Unfortunately I do not jive with Mary Kubica. This is probably my fourth attempt with her as I know she has lots of popularity in the thriller world. Not for me, but will have readers that look forward to this.

Wow, this one had me hooked & rapidly turning the pages! There was A LOT going on in this seemingly quiet, small town. Women are going missing and no one knows how or why. First, it's new mom, Shelby Tebow, who disappears when she goes out for a late night run. Then, it's Meredith Dickey and her six year old daughter, Delilah. Years later, Delilah has returns, after finally escaping her sadistic captors. Her father is thrilled to have her home but her younger brother, Leo, is skeptical of her story.

There are multiple narrators and timelines at play here and Kubica expertly weaves in red herrings while dropping bread crumb clues. There are some excellent twists that I never saw coming. However, some of them were highly unbelievable and required quite a suspension of disbelief, especially the end. Overall, this one really worked for me with its keep you on the edge of your seat suspense! If the end had been just a bit more believable this would have been a 5 star read for me!

Local Woman Missing is the latest novel to come from Mary Kubica, though it's the first one that I've personally read by her. Still, this one was more than enough to catch my attention.

Years ago, two women and a young girl went missing. The first to go was Shelby Tebow. Soon after, Meredith Dickey and her daughter, Delilah, disappeared as well. It tore apart the small community, leaving them suspicious of their neighbors.

Now, years later, the community has only just begun to heal. Only, something is about to happen to shake the community once again, as young Delilah appears, no longer lost but very hurt and confused.

"He stares at her too long, his expression unclear. "When people do dumb shit like this, they always wind up dead."

Local Woman Missing is a complex and disturbing tale of missing persons, betrayal, and secrets. This is a thriller that had its ups and downs to go along with a massive number of twists and surprises.

The novel is told through multiple perspectives, which helped to keep the tension going. Some events happen in the past, and then the current circumstances. Naturally, the revelations from the past tie into the present. That made some of the twists a bit easier to predict. But I didn't mind that much at all.

The characters are where Local Woman Missing really shined, at least in my book. I really enjoyed Kate's perspective, while Leo's side of things worked hard to break my hard. It was just the right balance to keep me invested right up to the end!

I had so much fun reading LOCAL WOMAN MISSING. Mary Kubica does such a great job developing her characters. There were just enough twists to keep the pages turning. I honestly didn’t see the ending coming!

'Local Woman Missing' by Mary Kubica was a well thought out thriller with many twists and turns. We first meet a young lady who makes a harrowing escape from her kidnappers, and she is presumed to be the young child Delilah who was kidnapped at 6. She is whisked away and placed with her long lost family and because of all the trauma she has suffered she doesn't recall her little brother or her father. The local Detective who has been working the case says the DNA came back as her being Delilah and the family tries to move on. The story goes back and forth between 11 years prior with points of view from Meredith, Delilah's mother, Katie (the family's neighbor and friend) and Leo the younger brother now. At first the time hopping was confusing especially between the different narrators and trying to piece the story together with what was happening now and then. However I enjoyed the clever way the story was put together and what actually transpired to make it all come to an exciting conclusion. I was shocked and surprised by the actual murderer, kidnapper and deceiver. This book does not disappoint for all those who love mysteries. Thank you #NetGalley and #Harlequin for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

If you haven’t read this, you should. It is grilling. It is atmospheric. It gives voice to the darkness that exists in a cute suburbia, underneath their powdered noses.

Shelby disappeared one week ago then Meredith and her 6-year-old daughter Delilah did. Meredith was found dead with a self-inflicted wound, where was Delilah? That was 11 years ago. Today Delilah returned, escaping her kidnappers after a long trial which formed the part 1 of the book.

Reading author Mary Kubica after a long time, the story was exciting and kept me on tenderhooks the whole time. I couldn’t read it fast enough. To know what Delilah went through at the hands of her captors shook my core.

Then the book moved on to the second section where it switched between the past and present, giving us different POV slowly building up the suspense, till the final reveal.

But then came my niggle. The ending didn’t do it for me. The expectations built were dashed. I wanted something believable and justifiable. Zip. Nada. Sigh…

Barring the ending, the rest was good. An impending danger and a sense of something wrong waiting to happen, egged me on. The story was quite a rollercoaster that was addictive in its plot and haunting in its characters.

Overall a fast addictive read.

Kubica's latest is a slow burn, leaving you guessing to the end. Will definitely be recommending this title for those that like thrillers this summer!

Oh man. When Mary Kubica has a new book, you know I'm running to get it immediately. Or, well, order online because- pandemic and everything.

Local Woman Missing is heart stopping, mind blowing, neglect your children good. You'd be doing yourself a favor by reading this. Truly. Your children might be hungry for a bit, but don't worry, if you let them go long enough, they'll forage some food from the pantry. Plus, you'll read this so fast, they'll get dinner. No worries.

Local Woman Missing - 3.5 ⭐

Super quick synopsis: First Shelly Tebow goes missing. A few weeks later, neighbor Meredith Dickey and her young daughter, Delilah atmre the next to disappear. Suddenly, 11 years later, Delilah returns and the truth about what happens finally reveals itself.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a solid thriller, but probably not one I should've read at 40 weeks pregnant, which may have impacted my enjoyment of this a bit. Told in alternating points of view and jumping from past to present is one of my favorite styles in a thriller, but I did find myself mixing up the women a few times. Overall, I did enjoy the twists and turns in the story - wasnt expecting them - and would recommend it to anyone who can handle the triggers below.

Content warnings: Kidnapping, violence, child abuse, mention of stillbirth, traumatic birth

Review on bookstagram to come!

Local Woman Missing
by Mary Kubica
Published May 18, 2021

Deliah was the first to disappear.... and she reappears 11 years later.

I found this book totally spellbinding. I loved the thrill of the mystery. I have recommended this book to others like myself who love thrillers. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

5 star

3.5 stars rounded down

A very solid murder mystery.

A local woman, Shelby, goes missing and then days later, in the same neighborhood, Meredith and her 6-year old daughter vanish. The neighbors pull together to look for the missing and in the days after the event, two bodies are found but there is no trace of 6 year-old Delilah. Eleven years later, Delilah reappears and is reunited with her father and brother. Now will the truth be uncovered?

The novel shifts between three time periods with a different point of view for each one. Before the disappearances is focused on Meredith, a doula, who is getting threatening text messages; immediately after the disappearances which is narrated by Kate, who with her partner Bea, are close friends to Meredith’s family; and eleven years later which is told from the point of view of Delilah’s younger brother and Kate. There are some third person sections to set the scenes. It's easy enough to keep up with these time and character shifts.

The author presents us with a delicious buffet of suspects to choose from, the resolution gallops in, completely out of left field (maybe just a tad too far out?) and some of the red herrings just take a turn or two round the block and then drop out. But overall, this is well-plotted, the characters are interesting, and I wanted to find out whodunnit.

Thanks to Park Row and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Parkrow Books for the gifted ecopy of ‘Local Woman Missing’ by Mary Kubica.
—
𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞…
Three women go missing in a peaceful community. A mother and a daughter along with another neighbor. 11 years later, the daughter returns.
...
I’m convinced this is the year of thrillers!!! I only want books such as Local Woman Missing in my future. I could not put this down!. I needed to know what happened to these women. I was a huge fan of The Other Mrs. Kubica's writing is highly ADDICTIVE. Kubica has a way of making domestic thrillers more than a small town mystery. Any reader becomes so invested in finding out the twist.. I loved everything up until then! I loved the three POV's from Meredith, Kate, and Leo. It really gave you a 360 into the perspectives surrounding all the characters involved. I did not see the ending coming at all! I was a tad bit disappointed to be honest but maybe because I was hoping it had to do with another character. It completely came out of left field but no spoilers though.

However, highly recommend picking this up!

Eleven years ago, new mother Shelby Tebow disappeared while out for a jog one evening. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year old daughter Delilah vanished without a trace. Now suddenly Delilah has returned, having been held the entire time by two sadistic captors. The only one questioning whether she’s really the missing girl is her younger brother, Leo, while questions are still unanswered about why she was kidnapped and held for so long.

The story is told from four points of view using dual timelines, two from the past. It wasn’t difficult to keep up but it was a minefield of red herrings, really good ones! It begins with Delilah’s harrowing captivity and breathtaking escape, which set the tone for what was to come. What happened to her was always in the background as the events leading up to her disappearance unfolded. I was hooked from start to finish, trying to figure out angles and who might be an unreliable narrator. I’m not usually swayed so convincingly by false paths but this one accomplished that with ease.

I listened to the story and loved that four separate narrators were used for the multiple points of view. Each were well skilled in representing their characters and it was always easy knowing when there was a shift (it also helped that it was also announced). The pacing was perfect and all managed the storytelling in a way that kept me glued to my headphones. The story was fascinating with particular attention to character development, not always easy to do when the mystery is the thing. The final revelation was a surprise, though I was hoping for a more explosive twist and it took maybe a little bit of belief suspension. But! It didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. This one had me at page one and never let go. 4.5 stars

I loved this book!! It kept me on my toes the entire time, and I struggled to put it down because I needed to know what would happen next. This is the perfect example of what a thriller should be.

This book starts off with a bang and I had no idea where it was headed. Thankfully, author @marykubica pulls back a bit and fleshes out the diverse array of characters. While I love a page-turner, I also like details and multi-faceted characters, and Kubica gives us both!
⁣
She kept me guessing while also sharing a totally engrossing storyline. I loved the multiple points of view narration and alternating timelines and thought it was a perfect way to share this complicated suspense-filled read.
I highly recommend adding this one to your thriller/suspense TBR list! 4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Park Row Books for my gifted copy. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another amazing Mary Kubica book. This one was a real page turner and definitely didn’t guess the twists and turns.

This was exactly my type of book! The timelines were initially a little irritating (I've seen some DNF reviews) but after a few chapters they all made sense. The beginning has an extended section that was completely enthralling and after that I needed to know what happens. There are lots of little sections to this mystery and little reveals are peppered throughout the story keeping me always wanting more. I legitimately can't think of a single thing that I didn't like about the story!

The characters were also super interesting, especially the younger brother during the present day and the lesbian couple in the older timeline. I was always very interested in the different perspectives and the flow between perspectives was never too long. I don't have a lot else to say other than this is probably my favourite mystery that I've read this year and I need to read more from Mary Kubica.

As a fan of everything Mary Kubica writes, this book was no different for me. I love that she always manages to surprise me with twists in the plot. From the opening chapters where a young girl escapes her captors and another young mother vanishes, I was hooked.

I was unable to provide a timely review of this book, however, I participated in a virtual book tour and promoted this book in a blog showcase post: http://thebookdivasreads.com/2021/05/16/book-showcase-local-woman-missing-by-mary-kubica/.

Mary Kubica is back on track! I loved all her early books but didn’t care for When the Lights Go Out or The Other Mrs., but with this book she’s back in her groove. Lots going on here, with great characters and sooo much drama below the surface of this suburb! The ending was pretty implausible but this was a great read all the same, and I was surprised about what really happened. Highly recommended.