Before I Disappear
By: Cate Quinn
Narrator: Tiffany Williams
ISBN: 9781464293405
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: 11/10/2026
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
From the acclaimed author of The Clinic and The Bridesmaid comes a pulse pounding thriller following a criminologist who wakes in a remote motel with no memory of how she got there, or the people who claim they will protect her.
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?
About the Author
Photo Credit: Emma Stoner Photography
Cate Quinn is a former journalist for The Guardian, The Times and The Mirror alongside many travel and lifestyle magazines. She is also the author of Black Widows and The Clinic. A travel journalist for ten years, Cate has called many countries home, but currently lives in Devon, England, with her beloved partner and two children.
Catherine Quinn is a bestselling fiction author whose books are published in over fifteen countries. She writes contemporary thrillers as Cate Quinn, and her historical thrillers are published under the pen name CS Quinn.
Catherine’s was a travel and lifestyle journalist for The Times, The Guardian and The Mirror, alongside many magazines. Prior to journalism and fiction, her background in historic research won prestigious postgraduate funding from the British Art Council.
Combining research skills with far-flung travel experiences helped her delve into different communities and worlds to create page-turning thrillers in interesting locations. WEBSITE
She writes a blog about her adventures eating scary food at www.thefoodexplorer.co.uk.
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BEHIND THE BOOK AND THE AUTHOR
Stay tuned for a #LiftLiftMiniAuthorChat with bestselling author, Cate Quinn and her upcoming psychological thriller,
Before I Disappear, coming November 10!
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My Review
Imagine waking up in a random motel with a new identity, zero memories, and a cop telling you you’re in witness protection and the prize witness in a mob trial...
Memory, Identity, and the Truth that refuses to stay buried.
Intro
In psychological thrillers, the amnesia trope is well-traveled territory, but Cate Quinn injects fresh, frantic energy into the premise with her upcoming release, Before I Disappear. By forcing a professional investigator to turn her sharp, analytical skills on the blank slate of her own mind, Quinn delivers a high-stakes guessing game where survival hinges on uncovering memories that might be better off forgotten.
The Hook
Imagine studying crime for a living, only to wake up as the central, amnesiac puzzle piece in a deadly federal mob trial—guarded by a cop you don’t trust and hunted by a fiancé you don’t remember.
Elevator Pitch
When NYU criminology professor April Anderson wakes up dazed in a remote Iowa motel with a severe brain injury, (with an ID badge with the name, “Connie Logan." and her life as she knows it is completely gone. A detective tells her she is under witness protection following a brutal attack. However, when she discovers a tracking device hidden by her fiancé—who warns her that the police are lying—April must piece together fragments of her dark past before the trial arrives, or before someone silences her permanently.
Setting
An isolated, claustrophobic motel room in Iowa, far removed from April's comfortable, bustling life in New York City. The stark contrast highlights her absolute isolation and vulnerability.
Vibe
Thick paranoia, breathless pacing, and deep-seated claustrophobia. It feels like a high-velocity corkscrew spinning faster with every short chapter.
Genre
Psychological Thriller / Suspense Mystery.
Themes
~The Fragility of Identity: How much of "ourselves" is built on memory?
~Ethically Gray Survival: The shifting line between victim and perpetrator.
~Institutional Deception: The terrifying realization that those paid to protect you might be your greatest threat.
Standout Characters
~April Anderson: NYU criminology professor. An ethically gray, highly analytical criminologist who acts as an inherently unreliable narrator, forced to dissect her own fragmented subconscious.
~Detective Hollister: The intense NYPD Organized Crime Force cop keeping her under lock and key, whose true motives remain frustratingly obscured.
~Chris: The shadowy fiancé tracking April via hidden devices, sowing seeds of doubt from afar.
Author Writing Standout
Quinn masters the deployment of short, rapid-fire chapters ending on sharp cliffhangers. Her writing smoothly toggles between the terrifying present and disorienting memory flashes, perfectly mimicking the internal state of a traumatized brain trying to stitch itself back together.
Takeaway
Trust is a luxury you cannot afford when you are a stranger to yourself.
Title Significance
"Before I Disappear" carries a double meaning. Literally, April must unlock her memory before the trial or her hidden enemies make her physically vanish. Psychologically, it charts her race to reclaim her true self before her identity is permanently rewritten by the people controlling her.
Metaphor
The story operates like an asymmetric jigsaw puzzle where the pieces change shape the moment you try to lock them into place.
Why You Should Read
If you love thrillers with hyper-fast pacing like The Silent Patient or Quinn’s previous book The Clinic, this book will pull you in immediately. It's designed to be devoured in a single, breathless sitting.
My Thoughts
While the amnesia setup initially feels familiar, making April a criminologist alters the dynamic brilliantly. She doesn't just panic; she analyzes. The paranoia is palpable, and while a few third-act twists push the boundaries of real-world credibility, the breakneck pacing makes it incredibly easy to suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride. Cate Quinn delivers a high-velocity, addictive guessing game where the jigsaw puzzle pieces change shape the moment you try to lock them into place.
Verdict 5 / 5 Stars
"A gripping, twisty, and highly addictive psychological puzzle that proves Cate Quinn knows exactly how to manipulate her audience's expectations. A high-stakes guessing game where survival hinges on uncovering memories."
Recs or read alikes
~The Clinic by Cate Quinn – The perfect companion read from the same author, blending a locked-in rehab setting with deep-seated institutional paranoia.
~The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse – For readers who loved the claustrophobic, isolated "trapped with a threat" atmosphere of the remote Iowa motel.
~None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell – A hyper-modern, intensely psychological cat-and-mouse game where you are constantly trying to figure out who is the victim and who is the predator.
Special thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for sharing an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Nov 10, 2026
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