Editorial Content for Have You Seen Her

A woman fleeing a bad marriage takes refuge in Yosemite National Park. But trouble follows her into the wilderness in Catherine McKenzie’s latest novel, HAVE YOU SEEN HER.

Desperate to escape an abusive relationship with her controlling husband, Kevin, Cassie Peters trades her comfortable life in Manhattan for the more rustic accommodations in California’s majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. She arrives in the tourist town of Mammoth Lakes with little more than a backpack and burner phone. It’s an uncomfortable homecoming for Cassie, who grew up in the gateway to the national park and spent a summer working for Yosemite’s search and rescue team, or SAR. But she left town a decade ago following the tragic death of her high school classmate, Cameron, who vanished during a hike with her boyfriend.

"The action accelerates in the book’s second half as the tension rises and the plot threads gradually come together.... HAVE YOU SEEN HER stands on its own as a timely, morally complex thriller."

Cassie has pulled some strings to land a spot on this season’s SAR team. But lingering trauma over Cameron’s death (Cassie discovered the body) and her very real fears that Kevin will come after her make it hard to do her job at times. A difficult relationship with her mother, who still lives in Mammoth Lakes, adds further complication. As Cassie settles into her routine in Yosemite --- and develops a flirty relationship with fellow SAR team member Ben --- she crosses paths with two other women spending the summer in her park.

Jada Johnson, a young Black woman, is a cheerful Instagram influencer on a cross-country road trip with her possessive boyfriend, Jim. Dreamy, would-be writer Petal Fernandez lives in a grungy trailer park with her much older girlfriend, Sandy. As the summer unfolds, the lives of these three women become entangled when a mysterious disappearance rocks Yosemite. Is it simply another tragic case of lost hikers? Or is something more sinister afoot?

McKenzie clearly draws from recent news reports about missing women in her latest novel. Specifically, aspects of the story seem to be inspired by the 2021 disappearance of Gabby Petito and her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, and the subsequent media frenzy around the case. But by making her missing woman a person of color, she’s able to offer some commentary on the media’s tendency to focus disproportionately on missing white women.

HAVE YOU SEEN HER unfolds in parallel timelines. One follows Cassie from her arrival in California. The other, also from Cassie’s point of view, takes place some months later. Journal entries from Petal and Instagram posts from Jada offer a window into the lives and thoughts of the other characters, while transcripts of commentary from YouTube true crime enthusiasts and news reports about the disappearance highlight the disconnect between those who follow along (and speculate) as a case unfolds versus the experience of those living through it themselves.

The mountain setting is ripe for danger and intrigue. McKenzie offers a fascinating look at the day-to-day grind of rescuing overwhelmed tourists in one of America’s most popular national parks, which is “alluring, but dangerous,” as Cassie points out. But in HAVE YOU SEEN HER, it’s humans, not nature, who present the real threat. Romantic relationships in particular are a minefield. Rather than finding refuge with their partners, the women here end up trapped. And, like animals caught in a snare, they’ll do nearly anything to free themselves from their situation.

McKenzie takes her time setting up her story, allowing readers to get a feel for the unique rhythms of life in Yosemite. The action accelerates in the book’s second half as the tension rises and the plot threads gradually come together. An unexpected twist in its rushed final pages will likely divide readers and may leave some wanting more from Cassie’s story. The open-ended conclusion refuses to tie everything up in a neat bow, instead asking readers to consider key characters in a new light. Perhaps McKenzie will explore the story further in a sequel, but as it is, HAVE YOU SEEN HER stands on its own as a timely, morally complex thriller.