May 13, 2021

This book was all kinds of twisty, with time jumps, different points of view, and layers upon layers of occurrences.

In spite of all of that, it was incredibly easy to follow. I will say that it helped to read the chapter headings (I usually skip them for the most part) because it helped keep everything straight both for who was speaking and when.

In fact, it’s a little difficult to write this review, because there were some seemingly disparate parts to the story – at times it felt like there were two different plot lines going on at the same time.

It’s not a spoiler to state that it all becomes clearer the further into the book that you go. So, stick with it.

I actually found Leo to be the most interesting character. I liked how his story was presented, and I thought that in some ways, he was the most astute out of all of them.

I especially appreciated his view of memories, and how they can be skewed by other people’s recollections or become supplanted by other’s versions of them. We’ve had that conversation in my family quite often.

For example, every time we get together with family, different members add their own perspectives to the memories that we talk about. Those then become the full memories, even though they’re not entirely from one person.

There were a few times that I thought the red herrings were a bit heavy handed and a few more that didn’t seem to fit. Or rather, they seemed to be completely separate from the main issues.

Things like Marty’s part in the whole thing and Leo’s childhood were interesting, but seemed thrown in to muddy the plot, not for any real points.

I also am unsure if the perpetrator was fully built to be plausible. I will say that it totally took me surprise, so maybe that is a good thing. It certainly made a few other choices of the author to become clearer.

If I’m talking in riddles, it’s because I don’t want to give the plot away. Missing persons are tricky, and when they show back up in one way or another, they can cause great turmoil.

How’s that for cryptic?

All in all, I would recommend this book. As I said, be sure to read the chapter headings so you can keep it all clear.

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About the Author:Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of six novels, including THE GOOD GIRL, PRETTY BABY, DON’T YOU CRY, EVERY LAST LIE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT, and THE OTHER MRS. A former high school history teacher, Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children. Her last novel THE OTHER MRS. was an instant New York Times bestseller; is coming soon to Netflix; was a LibraryReads pick for February 2020; praised by the New York Times; and highly recommended by Entertainment Weekly, People, The Week,Marie Claire, Bustle, HelloGiggles, Goodreads, PopSugar, BookRiot, HuffingtonPost, First for Women, Woman’s World, and more. Mary’s novels have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller,” (Kirkus Reviews) and “a writer of vice-like control,” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (Los Angeles Times). LOCAL WOMAN MISSING is her seventh novel.