First Shelby goes missing and then Meredith and her daughter Delilah also go missing shortly after. The community search for the missing women wondering if the disappearances are connected. Eleven years later Delilah is found and the truth of what happened is going to finally come out.

We get a lot of different timelines and character perspectives in this book. Sometimes this can be really confusing and make the story move slowly however I felt that it worked well in this story. I think the author did a good job of creating a tense atmosphere that had me invested in the story.

I thought that this was a well-put-together mystery and had me guessing right up until the end. Overall I really enjoyed this mystery and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

When a local mother and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, suddenly vanish, their close-knit suburban community is rocked by fear and suspicion. How could such a terrible thing have happened in their small town?
Then, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly reappears. Everyone wants to know what really happened to her. But there are secrets hidden deep in the past – and when the truth about those missing years begins to surface, no one is prepared for what they’re about to find out.

I have literally just finished this book and wow
I have read all of Mary Kubicas novels and was really excited to be invited as part of the tour for her latest
I have raced through this book today as it was so jam packed or action and I needed to know how this book ended

This book is set over a dual timeline, before the disappearance and the present day.

This book is very intelligent, with twists I could not guess. After being stuck in a thriller rut. This book has well and truly pulled me out of it.

Mary kubica is now an auto buy author for me

When a local mother and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, suddenly vanish, their close-knit suburban community is rocked by fear and suspicion. How could such a terrible thing have happened in their small town?
Then, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly reappears. Everyone wants to know what really happened to her. But there are secrets hidden deep in the past – and when the truth about those missing years begins to surface, no one is prepared for what they’re about to find out.

I have literally just finished this book and wow
I have read all of Mary Kubicas novels and was really excited to be invited as part of the tour for her latest
I have raced through this book today as it was so jam packed or action and I needed to know how this book ended

This book is set over a dual timeline, before the disappearance and the present day.

This book is very intelligent, with twists I could not guess. After being stuck in a thriller rut. This book has well and truly pulled me out of it.

Mary kubica is now an auto buy author for me

Local Woman Missing is a twisty thriller/mystery set in a small community. When a young girl escapes from the clutches of her kidnapper and finds refuge at a nearby property she gives her name as Delilah Dickey. Delilah has been missing for eleven years, along with her mother, midwife Meredith. Her father is delighted to see her but her brother isn’t liking the attention she is receiving as well as being unable to put his finger on something that doesn’t feel right about her.

The book moves back and forth in time from the present to March and May eleven years ago. In March we see midwife Meredith helping heavily pregnant Shelby Tebrow, who not long after she has her child goes missing one night after setting off for a late-night ‘jog’.

In May eleven years ago we witness Meredith’s family and friends trying to find her and her six-year-old daughter as they are now missing too.

The story begins with a great hook featuring a kidnapped child. As the now seventeen-year-old is reunited with her family the thoughts turn to her mother Meredith who hasn’t been seen since the pair disappeared. Another case that the locals think could be linked is that of Shelby Tebrow whose body was discovered. The two women had a connection and only lived a short distance away from one another.

As the plot progresses you start to realise that not everything is as straightforward as it first seems. There were been quite a few red herrings thrown in and I walked a few wrong paths.

What I noticed about the book was how easy it was to read and that I managed to read it in just one day. I was intrigued by the predicament and wanted to know the secrets that this small community held.

The ending is a little far-fetched but it is a novel, not real life. Overall I enjoyed the mystery. It was an unpredictable, intense, and engrossing thriller and one I didn’t want to put down.

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.

If you’re looking for a thriller you won’t want to put down and have you on the edge of your seat then this is one for you.When a young mother goes missing whilst out for a run late at night, the whole neighbourhood is shocked. Shortly afterwards another local woman and her 6 year old daughter also mysteriously disappear, shaking the town to its core. Eleven years later, a girl is found who seems to be the missing daughter. But is she? And what happened to the two women, and are their disappearances connected? As the truth about the missing years begins to become clear, secrets are uncovered and shocking events revealed.

The book is told from multiple points of view and in multiple time lines - the present and 11 years previously - and we gradually see the whole shocking story unfold. Well constructed, Kubica manages to ensure the story flows well despite it jumping around, and the multiple points of view really work to ensure the reader feels that you begin to get into the head of the main characters. Kubica does a fabulous job of creating an almost chilling atmosphere right from the first chapter - it drew me in immediately and the twists kept coming throughout the book. For me, it was definitely a case of “just one more chapter’ as I was kept guessing and was keen to know the truth. If I was to level one minor criticism, it would be that the ending felt a little abrupt but its unexpectedness made up for that and overall it was a clever and compelling book that I would recommend to all thriller lovers. I will certainly add Kubica to my list of must-read authors.

This book had me gasping in disbelief along the way and very soon I found I could not put it down. The narrative was enthralling and claustrophobic: focussing on a small cast of characters, I admired how Kubica weaved their stories to make them link together. A great piece of story-telling.

At first I was a little unsure of the book because the first couple of chapters are incredibly long. I’m the type of reader that likes to break at a chapter and so felt frustrated that Kubica had not given any intervals. However, continuing through the story, this long section was necessary to establish the basis of the narrative: the disappearance of Meredith, Delilah and Shelby. Therefore, once this had been provided, I barely noticed the often frequent chapter breaks, desperate I was for the answers.

The narrative shifts between before the disappearances to present day. Delilah’s return provokes memories to resurface and it is here that we learn the events proceeding Delilah’s disappearance in the initial police investigation. However, readers also discover what lead to Meredith’s absence and I found this narrative most intriguing. After all, we know that Meredith disappeared, we eventually learn what happened, so it is a case of knowing the answer but not the question. I liked this element of detective work and I particularly enjoyed piecing all the elements together as the story progressed.

Plenty of theories swirled in my head as I read the story. There are not too many suspects involved in the disappearance of the three women and I liked how Kubica manipulates the reader. Meredith’s story as a doula was especially interesting and I found out things that I had never considered before with this occupation. Indeed, the birthing scenes naturally reminded me of my own labours, although I was a little bit squeamish at some of the details that Kubica suggests. It adds another chilling dimension to the story and, naturally, another suspect is thrown into the mix.

Throughout the story there is plenty of trauma and suffering, focusing especially on a family and relationships. Mothers struggle, wives despair and, well, daughters become absent. The is literal darkness in the story through the ever-present storms, but it also acts as pathetic fallacy and adds to the burdens that many of the female characters shoulder. Indeed, although the story starts with one local woman’s disappearance – Shelby – this quickly widens to more than one female. Suffering is not just experienced by adults, but also children so, adding even darker tones to this story. I found this made the story more chilling and saddening, but also empowered Kubica’s narrative.

This was a compelling story that grew with intensity. I loved not being able to foresee character connections and felt saddened by many of the experiences. Despite this, I thought this was a gripping, excellent read from Kubica and one that I enjoyed immensely.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Mary Kubica for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

What an absolutely fantastic read!

I was completely hooked from beginning to end. Well written, with a genuinely creepy sense of atmosphere. There are so many edge-of-your-seat, heart-pounding moments, especially in the first few chapters; It’s packed full of suspense, and I found myself checking over my shoulder more than once!

Narrated from multiple points of view, and set in dual timelines; the story flows perfectly from one chapter to the next, without ever being confusing.

Local Woman Missing is an unputdownable, fast-paced thriller, with twists and turns aplenty and enough red herrings to throw you completely off track.
I didn’t guess the ending either, which is a HUGE plus point for me.

I would highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was blown away by the start of this book, first we have new mother Shelby noticing lipstick on her husbands shirt and admitting she’s going to keep quiet as she’s got more than one lover herself. One of whom she is about to meet while faking going out for a run. She is the first to go missing, then Meredith a local doula goes missing with her daughter, who was home sick from school. Her husband picks their son up from nursery and assumes his wife has gone to a birth but when she doesn’t respond to texts and is still out past their daughter’s bedtime he visits their neighbour and then calls the police.

Another story running parallel is a basement setting where two young children are being kept in the dark. These scenes are brutal and not for the squeamish or faint of heart. One of the children is Delilah, a determined and resourceful young girl who manages to escape and is found by a dog walker eleven years after going missing. How are these stories connected?

Narrated from multiple characters and with lots of time jumps between past and present you will need to pay attention. In the present timeline you learn how their disappearance has affected those left behind especially Leo the brother of the missing girl.

Now this was a five star read for me right up until the reveal. The writing is definitely five star especially the children’s narration which is exquisite. It’s dark and gripping and everything I love in a thriller and it really pains me to knock this book down to a four star but I just can’t get over one little thing. You will have to read it and see if you feel the same way as I don’t do spoilers.

Not my favourite book by Mary Kubica but it’s still a decent psychological thriller with a few unexpected twists and turns. I did find it very difficult to get into which doesn’t normally happen-the different timelines and characters POV just didn’t seem to gel with me for some reason but this may have been my frame of mind at the time of reading.

Local Woman Missing - Mary Kubica

The first book I've read by Mary Kubica, I know she has a devoted following amongst psychological thriller fans so I was keen to read it.

The involved plot starts with two children held captive in a dark basement, there are also two woman missing, including one of their mothers.

Told using multiple characters perspectives and a past / present narrative, it jumps around and takes quite a while to start to develop the bigger picture. You need to keep your wits about while reading to not miss the pointers.

I found the writing style gave the characters a tendency to overthink and over explain, and the pace is moderate. It does pick up towards the end and there are some big twists.

I was compelled to keep reading and piece it altogether, but wasn't as hooked or compelled as I would have liked.

3.5*

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ.

I’ve written, deleted and re-written this review and still I’m unsure what I want to say.
Firstly I was completely engrossed by the story and was always looking forward to picking the book up to continue reading. The moving about of timescales was brilliantly done and so necessary too. However I was completely fed up of the pushing of the doula role. I don’t like being lectured to in a fiction book but felt that this was what was happening. Then I hit about 90% read & the plot seemed to err on the ridiculous but almost immediately pulled itself back on track. I won’t give any spoilers so it’s hard to say much more but whilst the solving of the crime was very clever the more I think about it the less convinced I am.
Still deserves at least 4 stars ( would have got 5 without all the darned doula bits). I think lots and lots of readers will love it.

Interesting, different and unputdownable.
A local woman Shelby goes missing on a late night run. Shortly after another woman and her daughter go missing. Is there a serial kidnapper/killer on the loose or is something else happening?
The story moves between the past 11 years previously and the present - a little bit confusing at the start but easier to follow as the story progresses.
Delilah and her mother Meredith go missing , Delilah turns up eleven years later, having been held captive in a basement by a cruel couple.
The story unfolds in bits, some big twists and about turns in the second half.
I really enjoyed this book, turned out to be something completely different to what I expected.
Am in two minds about the ending - it was a big surprise but not sure if I believed it. Would have been good to have some clues throughout the book.
4 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

Wow what an absolutely fantastic read ! I loved this book , told from different characters POV had you guessing with every chapter! A really original storyline that kept you guessing right until the end ! Highly recommended

Wow. This was definitely the best thriller I have read this year!

This book was a rollercoaster, an intense journey from start to finish and so many of the notes that I made while reading were questions. Despite my questions and copious notes, I did not see the twist coming and was completely floored by it.

The dual timeline and multiple character narration were so well done and each character definitely showed through in their narration. Though Kate and Leo were my favourite narrators, I appreciated what Delilah and Meredith brought to the story. It was clear in each chapter who was narrating and their personality and character development were clear.

Thriller and edge of your seat, jaw hanging open aside, the emotional relationships developed with the characters were intense. I sobbed at the prospect of someone who has been held captive for 11 years having forgotten the names of colours. How did such a simple sentence utterly destroy me? Clearly, Kubica is an absolute master of her craft and I instantly need to read her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

A woman goes missing, leaving her newborn baby and husband behind. Two weeks later, Meredith and her 6-year-old daughter, Delilah, disappear too, but time passes, and when they're still not found, the case goes cold.
Eleven years later, Delilah miraculously returns but will her family finally get the answers they need?


Mary Kubica is one of my favourite authors, so I was excited about her new book.
It has been a long time since I read a book that grabbed me by the throat from the first page.
The story follows several perspectives and timelines, and I'm not usually a fan of that kind of narration, but the story was so gripping that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
It was a fast-paced, unputdownable read that had me guessing all the way through, there were lots of red herrings that led me astray, and the twist proved all my theories wrong.
Yet again, Mary Kubica doesn't disappoint.

Wow! What a great book! It grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go until the very last page.

If you are looking for a well written, fast paced psychological thriller that will keep you guessing throughout then this book is for you.

Highly recommended!!

Absolutely loved this book kept me gripped to the last page and I never foresaw the huge twist at the end.

I regret that I did not finish this book. I found the subject matter too uncomfortable to read at this precise moment in time. Many apologies

A gripping psychological thriller full of unexpected twists slowly being imparted to the reader. The I think that this may be the best Mary Kubica book to date. The story is told by three main characters + Delilah, Meredith and Kate in two time periods then and now, separated by 11 years. To add to the intrigue was the totally unexpected ending. The characters are all easy to understand their emotions and are so well described.
Highly recommend this book to others who enjoy this genre.