From the Bookshelves: Finding Creativity in Unexpected Places in Kimberly Lee's "Have You Seen Him"

Kaecey McCormick
Sep 16
3 min read

A Creative Look at a Thriller About Secrets and Identity

Greetings my fellow creatives!

I'm so happy you're here today as I review a new book by Kimberly Lee through the lens of creativity. So whether you're writing poetry, creating fiction, making visual art, or engaged in other creative endeavors, there's something here for everyone. :)

Book Cover of Kimberly Lee's "Have You Seen Him" thriller novel.

When I sit down with a novel, I’m always curious about where the story will take me.

Some books invite us to pay attention not just to the plot, but to the creative little seeds tucked inside the writing—the surprising details, the “what if” moments, the way ordinary life suddenly opens into something more.

Kimberly Lee’s Have You Seen Him is one of those books.

The premise alone stopped me in my tracks: what would you do if you spotted your own face in a missing child ad? That single question launches the novel and immediately blurs the line between everyday reality and an unsettling unknown.

From there, Lee’s story follows David Byrdsong, a lawyer living a routine, slightly detached life until that ad forces him to confront his past. What begins as an eerie discovery unravels into a web of secrets, shadowy organizations, and long-buried questions of identity.

Along the way, David leans on his girlfriend Gayle and an unlikely ally, and the search for his true family turns into a journey full of both danger and discovery. This is a fast-paced book that leaves you breathless at times, so let's dig in...

Creativity in the unexpected

What stood out most to me wasn’t just the plot or characters but the way Lee takes something as ordinary as junk mail and uses it to crack open a mystery. Lee wastes no time pulling the reader into this chilling discovery:

"David focused in on the ad and saw his own face gazing back at him. He shook his head as if to shake the foolishness out. 'This. Can't be real.'"

That mix of the everyday and the extraordinary is at the heart of creativity. And, it’s a reminder for me as a creative that inspiration often hides in plain sight. A slip of paper, a glimpse of a stranger, a passing line in conversation—any of these can become the seed of a story or a poem if we let them.

Have You Seen Him thrives on that bit of the unexpected, with author Kimberly Lee turning a simple “what if” into a thriller novel. I love this use of creativity in unexpected ways!

The reading experience

This is a book for readers who enjoy suspense that doesn’t linger too long in one place. Short chapters, shifting perspectives, and constant forward motion give it the feel of a page-turner.

For me, the most compelling aspect was the concept itself: identity, belonging, and how a single discovery can unravel what you think you know about yourself. The novel’s emotional current runs just beneath the action, as when David reflects:

"He imagined the decades of searching—wishing, wondering, not knowing, feelings he knew all too well."

If you’re drawn to high-concept thrillers—novels that begin with a striking idea and spiral outward—Have You Seen Him will keep you hooked. And if you’re a creative, it might even spark a question or two about the everyday details around you and how they might hold unexpected possibilities.

Takeaways for readers

As a poet and creative, I often look for books that remind me of the importance of curiosity. Kimberly Lee’s Have You Seen Him is a testament to what can happen when an ordinary detail becomes the key to an extraordinary story.

The next time you check your mail, glance at a flyer, or overhear a snippet of conversation—pause for a moment. What creative doors could that small detail open?

✨ Don’t miss it!

Come back on September 21 for my author interview with Kimberly Lee, where we’ll talk about the inspiration behind Have You Seen Him and her creative process.

cover of Have You Seen Him by Kimberly Lee

You can purchase a copy of Have You Seen Him at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org. And be sure to add the title to your GoodReads reading list!