Caitlin Mullen - Please See Us
Dear Reader,
My debut novel, PLEASE SEE US, was inspired by a real-life crime. In 2006 the bodies of four women were discovered in a desolate stretch of marsh behind an Atlantic City motel. The crime remains unsolved to this day.
Atlantic City had always held a unique place in my imagination. Many members of my family worked at Atlantic City casinos when I was young, including my grandmother, who used to go off to work dressed in 80s power suits, pearls, and high heels.
As a college student I would come to work at a casino as well, though by that time Atlantic City was struggling to remain relevant in a changing world. The city that had been known for its glamour and glitz was struggling through an economic downturn, casino closures, and reduced tourism, and these issues, combined with the specter of those violent murders, gave the town a listless, dark-edged atmosphere in my mind.
I didn’t start writing fiction seriously until my 20s, but when I sat in front of my computer to begin the draft that would be PLEASE SEE US, I found I couldn’t shake the image of those woman abandoned in the marsh after a tragic act of violence.
I also wanted to write about the evolution of Atlantic City, its rich history, its atmospheric geography. Before I knew it, I had my opening scene: two Jane Doe characters in the marsh, yearning to be found, yearning for a chance to tell their stories, with the Atlantic City skyline looming over them in the distance.
— Caitlin Mullen
Caitlin Mullen’s debut novel Please See Us is the winner of the 2021 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Caitlin earned her BA in English and creative writing from Colgate University, an MA in English from NYU, and an MFA in fiction from Stony Brook University. She grew up in Upstate New York and the Jersey Shore and currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with her family. Visit her website to learn more.