Cover Image: Local Woman Missing

Local Woman Missing

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. Narrator was great, did a perfect job. Fast paced, with scenes that grip and a twist I didn't pick up on. This story turned out differently than I thought it would, but that wasn't a bad thing.

Was this review helpful?

Meredith and her daughter Delilah have mysteriously vanished. And it isn’t the first time someone went missing in this particular neighborhood. Shelby made that list after disappearing without a trace. It would certainly seem the two cases could be linked.

The one person who may have all the answers is the daughter Delilah, suddenly reappearing eleven years later. So where has she been all this time? Can she, will she, answer the looming question regarding what happened to she and her mother?

The one person who may have all the answers is the daughter Delilah as she reappears eleven years later. Where has she been? Can she answer the question of what happened to her and her mother?

Mary Kubica writes gripping, suspenseful thriller that you won’t be able to put down. The tension is palpable as the pages fly by. I was totally immersed and captivated by this book beginning to end.

This was only my second read by Mary Kubica and I’m already a huge fan of her work and will definitely be going back to read some of her previous books.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin – Park Row

Was this review helpful?

Wow! I did not see that coming at all! A lot of times I enjoy reading suspenseful novels, but then get disappointed with the end, but not this time. This was a fun ride filled with twisty turns and sudden drops. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Was this review helpful?

What happens when women start going missing in this affluent subdivision - the claws come out and fingers are pointed. Things are messy, but Mary Kubica has a way of wrapping up a story that has your jaw on the floor and this one was no exception!

Was this review helpful?

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.Now, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find. review: Admittedly, Kubica's books tend to be hit or miss for me. This book absolutely captivated me from the start! The very first chapter is bone chilling and I just knew I was in for a good read. Local Woman Missing alternates between point of views and time periods. I think this was done *so* well in this book - it provided just enough information to leave you hanging until the next chapter. There are quite a few really well placed twists in this book. Right when I had an inkling of what may happen next, a new detail would come to light, making me question everything. The plot line is interesting, filled with multifaceted characters and it's really well written. If you're in the mood for a thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat, grab this one ASAP! rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Was this review helpful?

Wow.  I've just finished reading <b>Local Woman Missing</b> by Mary Kubica and it was incredible.    This was the fourth book I've read by this author, my first being the massively successful <b>Good Girl, Bad Girl</b>  and I honestly think this one rivals it.      

Mary Kubica does a lot right.  In some of her books I've been taken completely by surprise by the twists and turns she incorporates.   In others I've been on the edge of my seat filled with suspense.    Her characters are usually realistic and her stories make me wonder how I would respond in a certain situation.   This book had every single one of those elements and I was on tenterhooks for a large part of it.   As with some of her other books Kubica told this  story from various perspectives and from two distinct time periods.  Now and Eleven Years Earlier.   Eleven years earlier Kate and her daughter Delilah went missing a short time after another local woman had gone missing.   Now Delilah has been found.   What really happened?   You wouldn't believe me if I told you.   Which I won't.    Instead I strongly recommend readers of this genre pick up this book and take the plunge.   I don't think you'll be disappointed and I'm tipping you wont guess how it all pans out.  I certainly didn't.

It's fair to say I'm a bit of a scaredy cat and so I limit the number of 
psychological, domestic thrillers I read.   Even though I loved reading this one I still needed to space out my reading.    I had a bit of an internal battle going throughout with part of me wanting to keep reading and another part demanding me to put it aside and read something less tense for a while.    One thing's for sure, I won't want to miss whatever else this author produces.   She's that good.

My thanks to the author, to Harlequin Trade Publishing (Park Row) and to Netgalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Was this review helpful?

Local Woman Missing starts strong as a thriller novel, focusing on events that involved both the disappearance of a recently post-partum mother, her midwife, and the mid-wife's daughter. Using the events, and flashing forward 11 years later, readers get to see both the horrible occurrences and their consequences as they go through the book. While the ending is surprising, it almost feels forced. I did enjoy reading this book and was very surprised by the direction it took.

Was this review helpful?

Ok, full disclosure. I am a big fan of Mary Kubica. She is a go-to for fast-paced, thrilling summer reads. This one did not disappoint! It starts with a good hook: a local woman from a suburban neighborhood goes for a nighttime run and never returns. Shortly after, a mother and her daughter go missing. In another chapter we learn a young girl is being held in a basement, starving and filthy, for years. What happened??

Narrated by each of the missing women and the little girl in the days leading up to their disappearance and after, then by the families trying to come to terms with what happened, it is full of suspense and mystery. I think the fact that she jumps around in time, revealing bits and pieces but not connecting them, really amps up the chill factor. I couldn't put it down once I started! This is the kind of book you can throw in your bag and knock it out in a day at the pool. A couple years ago I read a book called Pretty Girls Dancing by Kylie Brant. This book had the same vibe so if you like dark and twisty and intense books, you should pick this up.

Was this review helpful?

Mary Kubica knows EXACTLY how to solidify her position as one of my favorite suspense writers, of ALL TIME. This twisted and dark roller coaster ride is hard to put down!

Mother Shelby Tebow goes missing, gone without a trace. Soon after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year old daughter, Delilah, disappear merely blocks away from where Shelby was last seen. After years of searching, the cases eventually go cold. Until Delilah returns 11 years later.

I don’t want to say too much more because I don’t want to spoil it. I highly recommend this novel. Do yourself a favor and put it at the top of your summer reading list! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row for providing a free copy in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

Local Woman Missing is the perfect book to grab your attention! It has a fast moving plot that has you tearing through the pages to discover what is going to happen next. This story is told in altering timelines eleven years apart. Two women in a seemingly safe suburb go missing in a short time period. 11 years later part of the puzzle appears to have been solved but has it really? Read and enjoy!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica. All opinions are my own.

This was a RIDE! I love Kubica's writing and this didn't disappoint. Although I felt the middle of the book kind of dragged on, the explosive ending all but made up for it. There was one detail that was a little confusing because it came up one time but was never mentioned again, but that aside, I highly recommend this book if you like twisty thrillers!

Was this review helpful?

I liked it. It definitely kept me interested. I did not love the twist at the end and felt like it all wrapped up too quickly without enough explanation, but other than that it was pretty good. I will probably read more from this author in the future, of the three that I've read of hers, I liked this one the most.

Was this review helpful?

If you have followed my blog for a while you will know that I love mysteries. I went through a big mystery/thriller phase a while back and then took a break and read more historical fiction/romance but lately I’ve been reading more thrillers and I was super excited to see this book from Mary Kubica in my review queue.

One of my favorite shows on ID Discovery Channel was Disappeared and all I could think of when I was watching the show was, people just don’t disappear, someone knows something. And when I saw that this was practically the tagline for this book, I was super excited to read it! I haven’t read anything by Kubica before but I certainly know the name so I couldn’t wait to dive into this one.

If you are a thriller/mystery reader you will most likely have this one on your radar. Kubica has written some well loved and popular thrillers many of which have been best sellers so I felt confident that this book would be solid with a seasoned writer like Kubica. If you are looking for a fast paced read this spring, look no further! This one was excellent!

Summary
People don’t just disappear without a trace…

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.

Now, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find…

In this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense and New York Times bestselling author Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
Since this was my first book by this author, I had high expectations because she is well known and produced some best sellers so obviously I had high hopes and I anticipated that this book would be a fast read. It was absolutely a fast read and met all my expectations. I picked it up over the weekend and was instantly sucked in before I even got through the first thirty pages! I found myself staying up late just to read ‘one more chapter’. It was a great book and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to say I loved it! Kubica is a great writer and her style was snappy and engaging not to mention strong.

I mean it wasn’t a flawless story but overall I loved it. I struggled a bit with the alternating storylines. It was a little distracting for me and I did need to pay attention to what was going on, but for me it was more of a stylistic preference and didn’t make me love the story less, I just felt like I had to be on my toes and be aware of the shifting in the storylines. There were also parts that felt a little clunky but it wasn’t a huge deal, big picture—-the writing was solid, there were just parts of the story that felt slightly cumbersome but not enough for me to drop my rating if that makes sense.

This one is also a little on the dark side. I didn’t expect that but for me it made the story better. I loved how it sucked you in and the LIES! The lies and hidden truths in this book are great. I really enjoyed picking apart things in this one. I think that this book will appeal to anyone who loves thrillers. And obviously if you are a Kubica fan, then this book is no doubt on your radar! It’s well done, fast paced, and interesting. I couldn’t put it down all weekend and for that reason it gets 4.5 big stars from me!

Book Info and Rating
Format352 pages, Hardcover

Expected publicationMay 18, 2021 by Park Row

ISBN9780778389446 (ISBN10: 0778389448)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Park Row, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: thriller, mystery, suspense

Was this review helpful?

Oh mannnnn this book!!

I could not put it down! The writing style was easy to follow and I HAD to know how all the people connected in the end

Many of the twists took me by surprise--I will say I did *start* to suspect the ending, but then it kept going and continued to take me by surprise.

I loved The Other Mrs. by Kubica and Local Woman Missing was no different!

Was this review helpful?

So at first I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this, but I was completely wrong! The story weaves through the past & present with different narrators giving you their perspective of the events that have taken place.
I’m usually wrong about guessing who did it, but this book I had absolutely no idea the entire time. Then at the end I was shocked! Such a good ending, this is definitely a page turner that keeps you on your toes!

Was this review helpful?

DNF: Though I would love to say that I enjoyed this title - I just couldn't get into the writing. I did see that my library system purchased the audio book format so I will give it another try then. Thank you to NetGalley for providing the Advanced Reader Copy.

Was this review helpful?

This was my first Kubica but I was left wanting more and ultimately rated this two stars. I thought the ending was way rushed and random, the plot was confusing at times and introduced too many characters/storylines/lackluster twists. It was a quick read, though, and I did enjoy the multiple POVs, learning about doulas and alternating timelines (though confusing at times).. Thanks for the advanced copy!

Was this review helpful?

I lived Local Woman Missing! It’s twisty and immediately grips you, and it’s giving me all the same feelings I had when I read my first book by this author. The past and present storyline and twisty storyline keeps me guessing—my favorite kind of thriller.

Many thanks to kccpr, publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy

Was this review helpful?

I loved this story that kept me on my toes, trying to figure out how these disappearances might be tied together. A new mother goes out for a jog one night and does not come home. A second woman in the same neighbourhood and her six year old daughter also disappear. When they find a body, everyone is on edge. What is the connection, or is there one? Is there a serial killer in the area?

Local Woman Missing hooked me right from the start and had me gripped to the end. The story opens with Delilah’s terrifying captivity and breathtaking escape and return home to her father and brother. From there, the story is told from various POVs and some of them are in the past, taking you back 11 years. The voice of Delila's brother, now 15 to her 17. His POV has her speaking to her and sharing his feelings, it really gripped my emotion. This is an intriguing, suspenseful, compelling, fast-paced, gripping story that is very well written. Considering how many narrators and the two timelines, I was not ever confused, that takes talent. Not only the characters were likeable, and there were some creepy folks around, but that added suspense as well as give me the false sense that I knew who was responsible. The character development built up as the story went on and it had me connecting to them easily. The way that the story came together in the end was absolutely perfect and those final twists had me shaking my head in satisfaction. I definitely recommend this one to those who enjoy thrillers, suspense, and mystery.

Was this review helpful?

I'm going to go with a "it's me, not you" for this book. I found it slow, boring, and I didn't want to pick it up. I plowed through 54% and gave up without wanting to know the "who-dun-it," because honestly, I just didn't care. Although they might meet up in the end, Bea and Kate's story line did absolutely nothing for me except annoy me.

Thanks, NetGalley!

Was this review helpful?