I am not fond of books that flip from past to present every chapter and each chapter is from one to three points of view. This made the book confusing and hard to keep everything straight. The book was full of twists and turns and did have a surprising ending. I did have to finish the book as I hooked on finding the kidnappers

Nothing I expected in this book came to pass! I was surprised at every turn. Well crafted and quick moving, this was an enjoyable book by Mary Kubica. As always for me, the timeline and character shifts aren’t my favorite, but this was done tightly enough that I wasn’t too confused shifting between viewpoints. The ending takes 1/2 star off, so I give this 3.5 stars overall. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first Mary Kubica and it did NOT disappoint. What a roller coaster. I was invested from the first page to the last, and devoured this book in a few sittings. I loved the characters in this book, which makes it that much more heartbreaking. I’d highly recommend this book, it’s going to be a huge hit once it’s released!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC

I’m a huge fan of Mary Kubica and I believe that this was my favorite of hers so far. The story moves at a breakneck pace, with several alternating narrators and 2 different time periods. The beginning starts off with the horrifying description of children being held captive in a dark, dirty cellar. From there, the story is off and running. At first it is difficult to determine how the different narrations relate to one another but it all comes together in a brilliant, tidy package at the end. Several shocking twists that I did not see coming are revealed along the way with the result being one wild roller coaster ride of suspense.

I'm convinced I didn't read the same book others read. Not that this upcoming book was really bad by any stretch, but it didn't blow me away. Mostly? I just wanted to get to the end and see if my assumptions and guesses were right. I took lots of notes as I read this e-galley, but I didn't feel that much for many of the characters within the story. Other than feeling a little sad Delilah when I realized how long she had been kept in that dark basement... and Leo. Yeah. So a little non-spoilery thoughts:

Characters: There weren't too many with major redeeming qualities going on. While I will not pretend to know how it feels to go through what Josh went through, I would like to hope I wouldn't basically forget my other child exists. And Kate... oh bless her little pea pickin' heart. I'm not sure I've been annoyed by anyone so much in a book. Same with that entire town - they turn up to help search for Meredith and Delilah and then just fade away? I have thoughts about Cassandra, as well. But I'll leave those not-so-nice ones in my head. She wasn't developed enough for me to have anything other than a mean thought about. Same with the babysitter.

Writing: I don't know about the writing. I haven't read much of Kubica's writing, only one other, I think, but some of the story and parts of the book here felt forced and read awkward to me. It didn't need to be told, it could just be shown... I feel she's a better writer than that? Based on a previous rating of a book I read and some of the writing in other sections of the book. I was disappointed in some of the seemingly random twists she threw in there - they seemed irrelevant and just to throw you (the reader) off for fun.

Overall the book was okay. I wouldn't read it again and wouldn't jump to recommend it to just anyone. But I think fans of Mary Kubica are going to enjoy it for sure.

This page turning mystery kept me reading quickly to get to the end. It begins with an unknown woman who leaves her husband in the middle of the night to meet another man and she feels like someone is following her. Next we we have a woman who is receiving threatening texts. Also there is a heartbreaking story of young girl who is trapped in a basement. How are all these people connected? In alternating timelines, we learn their stories from 11 years ago and from the present. When the young girl, escapes can she help answer some of the town's questions about the missing women?

I will admit to not liking Mary Kubica's last few books very much at all, but the description of this book had all of the things I'm looking for so I wanted to read it anyway -- and it delivered. Mostly. Like 90%. This is a tough one to review without any spoilers, so I'm going to be extra brief and vague.

The story is told in two timelines (today and 11 years ago) and from multiple viewpoints, which I always love.

There are a whole lot of red herrings and misdirection and twists, and the final reveal of what happened to Shelby, Meredith, and Delilah is bananas (but in a good way that weirdly made sense even though it kind of didn’t, but whatever - the ride off the rails into crazy town was fun and entertaining as hell).

Overall, this was an extremely enjoyable thriller that I'll happily recommend, especially as a book club book.

Thank you for the ARC!

As an avid reader, I love a good mystery. And Mary Kubica's "Local Woman Missing" kept me in suspense and second-guessing myself the whole time. The story begins with a girl and her companion locked in a completely dark basement for an unknown amount of time. An opportunity to escape presents itself and the book continues from there, and makes the reader question themselves for the rest of the novel as to what is real and what might not be. The characters are developed enough that the reader can envision them and begin to form relationships with them, wishing for good things for all, or at least most.
Kubica adds enough other elements to the story that you begin to think you've got it figured out and then something new comes to light and you start to question things all over again.
I enjoyed the story and the different characters very much, and loved that Kubica kept me in the dark right to the very end. It's hard to write a story, especially a novel, that will keep readers interested enough to the end without totally guessing the finale, but Kubica has done that with Local Woman Missing.
If you are a fan of mysteries,, I recommend this book highly. Kubica is a fantastic writer, who creates a world that draws her reader in and keeps you guessing and rooting for the protagonist right until the very end.

I have a hard time getting behind everyone's motivations in this book but I just have to try to suspend my disbelief at some of the choices some of these characters made. I will say this is better than the last two Kubica books which I really did not enjoy. This was much more enjoyable.

This book was absolutely fabulous. I read it in one evening- knowing from the first chapter that that was how it was going to be read, that I wasn’t going to be able to walk away from it.

The telling of a kidnapped girl, her missing mother, and the disappearance of another local woman and what they all have to do with each other, Local Woman Missing is a diabolical tale that is written extraordinarily well and will keep you on edge until the bitter end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Park Row Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Solid thriller that keeps you guessing throughout the entire book.

Shelby Tebow goes missing 11 years ago and a week later so does Meredith Dickey and her daughter Delilah. Delilah is held captive in a basement. The books switches between multiple POVs and from two points in time 11 years ago and today. Keeps you reading thinking one more chapter and then I’ll take a break. Highly recommend.

Mary Kubica is one of my favorite thriller writers so I was absolutely thrilled to get a copy of her latest novel.

I’m sorry to say that this won’t hit store shelve until May 18th, but I want to put it on your radar, in the meantime
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Kubica builds a great twisty story that has the just right amount of suspense and whodunit fun that had me flipping the pages as fast as I could.

It is unusual for more than one person to go missing in a neighborhood, but that’s what happens in this story leaving one to wonder if these cases could be related. Not only do two women disappear, but a six-year-old little girl has also vanished.

Eleven years later though, the child is found and everyone wants to know where she could have been and how this could be connected to the other disappearances.

This book is fast paced, had really inventive twists, and read like a really suspenseful film. I, truly, had zero idea where this was going and that made it a pleasure to read from start to finish.

I can’t wait for you to get your hands on this one so be sure to add it to your to-be-read stack for 2021!

A woman goes missing. Several weeks later, another woman goes missing, along with her 6-year-old daughter. They lived only a few miles from the first woman. Eleven years later, the daughter shows up, having escaped a childhood in captivity.

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED? This question kept me up late every single night for the last week or so.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/l0MYtRl33WaN4HGBq/giphy.gif">

I was so focused on what happened that I didn’t even bother trying to figure out who. The pool of suspects is quite small if limited to just the characters you know well.

There are several main POVs:
– Meredith, the missing mother, starting about six weeks before her disappearance (ultimately reaching that fateful day at the climax).
– Kate, a neighbor, who joins the search for Meredith and her daughter (Delilah) when she’s first noticed missing.
– Leo, Delilah’s brother, in the present. This is mostly second person as he addresses Delilah and tries to understand her with her pychological scars.

The narrative is so tantalizing as it gets closer and closer to explaining everything. But on the way it’s a story about people and what motivates them and how they deal with mistakes and make choices. It was very hard to put down. I did not guess the ending at all.

I wish there were more details on what Delilah went through. And I was really mad at Meredith for neglecting Leo for a job she didn’t really need.

I assume the text will go through a final proofing before publication. It had some weird formatting in my copy.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. It was the weirdest thing: They emailed me out of the blue and offered me the book. I wasn’t even a NetGalley member. I don’t know how they found me or why I was chosen. I was suspicious at first.

Language: Some moderate language
Sexual Content: Mostly implied; off-screen
Violence: Moderate amount of violence but not very graphic
Harm to Animals: <spoiler>No</spoiler>
Harm to Children: <spoiler> Kidnapping and abuse that is kept vague; bullying.</spoiler>
Other (Triggers): <spoiler> Drunken driving; a woman feels violated after a pap smear. </spoiler>

I have read all of Mary Kubica's books and would give this book a 10 star rating if I could, This was amazing. Such a page-turner. Once I started this book, I could not stop reading. Loved how the story flashed back to 11 years earlier, then back to present day. I cannot wait to tell everyone about this new thriller! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy.

Mary Kubica, you have done it again! In quite possibly Kubica's best, we are introduced to a small suburban community riddled with tragedy - two women have disappeared under similar circumstances, but are they connected? In dual timelines set 11 years apart, as well as with multiple narrators, Local Woman Missing will have you guessing until the last page - and if you're anything like me, your jaw may drop a bit at that time!

A compelling page-turner about a missing woman, that begins with the voice of a young girl escaping her captors. It doesn't slow down from there, as the mystery alternates from the past and the present, telling the story of the missing woman Meredith in the past with the events leading up to her going missing, the search for her, and in present day, when her daughter Delilah reappears after all these years. I couldn't put this one down! Highly recommend for mystery/suspense fans.

I couldn’t read this book fast enough to find out what really happened. I was immediately sucked into the first part, immersed myself in the middle, and couldn’t pick my jaw off the floor quick enough for the last part. Buckle up, because there are a lot of twist and turns until the very end. The story had me questioning everyone! I love how Mary finished it all neatly and unexpectedly. I will definitely be recommending this to all my book friends!

Oh my gosh, Mary Kubica has seriously upped her game lately. Her novel The Other Mrs. is still in my top 20 reads of 2020, and then she has truly outdone herself with LOCAL WOMAN MISSING. Kubica is simply getting better and better with each book.

The story setup begins with a woman going telling her husband late at night she’s going for a jog....and she doesn’t return. Later that week, Meredith and her 6 year old daughter Delilah also go missing mysteriously. And then ELEVEN YEARS LATER Delilah re-appears alive. Told in alternating viewpoints from “now” and “11 years ago” from Meredith, Meredith’s son Leo, and the neighbor Kate, Kubica expertly lays out the story and drops so many different hints theories and clues about what happened in this small town, but YOU WILL NOT GUESS WHAT IT WAS

I loved loved loved this book, and it was truly an exciting read for the end of 2020! Out on 5.18.2021, mark your calendars! Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin!

I always enjoy Ms. Kubrica's work & have read every one of her books. Happy to give her latest offering "Local Woman Missing" a FIVE STAR rating! It jumps around in time-lines 11 years from the key event to now, and there a a lot of characters to keep track off. Readers may at times, wonder if this thriller is going to "pay off"... But when it does, they will be blow away, with twists that this reader did NOT see coming and the satisfying resolution. HIGHLY recommend! Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

WOW, WOW, WOW and WOW!!! Ten stars!!! Mary Kubica has slowly grown on me. Her first few books were good. And by that I mean definitely good enough to make me keep reading her but not knock-your-socks-off greatness! She is one of those authors who just gets steadily better and better. Her last two stories were fantastic and she blows it out of the water with this latest total mindbender of a story! It all begins with 2 completely different scenarios. A woman with an apparent cheating husband and a child locked in a basement. WHAT? Am I reading only one book? How is this all connected? Get ready! The pace does not let up and how it all ends up coming together is CAH-RA-ZEEE!!! My head is still spinning! I loved Meredith and just felt so bad for poor Leo. Definitely a credit to the author's skill at characterization. I am looking forward to much more from Mary Kubica!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Mary Kubica and Harlequin/Park Row books for this ARC!