Molly Clarke is living her life buried under the constant pain of her grief, and I felt it. Her days are endless guilt and torment. Knowing that her husband doesn't love her anymore but still loving him anyway. Believing that her children would be better off without her, and they certainly act as if they wish she were gone. It is on one such night, in the height of a storm, when she considers the possibility of walking away from her life. That is the question, should she stay or should she go? But that choice is taken from her, it is not she who decides whether she will return home on this night. I loved probably the first half of this book. I believed in Molly and her pain was real to me. The twists and turns took my breath away, but as we reached the final reveal the reasoning behind what happened to Molly felt foolish and senseless, and largely disappointing.

Wendy Walker has done it again! Her latest, Don’t Look for Me is a cleverly plotted story that starts with a bang, with Molly’s car found abandoned on the side of the road...but what happened to Molly? Where is she? Read it like I did, with a race to the finish line. An action-packed, heart-pounding thrill-ride.

Did Molly Clarke really just walk away from her whole life? This was a page turner that held my interest. Wendy Walker has written a really entertaining book and I will be watching for her next one.

A good mystery/thriller that kept my interest. I have three criticisms: a nine year old character who seemed way too schizoid to be real; the unexpected return of a character at the climatic conclusion that made me laugh and shake my head (Okay, author, you’re trying a little too hard here.”); and repetitive “angsty” self-talk which is one of my pet peeves. That being said, I did find it hard to put down ... so I’m giving the benefit of the doubt with a four star rating. Overall, it was a worthwhile read.

Thanks Net Galley for opportunity to read and review.

Wendy Walker specializes in books about broken people. In Don’t Look for Me, Molly Clarke is still grieving the loss of her youngest daughter, five years earlier. A daughter she accidentally killed. So, when she goes missing one night returning from her son’s football game, the police call it “a walk away”. But her older daughter, Nic, doesn’t believe it and continues to look for her. Because Nic also feels to blame for Annie’s death. “Maybe Nic wasn’t her mother but they were bound together by their guilt, the bow and stern of a sinking ship.”
The twists in this book come frequently and I love that I didn’t see them coming. I must have suspected every male character in the book at some point. The entire book has a wonderful sense of creepiness to it, just like a well done psychological thriller should.
The book’s narration veers between Molly and Nic. Both are well defined characters. They may have their faults, but both know how to use their brains and use them, they do.
So often, I am disappointed by psychological thrillers. But not this one. The one final twist was a bit over the top, but not enough to mar the overall experience of the book. Great fun for when you need an engaging suspense novel.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the preview copy.

This was a page turner. Really enjoyed the twists and unexpected turns this one took. Kept me up half the night. Great character development for the female characters.

Recommended.

A women who is kidnapped but it's made to look like she took off on her own. As her daughter continues to try to find her, everyone seems to be lying.

This was a decent thriller, with some good twists and an interesting main character who had accidentally killed her own daughter.

Five years after a tragic accident that killed her youngest daughter, Molly lives with her guilt and the blame of the rest of her family. She wonders if she could just walk away, if her family would be better off without her. Leaving her car on the side of the road one stormy night with an empty gas tank and her phone still in the charger she disappears without a trace. After a note is found in a hotel room with the words "don't look for me" the search is called off.
But when Molly's daughter Nicole gets a call from a woman that claims she witnessed her mother getting into a truck, she decides to go back to the small town of Hastings to investigate. There are so many secrets in this small town that she starts to suspect everyone. What really happened to her mother?
Told in alternating perspectives of the two women, the story moves along at a rapid pace. The suspicious behavior of most of the men in the town had me guessing to the end what was really going on. This is such a creepy twisting thriller.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I was on the edge of my seat. Nothing can be worse than the death of your child, especially if you caused it. It can ruin an entire family. After living with your haunting thoughts Molly could think of nothing else to do but get away. The night she did it was storming, a hurricane. What happens is a horrifying story that you won’t want to put down. The minute you think you have it figured out another twist!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Wendy Walker does it again! You can always count on her to write something twisty and suspenseful. She nailed the creepy atmosphere of Hastings and all of it’s residents. I kept trying to guess who the kidnapper was and I didn’t get it right, which rarely ever happens these days since I read so many thrillers. I definitely didn’t see the last twist with Daisy coming either.

When I started reading Don’t Look for Me I thought “Oh here we go again, another thriller involving the disappearance of a grieving mom and her now dysfunctional family who hate her. I was wrong to prejudge. This complex tale pulls you in and throws all kinds of motives and assumptions at the reader along with a healthy dose of fear, anxiety and creep factor. The more I read, the more I was sucked down the rabbit hole watching a woman try to survive long enough for her adult daughter to find and rescue her when all clues point to her leaving her family behind.

On a cold, stormy night Molly runs out of gas and is picked up by a man and his daughter as she tries to get a lift into a neighbouring town. Seems innocent enough except the little girl in the truck is creepy and precocious all at the same time. Molly disappears. After a couple of weeks the searches are called off. Police assume Molly does not want to be found. Then a woman comes forward with information about the night of Molly Clarke’s disappearance. Her twenty something daughter Nicole heads back to the town of Hasting where her mother was last seen hoping this information will help reopen the case.

Wendy Walker writes this psychological thriller with a collapsing timeline using alternate chapters told in first person by Molly Clarke from day one and her daughter Nicole from day fourteen. It makes for a gripping read. Both women are not sure who to trust and I found myself warning both characters to be careful. I was fully invested and loved the ride.

A great distraction and summer read.

ARC received with thanks from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for review.

Another wonderful thriller from Wendy Walker!
One night Molly Clark disappeared. Her car was found abandoned and later a note found at a local hotel. However, her daughter just can’t accept that her mother simply walked away from their life.
Great novel. Highly recommended for all.
* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

I was so freaking excited as I found this book on the Read Now section on Netgalley because I read one of Wendy Walkers previous books, Emma in the Night, and it was a very fucked up story that I absolutely loved because of that. I want thrillers to shock me, to unsettle me. »Don't Look For Me« sadly didn't do that for me.
I was very intrigued by the beginning and the dual perspectives. I liked a lot that I wasn't sure what to think for maybe 30% but after that I always waited for some plot twists to happen. And waited. And waited. And waited. Until I was very disappointed at the end. The solution was very simple and obvious and not very satisfying, at least for me. The whole story was very interesting and I flew through the pages because I desperately needed to find out what happened with Molly and if Nicole would find her mother. The way to the ending itself was great, but the ending? Is a nope from me. That was way to easily solved.
After I was that positively surprised by »Emma in the Night« Wendy Walkers newest book wasn't exactly what I was expecting and very disappointing because I know she can do better. Well, better is obviously a very subjective description, but let's just say, it wasn't a thriller for my liking.

Don’t Look for Me by Wendy Walker | review.

Genre: Thriller.

Rating: Four Thrilling Stars.

This book was fun and addicting! Seriously, I couldn’t put it down.

Years before, Molly’s youngest daughter is killed in a horrible accident. One night Molly Clarke walks away from her life- abandoning her car and family after a particularly difficult day. At least, that’s the story of the police and media. Her daughter Nicole isn’t so sure and vows to find her mother.

Don’t Look for Me is a fast, quick read, but it also touches on some serious aspects of grief and guilt. Nicole struggles in her own way and has turned to alcoholism and one night stands. Molly, on the other hand, feels like everyone in her family blames her for her daughters death and would be better off without her. Both deal with the trauma of their loss in different ways and it adds a lot of depth to this thriller.

Word’s I’d use to describe this book: twisty, fast paced, creepy, captivating, intense, and addicting.

I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to get swept into a book and away from real life. It’s probably not best to start this one right before bed- unless you want to stay up super late!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this incredible ARC with me in return for my honest review.

Molly is driving home as a bad storm is approaching and ends up running out of gas. Although she’s minutes from the gas station, the storm has forced businesses to close early. With little options, she lucks out when she’s able to flag down another vehicle and accepts a ride. When her car is found the next day abandoned, as well as a note left at a hotel, the authorities call it a “walk away”. Sometimes people leave and they don’t want to be found, but her daughter Nicole isn’t as convinced. So what really happened to Molly Clarke that night and where is she now?
.
Again, you can’t really go wrong with Wendy Walker. The characters, story line and pacing were all on point and I flew through the book, eagerly anticipating what I would find on the next page. Fast paced and at times creepy, the suspect list alone will keep your head spinning.

Once again Wendy Walker delivered a psychological thriller that immediately grabbed me and kept me in suspense all the way through the final page.

During a dark and stormy night, Molly Clarke seems to have suddenly just walked away from her family, from her life. Her car is found along the side of a road, but Molly can’t be found. But two days later there is a charge on her credit card. And a note from Molly is found explaining her disappearance and telling them “Don’t look for me!”. But her daughter Nicole does not believe her mother would just walk away.

The story is masterfully told from two perspectives – Molly’s and Nic’s. I did figure out who the “bad guy” in the story was about halfway through. But there was still much more that I didn’t know until the end. However, there was one aspect of the story that seemed contrived which caused me to give a 4-stars rating versus 5-stars. It was still a well-written book with mostly well-developed characters – some really twisted.

The book is dramatic and suspenseful – a real page-turner.

I received an advance e-galley from St. Martin's Press. Opinions expressed here are my own.

I read this in one sitting! The story caught me up in its flow and I am not sure I even breathed until the last page. Excellent storytelling!

Don’t Look for Me
By Wendy Walker


A chilling but spellbinding story of a mother-daughter relationship

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
A storm is coming and Molly Clarke is stuck between two places, her tragic past and her future. She has run out of gas in the middle of nowhere and has no where to turn. She is depressed and racked with guilt over the death of Annie, her nine year-old blue-eyed blond hair daughter. Molly contemplates taking this opportunity to walk away from her family and her old life. It would be so easy to do...

Her husband, doesn’t love her anymore, and her other two children, Nicole and Evan despise her. None of them would even miss her. She needs to start over. She even left a note at a nearby hotel telling her family not to look for her.

Did Molly really just walk away? Two weeks after Molly went missing, a witness has reached out to Nicole. The night of the storm the witness says she saw Molly get into a truck with a missing tail light on the road into Hastings, Connecticut. Will Nicole whose last words to her mother were ”I hate you” ignore her mother’s request and look for her?


REVIEW
DON’T LOOK FOR ME is a chilling but spellbinding story. You want to look away, you want to stop reading, but you just can’t. The pages seem to turn themselves as the unsettling story line shifts between Molly and Nicole.

You can’t help but feel the anguish, guilt and suffering of Molly and Nicole for the part each played in the death of Annie. Five years ago, Annie was hit by a car as she ran after an ice cream truck with her money clenched in her tiny fist. Nicole was babysitting Annie at the time, and mom was driving the car that hit her. It’s an emotional difficult read. But what I really love about this book is the perseverance of both mother and daughter when there are faced with a second nightmare

Alice, is a nine year old girl that play an intriguing role in this terrifying story. You want to like her, and you know that Molly wants to like her, but she hauntingly reminds her of Annie. Not only that, there is just something off about her. She is a little creepy, a little coy and rather manipulative. You can’t help but question Alice’s motives and actions She adds a great deal to the intensity to the story

Author Wendy Walker’s writing is both emotive and delightfully descriptive. She has worked as an attorney specializing in family law and lives in Connecticut. She has written six novel of psychological suspense including Emma in the Night (2017), All is Not Forgotten (2016) and The Night Before (2019)

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher st. Martin’s Press
Published September 15, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com


#Dontlookforme #WendyWalker #StMartin’sPress #BluestockingReview #ReadItLoveIt #FindingGreatBooks

Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker is a mystery novel that focuses on the disappearance of a mother, Molly Clarke. Things have been hard for the Clarke Family. Their youngest daughter was killed in a freak accident by Molly Clarke. This has drawn into a huge nightmare within the family, where everyone blames the mother and is unwilling to address the issues and the problems. The overwhelming guilt drags everyone into its maelstrom.

Molly Clarke was returning home after watching her son play in a game. She is driving back through a horrid storm (hurricane like) and runs out of gas. Then she is gone. No one has seen her, no one picked her up. She just disappeared. Her daughter Nic feels like something is wrong. She does not believe the note that showed up saying her mother just walked away. The small town seems to have stock in creepy people and secrets.

There are two storylines presented in the story: both mother and daughter journey is highlighted. The story gets creepier as the two storylines move on. Different characters with various facts are explored which just makes everything creepier. Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker is a creepy thriller that will keep you reading.

Don’t Look for Me is a suspenseful psychological thriller about a woman who seems to have abandoned her family during a dark and stormy night.

Losing a child...what a horrible thought, however the author wrote about it with empathy and it was well done. It was a hard book to get through emotionally but i found myself wanting more. Wendy Walker is now on my to be read list. Thank you for the opportunity,