This book was exciting and original! I loved the plot line. It really kept me guessing the whole time!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - MIRA for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is scheduled for publication on Dec. 18, 2018.

“Hunting Annabelle” is told from the first-person perspective of Sean Suh, the 20-something child of a neurologist, who moved from California to Texas after serving a three-year murder sentence in a psychiatric prison. Sean is said to be schizophrenic, and his mother keeps him highly medicated supposedly to control his hallucinations. Sean spends his days in a park called Four Corners drawing people that he sees, trying to control his urges toward violence, and analyzing their auras, which he can see. At the park, Sean meets and becomes infatuated with Annabelle when she is looking for a place to scatter her grandmother’s ashes, and it appears that Annabelle is equally smitten with Sean.

Sean and Annabelle spend some time together over the course of a few days, and one day, as they’re parting ways for the evening, Sean hears Annabelle screaming for him to help her. As he runs back to where he left her, he sees Annabelle being abducted. When he reports the crime, Sean is faced with the fact that his mother is convinced that Annabelle and her abduction were a hallucination, something she also convinces the police. Sean is determined to find Annabelle, all the while fighting against time because he knows that the police will eventually find out about his past and focus their attention on him as Annabelle’s abductor and, we assume, her killer.

It took me a while to get through this book for a lot of reasons.

One of the biggest issues I had with this was the fact that it is set in the 1980s, long before cell phones and the Internet, so a lot of the crime solving techniques we see today weren’t available. I don’t understand the desire to set a new work of fiction in a time 30+ years ago. I think it complicated the story and won’t really appeal to a younger reader. There’s a scene in the book where Sean describes himself as looking “more like one of David Bowie’s backup singers.” Will a 20- or 30-year-old reader even be able to picture that? Will they be willing to accept the idea that Sean can’t look up phone numbers, addresses, and directions on Mapquest or in a phone app? Will they be able to suspend their disbelief when Sean uses a pay phone to call Information? I’m not saying books should never be set in the past, but typically we see that when there’s a past/present element to the storyline. This is just all set in the ‘80s. It almost feels like someone deciding to build a new computer with a motherboard that’s 10 years old. Why would you do that?

***Some spoilers here***

In terms of the story itself, I did want to find out what happened to Annabelle, but I didn’t find Sean sympathetic enough to be rooting for him. I thought he was going to be suspected of murdering her pretty quickly considering his history. I also thought that his mother was going to have him re-institutionalized, but she’s as unsympathetic as he is, maybe even more so. I cannot imagine a well-known neurologist trying to keep her son overly medicated just to keep him out of an institution, and then he is continually staying out all night and she does nothing about it. I know he’s a legal adult, but considering his past, I would have thought she would do something more.

Then it’s revealed that Annabelle is the descendent of a serial killer and it turns out she’s a vigilante out to get justice for women who have been victimized, but for some reason, her M.O. changes with Sean. In the past, she has drugged her victims, so they are presumed to have overdosed. It would have been so easy with Sean since he just blindly takes the medication his mother leaves for him. She could have swapped out his meds and made him overdose. Why go through the effort of framing him for her abduction?

There’s also a scene when Annabelle is preparing to kill Sean and make it look like he had held her captive but that she had killed him and escaped. However, he overpowers her and stabs her, and she runs away. He cleans up the crime scene, stashes a body, and leaves evidence (Annabelle’s bag, which she left when she ran) indicating that it was Annabelle who orchestrated everything. When he goes home to get what he needs because he plans to escape to Mexico, he finds his mother stitching up Annabelle’s back. It feels like Annabelle and Sean’s mother know each other, so I thought at first that his mother was in on it with Annabelle, but then Annabelle threatens Sean’s mother if he doesn’t tell her where he left the evidence implicating her. And then when they come up with a way to frame someone else, they come together as a couple? WHAT?!

Sean’s mother goes back to California, apparently leaving Sean and Annabelle to continue their twisted murdering ways. There’s never any resolution of how they cleaned up the crime scene before everything was discovered. But all of a sudden, Sean and Annabelle are living together and going to school.

I have read books and seen movies where the bad guys win, and it can be shocking and make for an amazingly dark story, but the characters have to be really charismatic for that to happen. Sean and Annabelle aren’t. It felt like the author was trying to make them a modern-day (in the ‘80s) Bonnie & Clyde, but I just really wanted them to get caught and convicted. I don’t understand the 4- and 5-star reviews. My recommendation would be to skip this one.

I took a short break from NetGalley ARCs to read a few from my endless TBR shelf and Hunting Annabelle was a great “welcome back” to the NetGalley world. Hunting Annabelle is Gone Girl meets Criminal Minds. The novel is well-paced; it is fast enough to prevent boredom but slow enough to build plenty of anticipation, curiosity, and even a little bit of doubt. The perspective is unique, a schizophrenic man with violent tendencies that makes for a great internal struggle. And finally, Hunting Annabelle has an amazing plot twist that’s followed by a roller coaster of action.

Hunting Annabelle is a story of a mentally ill boy Sean looking for a girl he met a few days ago and who was kidnapped in front of his eyes. The problem is that nobody seems to believe Sean's story as he is a schisophrenic and might have just imagined it all. In addition, once the police learn of Sean's violent past they believe it is Sean himself who is behind Annabelle's disappearance. But is he?

This was an unusual read for me. What started as an innocent type of story - 'a boy meets a girl' gradually turned into a dark and violent tale. The story is told by Sean himself which is quite refreshing as he is the villain here with his unpredictable urges to harm others that are hard for him to control. I have to admit thought that about half way through the book I thought the story was dragging on a bit. However, I can totally forgive the author for that as the ending of the book is absolutely genious! So twisted and unexpected, it sent shrills down my spine!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dark, exciting and gripping. This book was so good. The characters and writing style of this book gripped me right off the bat. Set in the 80s, Hunting Annabelle is the story of Sean, a young man who has a very troubled past. Despite the darkness of his past, I really liked Sean. I pulled for him immediately. He has been diagnosed as schizophrenic and experiences life in a haze until he meets Annabelle. She is beautiful....and interested in him! Then she disappears. Did Sean have something to do with it? He doesn't think so, but sometimes the medications make him lose time.

This I couldn't put this book down, I just had to find out what happened to Annabelle. If you don't mind some darkness in your reads, I highly recommend #huntingannabelle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The story is depressing. The main character cannot persuade the police and his mother that he had been with Annabelle when she was kidnapped. He tried many things, but the story is just depressing. Love

Tout cela, c’est ce qui fait qu’on dévore ce livre alors que l’action se résume à une question: qu’est-il advenu d’Annabelle?

Annabelle, c’est une fille que Sean rencontre et qui attire son attention car elle va d’emblée vers lui. Il n’est pas très populaire au lycée. En fait, il passe tout son temps seul, à dessiner tout ce qu’il voit. Annabelle se fait draguer par les autres mais c’est de Sean qu’elle recherche la compagnie. On ne la verra que le temps de quelques chapitres avant qu’elle ne disparaisse dans de mystérieuses circonstances dont Sean est témoin et personne ne le croit. Une fille se fait kidnapper sous vos yeux et tout le monde croit que vous mentez, c’est dingue, non?

C’est alors logique qu’il mène sa propre enquête pour savoir ce qu’il s’est passé. Nous vivons celle-ci avec une hâte que nous n’attendons pas. Nous ressentons un pic d’adrénaline, oui, mais parce que nous avons peur. Parce que nous voulons savoir et que nous ne comprenons pas où nous allons. C’est une très bonne surprise. L’intrigue est complètement différente de ce que j’ai l’habitude de lire. C’est un mystère complet.

Dans le même temps, en découvrant progressivement le passé de Sean, cela nous permet de nous faire une idée et à chaque instant, je me demandais si ma théorie était la bonne ou bien si j’allais être surprise.

C’est là que j’ai réalisé que comme Sean n’est pas un témoin fiable, je doutais même de ses propres souvenirs. Je ne savais pas du tout quoi croire ni à quoi m’en tenir le concernant. Il inspirait ma sympathie et en même temps, je le craignais. C’est fort!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Sean Suh is trying to start his life over. After three years spent in a psychiatric institution for murder, he is hoping that a new city and a new home will bring about the change he so desperately wants. When he meets and quickly falls in love with Annabelle, he feels that he might finally be on the verge of a brand new life. When Annabelle is kidnapped in front of Sean’s eyes, he quickly begins to investigate her disappearance. The cops aren’t looking for her and in fact, all eyes turn to Sean when his past comes to light. Sean must not only prove his innocence but must find Annabelle, the only woman who sees the man instead of the monster.
“Hunting Annabelle” by Wendy Heard is dark, twisted and dangerously addicting. A novel that hits you right from the start, it quickly becomes one you can’t put down.
Sean is likable (even when you hate yourself for liking him), and the story is well-told with a creative plot and well-developed characters. This is one of those novels where you will speculate over and over as to how it will end- and you will be wrong.
I was surprised with how unexpected the ending of this novel was. The twist in this novel is one you absolutely won’t see coming. I am still not sure how I feel about the end of this novel. It seemed to change the entire direction of the story, so the expectations I had at the beginning completely changed toward the end. I can honestly say “Hunting Annabelle” is unique while still being deeply disturbing and enjoyable.
I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers, and all things psychopath in general. “Hunting Annabelle” definitely checked all of the boxes for me on this one. To know that this novel is the first by Ms. Heard is even more impressive.
Although I am still unsure about how I feel about the ending, this novel has to get a five-star rating. Not just for the psychological aspect of the plot, but also the constant, “pull you in” action and unique plot line. Ms. Heard has found her writing zone- and I look forward to so much more.

Fantastic. The last hour of this book really makes it worthwhile. That one scene towards the end... Jesus. It gets my blood pumping.

Hunting Annabelle is a debut novel full of suspense, twists and turns, A psychological thriller unlike any I've read in the past.
This book follows Sean suh who is schizophrenic and has been released from spending 3 years in a psychiatric prison.... dealing with severe mental illness I found this a very intense, dark read. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read.

Sean lives with his mother after having moved to Austin, TX from California. Sean has a past which slowly unfolds. He has met a girl in a park that he likes to hang out in named Annabelle. It's the first time he has allowed himself to get close to someone. One day, Sean sees Annabelle being abducted. He calls police but no one believes him because of his past. Now he is trying to find evidence to help the police find the real abductor.

First off I have to say this is one of the most twisted books I've ever read. At times, I really felt for Sean and others I didn't like him at all. Wendy Heard has a real way of changing your thoughts for the characters and she kept me guessing until the end. I have a love/hate relationship with Sean and this book will stay with me for a while as I try and figure out which it is in the long run.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book and give an honest review

Hunting Annabelle is a suspenseful on your toes book. It will keep you guessing. Sean is fresh out of a psychiatric unit living with his mom. Sean starts a friendship with a woman named Annabelle who he believes is kidnap.

Done! Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard
Five stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!
What a fantastic psychological thriller in every way! Sick and twisted. As she says in her interview at the end, Dexter was recommended for her and I agree. I loved Dexter and get for him and rooted for him, just like I did for Sean! I love Sean! I loved that it was set in the 80’s! It was amazing and I breezed through it. Felt almost no lulls. Fantastic debut, Wendy! So great!!

What to say about this book...this was a gripping story that pulls you in from the first page all the way to last. Sean is a sick mentally ill man who loses track of times and has no social skills at all. While visiting the local them park like everyday of his life he meets Annabelle. After spending the day with Sean Annabelle ask him to meet her again the next day. It's on this second outing that Sean watches as Annabelle is kidnapped. He reports it to the police but of course he is suspect number one. Sean goes on to try and find out what has happened to Annabelle only to learn that he knows even less about her than he original thought. This is a gripping story that will have you second guessing every move and make you look at the darker side of human nature. It's a gripping book that begs to be finished in a day.

I really loved this story, thanks to NetGalley for my book! This book kept me on pins and needles until the ery end, I have never read anything even close to this! I thought the characters were all so well drawn I felt like they were friends, and the suspense was killing me!

Sean spent 3 years in a psychiatric prison. It would have been more years in a regular prison. So, he got off pretty easy. Anyway, how many years is a death worth? Even though Sean is on major medications that make him sleepy, hallucinate, and imagine terrible things. He does have the ability to see people's auras. So now he lives in a rainbow of colors. A ll he really wants is to stifle the urge to kill. If he has these side effects from his meds, it's worth it. Then he meets Annabelle. She is beautiful, fun and exciting to be with. He falls in love with her almost immediately. Before their relationship can go very far, she is kidnapped. Trouble is, no one believes him!
This is good psychological thriller. Very entertaining and has plenty of cliffhanger moments. Definitely worth reading.

What happens when a mentally ill man goes off his meds and becomes obsessed with a young female serial killer? Pages in I realized that I didn’t care what happened and I doubt other readers would care either.

3.5 stars rounded up to four.
This book is very original. For once, not your average psychological thriller, where people seems to be perfectly fine but in the end they are very disturbed and ill, and the reader is left wondering how is it possible for people so messed up in their heads to act as if they're like everyone else around. I usually don't buy it.
What is different here is that the main character is clearly ill, he doesn't act too normal and he's always struggling to be better than he's been in the past. He is a killer, but he doesn't want to be anymore. He has huge mental problems, and he's on a huge amount of medications. I loved the character of Sean Suh. He's clearly bad and still you kind of like him. (At least, I did, but I'm not the only one here). After all, he wants to do better! As if that was enough..
The writing is good, very good for a debut novel. There is plenty to love between the writing and the original plot. But here starts also my doubts. The plot. I figured out whodunit very very early on. I wasn't sure why, and who else could be involved, but still it was too easy to guess. I also thought the mother's behaviour was sometimes unbelievable. Your son is a murderer, possibly a threat for himself or other people, high on medications, and when he doesn't come home one entire night you simply go to sleep? No, I definitely don't buy that. I even thought it could mean something for the plot but it doesn't. If I was in her shoes I would be out of myself with worry!
And then the ending. I won't say anything about it because it would be a huge spoiler, I will just say that some people will love it, while other won't. I was just in between, not the kind of ending I usually prefer but either not something that spoiled the book for me. I'm still trying to process my feelings about it.
I will be trying something else from the author in the future because the ideas were original and refreshing and the writing was good, I'm curious to see what she comes up with next.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me ARC of that book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved reading this book! Sean was a little creepy and I didn't completely trust him either, so when he met Annabelle I was scared for her. Needless to say, the entire book had me angry at Sean and on the same side as his mom and basically everybody else. < Getting me to dislike someone thát quickly, deserves a reward!
The themepark, the small connections with the past and just Sean being Sean had me on the tip of my chair after the first few chapters, there was not one dull moment to be found.

Loved loved loved this book! Sean is such an interesting character. Between his urge to be a good person and his urge to be the beast he was my favorite throughout this book. A lot of good thrillers I can figure out before the end but this one kept me guessing. Who took Annabelle?? Why is her aura so different than other people? Is Sean's mom involved ? Is she the kidnapper? Are they trying to make Sean think he's crazy and he's fine or did he kidnap her and not realize it and kill her. These were all the scenarios playing out in my mind. I had no clue the ending would be so mind blowing. Can't wait to read more from this author!