First read by this author and it won't be the last.

Lots of complex diverse characters mixed up in a web of deceit and lies (which I did find myself having to recall to make sure I was on the straight and narrow) that you find yourself invested in.

A complex intense read with shocking revelations a solid ending that I saw coming!

I enjoyed Local Woman Missing. It is my first book by Mary Kubica and I enjoyed her writing style.
I found this book a quick read, which kept me gripped throughout and I did not work out the twist!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my ARC.

Meredith is happily married to Josh and mother to Delilah and Leo. Then she disappears along with six year old Delilah.
Fear and suspicion rage through the small town.
11 years later Delilah reappears with no idea of where she has been or where her mother is.
Someone will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.
Unbelievable tension will keep you reading.
Another best seller from Mary Kubica.
#NetGalley #LocalWomanMissing #MaryKubica

BOOK REVIEW - Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica - Publication Date - 18th May 2021.

Shelby goes out for a run late at night. She has recently had a baby, so has to wait until her husband returns from work. She does not return from that and her husband is frantic at home awaiting her return.

A matter of weeks later, Meredith & her daughter Delilah go missing suddenly and people in the area, are wondering if the same person is responsible for these disappearances!! Her husband Josh and son get support from their neighbours Kate and Bea.

I enjoyed this book. The story was told by the different characters mentioned and was told in the ‘then & now’ on alternate chapters. I thought the storyline was good and definitely a few surprises along the way. I did sometimes find the ‘then and now ‘ a bit confusing for me, especially as there was a number of characters. My first time reading this author and would definitely read again!

Thanks #netgalley #HQ #localwomanmissing #marykubica

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A solid four star read. Good premise. Great characters. Enjoyed the writing style. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. It even had a twist that I didn’t see coming.. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I have enjoyed most of author Mary Kubica’s novels and especially loved ‘Pretty Baby’ and ‘Don’t you Cry’ but struggled to connect with this one. I did enjoy it but never got that feeling of not being able to put it down. There are quite a few characters and I struggled at times to figure out what was going on and who was who.

Local woman Shelby goes missing and is followed shortly after by Meredith and daughter Delilah. Eleven years later Delilah is found but does not have any memory of any of the events surrounding her disappearance or past. The book is told over two time lines which kept confusing me but made sense eventually.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and HQ for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Two seemingly unconnected women, three time narratives and a unputdownable novel.

Mary Kubica is a very skilled thriller writer, with a back catalogue of some of my favorite books. You will be hard pushed to find another author so consistent at brilliant characters, development and intelligent mystery and this book is no exception.

Thrilling, clever and pacy.

Wow what an absolutely fantastic book this was. It kept me guessing the entire time and I genuinely did not know what to expect or how it was going to end. It was very fast paced and kept me on my toes from start to finish. Brilliant book!

Warning!- I suggest that you don’t pick this book up if you are short of time. From the first page I was hooked and didn’t want to put it down. Told in two time lines and several points of view which adds to the suspense, unexpected surprises keep coming and the end is a final twist. I had to suspend disbelief on several occasions but I was so swept up by the plot it hardly mattered. This is the first Mary Kubica book I have read but I will definitely read others. Recommended!
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I am really sorry to say that I just didn't connect with this book. I struggled with the writing style, and the story got lost for me .Hope other readers like it more.

This is a cleverly plotted thriller set in three different timeframes. I raced through it, keen to know how it would all work out.
Meredith is a birth doula and she tells part of the story which is set 11 years prior to the present day. It becomes clear that she and her 6 year old daughter Delilah have disappeared when the reader is treated to a further point of view belonging to Kate, her neighbour which is set a few months later after Meredith and her daughter are gone.
We also hear from Delilah’s younger brother, Leo, and at the very beginning of the book from a girl who has escaped from a basement after being locked up for many years. When this girl who claims to be Delilah is returned to Meredith’s husband Josh and teenage Leo, this sets of a chain of events which are devastating for all concerned.
Once I got used to the three narrators, the story fitted together nicely and definitely added to the tension in the novel. Just when you think you are going to find out what has happened the author moves to another of the narrators which turns out to be a great plot device!
I enjoyed reading about the events that happened from the points of view of the different characters as this made for a more compelling read. I felt sorry for Leo as he feels his whole life had been ruined by his sister’s disappearance: his father is still obsessed with finding Delilah and he has no friends at school. However this may be due to his personality as it becomes apparent that he even has difficulties interacting as a young child before Delilah disappears.
However, his life has been defined by this one awful event and there is no escaping it which makes his narrative voice extremely bitter. He is definitely in two minds about Delilah’s return although he gradually warms to her.
This is a great five star read which really kept me on my toes! I certainly did not guess the outcome and I recommend this book to all you thriller and mystery fans out there.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a brilliant read ! Everything you want from a thriller ,gripping from the beginning ,full of suspense and just when I thought had all the answers I was thrown by a completely different scenario ,the ending was excellent.Told through different characters points of view ,past and present ,very well written I simply didn't want to put it down .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

Wow! This was the first book I have read by the author but I will be definitely reading more of her work! I have usually worked out the "twist" at least half-way through a book but this one kept me guessing right up to the end! I loved how the story was told in two time lines and from different characters perspectives. I also appreciated that the grisly details were kept to a minimum, there was plenty alluded to, letting your imagination fill in the blanks. Mary Kubica is a master story teller - drip feeding details at a very clever pace. I was absolutely hooked the whole way through. It was very much a "just one more chapter!" kind of book!

Cleverly structured twisting thriller focusing on the disappearance of two seemingly unconnected women and a young girl, the daughter of one of them. Friends and neighbours form search parties, Eleven years after they leave, a girl escaping from her abductors is found wandering in the woods. As the mystery unravels it's clear a number of people have had issues with the women. Terrific and gripping story that kept me guessing to the end.

Wow wow wow, Mary Kubica has written an amazing gripping thriller! I whizzed through this book, the plots, twists and turns kept me guessing throughout and I couldn’t predict them! Absolutely amazing! Was the first I’ve read from this author but will be reading many more!

Shelby is a local woman who goes missing, soon after so does Meredith and her daughter Delilah. The story is told in 2 time lines, now and 11 years ago, are these missing cases connected? Delilah turns up 11 years later, she has no memories of what happened or where she was originally from. So what happened? You will to continue to read to find out. The story is well written and the plots just keep coming.

Thankyou NetGalley and Mary Kubica for my advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

Eleven years ago, a man regularly came home to his wife with lipstick marks on his collar and lame excuses as to why he was late - again. His wife was in the habit of going out for a run late at night. It was the only time she had for herself when she didn't have to look after her baby - but when she was out she would meet up with a man, grateful for the unquestioning affection he gave her. The locality was stunned when Shelby Tebow disappeared, seemingly without a trace, leaving her husband to look after her disabled baby. Ten days later, a local woman and her six-year-old daughter disappeared. Meredith Dickey was a birth doula and she'd seemed to be under some strain for the last couple of weeks or so. Her body was eventually found in a seedy motel - it appeared that she'd committed suicide. She left a note saying that her daughter, Delilah, was safe and there was no point in looking for her.

Meredith's death left her husband, Josh, to look after and raise their son, Leo, who was only four when his mother disappeared. Life wasn't easy for Josh and Leo but it looked as though their problems were solved when Delilah returned to them. She'd escaped from the cellar where she'd been held for eleven years. Although she was seventeen, her growth had been stunted, she was filthy and malnourished and had little memory of her life before she was snatched. She calls Josh and Leo sir and has difficulty sleeping anywhere other than the basement floor. The family had hoped that Delilah's return would free them - but it hasn't.

The story gradually unravels as Josh and Leo's neighbours - Kate and Bea - tell their side of the story and we hear from Meredith too. We add to - and occasionally subtract from, what we think we know. Both Shelby Tebow and Meredith Dickey were parties to a malpractice suit against a doctor. Could this have anything to do with what has happened? Their disappearance makes the suit difficult to pursue. When Kate tries to talk to Dr Feingold, who delivered Shelby's baby, she finds that she's bitten off far more than she can chew. Her partner's furious with her for putting them both in danger. There's a palpable air of menace as you read: I had to keep looking away from the page.

The characterisation is superb: they all come off the page and convince you. The plotting has been carefully done. The denouement is jaw-dropping but I wasn't completely convinced: it's a minor quibble though in an otherwise excellent book. I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

There is not just one local woman missing. There are two and one child, Delilah. That gives many themes for a fascinating story. The fact that one of the dead women is writing her own experiences does stretch the imagination somewhat. The disappearances took place eleven years previously and the story navigates between then and now so it is important to stay alert! The family members are well depicted and the story is well written although some of the description is extensive. Readers are really challenged to guess who is behind it all but it certainly has a well created and unexpected ending.

This is a new author for me, the storyline got me involved from the beginning and the characters were all good.

Personally for me it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat but a thoroughly good read which I can recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I've never read anything by Mary Kubica before, but I can promise you know that will change - this is hands down one of the most unique, gripping, and all round amazing thrillers I've read in a long while.

So, it took a bit to get into purely because it's split into two timelines (now and 11 years ago) and has several narrators, some of whom are writing now, some in the past. So it took a few chapters to settle in to who was who and how they all linked together. But I got into it surprisingly quickly, and it turned into one of those books you absolutely fly through as you're desperate to know what really happened. And trust me, that final reveal was so worth it. My jaw was on the floor, I was completely stunned, and I in no way saw it coming, which is rare as thrillers can edge towards being a teeny bit predictable nowadays.

But no, this was amazing. I was totally gripped, the writing was amazing and the characterisation was really strong. There's quite a few twists and turns throughout, along with some red herrings, and it just all culminated to create a really strong and enjoyable thriller that I totally recommend.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

Once again Mary Kubica does not disappoint, I love all her books but this is on par with the 1st book i read by her The Good Girl, if you haven’t read it I strongly recommend it, Local Woman Missing is a gripping, thrilling, edge of ur seat read that keeps you guessing right until the end, thoroughly enjoyed this and totally deserves a 5 star review.
Many thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the arc of this book!