Creepy, Classic Wendy Walker - A Suspenseful, Unputdownable, Edge of Your Seat Read !

Molly Clarke's family was destroyed by a terrible accident that changed them all forever. Riddled with guilt and living daily with a family that now seems to hate her, Molly contemplates running away. Maybe they'd be better off without her.

When Molly disappears during a storm on her way home from her son's football game her family is devastated. Her car is found on the side of the road, no gas, phone still in the charger but no sign of Molly. After a 4 day search, the police deem her disappearance a "walk away". Did Molly simply walk away from a life that got to be too much to bear or is there something more sinister at play?

The story is told in alternating chapters between Molly and her daughter Nicole who is looking for her mother. The reader knows what has happened to Molly and we follow her ordeal while also being in on Nic’s search for her mother. When the two plot lines converge - it's magic!

You guys - this book gripped me and never let go! I loved Molly - she was smart, emotional and a kick ass mom. This is my new FAVORITE Wendy Walker book! It had everything I enjoy - mystery, suspense a creepy town with sinister happenings and a great twist!

I haven't read too many books by Wendy Walker but the story blurb had me quite intrigued.

'The greatest risk isn’t running away.
It’s running out of time.
The car abandoned miles from home.
The note found at a nearby hotel.
The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together.
They called it a “walk away.”
It happens all the time.
Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over.

But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?'

I am so glad I read this book because now I want to read the author's other books as well.
What an exciting, pacy and great story. It had me guessing till the very end and made me suspicious of every character, old or new, young or old.

The characters are well fleshed out and I really liked the characterisations. It's really well thought out, true and so relatable. They were real people who real stuff can happen to.

The story is narrated by two women. Molly Clarke and her daughter Nicole.
Five years ago Molly lost her other daughter in an accident. An accident where she was behind the wheel. And since that day she has been unable to forgive herself and hates herself more than anybody else.

The second narrator is Nicole. The elder sister of Annie. She is living with her own demons as she was supposed to be looking after her younger sister when the incident happened.

But what happens when suddenly one day Molly disappears? Everybody belives that she has walked away. Everybody except Nicole who cannot wrap her head around her mother's disappearance and contrary to evidence and her father's belief continues to look for her mother. At the same time dealing with all her guilt and emotions regarding her sister's death.
Molly on the other hand also deals with the situation she is in. Apprehended by a strange man and a young child who know so much about her.

This was a story which hooked me in right from page one. Definitely a winner.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Who could blame Molly Clarke for running away and not wanting to be found? Her youngest daughter died in a freak accident with Molly behind the wheel, her remaining children want nothing to do with her because of it, and her once loving husband appears to be having an affair. So when Molly's abandoned car is found hours from home and days later a note is discovered apparently written by Molly saying not to look for her shouldn't the police and her family honor Molly's wish? Don't Look For Me is a tense thriller, but the mystery is not what happens to Molly, it's the why that keeps you guessing until the end. The grim location adds to the intrigue-Don't Look For Me is set in a small New England town suffering from a deep economic recession. And the characters fit perfectly with the depressed area-everyone appears to be hiding something, even if it's not Molly. You'll think you know which one of these chameleon's is behind Molly's disappearance, then Miss Walker piles on layers of backstory that turns the plot on its head. Don't Look For Me is a classic "Hitchcockian" thriller-the plot, characters and setting are all dark and twisted in multiple ways. There's a damsel in distress- not one, but several creepy guys- and a house of horrors that would scare the bejeezus out of Norman Bates.

Wendy Walker certainly knows her way around an enthralling thriller. Her books are dark, gritty, hard to stomach - and impossible to put down.

4.5 stars! This was a great psychological thriller. Super creepy, like on a 10 on the creep factor scale! Grabbed my attention from the first page and I couldn't put it down. A twist at the end that NO ONE will see coming! I really enjoyed this read by Wendy Walker!

This book kept me reading. Loved the fast paced chapters. I fell in love with the characters. Even though I guessed everything it still held me at every turn.the ending kept me guessing and had me going, what? I never guessed the ending and loved that. The details about the characters is what draws you in and makes u feel every nerve wrecking detail that follows they the book! Loves this read and the heart jolting situations that occurred!

WOW. Wow. Wow. This book grabbed me early on and absolutely refused to let go! What a story. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I have read so many books with excess filler lately, but there is very little filler to be found here! Just pure action (and anxiety!) from start to finish. I'm always wary of summarizing books in my reviews (a summary of the book is right there in the listing) and I also abhor spoilers, so I don't want to say too much... Just that this book is captivating as hell and I will definitely be looking for more from this author in the future! Seriously, if you like psychological thrillers, do yourself a favor and read this book.


Thanks to #netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy of #dontlookforme by #wendywalker in exchange for my honest review.

This is an unsettling and addictive read. After the tragic loss of her youngest daughter, Molly desperately tries to prove her love and devotion to the remaining members of her family but they continually push her away in the midst of their grief and self-blame. On the anniversary of her daughter’s death, Molly mysteriously disappears in the rural town of Hastings during a major storm. Her oldest daughter, Nicole, senses that something is off about the disappearance and drives to Hastings to get her own answers. The story is told from the perspectives of both Molly and Nicole, which allows the reader to begin uncovering answers before the characters. Even though I figured out a lot of the plot points before the climax, I was totally unprepared for the final twist. It requires some suspension of disbelief and drags at certain points but overall it was an enjoyable read that captures the complexity of human emotion.

Don’t Look For Me by Windy Walker Reviewed April 19, 2020 ~ 5 WOW Stars!

This only my 4thauthor, Wendy Walker novel and I am a FAN!
Read “All is not Forgotten”, “Emma in the Night”, and “The Night Before”. Gave them 4 + WOW stars and I am stingy with stars.
I was looking forward to this her latest novel but I was a bit worried that this novel may not measure up; (ha-ha to THAT now that I am finished).

Things have been rough on Molly Clarke. She and her husband have three children. One unfortunate day as Molly is coming home from work their beautiful ten year old daughter runs out to the ice cream truck and Molly’s life has changed forever. This accident is destroying the family. Nicole, oldest daughter who had a promising future is a mess; psychologist describes her trauma as “survivor’s guilt”, husband, John is distant and son, Evan is happy to be away at boarding school.

Molly disappears on a very stormy night on her trip back from her son’s football game. Her car is found out of gas and her cell phone is in the charger. No signs of Molly. After days of searching it is assumed that Molly just walked away from her old life.

But we readers know the truth. And daughter Nicole is sure her mom didn’t just give up and is out searching for clues.
Story is told from the POV of Molly and daughter Nicole.

I love psychological thrillers ~ things usually aren’t the way you see them! Best not to make a quick judgement, which I usually do and then say ~ I didn’t see THAT coming!
This novel DOES NOT disappoint. Fast, heart pounding, on the edge your chair kind of a book!!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early release granted in exchange for an honest professional review. Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 15, 2020

So glad I got the chance to read this before it comes out so I can tell others to look for it! This book got me from the start. It had so many twists and turns I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up way too late reading this but what a great time to be distracted! Thank you got the chance to read Don’t Look for me!

Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker is “WHEW” (x5!). DLFM was a twisted, twisty, thriller and I raced through the pages like a maniac trying to see what would happen next. Thank you, by the way, NetGalley for the ARC I requested, and for my most recent Greatest Read (do I sound like Charlie from The Perks of…..?). This was my first Wendy Walker and I will be looking for more.

DLFM opens with a wife/mother, Molly Clarke, who feels that she is invisible, unloved, not needed, not part of anyone’s life anymore. This, by the way, is true. It turns out that the family is coping with the death of the youngest daughter/sibling, Annie, three years prior to our story. The tragedy is further exacerbated by the fact that Molly was responsible for killing Annie who ran into the street in front of Molly’s car just as she was pulling up in front of the house from work (she was a school teacher by profession and that point is driven home to us in the course of the story). The oldest daughter, Nicole (Nic), was supposed to be watching her but could not reach her in time before she dashed into the street after an ice-cream truck. The husband/father now spends several days a week outside of the home; Nic, went from valedictorian candidate to HS dropout in a matter of months, and spends her evenings inebriated bringing home a different man each night (only to toss out like the trash in the morning); the younger son, Ethan, is away at Boarding School and resents his mother’s visits…..

Long story short, Molly goes to visit Ethan at school, he avoids her in front of friends, Nic basically tells her mother that she is pathetic and that Ethan is embarrassed by her and does not want her to visit; Molly begins her journey home in tears when her car breaks down in a raging storm. She is stuck in a stormy Nowheresville – gas station, bar/resto, hotel, everything nearby is boarded up, not a living soul in sight, really spooky. A pickup truck spots her, does a U-turn, and comes back to offer her a lift. Driver, Mick (short for Micky Mouse), and young passenger, Alice, are weird from the get-go (DON’T GET IN MOLLY, DON’T GET IN – I’m screaming at the top of my lungs, right at the beginning of the novel). Molly doesn’t heed my advice and soon she finds herself basically being kidnapped by someone who seems to know an awful lot about her, and is being held in a horrid disgusting place that is completely off the grid.

When she doesn’t get home, Molly’s family begins their search in Nowheresville where her car is found, offering a huge reward; there is a $500K offer for information leading to Molly - $1Million if she is found safe and sound (did I forget to mention they are gazillionaires?). Four days later the police inform the family that they are stopping the search; she clearly was not coming back; they had found a note from Molly in a hotel room telling them that she has left and they should not look for her. Many things don’t add up…car abandoned on the highway, one credit card expenditure, note seems out of character….Two weeks later a woman suddenly comes forward with information and Nic says she will meet her in Nowheresville to discuss.

A remorseful and determined Nic spends the next days in Nowheresville, determined to find her mom. She meets lots of creepy Nowheresville people with lots of creepy secrets. Molly spends her time maneuvering and plotting a way to kill, or at least incapacitate her captor/s so she can try to escape. Now the plot is ripe with suspects, motives, and dangers.

I don’t want to spoil so I will conclude by saying that there are lots of weird twists and cuckoos to be found in this novel which should whet the palate of psycho/suspense thriller addicts everywhere (my husband was wounded several times when he tried to interrupt my race to the finish).

Such an addictive novel!! Wendy Walker most definitely does not disappoint!! Don’t Look for Me could quite possibly be my favorite novel from her to date— so darn good!! The storyline was extremely original and if I’m being honest none of my conspiracy theories panned out lol!! The twist and turns were plentiful and in true Wendy Walker fashion I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I’ve already told my friends to pre-order Don’t Look for Me because I NEEEEED to discuss this book with them- so much to discuss!!! Wendy Walker is always a sure thing and this 5++++ is the perfect example of why!!

In the current state of the world, this is the first novel I’ve read that has pulled me from my stupor. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve started many wonderful books. Unfortunately my lack of concentration doesn’t allow me to get past the third page. But this one is a perfect blend of compassionate while being rather creepy. Suggest it for all who need a jumpstart back into our favorite pastime. Books!,

This is the second ARC this week that I have devoured. It grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let go. A tragedy years ago has left a family broken and so when the matriarch goes missing everyone thinks she left. But did she? There are some good twists and I gasped audibly-always a sign of an awesome twist. Another one I strongly recommend adding to your TBR. 🖤
Thanks to #NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I very rarely give a book 5 stars, but this one definitely earned it!The story starts off with Molly, her husband and 3 children.. During one evening, she was driving home alone from visiting her son at his college, but ended up stopping at a town called Hastings when a terrible storm rolled through and she was never to be seen again.. What progresses from there is a hotel charge, hand written note, and an investigation into whether she truly walked away from her family. What happened to Molly is the big question and why would she just leave her family? She wasn’t happily married but was it really that bad? What ensues is a suspense filled journey into what happened and all the individuals involved. I loved that the chapters were short so it kept the story moving along, and it was told from different points of view. It was so well written that it was not confusing to follow at all. And there is a definite plot twist at the end that I did not see coming! This one is going to be a must read when it comes out, and I highly recommend it!

Molly killed her 9 year old daughter in a tragic accident years ago and even though she’s trying her best, she still can’t seem to live with the pain and it seems that her other two children and her husband can’t either. Her husband is probably having an affair, her 21 year old reckless, alcoholic daughter tells her she hates her, and when she drives four hours to see her son play football, he acts like he doesn’t even know her.

So when she runs out of gas on the way home, and she gets into a random truck, the consensus seems to be that she disappeared on her own. But is that really what happened?

Don’t Look For Me is in the true Wendy Walker style that makes her one of my favorite authors. This book starts off with a bang and then keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time! It is fast-paced, emotional, nail-biting, and impossible to put down. I don’t re-read books, but I would read this one again!

Thank you to NetGalley, Wendy Walker and St. Martin’s Press!!

#Don't Look for Me #Wendy Walker #NetGalley

This book and author captured by attention after I was given an ARC copy via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion of this book. Don't Look for Me is a captivating story with lots of mystery, twists and turns. Characters are realistic, raw and well developed. The general premise is that a mother ends up accidentally taking the life of her youngest child, Anne, and ends up being a shell of her previous self. Her self-loathing spills over the rest of her family, who are each dealing with their pain in their own way. As the story unfolds, the mother, Molly, feels responsible for and deserving of, the horrible way her husband, son and other daughter treat her. After an argument with daughter, Nichole, she takes off to see her son, Evan, who is away at school. Molly gets stuck in a storm close to a small town where she runs out of gas. She has thoughts of leaving her family to their own devises and possibly running away. Next thing you know, a note is found at a hotel implying Molly may have left for good.. When it is discovered she hasn't returned from her trip, the family and local agencies begin a search. When the search brings up limited clues everyone returns to life as usual except for Nichole who knows that her mother wouldn't just walk away. Additionally, her father hires a PI to follow up on the few clues they have. Where is Molly? What has happened to her? Nichole goes to the town to find out and runs into a cast of characters, each with his own story. Who is telling the truth and what are the lies? This story pulls you in, keeps you guessing and has a wild conclusion.. The story is mostly told, alternatively between Molly and Nichole. It has a surprising conclusion and some interesting answers. An awesome book and author. I look forward to reading more of her novels!

Molly Clarke's husband John is increasingly distant. Is he having an affair?
Molly's son Evan is embarrassed by her and ignores her.
Molly's daughter Nicole screams, "I hate you!"
Molly's daughter Annie is dead. Hit by the car driven by Molly. She killed her daughter. She can't get past it, and neither can her family.

It was an accident, but Molly can't handle the pain and guilt, and her family is falling apart. She knows they all blame her, so maybe they'll just be better off without her. She decides to disappear. And before she knows it, she has. But not the way she expected.

Author Wendy Walker has written a psychological thriller so fascinating that I could barely put it down. With enough suspense to keep you wondering what's going to happen, she also captures the pain and self-torture that family members go through when a child dies accidentally and unexpectedly. There are plenty of heartbreaking as well as heart-pounding moments in Don't Look for Me. There are also depictions of loss in many forms, and how those losses manifest within the hearts and souls of those who bear them.

A spellbinder of a novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was compulsively readable and I couldn't wait to finish it to find out what happens. The ending was a bit of a let down but other than that, it was enjoyable!