High 4 ⭐️
What Remains was suspenseful in the sense that nothing brought this story peace. Every time there was closure, a way to come to terms with what happened “WHAM,” I was thrown again. The twists sent me into a tailspin.
Wendy Walker wrote a compelling and often terrifying narrative that I could not put down. I held unsettling feeling that stay with me the entire book.
I definitely recommend this one.
Thanks Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley.

This is my second read by Wendy Walker. My first read was Don't Look For Me. What Remains is better as far as the emotional pull. It's short, so it's hard not to give anything away, but I really loved this thriller. and would definitely recommend it.

I was so impressed by this book. The subject matter is very heavy but I felt that it was handled very well. While this book could be an easy binge read, I found myself really taking my time with this book because I wanted to savor it. The psychological aspect of this book was easily the best part. I found that to be the most compelling part of the book. I can't wait to read more from Wendy Walker!

Thank you to Wendy, Blackstone Publishing, Netgalley, and Snug Books for advance copies of What Remains.

Elise Sutton is a detective who focuses on cold cases. She loves to solve puzzles, make sense and create order out of chaos, and that’s how she lives her life. Until she is in a grocery store when a shooter unleashes fire. Left with the awful choice of taking a life to save others, she begins to unravel. While grappling with the guilt, a man whose life she saved gets in touch with her and Elise feels as though he is the only one she can connect and work out her issues with. This man Wade, is not what he seems. The more she looks into Wade, the more she realizes she knows nothing about him, not even his name, and soon Elise is in danger and so is everyone she loves.

I need to preface this review with two things - I absolutely love Wendy Walker. She is one of the first thriller authors that really captured my attention and got me interested in the genre; and I am not a fan of detective series / police procedurals.

The premise was very interesting, but I was forcing myself to continue to read. I was so dang bored through it, which is usually the case for me with detective main characters. I just find them so dull, the plot moved so slowly.

I didn’t care much for Elise’s character, she felt detached…which I believe was the intention, however I don’t like to feel detached from the MC, I like to be with them while exploring their detachments in the story. I did really like Elise’s partner and if I do continue with this series (I assume it will become a series) I will be most interested in her relationship with him and his involvement in her life and cases.

Overall, What Remains was a miss for me. I can’t say that continuing with a potential Elise Sutton series is a definite for me, but I can say that I will continue to give Wendy’s standalones a chance, because overall I find her to be a wonderful author who, until now, has kept me thoroughly engaged in her stories.

Elise is a cop who gets caught up in a department store robbery and ends up killing the shooter and as the story unfolds shows the aftermath and the effects on the people involved. The second storyline: the discovery of human remains in an abandoned shelter that hunters use because it has a “Kill Room” where they can process their kills. There is also an incinerator in this shelter, which is where the remains were found. The story flips back and forth between the two storylines. How these two narratives converge is really impressive.

What Remains is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you on edge till the end. It is a total cat-and-mouse story with well-developed characters. I really felt for Elise and all she was going through.

I can empathize with Elise. As an ER nurse, sometimes the split second decisions we make have lasting consequences and it's a hard choice to make - but we do. I related with Elise in that moment, and during the aftermath. When a trauma patient comes in, we care for them without knowing so much about them - sometimes even without their name or their story. And there are times when we learn, after the fact, the truth of what just happened and learn the patient wasn't really a victim...

Feeling close with Elise, I found myself drawn to this book and the characters. Kudos to Wendy Walker for creating such a real environment and such an entertaining book. Once I was hooked, I couldn't put this book down.

I would rate this a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 because it is a good read but not one of my favorite books by Wendy Walker. It definitely could just be me, but I was a little confused at times and it jumped around a little too much for me. I feel like the characters were a little lacking and I got frustrated more than a few times with Elise for some of her decision making. I wish the characters had a little more depth so I would have cared a little more but again it wasn't a bad book, just not my favorite by this author.

After recently reading Don’t Look For Me, and really enjoying it, I was pumped to get this one. The plot is very complex and at times confusing as all get out. I also struggled with the character development especially towards the end. I could not understand why certain characters took certain action, and as a result, this one left me a little underwhelmed. It is still entertaining and makes a fun summer read so if you have been eyeing it, I would say to give it a try.

1.5 rounded up to 2

Wendy Walker shows how one moment can change everything:

Det. Elise Sutton is taking a few moments out of her busy life as a police officers to do something so mundane as buying her girls pink bath towels. What she did not expect was to be involved in a shooting, where she is forced to make a life and death decision, one that will forever change her. Elise is hailed as a hero, but she does not feel like one, she is told she made the right choice but did she really? When she connects with the man that she saved in the department store she hopes to get some closure, but what she gets instead is a stalker who is intent on playing a Cat and Mouse game with her threatening everyone she knows and loves

I am a huge fan of Walker and have enjoyed the majority of the books that she has released so I had high expectations for this book especially based on the premise and Walker ability with the psychological thriller aspect to her novels. However, I struggled with this book, i really had to force myself to sit down and read this book and it was not an enjoyment for me. This book starts out with a bang (literally) but really slowed down after that and I never really felt the suspense in the Cat and Mouse game that Walker was trying to present here, though I could tell that she was trying.

Elise is a frustrating character, and I don’t care if she’s this amazing cop/teacher about forensics (though we never actually get to see her do the forensics part) she puts so many people in danger with her stupid decisions and lies that she tells. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to jump in the book a slap her to get her head on straight when she was making her decisions.

The whole Kill Room aspect felt a bit disjointed from the rest of the story and I wasn’t sure how Walker was going to bring that aspect over within the story and it does get there and I liked how she did it but it really wasn’t till the end. And in the end, I didn’t mind how Walker brought the whole story together, but does the ending make up for a slow plot and character I wanted to throw across the room. No I don’t think so.

I’m still a huge fan of Walker and I understand that I cannot love all her books, and I know I’ll pick up another book by her but this one was not for me.

Cheers!!!!

I have read and loved all of Walker's previous work and What Remains definitely followed suit! This one stands out from her others as they had more of a psychological suspense feel to them, whereas this one felt much more like crime suspense with psychological elements mixed in. As someone who is not a huge fan of police procedurals I'll admit I was a little worried when I realized what the book was about after going in blind, but was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the characters and how their police work was only a small piece of them.

You can truly tell how much research, heart, and empathy went into this book as it took on some extremely tough subjects such as public shootings, trauma, and a peak into what it's like on the other side from a police officers POV who was forced to make a decision while off-duty. The thought that went into this book really came across strongly and reaffirms the reasons for why I have always loved Walker so much as an author.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for my review copy!

I’m all for strong, smart and powerful women, but my gosh did it irritate me how often the MC would go off on her own, knowing the guy she is hunting down is a sociopath. This book was twisted and I couldn’t get enough. There were a lot of puzzle pieces to put together, which can sometimes feel like the author is trying too hard, but Walker did it just right.

4 stars...

Fast-paced, edge of your seat, nail biting thriller. This would be the perfect suspenseful “beach read” to pack in your bag for a summer day. Under 250 pages, this one can easily be read in 1-2 sittings.

I recommend adding this to your summer TBR!

Thank you to netgalley & Blackstone Publishing!

This novel has all the ear marks of an excellent thriller. It starts off with the protagonist Detective Elsie Sutton shopping for new pink towels after work for her two little girls. Suddenly, she is caught in the middle of an active shooter event, annd Elsie is forced to kill the young man with the assault rifle in order to save another shopper. Having never taken a life before Elsie is traumatized and feels the need to speak to the man whose life she saved, but he has disappeared. I could have given this book a few more stars if Elsie had been just half as smart as the author painted her. Also, the twists were quite predictable and easily guessed.

This book begins in a big, thrilling way…I was immediately intrigued by the plot and characters, but it turned into a slow burn and didn’t completely wow me the entire time.

There was the main story (the hook from the beginning which I loved), and a smaller, second storyline thrown in every once in awhile which didn’t grab my interest as much (and at times left me a little confused).
I figured it was important and the two would somehow connect, and I was always looking for the tie, so a fun little game going on in my mind.

Even though the thrills slowed down I did want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen and how everything was going to line up.

The plot was pretty entertaining & unique, it was well written with a few surprises sprinkled in.

The characters were okay, I would have liked to know a little more about them, and ended up not feeling muchof connection.
…and the MC, Elise, just made me question a lot of what she did- poor choices along the way which frustrated me.

So overall- did I enjoy this book? Yep. Was it my favorite? Nope…but don’t sleep on Wendy Walker’s books, Don’t Look For Me and The Night Before we’re both so great! Be sure to check her out!

A story about a stalker. Think you've read those before? Think again. Yes, there is a stalker in this story, but it's so much more than a story about a stalker. We have a badass female detective who is taking matters into her own hands in order to save herself and her family from danger. Her involvement years earlier in a cold case creeps up again when she is contacted by a man who was present the day she had to use her service weapon and take a life during a robbery in a store. Now she is unable to escape his presence, in her thoughts, in her phone, and even in her own home where she no longer feels safe. This story unfolds at breakneck speed and it very well written. I could not put it down.

3 STARS

I really enjoyed “Don’t Look for Me,” but found this one to be a little disappointing. It was slow, the plot was confusing, and the character development was meh. I was hoping for more action and suspense but this one felt a little flat to me.

4.5 STARS ⭐️

Y’all. Read. This. Book. (Or listen to the audio) But do it! What Remains by Wendy Walker was phenomenal.

This book starts off with a bang (quite literally). Detective Elise Sutton, walks into a department store to buy some pink towels for her daughters, and… what happens next will change her life forever. I don’t even want to give you more than the blurb on Goodreads. Just go in blind. Trust me on this one.

This is a faced paced thriller, that will make you think! (Seriously, I started to feel like I was a detective- think criminal minds) I was 100% immersed in this story at every turn; gasping, white knuckling my kindle, and goosebumps!

When everything finally tied together, my goodness was it scrumptious! I did NOT see that coming! Bravo, Wendy, Bravo!

Now, excuse me while I go add more Wendy Walker books to my TBR!

What Remains

Today (June 24th when I wrote this review) I finished a Netgalley copy of What Remains by bestselling author Wendy Walker. One afternoon detective Elise Sutton walks into a department store wanting to buy pink towels for her daughters till a shooter runs rampant. Elise knows she has to make the difficult choice to save a life she must take the other one. After she saves the man Wade Austin, he won’t let her go. Elise finds out Wade isn’t who he says he is and ultimately she has to do what it takes to protect her family and friends.



Pros

The story was good. I like the characters of Elise and her partner Rowan. I think they would make a better couple than her and her husband Mitch who cheated on her 4 years prior. The book talks about how even when we make the tough choices it doesn’t always mean we like doing it and the guilt can haunt you. I did not see the twist at the end which was good.

Cons

I felt the book dragged and it became long winded at times. It probably could have been cut down a bit.

Overall

If you’re a fan of mystery thrillers and of Wendy Walker herself, get a copy of What Remains which is out now.

“She saved his life. Now he’ll never let her go.”
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Me: *gets popcorn ready; settles in for an action packed cat and mouse game* 🍿🍿🍿🍿
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It pains me to write an unfavorable review for a Wendy Walker book, but I struggled so much with this one. It sucked me in immediately (with Elise, our police officer, shooting a civilian, saving another man’s life) and for the first 20-25% we were chugging right along. Then it was like we got stuck in quicksand and the rest of the book was an absolute slog. The action all but stopped and was replaced by endless inner monologue. 😣
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It was somehow overly wordy but also choppy. Dramatic but unemotional. I felt so distant from what the character was experiencing, especially because she wasn’t making logical decisions as a parent or as a police officer.
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So I didn’t jive with this one, but I appreciate the e-arc and would still read this author in the future. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity!