Molly Clarke's world is beginning to unravel. She was responsible for a terrible accident that killed her youngest daughter five years ago. Unable to forgive herself, she contemplates leaving it all behind. Her husband is distant, her 21 year old daughter blames her for the accident, and her own life is spinning out of control. After driving for hours to watch her son play football, as she does for every home game, he completely ignores her.
While driving home, she gets caught in a terrible storm, runs out of gas, and cannot find an open gas station. She decides maybe she should just walk away. Her family would be better off. That's what the police say. Her car is found on the side of the road, and no sign of Molly can be found, until her wet clothes and a not turn up at a casino. The note says it all- Don't look for me.
Only her daughter, Nicole, knows her mother would never just walk away. Struggling with her own guilt over the accident, and how she treats her mother, she is determined to find out what happened.
This was a great book. Very different from any other because you actually find out what happened to Molly. The narrative switches between her, and where she is, and what happened to her, with Nicole's search. You just don't know who is responsible.
A great thriller! Thoroughly enjoyed it.

*Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wendy Walker for an ARC of this book!*

Gripping, thrilling, and heart wrenching! Molly Clarke heads out on a ''dark and stormy night', looking for absolution from the devastating guilt brought on by her role in her daughter Annie's accidental death. When a stranger appears at just the right time with a young girl named Alice who is eerily reminiscent of Annie and offers her a ride, it seems like the serendipity Molly is desperately searching for has arrived...until she realizes this journey is completely out of her control. She simply meant to escape her past...but will she EVER escape now? Molly's daughter Vic is hot on the case, but with misdirection at every turn, can she get to the bottom of her mother's disappearance...or will she be too late to save her?

I cannot stress how intense this book is! I have always enjoyed Wendy Walker as a writer before, but I feel she has grown by leaps and bounds from her earlier efforts in every area, from character development to her overall creativity. It was so refreshing to read a missing persons case that involved a child searching for a parent rather than the opposite! The alternating narration helped keep the story moving and Molly's interactions with Alice, though twisted at times, also manage to be the heart and soul of the book. There is never a dull moment in the story, and the final twist was expertly executed! Walker took the premise of a missing persons case and elevated it to the next level. This is a fast-paced, twisted, and emotional tale that will be one of the hits of Fall 2020! I would highly recommend this fantastic thriller and look forward to Wendy Walker's next book! 4.5, rounded up

Dude. This book is INSANE and had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Such a crazy mystery/thriller. Just could not believe all the twists and turns. Would highly highly recommend. Author did an amazing job of weaving in multiple stories together to a chilling end. And that little girl - CREEPY. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This thriller was a wild ride and I loved it. I was immediately sucked into the story and the associated family drama as you try and figure out what happened to Molly Clarke. The story alternates between Molly and Nicole's perspectives, providing a good look at their personal guilt and emotions throughout. I was suspicious of every character along the way, curious of their motivations and what they were hiding. This book also takes place in Connecticut so I felt an extra connection--while the town was made up, the author still made some local references that I appreciated.

If you love psychological thrillers with some added family drama, pick this up when it publishes September 15.

Missing person mystery, chilling psychological thriller and unique family drama - check. I compulsively read this book in literally one afternoon.

Our protagonist Molly is a very lonely woman. She blames herself for her daughter's death years ago, her children hold a major grudge against her, and her husband is cold and probably having an affair. Molly wishes she could just disappear... and soon afterwards, she actually does. A letter saying "Don't look for me!" is found in a hotel room rented by Molly so her husband is ready to let it go, but her daughter Nicole thinks the situation is too suspicious.

The story is told from a dual perspective of Molly and Nicole, both of which were equally gripping. What really happened to Molly and can she be saved? There were so many shocking plot twists I really couldn't put it down, especially towards the end. And boy, was it worth my time.

I'm reading everything written by Wendy Walker from now on.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great twisty mystery full of action and moments of suspense right from the start. I read it quickly, eager to see what the author was going to reveal and how it would be revealed and I was still shocked in the end! Great story and Wendy Walker is quickly becoming one of my must read authors. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This novel got so creepy so quickly, I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish it. What enabled me to keep going was that the story is told from the alternating points of view of Molly, who blames herself for an accident that killed her youngest daughter five years ago, and her now 21-year-old daughter Nicole (Nic), who also has guilt over the death of her sister. It was easier to read about an angry 21-year-old drinking too much and making poor decisions with men that it was to watch Molly get stuck in a small town during a torrential downpour that shut everything down. Is she rescued by a man and what is presumably his nine-year-old daughter, or is something much more sinister happening?

Absolutely every character Walker created was a potential bad guy. I didn’t trust anybody, as Walker intended. Even the little nine-year-old, Alice, was a creepy kid that Molly realized was sometimes acting and not expressing herself genuinely. When you’re scared of a little kid, you have a truly blood curdling tale on your hands.

Read this if you want an edge-of-your-seat-type read. It’s a well-done thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel, which RELEASES SEPTEMBER 15, 2020.
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4 stars.*

Having read, enjoyed and reviewed a previous book by Wendy Walker, I jumped at the chance to review the digital ARC when I saw it on Goodreads. Somehow it slipped down my to-read list and I was scanning my kindle and remembered I had it and was so excited!

Don't Look for Me is another excellent psychological thriller. It is the story of Molly Clarke, a middle-aged upper-middle class suburban mom who vanishes one stormy night along the road between her son's boarding school and her home. Her car was found abandoned along the route, gas tank empty, cell phone plugged into the charger.
Initially, the police decide she is a "walk away" - after finding a note at a nearby hotel telling her family that she is sorry and not to look for her. Following the accidental death of her youngest child in a car accident that was her fault, and her complicated relationship with her children and her husband, she had been suffering and the police and her husband surmise she simply couldn't take it and ran away.

But her oldest daughter, Nicole, can't let it go that easily and she returns to the small town to try to find answers. What she finds is her alcohol problem, secrets and lies.

Molly didn't walk away. She was picked up by a helpful man and his young daughter passing by during the storm. Because of the storm, all businesses in town were boarded up so he took her to his home, ostensibly to call home and dry off. But when she arrives she quickly realizes that something is amiss. There is no telephone service, the man claims not to have a phone and the little girl behaves strangely and knows things about Molly that she shouldn't know. As Molly comes to the realization that she has been kidnapped, she does her best to pit her wits against her kidnapper and his strange, psychologically abused child.

A really gripping story that I struggled to figure out, I highly recommend this one to fans of psychological thrillers!

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital arc in exchange for this honest review.

At the start of this novel, you find out about a devastating event in the family that would tear apart even the most tight knit family. The premise being that the main character could very well have reason to want to disappear. What follows are the stories of each family member in the fall out of her disappearance of the mother. Should they look for her; does she want to part of their family? And the guilt they feel for how they have pushed her away. And the mothers story - IS her family looking for her? Does she want to go back? An enjoyable read with a twist at the end you wont see coming.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A creepy thriller about a woman who suffers a family tragedy only to be pulled into another family's nightmare.

Loved this book! It captured me from beginning to end. The story had me on the edge of every page wondering what was going to happen next. Lots of great mystery and suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
Psychological Thriller
A little "dark"
Some profanity and sexual content
Even though the book kept me in suspense, it was just a little too "dark" for me.

Simply Unputdownable!

A Stormy Night. An Abandoned Car. A Mother, Missing.

What Happened to Molly Clarke?

That is the question her daughter Nicole can’t help but ask. Everyone thinks she just “Walked Away.” Nicole disagrees.

Nicole’s only plan is to find her mother, no matter what it takes.

All I can say is, be careful what you ask for!

“Don’t Look for Me” is Thrilling from Start to Finish! In my opinion, it is Wendy Walker’s best novel since “All is Not Forgotten.” It will terrify and mystify, make your heart catch in your throat and your pulse pound like you are running at full speed.

Reading this, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Admittedly, that feeling made me take a look around my house, peeling back shower curtains and looking under beds to make sure that I was indeed alone. Talk about a frightening feeling!

Kudos to Wendy Walker for ratcheting up the suspense with this brilliant read and for keeping me on my toes to boot.

This was yet another fabulous buddy read with Kaceey which left us both completely satisfied.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Wendy Walker for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 6.14.20.

Utterly chilling.

I read the summary of this book and assumed I had at least some idea of what it was about. I was very, very wrong. Within the first few chapters, everything turns on its head. I thought I'd figured out some of the plot twists, but almost every one was completely different from my guess.

In short: I highly recommend picking up this thriller. It's a great mix of suspense, mystery, and WTF moments. I read most of it in an afternoon because it was that un-putdown-able.

Don't Look for Me follows two perspectives: Molly, a mother who previously lost her child after an accident that was her fault, is kidnapped and held hostage in a house; and Nicole, Molly's daughter, who is convinced her mother, who the police deem a runaway, didn't run away and there is more to the story. The chapters alternate between both perspectives, revealing a story that is more complicated than initially hinted at.

I loved Molly's perspective. Molly as a character was frustrating in that she always feels bad for herself and feels like she is the problem. In this situation; however, Molly is clever and thoughtful in trying to find ways to escape. Nicole was also an unlikable character in that she was the typical child who is frustrated with her parents but still unsure of what she wants to do with her life. I loved Nicole's determination to find out what really happened to her mother, despite everyone saying that she just ran away.

The story overall was thrilling and kept me reading, but the ending itself was kind of a mess. The explanation seems overly complicated for no particular reason, and I wish there were more hints along the way leading up to the big reveal.

What a thriller! This book kept me hooked from beginning to end. It will definitely keep you guessing. While you will think you have it figured out, you won't truly have it all figured out.

This story is told in alternate timelines from two different characters' POVs...one is behind the other. I didn't find that confusing. After a few chapters, it does jump to the same time for both characters (so one jumps ahead), which was a tad disorienting and I had to go back a chapter to be sure I understood it had done that. After that, it is easier to keep track.

I did notice a difference in writing style/dialogue during one early chapter - almost as if it was just a filler or rushed.

I definitely enjoyed this book. It was not a complex read and kept my interest. There are likeable characters, but many who are not. I think that was the author's intention and what keeps you guessing.

Thank you to Netgally for the chance to read the ARC and this review is my own honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for a free ARC.
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I have received an ARC of Walker’s last three books and every single one of them are spectacular. This one had twists I saw and twists I did not. The psychological aspect of this book was done with perfection. Nothing over the top unbelievable or made me go what in the heck?
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The way Walker wrote Alice made hair stand up on my arms. The different facial expressions of this child written so you could picture them yourself. And that ending.
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Slow clap for Walker as she continues to dominate the psychological thriller genre! Out September 15!

I'm no stranger to this author and her novels. When I finished Don't Look For Me I just KNEW that this book was going to do wonders for Wendy Walker. Each book of hers that I have read brings a different type of feeling to the table and I think that helps make an author so great.

The plot in this book is so STRONG. I won't talk about it for long because I think that is what makes this story. It's something I have never read before and it was something that held my attention the entire way through.

I LOVED how the book was split up into two different POVs. It brought so much to the story. Wendy really showed off her writing skills with this one when creating these two women to tell this story. Seeing the plot from Nic and her mother really sealed the deal for me when it was all said and done.

Don't Look For Me was a page turner from the start. The story-line was insanely strong, the pacing was even stronger. I think if you're looking to dip into the "thriller" type genre-- Don't Look For Me would be a fantastic novel to start with! Things aren't always what they seem and Wendy Walker knocked this one out of the park.

Wow, this is the first Wendy Walker book I’ve read, and it was full of lots of suspense & twists! It was engaging, and it had me guessing and wanting to keep reading so I could discover what would happen next.
The book had some tough topics included which did make it a little hard for me to read at times. It is not giving anything away to say that the main character is involved in the tragic loss of her child, as this fact really sets the scene for the whole story to unfold. How this death affects her puts her in situations that set up the story’s backbone.
I enjoyed Wendy’s writing style and plan to look for her past books because of reading this book. It kept me interested in the whole time & I love a good mystery! I feel she really considered and included so many vivid details that brought the story to life and made me care about the characters and how their stories would pan out. I really appreciate having the chance to read an advance copy of this book, thank you!

awesome book!!! loved the whole story line and the characters. Love this author. I have enjoyed all of her books can't wait for the next one. Surprises around every corner.