top of your reading list.” —Danielle Girard, USA Today Bestselling Author of Up Close
“The dangers Cassie Peters encounters while working search and rescue in Yosemite National Park can’t compete with those she left behind. Have You Seen Her is a story of secrets and survival, told with breathless urgency by one of today’s leading thriller writers. A skillfully-constructed stunner of a novel.” —Tessa Wegert, author of The Kind to Kill
“Have You Seen Her is an edge-of-your-seat ride through the world of search and rescue where some of the characters have even more to lose than it appears. Cassie is a protagonist worth rooting for in this high-stakes thriller that gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘cliff-hanger.’” —Jessa Maxwell, author of The Golden Spoon
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High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Have You Seen Her Hardcover 9781668011119
- Author Photo (jpg): Catherine McKenzie Photograph by Fany Ducharme(0.1 MB)
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