Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this digital galley.

Mesmerizing. Fascinating. Engrossing. There are so many superlatives to describe this psychological thriller. Author Wendy Walker has written a story that changed with every scene to keep me on the edge of my chair and completely unable to predict the outcome. And throughout the narrative she seamlessly inserted information concerning narcissistic personality disorder for those of us who were unfamiliar with that diagnosis. Walker was also able to reinforce the knowledge that anyone outside a family unit cannot possibly know everything taking place within that family dynamic. What appeared to be a "perfect" family to those observing from outside was actually a battleground within.

Two teenage sisters go missing on the same night. Was it suicide? But if so, why? Were they kidnapped? Are they still alive? Three years after Emma and Cassandra Tanner went missing Cass came back. From the beginning of the story I was never sure exactly what was true and what was not. This is well written. The chapters alternate between Cass and Dr. Abby Winter, a forensic psychologist with the FBI. Abby has not been able to leave the case of the two Tanner girls behind and over the three years the inability of law enforcement to solve the case has been a heavy weight on her, even driving her to seek professional help herself. Now Cass is back and she keeps demanding that they find Emma.

As someone who had no previous information about this psychological disorder I have to say I found this book absolutely absorbing. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Amazing how narcissism can permeate and change the dynamics of a whole family. So many twists to this story - it kept me guessing until the very end. I would certainly recommend this book. Thank you for my advance copy.

Sisters Emma and Cass have always clung to each other. One night, the teens go missing. The only clues are Emma's abandoned car and shoes on the beach. Cass, it seems, is simply gone without a trace. Did the girls drown? Were they together, or did something happen to each of them separately? The FBI investigates, but they get nowhere. Three years later, Cass suddenly arrives home under her own steam after escaping her captors. She tells of her ordeal in a series of incredible stories. Cass has just one goal: Bring Emma home.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Publishers, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read a digital galley of Emma in the Night, and provide an unbiased review.

Wendy Walker's Emma in the Night is a smart and engaging psychological thriller with great twists and turns. The story centers around a Cass who disappears as a teen and returns a few years later with a story that peels like a big thick onion, layer by layer. Cass keeps you guessing about whether or not you can really believe her, and the cast of characters surrounding her makes you think dysfunctional doesn't even begin to explain it.

Wendy Walker writes smartly and coherently about the complex subject of narcissism. Her point of view about relationships is also well done in that none are perfect, but the strength of those bonds forgives many sins.

When reading this type of story, I reluctantly anticipate some ridiculous event that causes my eyes to come loose and roll to the back of my skull. It's genuinely pleasing to find an author who has taken the time and care to discipline their writing to stay of the path of believability. This story is well crafted and executed. Great writing is what draws me toward more from an author, and that is exactly what Emma in the Night accomplishes. I look forward reading more by Wendy Walker.

4.5 Stars!

Emma in the Night was an amazing psychological thriller with a gripping story that kept me guessing right until the very end!

Three years ago, sisters Cass and Emma vanished without a trace. Now, Cass has returned without Emma and her story centers on an island where the two were held captive. While Cass relays the details to the FBI so Emma can be found, Dr. Abby Winter realizes something about her story doesn’t add up. Abby examines the family’s history to find out what exactly happened three years ago and what is happening now.

The story picks up on the day Cass returns home and includes flashbacks throughout the book of before Cass and Emma disappeared and while they were on the island. In addition to Cass’s chapters, we also get chapters from Dr. Abby Winter, the forensic psychiatrist with the FBI. I really enjoyed getting to see both sides to the story, that of the victim and that of law enforcement. The opposing sides really helped with the pacing and gave you a better picture overall where things were headed with the story.

The Tanner/Martin family was fascinating and I was completely drawn in by this train wreck of a family. None of the relationships within this family are what you would consider normal, healthy relationships. The relationship between the sisters and their mother was the one that drew me in the most. The relationship Cass and Emma have with their mother causes their own relationship to change drastically over time.

I don’t want to say much about the mystery of Cass and Emma’s disappearance, but the storyline was really interesting. I loved getting to learn more about the island and how they came to be there as well as how Cass ultimately escaped. Plus, we get thrown for a few loops near the end which I felt were very well done.

My only complaint about this book is that the timeline sometimes confused me. Within a few pages you could go through all three timelines (before Cass and Emma disappeared, during the three years they were gone and when Cass returned home). At times I had difficulty telling which timeline Cass was talking about and I would be pulled out of the story while I tried to figure it out.

Overall, Emma in the Night was an amazing psychological thriller that kept me interested from start to finish. I will definitely be checking out future books by Wendy Walker and I plan to pick up her first thriller, All Is Not Forgotten sometime soon.

There are plenty of books out there that will tell you a predictable story in a predictable way, but Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker is something altogether different. It's the kind of book you'll want to devour in one sitting, so compelling is the story, and it's one you'll be thinking about long after you turn the final page.

Seventeen-year-old Emma and fifteen-year old Cass disappear from their mother's home late one night, and the police are pretty sure they know what happened to Emma. Her car was found at a nearby beach and her shoes are fished out of the water. But there's no sign of Cass. It seems unlikely the sisters would have gone off together, since their mother swears they were in the midst of a horrendous argument earlier that evening. For three years, not a single sign of Cass can be found, until she shows up on her mother's doorstep with a harrowing story to tell.

Dr. Abigail Winter, a psychologist with the FBI, has never truly gotten over the disappearance of Cass and Emma Tanner. When the girls first went missing, she was willing to stake her entire career on their mother having something to do with whatever had happened to them. Something about her spoke to Abby, reminding her of her own troubled childhood, but was it possible Abby was allowing the ghosts of her past to influence her assessment of this case? Her superiors clearly thought so, and the case was left unsolved, but even three years later, Abby still thinks about the Tanner girls and the abuse she's almost certain they endured at their mother's hands.

When she receives news of Cass's sudden return, Abby is eager to talk to the girl; the FBI has many questions, and Abby has a few of her own as well. But Cass very obviously has a plan, one she'll reveal only in her own time. It's obvious to Abby that the mystery is far from solved, but will she uncover the truth before it's too late?

The story is told from the alternating points of view of Cass and Abby, and I found this narration style to be highly effective. Both characters tell us about past and present events, something I found super helpful as I tried to decipher the truth of what really happened to Cass and Emma.

Normally, I like to give potential readers a good idea of the direction a novel is going to take, but Emma in the Night has to be an exception to that rule. Part of what makes this novel so much fun to read is the author's way of revealing the truth in very tiny pieces. I could lay it all out for you… but that would ruin it for you, so just trust me when I tell you you're in for one very twisty ride. Ms. Walker has created a story filled with disturbing truths and characters who aren't at all who you think they are. She has taken the unreliable narrator trope to the next level here.

On several occasions, I was sure I had things figured out but I was wrong every time. The story went off in directions I could never have predicted, but it didn't come across as the least bit over the top. Sometimes, authors create endings that seem completely out of left field, and readers struggle to follow them, but that isn't the case here. Sure, I was surprised by the ending, but only because I didn't pick up on a few clues Ms. Walker had skilfully sprinkled throughout the early parts of the novel. Now that I know how the story ends, the clues seem obvious, but they certainly didn't as I was reading.

There are several fairly graphic scenes of abuse in the book that could prove upsetting for some readers. Cass and Emma come from a deeply troubled home where both physical and mental cruelty are quite commonplace. Personally, I found the mental manipulation was harder to deal with than the physical stuff, but I know that won't be the case for everyone.

Despite the scant information I've given you in this review, I hope everyone will give Emma in the Night a try. It's a great thriller, perfect to curl up with during a summer thunderstorm. Once you start it, I'm sure you won't want to put it down. I know I didn't.

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

This book is about two teen sisters who suddenly go missing, and their convoluted family. Only one girl returns and the book is all about finding Emma. If you are a fan of page-turner thrillers and mysteries, read this book!! It has been a long time since I've read a book where I could'nt turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens. There are so many twists and turns, and then when you think you've got it figured out there are even more twists and turns. I loved the psychological aspect of this book, with great insight into true narcissistic personality disorder. I will definitely be looking for more from this wonderful author!!

"We believe what we want to believe."

This was a common phrase used throughout this book, and I think it sums it up very well. This story takes place three years after sisters Cass and Emma Tanner going missing, on the day Cass returns without Emma. The story is told passively about events that happened before and during their disappearance with alternating POVs between Cass and Abby, a forensic psychiatrist assigned to the case.

It's clear from the beginning that Cass is an unreliable narrator from the very beginning of the book. Very early into the book, she narrates, "I had thought about how to tell them, how to explain it. There had been time, too much time, to construct the story in a way they would be able to comprehend. I had to find talent where none existed and tell this story in a way they would believe." Throughout the story, it's a constant struggle to figure out what parts of Cass's story are true, and which are fabrications to help make her story believable.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery. My biggest complaint was that everything was passive. I understand why, and it adds to the mystery of what really happened, but it also made the story difficult to get through at times. By passive, I mean very little of the story takes place in the present day of the story. Nearly everything in both Cass's and Abby's POVs are told in the past, but they are telling the story, so it's not even shown as a flashback. I think flashbacks would have given the story a little more action, and would have made it more interesting to read, as opposed to being told the events that occurred.

Overall, I would recommend this book to people who enjoy mysteries. I still think that it was a good mystery, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what really happened.

Emma in the Night
By Wendy Walker

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free Advance Reader's Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but it won't be the last. I was pulled into the story from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. Cass and Emma disappeared when they are 15 and 17 respectively. No one seems to know where they are. Three years later Cass returns home alone. Where is Emma? Cass wants desperately for her sister to be found and brought home. The story is told from the viewpoints of each of the characters; Cassandra Tanner, Dr. Abigail Winter - Forensic Psychologist for the FBI, FBI Special Agent Leo Strauss, Mrs. Judy Martin - Cass and Emma's narcissistic mother, Owen Tanner, the girls' father. The characters and the plot are well-developed and kept me glued to the book until I finished it. I highly recommend this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emma and Cass are teenage sisters who both suddenly vanish without a trace. There are no leads, no suspects and no sense of what may have happened to the girls, and the case goes cold. When Cass reappears alone, years later, an incredible and to some unbelievable story emerges detailing, according to Cass, not only how and why they disappeared, but also how Cass made it home without Emma. Her mother, an unlikeable woman who is potentially a narcissist doesn’t believe the story Cass relates and feels her daughter is mentally unstable. Two FBI agents who were originally on the case are called when Cass returns and they are determined to unravel the facts and uncover the truth.
The story was engrossing and I didn’t have a good theory about what had really happened until very close to the end. This is the first book I’ve read by Wendy Walker, but I’ll be checking to see what else she has written and looking forward to future books. I was fortunate to receive “Emma in the Night” when I had the luxury of some extended reading time and I didn’t put it down until the early hours of the morning when I was done. There were layer upon layer of details in this mystery and I was hooked from page one.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Wendy Walker for the opportunity to read her latest book - it's wonderful!

I was a huge fan of her first book, All is Not Forgotten, and this latest will not disappoint. This is a very multi-layered book with lots of plot twists and secrets to be figured out. Emma and Cass are two sisters, trying to navigate a very dysfunctional family life. Their mom, Judy, is a narcissist who plays the girls off each other, craving love and attention. The parents divorce and Judy remarries, leaving more trouble in the wake with the addition of a stepfather and stepbrother.

One day, Emma and Cass disappear. Emma's car is found by the beach and it is presumed that she drowned, but Cass is nowhere to be found. Three years go by when Cass suddenly appears at home, desperate to tell her story to the FBI so that they can find Emma.

The story is told in alternating voices - Cass and Abby, an FBI agent who was on the case when the girls first disappeared. She has been haunted by their disappearance and the fact that her viewpoints weren't taken seriously.

I don't want to give any more away - you need to read this book!

Emma in the Night, by Wendy Walker, Aug. 2017
Two teenage sisters, Cass, 15, and Emma, 17, vanish without a trace on the same night. Three years later, Cass returns home alone, frantic to rescue Emma before she is lost forever. The novel is told in the alternating voices of Cass (now 18) and Abby (Dr. Winters, the FBI forensic psychologist). Walker introduces readers to a memorable and uniquely dysfunctional family replete with a mother suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! Readers will be quickly caught in the web that Walker weaves. Highly recommended for all fans of psychological thrillers.

What did I want from this book? A fast-paced psychological thriller that I would not be able to put down until I knew all of the secrets and twists.

Was it everything I wanted it to be? At first, it was exactly that. I was extremely invested for the first half of the book. The story of two sisters who disappear on the same day. Three years later, Cass, the youngest, returns home without Emma. The story of what happened to Emma is intriguing. We see enough of Cass's point of view so that we, the readers, know that there are some things she is holding back, or that she has an agenda and is probably not telling the whole story. Around halfway through the book I started to think she may be an entirely unreliable narrator. There are stories that Cass tells that are so long-winded and bogged down with details that I became less invested in the story. At first every detail felt important because I was trying to decipher why she felt these details were important. After a while I didn't care any more because it didn't feel like it was going anywhere. Was she putting so much into this to be convincing? Was it relevant, or did she just want the people around her to believe it's relevant? These questions kept me reading at first but maybe the story didn't advance quickly enough for my taste. In the beginning, I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know what was going on. By the end, I was 93% through with the book and on the verge of finding answers and had no problem closing the Kindle and waiting until this morning to finish. I'm not sure what changed in that time, but after I started to zone out of the story, I was never really brought back in. It started out great for me, ended up just okay.

I really enjoyed this book ! Nothing like reading a book full of messed up, despicable people to make you feel so much better about yourself and what you have ! I kept thinking to myself " is she mad ?" it was hard to tell who was and who wasn't. Who's guilty? Who's Innocent ? Where is Emma ? Every time you think you have it figured out, you realize you were wrong ! Lots of twists and turns throughout the whole book. Very glad I chose this book! Hope you enjoy it !

This didn't really hit the mark with me. There's a decent plot, but the twist has been done before. I didn't connect with any of the characters - most of them were fairly unpleasant, but I didn't feel any sympathy for the main protagonist either. There's an awful lot of exposition re Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and far too much telling rather than showing.

This is one of the most spell binding psychological thrillers I've read in a bit!

Ms. Walker has told this story from the viewpoint of the victim, Cass, and Dr. Abigail Winter, a Forensic Psychologist with the FBI. And it works extremely well.

With a narcissist as a mother the Tanner girls never really stood a chance. If you don't know what a narcissist is, you will after reading this book!

The sorrow I felt for these girls and their poor father, who just did not know what he was getting himself in to by marrying Judy. When she cheats on him and divorces him to marry up, it just opens a new can of ugliness. There were no boundaries, the girls had no voice. 

When after three years Cass shows up at her family's doorstep, everyone is shocked, no one more than Dr.Winters, who knows first hand what it means to live with a narcissist.

As Cass says, People believe what they want to believe. And that is so true in this case and a lot of others. Easier to believe the pretty story. But this wasn't pretty but it was powerful. And the end? Did not see that coming at all!

Highly recommend this book! 

Netgalley/St.Martin's Press  August 08, 2017

The book was an okay read for me. The story moved along quickly but the book didn't grab me as much as I thought it would. I won't stop reading her since the book did have some unexpected twist and turns.

One of the best mysteries this year! I was drawn to this book because of the cover and the strange title, I couldn't figure out what the story was about, even after reading the blurb and so, after reading the prologue, I was hooked! If you are a sucker for twisted family affairs, this is the book for you.

I liked the characters so much, each and every one had a back story and well-crafted motives. The timeline shifts from present to past all the time, but it is not difficult to follow. It adds to the dynamic of the storytelling and I enjoyed this as well.

The basic premise is very dark, narcissistic mother and her two daughters, who can be saved and can that cycle be broken? You will wonder about this throughout the book and still not be clear what the answer is in the end. I think that author did an amazing psychological research about this topic and I got a lot of information about NPD (Narcissistic personality disorder).

Exciting, enticing, mind-blowing!

This review will appear on the link below approx 1st August

Cassandra Tanner walked up to the front door of the house that had been her home until three years prior – it was 6am when she knocked. When her sleep tousled mother answered the door she didn’t recognise Cass – but when she said “it’s me, Cass” the roller coaster of emotional trauma began…

Cass and her big sister Emma had vanished three years ago – the FBI, local police, media and friends had all been involved in the search for them, to no avail. Cass’ return brought a story of kidnap and being held against their will; of being forced to stay on an island somewhere off the coast of Maine – and of Cass’ plans to escape. She was desperate for them to find Emma and beseeched the FBI and forensic psychiatrist Dr Abby Winter to search for the place they’d been held.

But Abby felt that something was wrong within the family – she knew the signs, having experienced them herself many years ago. Abby buried herself in Cass’ story; in the file from when the sisters had gone missing. What she was starting to uncover had her uneasy; she was convinced she was right, but her colleagues were sceptical. Would they find the isolated island and Emma? Would Abby get the results she hoped for? And would Cass eventually have her sister back?

Wow! Emma in the Night is another brilliant psychological thriller by Wendy Walker! Twists and turns litter this book; the plot is intense and the pace is blistering. I loved the author’s debut novel, All is Not Forgotten, and this one didn’t disappoint either! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.

See my review on Goodreads :) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2021447256