Page turning thriller about a women's persistent search for her missing mother who the authorities insist has simply walked away from her unsatisfying situation.

This was my first Wendy Walker book and I really didn't know what to expect, but I am pleased to say this was an intriguing read and I was totally invested in this story.

Told in part from the point of view of Molly Walker, initially I wasn't sure if she was going to be a reliable narrator, particularly with her state of mind right out of the gate, but she actually was a very strong woman, despite all that had happened to her in the last five years. I really liked the way Ms. Walker kept little tidbits of information back, only having Molly reveal them at key moments.

The other point of view we get in this story comes from Molly's daughter, Nicole. She is tied to her mother in a very deep way but hates it for it, so it was fascinating to watch how she dealt with the tragedy the family faced all those years ago. She was a very flawed person, but underneath had strength and courage that she herself wasn't even away of.

There were plenty of twists in this story, the reader being led in multiple directions which kept me guessing as to who had taken her and for what reason. The introduction to the secondary characters all kept the story muddled as to who was good or not, and Nic really had her work cut out for her in trying to find her mother.

I admit I was not expecting the way this story ended, and I was hoping for a little more "happy" than what is given, but that's just my soft heart and everything played out the way it was meant to. If you're looking for a good page-turning mystery, this book is perfect for you!

This was a fantastic thrilling read! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading.
Buckle up and enjoy the read!

This one wasn't for me. While I appreciate the twist on our usual domestic suspense, we still hit several of the tropes that make me roll my eyes: dead-child-as-a-plot-device, cheating spouse, guilt by miscommunication, and the "functioning" alcoholic. Mother and daughter have almost identical narrative styles, which is something that I assume will be handled gracefully with very different audiobook narrators, but since I read the print book, my only clue to which character I was following was whether it was in first or second person.

I also... Got bored in the middle. I read the book in three sittings and the second (and honestly the third too) was just... Not exciting, not engaging. A friend who had already read the book said "oh, just think of [main character] as just eyes you use to gather clues" - well, that's not exactly encouraging! The "big reveal" came too early and caused the last act to drag. And both characters were very whiny.

Okay, all that sounds super negative. I will say this: unique premise in a saturated genre; Walker has a crisp and direct writing style that keeps you turning pages; and the child is super creepy.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC, which I received in exchange for my honest review. Don't Look for Me is an engaging and heartbreaking exploration of one of the most powerful human emotions, guilt. After a terrible accident destroys her family, Molly Harper is but a shell of her former self. After years of dealing with the grief and heartache caused by her actions, Molly disappears leaving her car abandoned. Did Molly simply walk away from a life she could no longer bear to lead or is there more than meets the eye?

Told from the perspective of both Molly and the daughter who goes in search of her, this book is taunt and emotional throughout. There are some twists and turns and the book was not predictable, which I enjoyed. Just when you think you know where this story is going, author Wendy Walker, delivers a bombshell. I don't want to give away any spoilers so you should definitely check out this fast paced psychological thriller for yourself!

Don’t Look For Me is a suspenseful, psychological thriller that will leave you up at night, just to see what happens.

Molly Clarke has gone through one of the hardest things a parent can go through in life and unfortunately just hasn’t recovered yet. It doesn’t help that her family hates her for what happened. On the way home from her son’s football game, where he totally ignored her, she disappears. A couple of days later a note is found telling the family she is not coming back. Her family searches for her and they can’t find any evidence that an accident happened or where she might have gone. Out of the blue, a woman calls and says they saw a woman on the side of the road, fitting Molly’s description, getting into a dark colored truck. Molly’s daughter Nicole goes back to the small town where her mom went missing to try and find out where she went.

With alternating chapters of Molly and Nicole’s point of view, we see what is happening with Molly and we witness Nicole doing everything she can to put the pieces together. Can she put the pieces together before time runs out or before she too goes missing?

This is a heart-pounding, action-packed, unique story that will have you on the edge of your seat as the pieces come together for both Nicole and Molly. It is a genuinely disturbing family drama that shows obsession, child abuse, and the secrets people in a small town keep quiet. This is an amazingly written story that is unputdownable. I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this incredible ARC with me.

OMG if you love thrillers but have not read any of this authors books READ THIS ONE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the best thriller I have read all year and I read ALOT of thrillers!!!!!!!!!!! I thought I had it figured out but then got a total look of utter shock on my face when it was revealed. This author writes so you are reading and trying to figure it out the whole book but you don't. That is the make of a fantastic writer in my opinion.

This was so gripping I stayed up until after midnight to finish it! 

Molly Clarke doesn't want to be found. Her family life is in shambles, there's nothing good to come home to, so she just disappears one night during a bad storm. Police investigate, but it's just another case of an unstable woman making a break for it, case closed, right? But her daughter Nic gets another tip on her mom and dives headfirst back into this case and is convinced her mom wouldn't abandon them, no matter how bad things get. But there isn't anyone Nic can trust it seems, and time might be running out for both her and her mom...

It's hard to review this without giving too much away but just know my heart was pounding as I was reading this. This story is full of twists and surprises and just when you think you know how it's all going to end, you'll find yourself once again shocked!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my copy.

One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life.

She doesn’t want to be found.

Or at least, that’s the story.

The car abandoned miles from home.

The note found at a nearby hotel.

The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together.

They called it a “walk away.”

It happens all the time.

Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over.

But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?





My Thoughts: On Day One, we see Molly Clarke driving in the rain, thinking about the sadness of her life: her losses, her remaining two children who seem to wish she weren’t there at all, and the emptiness of her marriage.

She has just left her son Evan’s game at school and watched him look away from her, dismiss her, pretend she wasn’t there.

Driving toward home, she keeps going, as if she has no destiny. And then she runs out of gas on a stretch of road. She sees a gas station 30 feet away, but as she walks toward it, she realizes it is boarded up. Empty. Like her life.

When a truck drives by with what she thinks is a man and his daughter, and they pull over, offering her a ride, she doesn’t really hesitate…

What then begins is a nightmare.

Will Molly ever go home again? The man takes her to a house instead of the police station where she wanted to go. He makes empty promises about phoning for help…and she is soon a prisoner.

Meanwhile, back home, Molly’s daughter Nicole is searching for her. She doesn’t believe that her mom just walked away, and too many pieces of the story don’t make sense.

We watch the tale unfold between Nicole and Molly, back and forth in alternating narratives.

Who is the man holding Molly hostage? Why are the police and other residents of the small town of Hastings where Molly’s car and supposed “note” were found telling tales that don’t make sense? Is it a conspiracy? Or is it even more dark and evil?

I kept trying to figure out who the players were and how they connected to Molly and Nicole, so as the answers began to come, I was breathless with anticipation. Don’t Look for Me was a brilliant 5 star read.

***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley

I haven’t read a thriller this propulsive and exciting in quite some time. Wendy Walker is a new author to me, but I certainly will be reading more from her in the future. This novel had me on the edge of my seat. The point of views alternate between a mother and daughter caught in a web of thrilling twists. I highly recommend this thriller.

What a fantastic thriller! Great twists, lots of emotions, full of suspense, and a shocking ending. I could not put this down or wait to see how it was all going to play out. This story keeps you guessing and glued to the paged until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book! Release date - September 15, 2020

I really really enjoyed this book. One thing I especially loved about it that made it stand out from other missing person thrillers is that the whole time Nic is searching for her Molly, her mom, and wondering what happened to her, we actually have alternating chapters from Molly’s perspective. So the reader knows exactly when Nic is pursuing a wrong lead and that made the search that much more intense. Molly’s chapters also had such a high creep factor, especially Alice, the creepy kid who may or may not be in on the kidnapping plot.

I really loved the mystery. I was constantly guessing who was responsible for Molly’s kidnapping, everyone in this little town seemed suspicious. I wasn’t shocked by everything that was revealed but I really liked the way it all played out.

All in all this is a great thriller with little to no trigger warnings, while still being exciting, creepy, and super tense. I was sometimes on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen. Some aspects of the ending definitely surprised me and it did not all go the way I was predicting. I’m a fan of Wendy Walker for sure and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

This is my second book by Wendy Walker. I definitely need to put her on my must read author list. This one is a twisty, wild ride. Molly and her daughter, Nic, are thrust into a town peopled with some really creepy characters. Who can Nic trust in her quest to find her mother? It took until the end of the book for it to become clear who was the truly evil one. I didn’t guess and then, of course, there was a final twist that blew my mind. Loved it!

Oooooh boy!! If you’re looking for fun and twisty, look no further! This is Wendy Walker’s best yet!⁣
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Riddled with guilt over a horrible accident five years ago, Molly Clarke feels like a stain on her family and completely unloved and unwelcome - in her opinion, for good reason. Stopping for gas in a small town, she decides her family might be better off if she doesn’t come home - so she abandons her car and takes off walking down a dark road in the middle of a storm. But when she changes her mind, things take a sinister turn.⁣
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*Stefan voice* This book has everything: a creepy town, mysterious disappearances, guilt for dayssss, an ominous fence, zero characters you can trust, a creepy child, “a woman with nowhere to turnnnnnn.” (If you get that reference, you are my best friend)⁣
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This is an excellent thriller. There is no one you can trust, and the twists just keep 👏🏻 on 👏🏻 coming 👏🏻. Wendy Walker did a fantastic job creating tension and a spooky atmosphere, and the pacing was so so good, all things that can really make or break a thriller. The psychological claustrophobia and guilt is palpable and so stressful, and just when you think you have everything figured out - BAM! 💥 Ya don’t! ⁣
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An absolute must-read for thriller lovers! 4.5 stars rounded up

As an avid fan of Wendy Walker; ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN, EMMA IN THE NIGHT and THE GOOD SISTER amongst my favorites I was anticipating a good read and I was not disappointed.

Nicole arrives in the town of Hastings to investigate her mother Molly’s disappearance on a stormy night. Her mother’s car was found abandoned with no trace of her. Everyone believes Nicole’s mom, Molly walked away from her life and her family as the result of grief and guilt after a family tragedy. Nicole does not believe it for a minute and is determined to find out the truth.

The reader is privy to what happened to Molly as we follow her ordeal and Nicole’s investigation and search in alternating chapters. Ms. Walker does a great job with alternating chapters and keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting for the chapters to converge.

The mother/daughter bond is strong in this book and makes you cheer for Molly and Nicole as the strive to protect each other.

If you enjoy a psychological thriller do not hesitate to pick this book up; Ms. Walker does not disappoint.

On Goodreads, I make it a point to look at, review, or fully embrace and read texts that not only hold my attention but give me a sense of having connected to not only the narrative but to the author and his or her intent with the novel. Unfortunately this novel read like so many on the market, and within the first 40 pages or so, I know it only knew the two possible directions of the narrative, but could predict conversations, pacing, and the ending. While I realize that not every murder mystery or kidnapping domestic women's fiction narrative is an Agatha Christie novel, based on the blurb, I had hoped for an experience of reading that had a little more depth than this. Unfortunately I can't recommend this book. At all.

This book was quite the wild ride! Molly Clarke is a mother of three who is grieving the loss of one of her children. As is to be expected her family's life has not been the same. One night, she begins driving and wonders what it would be like to leave her old life behind. She "disappears" but the news and police simply write it off as a woman who wanted to leave it all behind. Her daughter, Nicole aka Nic, doesn't believe it. She knows her mom well enough to know that she would never walk away from her entire life. So that leaves that question: What really happened to Molly Clarke? Once I started reading this put, I simply did not want to put it down. I felt like it was so intense from the very first page until the very last page. This was such a great thriller! I have been feeling a little burned out on thrillers lately, but this one was refreshing and unique. Wendy Walker is such a great author. Side note: If you are looking for other books of hers to read, I would suggest starting with Emma in the Night. There was a great cast of characters including Mick, Alice, Daisy, Reyes, Booth, Watkins, Nic, and of course, Molly. As Nic gets closer and closer to finding her mom and what really happened to her, Molly gets closer and closer to danger. I don't want to give too much about this amazing story away, but I loved everything about it. I will definitely be recommending it to everyone! Thank you to St. Martin's for not only an e-copy, but also a physical galley. I will be posting my review on my bookstagram page @readingmama_reviews before its September 15 publishing date.

Molly Clarke is plagued with guilt, grief and heartache after the death of her youngest child. It was all an accident, she didn't mean to hit and kill her daughter with her car. Sadness, resentment and pain has torn her family apart. She goes through the daily motions of maintaining a family. She tries her hardest to continue on for her husband, son and daughter. Molly Clarke is not sure if she can continue the charade...

On her way back from watching her son's football game Molly goes missing. It appears she just vanished in the middle of a storm. Her last known whereabouts are in a very small town on her route home. The family and police spent time searching for her, even hiring a private investigator, but nothing comes from it. The conclusion is that Molly walked away from her life and simply doesn't want to be found.

Nicole, Molly's oldest daughter, refuses to give up the search. She herself is wracked with guilt and grief over her sister's death. She has flunked out of college and turned into an alcoholic. She receives a phone call with a tip about her mother's disappearance and returns to the small town to follow up the clue, despite resistance from her father and small town police.

Meanwhile, readers get another point of view... Molly herself. Out of gas with a storm bearing down, a nice stranger and his daughter help her out. But everything isn't as it seems...

This book was very engaging and I loved the twist and turns that filled each chapter. Every character seemed well written and I liked the alternating points of views. The ending left me shocked and stunned! Not predicable in any way!

This was the second book I've read by Wendy Walker. Emma In The Night I read, loved and reviewed 3 years ago. Walker is a master at setting scenes, growing characters and adding suspense!

This was a 5 star read for me. I loved every single page.

"Don't Look For Me" is set to be released here in the U.S. on September 15, 2020. Pre-order now! Between fall weather arriving soon and the worldwide COVID-19 epidemic, you will need a good book to stay home and read!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an eARC to read and give my honest review.

Happy Reading!

Synopsis: One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life and her family. At least, that’s what the police assume after finding her abandoned car and a note at a nearby hotel. Nicole, Molly’s daughter, doesn’t buy it and won’t leave town until she figures out what really wanted to her mother on that night.

i stayed up waaaaay past my bedtime and bit my nails to their nubs reading this thriller. Definitely one of those stories that you hate because it's so scary and realistic but love at the same time because you can’t put it down. i also felt this was different than most thrillers in a super refreshing way, without a lot of the typical tropes and easy-to-guess plot points. i loved how put together the story was, in terms of character development, background, and how everything came together in the end. there were so many times when I swore I knew what the twist was going to be or how it was going to end, only to be fooled once again and find my jaw on the ground in surprise and suspense

This book kept me turning page after page and sucked me in. I got so invested in this story. I love a good mystery/thriller but hate when I can figure out who it was. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I feel a bit proud when I can but then I feel the author could have made the story line a bit trickier. The author here did just that. This book kept me guessing from start to pretty much finish. I couldn’t figure it out and was impressed with the story line. Highly recommend you check this book out!