Local Woman Missing: A Novel of Domestic Suspense

Group gave it a 3.7/5⭐️

~Gives a real love hate relationship after reading lol First off, let me tell you that I am a mystery & thriller lover. It usually takes me a month to finish a book that is not good. I finished this book in 2 weeks! I could not put it down in my free time. I love a good build up making it hard for me to see what is coming. -Chapters: The chapters are not numbered, but labeled by POV of either Leo, Meredith, Deliliah or Kate. Also, they go from 11 years ago to the present and back and forth. However, it is very easy to keep up with because the timing is provided with the POV name. -Beginning: Pulls you in and captivates you immensely. You just have to know more. -The Middle: Most people didn't like the anticipation while learning and discovering more about what happened in the months that led up to the disappearances and what is happening in the present day. I enjoyed it. I will admit, Meredith's chapters could've been a bit less because some of her POV and things she did 11 years ago bored me and a line or 2 would've gave me the same understanding that she was a very busy wife, mother of two, doula etc. -Ending: RUSHED! Interesting. Humorous even. But rushed. The ending ends like a movie where the problem is solved and you are like, "Please don't just black out the screen & start rolling the credits." And then what happens? Just that. Favorite character: Leo. He is so relatable and unapologetic. I couldn't wait to read his next chapter. Least favorite character: Meredith. I couldn't relate with any of her thought process, until the end when her mother power (adrenaline) kicked in despite everything she was going through because her daughter needed to be saved. I gave this story a 4/5 rating because I really enjoyed the mystery and thrilling way it moved me, but the middle has some parts that are boring and unnecessary in Meredith's chapters that are longer than others. Also, this was my first Mary Kubica read. So I am not sure what her usual type of writing style is, but I really hate when authors rush the ending. There was no epilogue so that the acknowledgements, discussion questions and 2 chapters from her other book could be inserted in the back of the book. Which actually pissed me off more. I don't like starting something and then having to wait to finish. Needless to say, I did not start reading the 2 Sadie POV chapters (16 pages) from “The Mrs.” that are thrown in after acknowledgements and discussion questions. I will try to give another one of her books a read though. Any recommendations?

Overall, this was a pretty good thriller. Things I was into: (1) Pretty good pacing. Right away, in chapter one, I felt invested. I was equal parts annoyed and intrigued throughout. (2) The Leo perspective had just the right amount of sibling love/resentment. It actually creeped me out a little. Good stuff. (3) the sharp 180 of one character's demeanor. That really intensified things quickly. Things I was less into: (1) Timeline jumps between past and present. I get that this helps build tension and suspense, but can someone just write a straight timeline, please? I'm over this trend. (2) Too many narrators. I think there were technically four. All of them written in first person. Sometimes I got confused about who was talking. Between that and the timeline jumps, my brain was getting scrambled. Again, I get why it was done. But it's not my favorite thing. (3) Some of the red herring stuff made me literally yell at the book (like how people -- well, me -- yell at the TV) "Whaaaaaaaaaat is going oooooooooooooooooooon heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere?" <-- direct quote... (4) Some of the writing was a bit over the top. Like bad 80s night time soap over the top. There's a passage where someone slaps someone and what is said following the slap was just... cheesy and maybe not necessary... very Krystal-and-Alexis (am I aging myself by saying that?). For me, this was way better than the other book I read by Mary Kubica (Don't You Cry), but I don't think I'm a fan of her writing style... It's not that it's bad. It's just not for me.

Like the title, a local woman is missing. A few days later, so does another woman along with her 6 year old daughter.

My goodness this was fabulous. I love multilayered plots where the answer is not linear, but more like a web. Things and people are connected, and you don't know what is relevant and what isn't.

It was a bit of a slow burn about 30-50% in, but apart from that it was a nonstop ride to the end that kept me guessing the whole time.

This book reeled me in straight from the beginning and the ending…NEVER SAW IT COMING!