It has been a while since I read a psychological thriller that had more twists than I expected.

It is definitely not for the faint of heart and at least for me a one-time read. But that does not mean that the book was not good. It was a very well written book with arresting characters. 

The story starts with the return of Cass who went missing on the same day her sister Emma. She tells the story of the past three years that they had been missing for. Parallelly the forensic psychiatrist who had earlier been assigned to the case has been hung up with this case and is smelling a rat with the revelations that follow.

The narrative swings between these two and we see what unfolds. I did almost finish it is one sitting once the story got going. The only reason is did not give it 4 stars is that I did not feel a satisfaction at the closure of the case. Otherwise it does have the nail-biting quality which defines the genre as well as the twisted minds of the players involved in this elaborate game.

Hernández Novels Score: 4.5/5

First and foremost I want to thank St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of Emma in the Night via NetGalley in return for an honest review. NetGalley recommended I read this novel, as I'm an avid thriller fan, and I was most definitely not disappointed. I can't even remember the last time I devoured a book this fast - I finished it in less than a week! From start to finish I could not put the book down. I never read at the gym, but you bet I sat on a bicycle and read. I never read during lunch at work, but you bet I read while I ate my homemade chicken fried rice. I never read when I get home from work, but you bet I laid down on that couch and kept reading every single word.

We are immediately immersed in Cass' world when she returns home after disappearing for three years. Cass disappeared with her sister Emma and is adamant that Emma must be found, immediately. With the help of the FBI, Cass begins to tell the story of where she's been for the last three years, how she got there, and what happened to her while she was gone. Cass narrates her own story, but we also get another perspective, Dr. Winter's, which is given to us from the third person. Dr. Winter has doubts about Cass' story, and Cass herself is the kind of narrator that tells us what's on the surface level, but never gives up her deepest thoughts to us. Is Cass' story real? Where is Emma? Why and how did they disappear? What does Judy Martin, their mother, have to do with all of this? I needed the answers immediately, so I kept reading and reading every spare moment I had.

What I really liked about the book:

– The entire story is so well thought-out. It must have taken Wendy a lot of work to figure out every piece of the story before constructing it so beautifully. I was amazed by the story-telling. At the end, I had no questions about what happened, and was only left pondering about the future of the characters.

– I really appreciated that every chapter changed the perspective of the story. As Cass would finish one part of her narrative, I immediately wanted to know how Dr. Winter felt about it and what her analysis was. How did she explain Cass' behavior? What did she notice that I didn't while I pictured Cass answering the FBI's questions?

– The psychology behind the story's premise is brilliant. The main focus of the story is on the mother-daughter relationship, one tarnished by a parent who suffers of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. What forces have created the monster within Judy Martin, the girl's Mom, and how does that monster play into the disappearance of the girls?

– Every single character was fully realized. I knew who every character was, why each stood out, and how each one thought and behaved. Wendy did a near-perfect job materializing each of her characters.

What I really didn’t like about the book:

– I was hooked every minute of this ride, but when I finally learned the truth behind the girl's disappearance, I was disappointed. I was disappointed because I felt that the wait was long, and exciting, but the pay off wasn't worth it. I had imagined something more exciting, more interesting, more out of this world. This is the only reason why Emma in the Night does not get a perfect star rating. However, the real bomb drops on you in the last two chapters, and Wendy drops it so nonchalantly that it took me a second to fully grasp the reality of it. My mind was blown!

I enjoyed Wendy's Emma in the Night so much that I am looking forward to reading her first thriller All is not Forgotten. I hope it's as good as this one! Emma in the Night will have you on the edge of your seat piecing this difficult puzzle together, wondering what is real and what isn't, what is truth and what isn't, and will, in the end, make you shed a tear of hope for the future of the characters you will learn to love. You absolutely must pre-order and read it immediately (when it debuts on August 8, 2017).

Thank you, Wendy, for your creativity and voice. I love a strong female writer, and I think I have found someone to be excited about. I look forward to checking out the rest of your previous work, and waiting anxiously for your future stories. You've got a new fan!

MY REVIEW OF "EMMA IN THE NIGHT" BY Wendy Walker

 "Emma in the Night" by Wendy Walker is an extremely intense and intriguing mystery and thriller that will keep you on edge. I appreciate that the author discusses a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and how it affects family relationships. It is also mentioned if the children of women with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder will develop the traits and symptoms of this. 

The characters are described as complex, complicated, disturbed and dysfunctional. Most of the characters could be suspect to any inappropriate actions.

Two teenage sisters disappear, and there is evidence of the older one's abandoned car by the water. It has been three years since the FBI and Police have investigated and there is no new information.

The younger sister suddenly appears after all this time. She claims she escaped and has to find the older sister, who is on an island.The FBI gets involved again. There are inconsistencies in her story, and the emotions in the surrounding family.

There are many twists and turns in this story, and the ending is not what I thought it would be. This was a dark, intense, captivating thriller and mystery and I would highly recommend this for book lovers of this genre. This is the first novel I have read by Wendy Walker and I look forward to reading more. I received this ARC from the publisher for my honest review.

This book was a fresh take on the mystery genre, with a twist at the end that was definitely unexpected. Unfortunately, Cass Tanner and her sister, Emma, have some serious mommy issues, and that's what takes up most of the book. The relationship Cass and Emma have with their mom, both in the past and the present, is necessary to the plot, but gets repetitive after a while. The search for Emma is the only thing that keeps the story going, and that is the only reason why I would recommend it. But be prepared to hate almost all of the characters, expect maybe two, since very few of them have any redeeming qualities.

The start of this book was really captivating and I wish it hadn't taken the turn that it did for the ending!

I couldn't put this book down! The psychological aspects were highly interesting and I enjoyed all of the characters. There was a lot of intrigue in the plot, which kept me guessing.

When you get to nearly the end of a story, and realize it's been told inside out and a bit backwards; as you're looking down the telescope of events and all you can think is, "holy crap, that's brilliant!" you know you've got a good one!
Emma and her sister Cassandra's disappearance are central to the story, but the events leading up to, during and especially after, will blow your mind. This psychological thriller brings family dysfunction to a whole new level, and will leave your mind reeling.
"People believe what they want to believe," and you'll think you have bit and pieces figured out throughout the book, but you'd be wrong. I got to the end, with brand new eyes, and had the desire to reread the entire thing knowing what I knew now; that's the sign of a great book!

This psychological thriller kept my attention for 2 days, I couldn't wait to read it. I thought about it when I wasn't. Awesome sophomore read.

Every time I thought I had this plot figured out I was wrong..Very concise storytelling..An enjoyable read

This book was fantastic. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys stories about family secrets. The author fashioned one heck of an original and fast paced story line. The story centers around Emma and her sister Cass and how they went missing one evening-just like-Pfft into thin air. It keeps you guessing and gives out little nuggets of information every so often. You think you know what happened to Cass three years earlier when she and her sister went missing but then you realize that you were wrong and the story makes a 360 degree turn and you now don't know what to think. Really a great thriller.

Emma in the Night is a psychological thriller that you will not be able to put down. Missing sisters, serious family dysfunction, and narcissistic personality disorder all feature in this well written novel. Fascinating characters and unpredictable twists you won't see coming.

From what I've seen, people either loved or really disliked this book. I fall into the first camp. Sisters Cass and Emma went missing three years ago. Suddenly, Cass is back and has quite a tale to tell about where she's been, which she shares with the FBI and the psychologist on the case in the hopes of finding her sister. As you figure out early on that this novel is going to fall into the unreliable narrator genre, you quickly begin to wonder - what isn't Cass telling us? What are we missing? To be honest, once I got to the end, I was mad at myself for not seeing what was coming...but I loved the book and it definitely kept me reading. I especially enjoyed all of the psychology thrown into the mix :)

3 years ago Cass and Emma Tanner disappear. Cass returns home, Emma doesn't. What happened to the sisters? Who kidnapped them? And where is Emma? This was a great suspenseful thrilling book with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down until the end! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in return for honest review.

Read all my reviews at: https://brainfartsandbooks.wordpress.com

All through this book I was waiting for the twist. Where was it? Who knew? Who didn’t? Ahh, yes, there it is, at the very end. And then your brain needs to rewind the book just so you can review the story over again. This book was so smooth, so seamless, it never skipped a beat…ever.

Told from the perspective of both Cass, the victim who comes back after 3 years of being kidnapped, and Dr. Abby Winter, a psychiatrist who is trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Secrets are kept for the sake of figuring out what really happened. Lies are told. Calculated information is given to lead Dr. Winters to where she needs to be to find out what really happened the night Cass and Emma were kidnapped. And underneath it all lies a mother with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, something I had never heard of until now. The emotional abuse Cass and Emma endure from their mother, Mrs. Martin, is downright disgusting. So where was Cass this whole time and where is Emma now? A story of abuse, violence, betrayal, and surprises.

Thank you to Netgalley, Wendy Walker, and St. Martin’s Press Publishing for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first lines of this book grabbed me from the beginning. "We believe what we want to believe. We believe what we need to believe." These lines served as the guide to this crazy, twisting story. This book was interesting for me, because I minored is Psychology, the addition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder was very intriguing concept and I loved how it wove in and out of the plot of this novel all the way through to it's conclusion of the cycle breaking with Cass. The darkness and desires of the different characters also played a part in making this story a great drama.

I did feel the there was moments that were very redundant, but I believe that coincides with the book having an investigative tone with interviews and the like. It did not deter me from finishing the book.

Overall, I think the book was great and enjoyed it, It had all the pieces you would want in a psychological drama. I would recommend it to friends and family if I knew they enjoyed books like this.

I would like to actually give this a 3.5 stars. Emma has vanished and hasn't been seen for 3 years. Her sister is also missing, presumed dead, but she insits her sister is alive and they must find her. There is mystery and intrigue as you try to figure out the moving parts of this...is Emma telling the truth? What really happened? The ending caught me by surprise and brought all the pieces together. The only reason it got less than a 4 was that parts of it went on too long and were repetitive. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Truly a psychological thriller, encompassing the concept of narcissistic mothers.

Everything comes neatly together in the end.

**Review will be published to blog on 06 Aug 2017 at 10:00AM EST**

I chose this book because:

How did Cass return? Why didn’t Emma? What happened?? Are the sisters the messed up ones or just one of them or is it the rest of the family or is it all of them? The blurb sort of reminds of S02E07 of Criminal Minds called “North Mammon,” in which three teenage girls are abducted but only two are returned to safety. It also reminded me of Good as Gone by Amy Gentry, in which a girl is kidnapped but returns to her family eight years later, and a lot of the book is spent wondering if the girl who returned is who she claims she is. I love my mysteries and thrillers!

Upon reading it:

The premise of Good as Gone seems similar to Emma in the Night, but in Emma in the Night, there is no doubt that the girl who returned is the girl she claims she is (Cass). Rather, we are left wondering about Emma. However, even though we know that the Cass who disappeared is the Cass who found her way back home, there seemed to be something off about Cass, maybe due to whatever happened over the course of her disappearance, maybe due to the way she was before her disappearance--you’ll have to read the book to find out! Even with this suspicion, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel off about Cass, such was the subtlety of it. I felt like she was concocting a story, and if I was correct with my suspicions, I wasn’t sure if her motives were for good reasons or not. Was she trying to steer us toward the truth or away from it?

The characters in this story were messed up, every one of them in their own way. But nobody sulked or felt bad for themself, which I liked. Instead, it was a constant power struggle between everyone, which certainly made for interesting drama. Everyone was playing everyone, but who came out on top?

At first I was impatient with this book. It began with Cass’ return and then went day by day after her return. Why couldn’t Cass just tell everyone where Emma was and/or what happened to her? I could do with the sob story afterward. Also I didn’t feel like we needed to know as much as we did about Dr. Abby Winter. But this mystery/thriller proved to be more nuanced than most I have read, and soon I figured there was a greater scheme and I couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of it. There were reasons for everything and my complaints were put to rest. I even accepted that Dr. Winter’s insights about narcissism helped me better understand each of the characters, though I think I could have done without her personal story and just done with her authority on the subject, but I guess it’s more compelling with the personal story.

Speaking of which, I guess now is as good a time as any to say that this book switches between two perspectives, that of Cass’ and that of Dr. Winter’s. When it got to Dr. Winter’s parts, I was always wondering whether her insights about narcissism were the author’s attempt to to nudge the reader in the right direction or the wrong direction. This book kept me in suspense until the end! I was satisfied with the end of the book and so much was revealed and it was so hard for me to keep spoilers from this review!

Thank you to Netgalley and [author:Wendy Walker|317193] for giving me the chance to read an arc copy of this book!

This book started off a little slow for me but I was really intrigued to find out what happened to the main characters (Emma and Cass) This book definitely took me on a journey through the life of the girls. At first I felt a little sorry for them and how their life was as young girls, but then it took a twist and it was apparent they knew exactly how to make up for it. This book is full of a story that you wonder if this is a lie or if this is the truth. I think that is what made it so interesting and I couldn't put it down until I found out. The ending was not what I was expecting and I love books like that.

If you like psychological thrillers - definitely check this one out!

Thoroughly enjoyed. Thought bending, mind twisting, heart rending book.