Book: Local Woman Missing
Author: Mary Kubica
Pages: 352
Read on: Kindle
Read in: ~4 hours
Plot Summary:
You’ll never find her. Don’t even try.
When a local mother and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, suddenly vanish, their close-knit suburban community is rocked by fear and suspicion. How could such a terrible thing have happened in their small town?
Then, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly reappears. Everyone wants to know what really happened to her. But there are secrets hidden deep in the past – and when the truth about those missing years begins to surface, no one is prepared for what they’re about to find out.
Things I Liked:
1. The premise of the book and the first 30% of it were very interesting and gripping. Two missing women, one missing child from the same neighbourhood. Cases, which don't seem linked, but the events happened too close to one another for them to be ruled out as unconnected! Who has taken these women? Where is little Delilah? What had happened that cursed fortnight eleven years ago?
2. The narrative moves between present day and to the days before the women and Delilah went missing 11 years ago. The story is told from the perspective of 4 women- Meredith (Delilah's mother, who goes missing), her neighbours- Bea and Kay and Delilah, who is being held by a malicious couple in a dark dungeon. Through these women we learn of the events that took place 11 years ago and of the events that take place one Delilah manages to escape her captors and is returned home. Oh, and we also have some chapters from Leo's perspective- he is Delilah's brother- where we can see Delilah's struggles to adjust to her home and family after her return.
3. The book is fairly fast-paced and there is enough to keep one engrossed and engaged.
4. The character development is decent. We get to know Meredith well enough to like her and feel awful for what happens to her. The other characters are also decently developed. We get to know them a little more than just superficially, which is always a good thing.
Things I Didn't Like:
1. The big reveal about what happened to Shelby (the woman who went missing first) is quite guess-able. You are made to believe it is a lot more sinister, but it is quite obvious as to what happened to her. What happened to Meredith and, more so, to Delilah is a bit implausible! It just wouldn't fly in real life irrespective of how inept local law enforcement is! I found it very difficult to buy what the author was trying to sell as far as Delilah's fate was concerned.
2. There were insufficient twists in the tale. There were way too many breadcrumbs and it was really easy to guess the big reveals. Not very fun in a crime thriller book!
Rating: 3/5
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