This was a fast-paced thriller that had to scared to go to sleep. I go to sleep before my husband gets home 2 nights a week and I was convinced someone was in my house.

This book revolves around a badass detective who witnesses a shooting. Even though she is deemed a hero, she knows something wasn't right. Her job and her marriage suffer and she keeps investigating on her own.

Then add in a class that teaches how to commit the perfect murder, burned human remains, and a girl missing....

I definitely recommend this one when it publishes in June 2023!

What Remains is my second read by Wendy Walker with Don’t Look For Me being my first. This book had a couple dynamic plot dimensions as well as points of view. This book had a feel of clinical as well as cynical to me. It was psychological as well as psychopathic. I liked it, it grew on me, and I feel it took a lot of creative gusto to write.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an intense thriller! This story follow Elise, a detective who was recently involved in a crisis in the community that has left her shaken. After the crisis, Elise met with a witness, Wade to debrief with him. However, Wade isn't who he says he is and begins to stalk Elise. He always seems one step ahead of her, and it is almost like he is reading her mind.....

This is the perfect book for crime and detective novel lovers! I enjoyed the twists and the dual time frames in this book.

This one starts with a bang. Both literally and figuratively. At times it reminded me of those old horror movies where you are yelling at the character for being stupid, but alas there is no book without the character’s choices and I never wanted to stop reading. I needed to know where the story was going and how these two seemingly unrelated cases would intersect. I had many hunches as I read and a couple were even right (yay me!)

A very layered and well thought out plot. At times while I was reading, my heart rate intensified and I was on the edge of my seat. When all the layers were revealed, I was surprised by how well the pieces fit together.

If you are a fan of Wendy’s other novels, like cat and mouse thrillers or just love a complex plot, you should pick this one up.

Totally twisted and another unputdownable read by Wendy Walker! A police procedural with psychological thriller, stalkerish twist. Creepy, awesome pace, unlikable characters and more! Loved it.

This book started out with a bang! It almost felt like we jumped into the middle of the story. There were two different settings right from the beginning so that made things a bit difficult to figure out/follow. But stick with it as the story is so well orchestrated as we go through the book and both storylines converge in an unexpected way. By the end, I was definitely a super fan. Kudos for a well crafted plot! 👏
*Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC for review.

𝑫𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒅. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆.

WHAT REMAINS could absolutely be one of those "ripped from the headlines" storylines. Everything about it rang so timely and true. Detective Elise Sutton is drawn to cold cases and has become an expert at predicting how murderers will make mistakes and give themselves away. She was a complex, highly nuanced character that I'd love to see in a series.

While shopping in a department store one afternoon, she finds herself in the middle of what was about to be a mass shooting. In order to save lives, she must take one. Elise struggles with unexpected feelings of guilt until Wade Austin, the man whose life she saved, connects with her and assuages her guilt. Elise finds herself confiding in Wade and too late, she finds out that Wade, or whoever he is, is playing a very dangerous game of cat and mouse.

This was a fast-paced, brilliant look at the psychological aftermath of what it means to be a savior.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the early read. WHAT REMAINS will publish June 13, 2023.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this digital ARC!

What an explosive opening chapter! Hook the reader with a big bang in chapter one? Check!

This was another enjoyable read from Ms. Walker. I liked the dual timelines and intricacies of the plot, along with how it all came together in the end!

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 releases June 13, 2023!

This is one of the most intelligent readings I’ve lately had! It’s capturing, mind bending, riveting, keeping you on your toes by escalating the pressure at each chapter, playing mind games with you!

At each second you get more frustrated, asking yourself who is the prey and who is the real hunter!

Detective Elise Sutton: such a complex character you can get easily attached to. Her fears, weaknesses, strengths are reflected honestly. As a police officer, dealing with cold cases, teaching forensic science to her students, she never has to pull the trigger. She is more a puzzlist than a police. She is good to see the details that no one can notice and she is also great to put the pieces together. That’s how she solves the cold cases nobody predicted to find the truth beneath.

But her own marriage is like a broken cup after her husband’s betrayal. She has to let bygones be bygones, raising her kids, rekindling her old flame with her husband and her ex- marine partner Rowan gives him enough support to deal with her own demons till a shooting day at the mall where Elise stops by to take towels for her daughters.

She hears gunshots and kills a young boy who is about to kill a man. She becomes heroine she never wanted to be! She questions herself if she’s done the right thing.

Only person can help her for the closure the man she’s saved from dying. The same tall man who vanished into thin air without giving testimony. Who was this guy?

Then she meets him waiting for her in front of the precinct. She follows him and their meeting turns something unexpected. She realizes she saved the wrong man! The man calls himself Wade turns into her obsessed stalker who is about to ruin everything she’s worked for years.

He knows everything about her forensics lessons. He knows how to cover his tracks but one thing he doesn’t know is Elise’s determination to beat him in his own game. This is heart pounding, psychological cat-mouse game! Who will catch the other first? Who will win the game?

Overall: Wendy Walker definitely teaches us how to get away with murder with scientific details! This book is smart and unputdownable just like her other brilliant works! Highly recommended to the crime lovers, psychological thriller devourers !

Special thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This novel will take you on a wild investigative journey. Elise, a cold case investigator, is shopping at a local supermarket when she’s faced with a choice. Wait for backup, or take a life in order to save another. In the aftermath of her decision, someone else that was in the supermarket that day begins to stalk her. As her situation grows increasingly dangerous, she knows the only way to stop this rests in her hands. Adding this stress to an already strained marriage puts her personal life on the rocks, and she’s left with another choice. Put a stop to this on her own, or tell the full truth to her partner, Rowan. If you’re a fan of Wendy Walker, pick this one up! If you haven’t read from her previously, this one will pull you in.

This is a cannot put down novel, a page turner. Elise is a police detective...she solves crimes. she has been named a hero, but she does not feel as if she is one. Emotional problems plague her as does the infidelity of her husband. Her two children are her life. A shooting...murder and mayhem...a thriller. This talented and gifted author has written that while fiction, reads like nonfiction. This would make a great crime show, a movie. This thriller is better than most. It is not easily discerned...the guilty parties...it is difficult to determine if Elise will succeed in finding the perp...she is too trusting...she puts her life in danger. Don't miss this fast moving novel. I look forward to more books by Wendy Walker and thank her and the publisher for this copy. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks.

Not Wendy Walker's best book...I went into this with high expectations as I've loved every other book she's ever written, but this one fell flat for me. It was too predictable and flat, in my opinion.

A highly unusual thriller starring a Detective Elise Sutton, a genius cold case solver. In What Remains, Elise becomes caught up in a cat and mouse chase following a shooting in a department store.

Elise is broken over her decision to shoot and no amount of awards or community thanks can address her fears. When one of the witnesses reaches out to her, she is immediately drawn to him and his story. The problem is, there is something very, very wrong with this witness, and only Elise can figure it out. If you like a cat and mouse game, a thriller that clenches your stomach and takes your breath away or just want a new heroine to root for, What Remains is for you!

#blackstone

I found this to be a very repetitive read. Generally it was an engaging book that kept guessing. The story line was a little confusing and could have a better structure.

"What Remains" is the first book I had to put down in the night because I felt too much delicious anxiety for the narrator. A delightfully puzzling, tense and addictive read with great characters and heart. Highly recommend for mystery and suspense lovers. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Wendy Walker is a gifted and captivating suspense author. "What Remains" hits it out of the park again. This criminal thriller is gripping and fast-paced!

I've enjoyed Walker's other books, but found What Remains to be disappointing.
Elise Sutton is a detective who just happens to be in a department store when a shooting occurs. She kills the shooter and is left with guilt for taking another life. She also can't get "the tall man" out of her head - the man who was right in front of the gunman at the time. Was it really necessary for her to kill the gunman?
The tall man, we soon learn, is Wade Austin, but he is not who he seems to be and begins stalking Elise and her family.
Yes, Elise handles cold cases, but this is NOT about a cold case. The character development was weak. Elise's husband and partner had no personality whatsoever. The plot was also confusing. There are two timelines, and they do come together in the end in a satisfying way, but getting from point A to point B was ridiculous.
Elise makes some pretty questionable decisions for being a seasoned detective. She doesn't involve her partner or the police force when Wade keeps stalking and threatening her. And how does Wade get into her house through the FRONT DOOR when there is a police detail outside Elise's house? Even disguised as an Amazon delivery man, I'm pretty sure the police would question anyone just walking right into her house.
Disappointing.

I've loved Walkers previous work and her newest was no different.
This is her absolute best one yet!
I can't express enough just how good of a writer Walker is!
I raced through this one, another page-turning story from a favorite writer.

What Remains by Wendy Walker is highly suspenseful, twisty fun and full of tension that really hooks you in.

I thought this was absolutely riveting, well written and character driven.
From the first page to the last, I could not pull myself away from this book.
This is the type of book that becomes all-consuming.
Detective Elise Sutton is a phenomenal character she drew me in and immediately hooked me and took me on one hell of a ride.
Cold cases has always fascinated me and I really enjoyed following this story with Elise.
The way Wendy Walker writes is completely captivating, utterly enthralling, and always keeps me guessing until the very end.
An exciting and unpredictable book I'm pretty sure if you have enjoyed this authors previous books you'll love her new upcoming title.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Blackstone Publishing,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!