Sunday, 1 November 2020

Book Review: DON'T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker


 


Title: DON’T LOOK FOR ME

Author:  Wendy Walker

Read: October 2020

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family that couldn't be put back together. It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. She doesn't want to be found. Or at least, that's the story. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?

The night Molly disappeared began with a storm, running out of gas, and a man in a truck offering her a ride to town. With him is a little girl who reminds her of the daughter she lost years ago. It feels like a sign. And Molly is overcome with the desire to be home, with her family—no matter how broken it is. She accepts the ride. But when the doors are locked shut, Molly begins to suspect she has made a terrible mistake.

When a new lead comes in after the search has ended, Molly's daughter, Nicole, begins to wonder. Nothing about her mother's disappearance makes sense.

Nicole returns to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen to find the truth. The locals are kind and eager to help. The innkeeper. The bartender. Even the police. Until secrets begin to reveal themselves and she comes closer to the truth about that night—and the danger surrounding her.

 

My musings:

 


Ladies and gentlemen – we have a winner! *applause* Not only has Wendy Walker found a way to make her mystery suspenseful and original, but she also slips in that final twist that upended all my carefully constructed theories. But my absolute favourite thing about DON’T LOOK FOR ME was the way Walker delves into the psyche of her characters and lays their souls bare in front of us. Which made for a fantastic reading experience from start to finish.

 

Where is Molly Harper? Did she just walk out of her own life to start fresh? After a tragic accident that killed her youngest child, Molly’s life has been riddled with guilt, grief and recriminations. Worst of all, she feels that she has become a burden on her family. Her husband doesn’t love her any more. Her daughter just told her that she hates her. And her son, who she has always been close to, has just ghosted her when she attended one of his ball games. On the way home in the car, just before a storm, Molly thinks about just keeping going, driving right out of her family’s life ...

 

Three weeks later, Molly’s daughter Nic revisits the small town of Hastings, the last place her mother has been seen alive. Nic doesn’t believe the going theory that her mother has left them of her own volition. She is desperate to find some clues that could point towards what has happened to Molly on the night she never made it home.

 

Told both in the POVs of Molly and Nic, the story that follows is both moving as it is suspenseful. I particularly enjoyed Molly’s interactions with Alice – here is a true psychological thriller that will have you on edge the whole time! Featuring two strong and resourceful female leads, the book captivated me from page one and didn’t let up. And just when I thought I had worked it all out, there was that final twist ...

  


Summary:

 


DON’T LOOK FOR ME should be on your list if you love a real psychological thriller featuring complex characters and a multi-layered plot that is both original as well as utterly suspenseful. Topped off by a tense atmospheric setting, Wendy Walker has created a true gem that was one of my favourite reads this year. Highly recommended – as was the audio narration, which I thoroughly enjoyed.






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