Friday 11 June 2021

Review | Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

Published by HQ on June 10, 2021


Mary Kubica’s thrillers never disappoint and Local Woman Missing was exactly the tense and haunting kind of book I have come to expect from this author. With two missing women and a child returning from being held captive for several years, the suspenseful prose and mystery-filled chapters had me completely hooked and this was another excellent read from the author - one I would strongly recommend.

Local Woman Missing starts in a really intriguing way with the teaser of a prologue followed by part one of the book, where we meet Delilah and see the danger she is in. The opening scene with Delilah was truly shocking and unsettling to read. Whilst I was fascinated to begin with and interested to see the links between the very different opening two parts, as a reader who generally loves short and fast-paced chapters, I did struggle to get into the book straight away as the first part is all told in one chapter, with no breaks, and according to my Kindle was nearly 15% of the book. However, I’m a big fan of Mary Kubica’s books and so I knew the best was yet to come and the rest of the book certainly lived up to my expectations with a hugely compelling and expertly plotted tale full of chilling twists and turns.

The story is set over two main timelines. The present day, where Delilah shockingly returns to the place she disappeared from when she was just six years old, and eleven years previous, around about the time Delilah and her mum vanish. The main part of the book is told from the perspective of three different characters in alternating chapters: Leo, who is Delilah’s younger brother; Meredith, who is the second woman to go missing; and Kate, local vet and neighbour to the two missing women.

Each character had a fresh take on the mysteries within this novel and all three perspectives were different and equally captivating. I could not get enough of part two of this book – it was highly engaging and I raced through every suspenseful chapter none the wiser of what had happened to the missing women but so desperate to find out the truth. There were so many twisted layers to the story that it was impossible to guess every outcome and there were times when I just had to stop reading so I could take in the secret that had just been revealed and I seriously love it when a book catches me off guard like this one did several times.

I loved reading this book. It was genuinely addictive and towards the end had me reading on the edge of my seat, so invested in all the characters and eager to get to the truth. The storytelling here was uneasy and pulsating all at the same time. I would love to go back and re-read Local Woman Missing now I know the truth and be reminded of how cleverly written the book was with the clues and hints that were well-hidden but had me reading with a sense of foreboding. Another difficult to put down, menacing thriller by Mary Kubica.

Review copy provided by the publisher - this was my honest review.   



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