DON'T LOOK FOR ME (2002)

Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars 

I almost put this book down before I got through the first chapter. Having read that the story concerned a woman who may have walked away from her life, I started getting uncomfortable knowing what was probably coming. So many books offer increasing violence to create excitement. Wendy Walker instead builds a slowly growing dread from not knowing who to trust or who is telling the truth. There is a need to keep reading in the hope that what happens next will begin to unravel the falsehoods.

THE STORY: When Molly Clarke disappears, her family has reason to believe she has walked away from her life. A family tragedy has torn the family apart. The oldest daughter, Nicole, guilty about the last angry words to her mother, starts on a quest to find her. What will she discover and will it be soon enough? 

 

FIRST LINE: "The sky grows dark as I drive."

 

WHAT I THOUGHT: Uncomfortable and disturbing in the beginning, the reader can't help but go along hoping for the best outcome for the people you come to care about.

The book is told in two voices, mother and daughter, weaving through alternating chapters. Molly talks to the reader in first person while Nicole's sections are in third person. The plotting is twisty, disconcerting, and much more intricate than expected. It's scary how plausible the story is.

 

BOTTOM LINE:  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED I devoured Don't Look for Me and found the story unexpected in many ways. Plan to stay up late. It's a hard book to put down.

Disclaimer: A copy of Don't Look for Me was provided to me by St. Martin's Press/Net Galley for an honest review.

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (September 15, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1250198704
ISBN-13: 978-1250198709

 

THE AUTHOR: "WENDY WALKER is the author of the psychological suspense novels All is Not Forgotten, Emma In The Night,The Night Before, and Don't Look For Me. Her novels have been translated into 23 foreign languages and have topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad. They have been featured on The Today Show, The Reese Witherspoon Book Club, and The Book of the Month Club and have been optioned for television and film. Prior to her writing career, Wendy practiced both corporate and family law, having earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her undergraduate degree from Brown University. Wendy also worked as a financial analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Wendy is currently finishing her next thriller and managing a busy household in Connecticut." (from Amazon)