This was my first book to read by Wendy Walker and it certainly won't be my last! This cat and mouse mystery drew me right in! I was very impressed with the accurate portrayal of PTSD. Elise lives an average life with her husband until one day she comes up on a scene with a gunman and a civilian. She kills the gunman and decides she must at some point meet the man she saved. When she meets Wade, being the person she is, she feels something is off about him.
While he hunts her down, she in turn hunts him down to find out who he really is. This novel will bring you in, captivate you, and keep you longing to find out who will make it to the end alive.

This was a very enjoyable police procedural. I really liked the plot and the writing style. The psychology aspects were my favorite and the cat and mouse chase was fun.

This is a twisty edge of your seat thriller that I read in one day. Elise is a cold case detective who suddenly finds herself in an active shooter situation. In a split second decision she takes out the shooter to save lives, but later finds herself wracked with guilt and questioning her actions. But things aren't as they seem with the man she saved and suddenly her own family is in danger.
Else was such a strong female character but seemed a bit foolish at times going into situations on her own, but it added more tension and suspense to the story. I really enjoyed this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What Remains

I have been a huge fan of Wendy Walker’s so I was thrilled to participate in @thrillerebookspromotion tour for her latest one. I did listen to this one compliments of @librofm and the narration was top notch! This is probably my most favorite of all of Walker’s books so far!

Synopsis:

Detective Elsie Sutton is deemed a hero when she shoots the gunman in a department store she’s shopping in while off duty. Saving one life meant taking another and Elsie has a hard time reconciling with her choice. To make things worse the man that she saved has an odd obsession with her and she learns he is not what he seems.

During the investigationall Elsie’s demons resurface. One that is really bothersome is the trouble she had in her marriage four years ago. I thought this part was very well done and made the thriller that much more interesting for me. Walker writes with such raw emotion and this really made me connect with the book because I have had similar experiences.

Some of the (many) things I loved:

The cat and mouse game between Elise and Wade was wild. I was expecting Elise – as a detective – to play by the rules and act in certain ways and when she didn’t, it made her next moves impossible to predict. Add in the creepy stalker vibes from Wade and you’ve got a heart-pounder.
Elise herself is a stand-out thriller lead. She’s tough and calculated, but also reckless and emotional at times, meaning I could never get a handle of her motives. How she grapples with being a wife, mother, detective and partner, while also battling her own trauma is compelling.
The dual POVs. At first I wasn’t sure how the two worked together, but regardless, the one dubbed “The Killing Room” was creepy AF and hooked my interest.
All of the tension. I wouldn’t necessarily call this the most twisty of thrillers (not to say that there wasn’t at least one fab twist at the end!), but the build-up of tension and suspense more than made up for that.
The mental health rep. It was refreshing to see some mental health rep in a thriller that goes beyond the “unreliable woman who drink too much” trope. Elise’s anxiety and her struggle with the trauma of the shooting felt well handled.

Detective Elise Sutton finds herself having to make an impossible choice when she comes across an active shooter; in order to save life, she has to take a life. While hailed as a hero she begins to suffer from self doubt and horrible guilt. When she connects with the man whose life she saved, she soon realizes that he isn’t who he says he is. What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a man threatening Elise and everyone she loves.

This was such a perfectly plotted book that literally had me on the edge of my seat. The writing, the characters and the execution were all on point to deliver a fast paced and highly entertaining read that will have your heart racing. A perfect thriller where you felt the emotional turmoil of our main character, which made the reading experience even that much better. Definitely worth a read! 4.5⭐️

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬
𝐁𝐲 𝐖𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟔.𝟏𝟑.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒪𝓊𝓉 𝒩𝑜𝓌!


Right from the start, this book grabbed my attention and set me on edge. Detective Elise Sutton finds herself in a department store with an active shooter. As the shooter points the gun at a frightened man - Elise pulls her trigger - killing the assailant.

Elise is full of guilt - she remembers the young man’s eyes as she pulled the trigger. She is told over and over that she saved a life. But something is off. Now that frightened man she saved is stalking her, threatening all who she loves.

The story jumps between Elise’s narration and a narration describing a hunting shelter nicknamed “the kill room.” Although very creepy, I was a little lost about the kill room; but it all came together seamlessly. I’ve read a few books about stalkers and this one was truly chilling - and I just had to pick this one when my husband was out of town.😱



Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours @wendywalkerauthor and @blackstonepublishing for a spot on tour and a gifted ebook.

In my opinion, this book was outstanding! Being a devoted fan of this author's work, I was thrilled to find that it had the suspenseful thrills that I usually anticipate. The plot was expertly crafted, and the gorgeous writing totally gripped me right from the outset. The degree of tension was spectacular and made me feel the fear just as the characters did. I strongly recommend this book and particularly appreciated the excellent character development of the main female protagonist.

“𝑫𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆? 𝑾𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒆? 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚?”

After having loved Wendy Walker’s Don’t Look For Me (thanks for the recommendation Dennis @ScaredStraightReads), I knew I had to dive into her latest.

From the very beginning, Walker takes you on a well plotted thrill ride. The opening line and first chapter thrust you directly into the action and tells a lot about narrator, Elise. After having a shot an armed man at a department store, Elise struggles to deal with the doubts of what she did and whether or not it had to be done. I found Walker’s discussion on the impact of trauma and the impact of a life altering event fascinating, both for Elise and her rival, Wade. The writing is intensely readable, and I found that I couldn’t put the book down, seeing Elise and Wade get deeper in their cat-and-mouse game. I also thought Elise and husband Mitch’s relationship was intriguing, as they process with the aftermath of a long ended affair, but the shooting and dealing with Wade bring up unresolved feelings. They clearly love and lean on one another, but have some things to mend. The seemingly side investigation in the Kill Room was really well structured too, and I love how it came together in the end. Do you have to suspend some belief? Sure, but that’s in part what makes this book so fun.

What Remains is a story of loneliness, not being seen, human need, relationships, and uncertainty. It is a tension-filled read with complex characters and a captivating plot. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

I have realy enjoyed the last few Wendy Walker books I have read. This one starts right off with an active shooter. I’ve seen people call it a mass shooting but…. Anyway, there happens to be a cop at the store who stops the shooter. She has trouble dealing with the fact that she killed a man but she is considered a hero for saving the lives in the store. One life she saves in particular gets a little too attached.

Elise lives a complicated life. She is trying to get her marriage back after her husband cheated and she does not like the spotlight put on her by the shooting. To be honest, I felt like I joined her in the middle of the book instead of the beginning.

Every once in a while we are taken to another investigation. A kill room in a deserted hunting cabin. This part is told in a much more clinical and stilted manner and often takes away from the flow of the reading. It’s creepy, but sanitized.

All in all, it’s an interesting story, if somewhat stilted. I am never a fan of gaslighting spouses who act as if the finding of the cheating is worse than the cheating, The intrusion! How could you? Really. Leave this dude.

This was not my favorite book by this author but would have been ok if my expectations had been lower. It was still overall a good book.

What Remains is a thriller that I was highly anticipating having enjoyed a couple of this authors previous books. The thought of saving a life and that person being obsessed was super intriguing.

While I did enjoy reading this, the main characters actions really frustrated me and I found it hard to be engrossed in the story. There were some interesting elements that I wished were explored more and I did enjoy the ending of this. I just wanted something more from this.

Overall, this was decent and I will continue to read from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e arc.

This one was just ok for me. I think I like more action than interior world view of the character. I am not a cat and mouse fan.

Wendy Walker does it again with this crime based thriller that dives heavily in trauma response.

The first chapter opens as Elise is shopping in a department store looking for pink towels for her daughters and mindlessly thinking how many shades of pink towels they actually have to choose from. That’s when she hears shots fired. She is a cop but isn’t on duty and wants to hide like everyone else, but her training finally overcomes as the threats come closer.
Her life will never be the same again after this day from the choices she made.

The story is told from two prospectives, Elise’s current story and a mysterious “The Kill Room” scenario. I was shocked at the end at how those were connected.

I typically don’t worry with TW, but I feel this one might be important: Mass shootings with PTSD.

Wendy Walker hit it out of the park (yet again).

I became an immediate fan of her writing when I devoured "All is Not Forgotten" - it kept me on the edge of my seat and then slammed me with a sucker punch at the end of it.

This is a thriller/ mystery - so I don`t want to get too into the details but basically:

We start the story with our main character, Elise, in a department store when an individual comes in and starts shooting.

AND

Elise is a detective.

From there we jump into her feelings following the incident and as she tries to piece everything together. This book is told from dual POV - Elise is one of the narrators, but we don`t know who the other perspective is. What we do know is that as Elise tries to solve what happened in that department store there is another crime that might somehow be related to her incident.

As usual, I enjoyed the writing, the character development and the story. I thought that this one wasn't as shocking as some of Wendy Walker's previous thrillers - but was still really solid.

A fast-paced page turner. I would go back for more.

Happy publication day to Wendy Walker and "What Remains".

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you @netgalley & @blackstonepublishing for my e-ARC!

This is a hard one to review. While I wasn’t swept away by the premise (I generally dislike themes with shootings in public places) I did appreciate the very clever plot line.

This book was like a giant puzzle that keeps the reader in the dark for most of the time. Written in two not-too-distant timelines ("Then" and "Kill Room", i.e. the present), it explores the emotional turmoil the protagonist, Det. Elise Sutton, goes through after she shoots a gunman in a shopping mall.

As she tries to come to terms with killing a man before he could actually carry out his plan, Elise is plagued by a million questions. Should she have hesitated? Would he really have pulled the trigger? Why was he even there?

Before we know it, we are drawn into Elise’s tormented journey as she seeks redemption for her actions. Like her, we crave answers. Who was this shooter and who is the mysterious man who was in her line of fire and has now vanished? Soon we learn that the mysterious man she saved is now stalking her, which puts the whole experience into a new perspective.

Little by little, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place until we have a complete picture of what really happened and why.

Brilliantly crafted and full of emotional tension, this book explores how the mind responds to trauma and aggression.
It is definitely a thriller that reflects our times.

Elise Sutton is a cold case detective and one day while out buying towels for her young girls she is put into in impossible position of having to take a life to save others. I loved how smart, vulnerable, and twisted this one was. . Elise is questioning everything that happened that day and it just won't leave her mind, something just wasn't as it seemed. We get Elise feelings and you just feel for her so much. I really enjoyed the intense pacing as Elise is bound and determined to find answers but also the view of the kill room that we learn about as they investigate it. The intense case had me flipping to see what he was up to next and how this all connected.

Thank you to Black Stone Publishing and Netgalley for my Gifted copy

I enjoyed this one! Despite starting with a big, intense event right out of the gate, it took me some time to get into the story. The plot felt a bit slow, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Our MC, Elise, frequently makes some very questionable choices, which had me wanting to smack her at times. I did think the villain, Wade, was a really interesting character just in the decisions he made and the way he planned things.

Eventually, I became invested in seeing how everything would wrap up. So, while I wouldn't say I loved this one, it was an enjoyable read. Overall, I'd give this one a 3.5/5

What Remains by Wendy Walker is a gripping thriller where Detective Elise Sutton, an expert in solving cold cases, faces a harrowing choice that turns her life upside down. After saving a stranger's life, she spirals into guilt and soon discovers that the man she rescued is not who he claims to be, setting off a dangerous game that puts herself and her loved ones in peril. Wendy Walker is an auto-read author for me so I was super excited to hear she was releasing a new thriller this month! This was an absolutely gripping read! Right from the first page, I was completely engrossed in the story, caught up in the thrilling cat-and-mouse chase, the unraveling secrets, and the deep dive into each character's background. One aspect that I particularly enjoyed was the alternating perspectives between Detective Elise Sutton and the kill room. This narrative technique added a refreshing dynamic to the story. I was fascinated how Wendy Walker weaved in details on how to commit the perfect murder which added an extra layer of suspense. I also appreciated the way Elise balanced between following protocol and taking matters into her own hands. It added complexity to her character and made her journey all the more compelling. Throughout the book, the writing style and pacing were spot-on, ensuring that I remained engaged and eager to discover what would happen next. However, the only aspect that didn't resonate with me as much was Elise's personal drama. In my opinion, it could have been omitted without compromising the overall strength of the book. I highly recommend picking up What Remains if you're a fan of psychological thrillers.

If you ask anyone who knows me, they know I LOVE Wendy Walker. Ever since I read the first book, I automatically get excited for her next!

Sadly, I struggled with this one. It is a slower pace story, and I was just waiting for something to happen page after page. I couldn't connect with the characters, no matter how hard I tried. Writing this review makes me so sad because Wendy is always an instant 5 Stars when I finish her books.

While this definitely wasn't my favorite, I'm looking forward to the next!!

Detective Elise Sutton spends her days working on cold cases. She has a keen ability to understand the minds of criminals and how to crack old crimes. But when shopping for her family at a department store, she is faced with a shooter and has to make a split-second decision to shoot the man. Wade Austin, the man she saves, mysteriously leaves the scene. Although hailed as a hero, she is haunted by taking another life. When Elise finally meets Wade, she is soon caught up in an intense cat and mouse game as the man she thought would be grateful, starts to stalk and threaten her. She is determined to figure it all out while trying to also protect her family.

In What Remains, author Wendy Walker has created a captivating story that was hard to put down. Elise decides to take time off to unravel what is going on, acting as a lone wolf. Her actions and decisions are often foolish and very dangerous, but this keeps the tension high. There is a secondary story also taking place that, at first, seems unrelated but Walker does a good job bringing everything together. A gripping, solid thriller.