I’m a big Wendy Walker fan, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I found the plot to be too clearly mapped out and often repetitive. There weren’t any of the twists or surprises that I’ve come to expect from the author. The chapters for the killing room seemed random at first, but then because they were so random things clicked for me and it was pretty easy to see why they were significant and where the story was going. I also really had a hard time getting on board with the “detective/professor teaches how to commit the perfect crimes” storyline. A detective posting online about past cases and telling people where the criminal was successful and where they could have improved was too far out there and not at all believable. I’m still a huge fan of Walker and I’m looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

Elsie is a police officer and while running an errand at a store a man enters and starts shooting. When Elise jumps into action and kills the shooter this sets off an unpredictable chain of events. Elsie becomes emotionally distraught after taking a man’s life and her meets one of the witnesses to the shooting names Wade. Wade is obsessed the Elise and tries to ruin her life. Elise embarks on a crusade to figure out why Wade is coming for her and who is the man she killed.

This was my second Wendy Walker book and I thoroughly loved this one. The story was incredibly unique and the story is told between the POV of Elise and an intertwining story. The ending was a nice twist and put a nice bow on the story. I will be recommending this to everyone.

Elise and her partner Rowan solve cold cases, and Elise uses them in the courses she teaches at a local community college. One morning, Elise is in a store buying new towels for her two girls when a young man starts shooting. Elise tracks down the man and shoots him, saving the life of more than one of the other shoppers, but especially of one tall man. Elise becomes obessed with finding this man, who seems to disappear into thin air. She finds him...and starts off a series of unsettling events and Elise realizes that this man isn't who he says he is...

I liked this book. It wasn't my favorite of Wendy Walker's book, but it's good. It does feel a bit slow at times--especially in the beginning of the book as we're figuring out who all of the characters are. There's also a few chapters near the end of the book that are told with Rowan in first person, which is a bit confusing since the rest of the book is told from Elise's POV or from a flashback to the hunting shelter Kill Room. Wendy Walker does a really good job at keeping you guessing, trying to follow all of her twists and turns. I rated this one 3 stars because it does feel a little too copaganda-y, especially since the main character is involved in a shooting.

Read if you like:
💍 Domestic Thrillers
🚔 Police Procedurals
🪟 Stalkers
📺 How to get away with murder


This thriller! It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going on, what’s the truth and who should I be rooting for versus who is the true bad guy.

In that sense, it definitely has how to get away with murder vibes and I loved that show so it worked so well for me!

It also has the domestic thriller vibes with the husband and infidelity playing into the plot.

Thanks so much Blackstone Publishing for this rivoting thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat!

I’ve been a big fan of Walker’s previous books and this feels like a departure in a way. It didn’t quite work for me - one of my favorite authors, Charlie Donlea, already has done an expert job writing characters who study how to murder (first in Some Choose Darkness). I felt Walker really didn’t develop the background of the story here and just leaned into the suspense (which wasn’t all that suspenseful, I felt I was skimming often). The kill room chapters took me out of the story and I understand they were supposed to play into the twist, but I just didn’t buy it all. Not well developed and not the genre/book I was hoping for, unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great cat and mouse thriller. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded through colliding dual timelines. Wendy Walker is one of my fave authors in this genre and this book is definitely one to add to your TBR.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Wendy Walker continues to demonstrate that she can expertly weave a breathless page turner of a thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Her latest novel, What Remains, follows Detective Elise Sutton on her journey to cope with the trauma of having to shoot a man who opened fire in a store. When she connects with the man whose life she saved, she quickly realizes that he is dangerously obsessed with her and so begins a suspenseful and action-packed manhunt.

The novel includes two crime storylines that you know are connected in some way, but Walker will keep you guessing and enjoying the twists until the final reveal. This was a lightning fast read for me that kept me hooked and staying up late to read more. I highly recommend you add this one to your TBR and look for it from your favorite bookseller or library on June 13, 2023. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

"What Remains" by Wendy Walker is a captivating thriller that delves deep into the themes of fear and self-worth. The main character's struggles and the strong presence of fear throughout the story kept me fully engaged.

Walker skillfully portrays the challenges of fear, making the protagonist's journey relatable and emotionally charged. Despite her skills as a detective, she questions her worthiness of a better life, adding depth to the narrative.

This thought-provoking and gripping thriller leaves a lasting impact. It encourages readers to reflect on their own fears and self-worth. While it didn't fully meet my expectations, the exploration of fear was compelling.

I'm grateful to Blackstone Publishers for providing the ARC and to Angie for the buddy reading experience that enhanced my enjoyment.

I received a digital ARC from Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I appreciated the chapters from Elise’s point of view. The focus on mental health in the aftermath of traumatic events made for an interesting read. Readers should know that many topics that can be considered triggering make up the storyline. These include: a shooting, and assault.

I did find parts of the story confusing. However, once everything came together it all made sense. I do not know how I did not see it all as I was reading.

There's an old Chinese proverb that says, “If you save someone's life, you're responsible for them forever.” Detective Elise Sutton learns this the hard way…

Elise is a cold case investigator, & though she’s been through all of the firearms training back when she became a police officer she’s never had to fire her weapon at a person before - that all changes one day when she makes a quick stop at a big box department store & an armed man starts shooting. She manages to stop him before he shoots anyone, but is racked with guilt over whether or not she needed to kill him (even though everyone around her is calling her a hero). Elise finally manages to have a conversation with the man who was last in the shooter’s line of fire, & what starts as him reassuring her that she had to shoot, rapidly becomes a new kind of terror as she realizes this man has no known identity & is now obsessed with her. Elise fears for her life & those in her immediate circle (her daughters, husband, & investigative partner), & she is also grappling with multiple traumas on top of her pre-existing anxiety.

This book really makes you speculate as different pieces of the puzzle start to come together while what’s going on in Elise’s life with her stalker is told in conjunction with bits & pieces of a story about a mysterious body burning in a small hunting shelter with a designated “kill room.”

Wendy Walker made Elise’s character have so much depth, & wasn’t afraid to dive into all the mental health issues that Elise faced. I enjoyed the depictions of motherhood & the glimpse into the life of a detective & their thought process while investigating. I wasn’t wild about the character staying in her marriage, but nobody’s perfect & obviously that’s a personal decision. In summation, this was a riveting thriller & I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley & Blackstone for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is my first book by Wendy Walker but it certainly won't be my last. I expected a page-turning thriller and it delivered on that. What I didn't expect was the haunting and accurate portrayal of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a clinical social worker and therapist I was amazed at how Ms. Walker 'got it'.

The novel starts out with Detective Elise Sutton shopping for pink towels in a department store. She hears some pops that, at first, seem to be balloons breaking. Then she hears screams and realizes that a gun is going off. She runs to the site of the shooting and sees the back of a man with a gun in his hand as well as a tall man frozen in place. It appears that the gunman is going to shoot the tall man but at the last minute, he runs into the dressing room and Elise shoots the gunman.

Elise is hailed as a hero but she does not feel like one. She feels desperately conflicted about having shot a man. Her emotional life becomes unbearable and she feels an overpowering need to meet the man she saved, the one who ran into the dressing room.

She finds the tall man and has a meeting with him in an isolated area. He says his name is Wade and, at first they commiserate with each other but then the atmosphere of their connection changes. Elise realizes that things are not as they seem and that Wade may not be just the lucky survivor Elise thinks he is.

Wade begins to follow Elise and she, in turn, follows Wade. She wants to get to the bottom of things and find out who this man really is. Meanwhile, her marriage is floundering, she is on leave from work and she begins keeping secrets from her husband Mitch and her partner Rowan. Her inner life is in turmoil as she deals with guilt and remorse over the shooting and obsession over Wade.

The story has two main narrative lines. One is the cat and mouse chase between Wade and Elise and the other is about a 'Kill Room' in a secluded area. This room is primarily used by hunters but it appears that a murder has taken place there. How these two narratives converge is really impressive.

I loved this book but have one suggestion - that there could be less repetition in the narrative. I know this is a common occurrence in mysteries and thrillers but it felt too strained. What stood out for me on the positive side are the detailed characterizations, the examination of the mental health system, and the accurate and intense description of PTSD. I would recommend this book to friends who want to read a thriller that goes above and beyond the genre.

Wendy Walker is a go-to author for me, especially with her latest novel What Remains. The first chapter is a huge firecracker of tension that sets the pace for the rest of the book.

I feel like the premise of this one was good but it just kind of fell flat. Thanks to the publisher for this copy for review

Thanks to Blackstone for the free book.
This was an intriguing police procedural that left me intrigued, especially in the beginning. I liked the two different story lines and trying to figure out how they converged, which wasn't too hard to guess once the story got going. I think the beginning of the story had a lot of strength. I was instantly pulled in and wanted to know what was going to happen to Elise next. I also liked the addition of the class of how to plan the perfect murder - it added a unique layer to this plot. I did think the middle was a bit slow and was a bit confusing concerning how the storylines merged. I had a bit of trouble keeping everything straight. It was also a bit repetitive. But the ending was so good. I did not see one plot point coming, and I was like 'of course' once it was revealed because it was so well done. If you like stories about cat and mouse/stalker types of thrillers, check this one out.

The tagline here really drew me in, the thought of saving someone’s life and then they become obsessed with you sounded so thrilling and exciting to me. Unfortunately I didn’t find this one to be thrilling or exciting in the end though. Elsie is a police officer and I normally love procedurals but this one read as very dry and repetitive for me. There were shades of How to Get Away With Murder that kept me reading but ultimately things fell flat in the end. I have really loved the authors other books so will definitely be reading her in the future but this was a miss for me.

I had such high hopes for this one based on the description but I did not enjoy it. I was very slow in the middle, with not much happening to move the story forward. I also thought there wasn’t enough character development for Elise. I felt like I didn’t know who she really was. This book is very repetitive. Every time there was a new development each step of the investigation was just reiterated over and over. I know there’s a lot to keep track of but it was too much. I also didn’t find the ending to have a good twist or reveal. Overall, this wasn’t my favorite police procedural, but it did have a unique concept of the officer dealer with the aftermath of killing someone while trying to protect others.

Picture this: A detective walks into a big box store, but instead of buying pink towels for her kids as planned, she saves a stranger from the brink of death.

That’s the opening of Wendy Walker's WHAT REMAINS, and it only gets more intense from there. Before long, Connecticut-based Detective Elise Sutton discovers the man she saved is not what—or who—he seems to be, and that her heroic act could cost her, her partner, and her family their lives.

Wendy Walker’s known and loved for her psychological fiction, and this thriller feels true to form, but it also has a really innovative structure and dark tone that reminds me of Nordic noir and UK crime fiction (which, as you may know, I adore). This story will work it’s way under your skin, and stay there. It’s a chilling and exciting must-read that may be my favorite of Wendy’s fantastic books yet.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Wendy Walker is one of my favorites. She is so very clever and it show in her newest release, What Remains.

My loves:
• the intensity. Wow, just wow!
• so many twists and turns
• The Kill Room - how it takes you through the entire investigation
• how The Kill Room’s narrative is also not what it seems
•the cat and mouse game
•how there is no “crazy” woman as the culprit

My dislikes:
• Mitch - he had no overall effect on my rating for the story. I just despise him and want it on the record
• at times it seems to drag

TW: mass shooting, stalker

Read if you love:
•police procedurals
•intense feelings

Rating: 3.5 stars rounded to 4

Detective Elise Sutton is wrecked after taking down a gunman during a shooting in a department store. As a detective who works cold cases, she has little need to fire her weapon in the line of duty. Even though her actions saved an untold number of lives that day, Elise is consumed with guilt. When a witness to those fateful moments named Wade Austin reaches out to her, she feels compelled to meet up with him. But Wade isn’t who he says he is, and things quickly turn dark and dangerous.

Wendy Walker’s taut and terrifying cat-and-mouse thriller had me hooked from the very first page! It starts off with a literal bang and doesn’t let go until the end. The action is absolutely pulse-pounding as Elise gets drawn further and further down a rabbit hole, chasing the mysterious man and searching for answers. I devoured this intricately plotted and perfectly paced novel in a single day, unable to tear myself away or go to sleep until I reached the clever and chilling conclusion!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me an advance copy of this book.

This was my first book by Wendy Walker and it will not be my last. I really enjoyed this book. The ending wrapped up any loose ends. The cat and mouse game kept me on my toes the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.