What Remains by Wendy Walker

Elise is a cold case investigator who is faced with a horrible decision when witnessing a shooting at a department store. Dealing with the consequences of her actions, she becomes emotionally connected with one of the men in the store.

Wendy Walker may be my only auto-buy thriller author. I just love how she writes engaging mysteries with twists I usually don’t see coming, but they are not overly scary or graphic. I am always immediately hooked and entertained through the entire book and this one was no different.

I ended up listening to the audio which was excellent. Since this was told primarily in inner thoughts, the narration made it really come to life for me. I loved the unique point of view of a police officer being stalked. Her thoughts and clinical thinking was fascinating. It was a great combination of emotion and process. This was a suspenseful, creepy and engaging story!

Thank you to @blackstonepublishing for the ebook and audiobook! This one was out in June so you can go get it now.

What are you listening to this weekend? Music or audiobooks or podcasts?

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WHAT REMAINS is a compelling story that drew me in from the beginning. I'm always drawn to stories of motherhood as well as cold cases, and this was a great blend of the two. I love how the author portrayed the main detective as a woman trying to balance her career and family. As a mother of young boys I am constantly juggling so many aspects of life and I felt seen in these pages. This was my second book by Wendy Walker and I look forward to what she writes next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed so many of Wendy Walker’s books, and couldn’t stop thinking about Don’t Look For Me, so I was excited to read her latest.

This was such a tense, slow burn suspense, heavy on the police procedural but with a twist. I enjoyed the premise of what happens to the hero as the aftermath of trauma unfolds.

Told in dual POVs; Elise, a police officer, and The Kill Room, the story follows Elise after making the decision to take the life of a shooter to protect the innocent.

Unfortunately I had a hard time connecting to Elise, and was frustrated by many of her choices, but I appreciated the focus on mental health.

📖𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨
✍🏻Wendy Walker
🗓️6.13.23
🔪Thriller
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you @librofm @blackstonepublishing #gifted

Cold case detective Elise Sutton is at a local department store buying pink towels for her daughters, when suddenly A young man with a gun walks into the department store and begins shooting. Following the sounds of the gun shots she draws her weapon and witnesses the shooter aiming his weapon at a tall man. A split second decision changes her life she aims and shots the gunman and kills him, saving everyone life. She’s called a hero and the police without a doubt determine that Elise’s actions were justified. Elise is consumed by guilt for taking the life young gun man. Unable to find the tall gunman she saved she’s hoping he’s found and his testimony man will help her justify her actions. After an appointment she spots him driving down the street and she follows him, he tells her his name is Wade Austin, but the meeting does not end as Elise would have expected, he shows a darker side and becomes obsessed with Elise, he follows her every movement, and even threatens her safety as well as that of her family. Elise begins to conduct her own investigation into this man, and what happens next is a twisted cat and mouse game and Elise is determined to beat him before its to late!

GoodReads synopsis:

“Detective Elise Sutton is drawn to cold cases. Each crime is a puzzle to solve, pulled from the past. Elise looks for cracks in the surface and has become an expert on how murderers slip up and give themselves away. She has dedicated her life to creating a sense of order, at work with her ex-marine partner; at home with her husband and two young daughters; and within, battling her own demons. Elise has everything under control, until one afternoon, when she walks into a department store and is forced to make a terrible choice: to save one life, she will have to take another. Elise is hailed as a hero, but she doesn’t feel like one. Steeped in guilt, and on a leave of absence from work, she’s numb, even to her husband and daughters, until she connects with Wade Austin, the tall man whose life she saved. But Elise soon realizes that he isn’t who he says he is. In fact, Wade Austin isn’t even his real name. The tall man is a ghost, one who will set off a terrifying game of cat and mouse, threatening Elise and the people she loves most.”

This book hit it out of the park for me! Wendy Walker superbly wound together so many different plot lines into one amazing book. You see Elise’s personal life and her cop life blend effortlessly together. As Elise tries to piece together herself after the shooting, as well as solve another mystery of the “tall man”, you see the toll it takes on not only her, but her family and cop family as well. This book is incredibly fast paced and once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. It’s so interesting to see Elise shown as not only a hero but a victim as well. And the ending was a twist I didn’t see coming. If you love criminal, psychological thrillers seriously pick this one up

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Shoutout to @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for this amazing read 🖤

Thank you NetGalley - I received an advance reader's copy of this book. I liked the book so much I checked out her other novels and have been a big fan ever since. So yes, I was excited to read What Remains and it did not disappoint.

Detective Elise Sutton is married with two kids. Her job is solving cold cases. While at the grocery store a harrowing situation unfolds and things start spiraling out of control from there. (The publisher synopsis goes into more detail but I think it's way more fun to go into a story without knowing too much about the plot.)

What Remains, by Wendy Walker, is a fast-paced, complex, rather confusing, thriller. The story begins with an explosive scene. Detective Elise Sutton is at a shopping mall buying pink towels for her daughters when she hears shots ring out. Her training instincts kick in and she races to investigate and finds herself face-to-face with the shooter. When she takes the fatal shot, she deescalates the situation and no one else is killed. She is proclaimed a hero, but in the ensuing days she struggles with that title and the life she took. Elise feels compelled to track down the man who saw it all, desperate to find some answers. When she does, things do not at all go as planned.

In this story we also get chapters from the future, detailing graphic scenes from a “Kill Room” in the woods where DNA is found from the aforementioned detective. Why is evidence found that implicates Elise, and who’s life was taken?

In What Remains, the author addresses some pertinent, current issues, such as gun control and mental health. This story is wrought with trigger warnings and heavy content, such as assault, stalking, public shooting and PTSD. Though the author showcases intriguing angles on these issues, I found that I was unable to connect with the main character who felt flat, remote and rather emotionless. She was an outlier who chose to go it alone, and would occasionally break into inner monologues philosophizing and waxing poetic. The conclusion was also a bit lackluster. So though this novel was well-written and I’m definitely a Wendy Walker fan, this story didn’t grab me quite like her others have.

If she writes it, I’m going to read it. Because holy smokes I loved this one. And WHAT! That ending! I absolutely loved this one and read it in a day. The perfect binge book.

3.25 stars
Usually, I really click with Wendy Walker but this one just didn't seem to come together for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book and wondered how things would come together. There were many tense moments as Elise is gaining a dangerous stalker and he begins to threaten her and her family. There are also side moments (with a different audiobook narrator) that shows another plot point and readers wait to see how these two stories will come together.

The conclusion felt a little garbled to me, and also a bit out of character. Be warned that this does involve "rogue cop" things where Elise goes off on her own and takes matters into her own hands, partially to protect people and partially to get around the law. Mostly for protection, as she sees it. I don't always mind the "rogue cop" thing but it also has to fit with the character. Elise felt very by the book and I just didn't see her actions in the end being something that fit, or I guess the author/book didn't convince me that it made sense.

I enjoyed most of the story, but the ending didn't do it for me. The two story lines did come together but it felt a little loose, confusing, and I wasn't invested enough in the second story line for it to feel satisfying. I felt like it was a little forced, especially putting Elise in the middle of all of this? I don't know, I just didn't click with it.

The premise was really interesting but unfortunately I was bored for most of the book and didn't connect with the main character. However it did have a great ending and everything that was a little confusing was revealed and explained.

Sometimes heroes don't feel like heroes. When Detective Elise Sutton is forced from her comfort zone of cold cases into saving a life while running an errand one day, she struggles with the aftermath of thoughts. Before long, the stranger whose life she saved becomes completely mesmerized with her and when she chooses not to play his game, he forces her hand by threatening her and those she cares most about. Was this encounter at a store random or was there something bigger at play?

TITLE: WHAT REMAINS
AUTHOR: WENDY WALKER
PUB DATE: 06.13.2023 Now Available

I love Wendy Walker’s books and she is an auto-buy author for me! The writing is always suspenseful, has a psychological twist, hard to put down, and perfectly paced.

In WHAT REMAINS, Walker writes a twisty and witty thriller, and a great main character, Detective Elise Sutton. I enjoyed being in her brilliant mind, solving cold cases and averting a sinister stalker. This is such a fantastic read and May I also say, one of my favorites of all her books.

Don’t wait and add this book to your TBR ASAP!

Elise Walker is a detective who happens to be shopping for towels for her daughters when a shooting takes place in the store. She kills the shooter and cannot get past the guilt of taking a life. She also can’t stop thinking about the “tall man” who was in the line of fire of the gunman, making her question everything including whether or not it was necessary to kill the shooter, despite the accolades and recognition she is given for saving the other lives in the store.
Through her investigation, she finally finds the “tall man” again and discovers that he is Wade Austin, an insurance broker. Why would he be involved in this case? The more she digs, she finds he isn’t who he says he is and she finds out he’s been stalking Elise and her family, and is clearly obsessed with her. Elise is going to have to beat him at his own game if she’s going to get through this all alive.
Consistently paced, complex characters with loads of unpredictable twists and turns made this a fantastic read. This grabbed me and didn’t let go until the very end. I’ve enjoyed Wendy Walker’s other books and this was no exception.
Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed the latest from Wendy Walker! Her books have always been entertaining reads for me and this one was no different. I was intrigued while reading and anxious to see where the story would go. Special thanks to the publisher for my review copy

There really isn't anything specific I can say that went wrong with this book, it just didn't grasp my attention like the rest of her other books. I can see this being a hit for a lot of ppl.

It took me a bit to connect with this book but it ultimately really worked well for me. It starts with a bang but I think that took me out of the character piece a bit which made it a slower start for me. But, once I connected with Elise (the main character), it came together well. It's a really compelling story with a lot of interesting exploration of crime, trauma, and the emotional impact of both. This one really did a great job with character development while also including a propulsive plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. All in all, I really enjoyed this one ... it's one that you may enjoy if you like a strong mix of character and plot!

What Remains is a cat and mouse thriller about what happens to Elise after she’s deemed a hero for stopping a public shooting. Elise struggles with her role in the event and when she meets the man she saves she doesn’t fully understand the chain reaction she’s set off after realizing he’s not who he says he is.

This is a character driven plot. Elise went through a lot in this book. She struggled with the shooting and the events after while continuing to struggle with personal issues leaving her feeling isolated. I really struggled with Elise; I don’t know how she stayed and worked through everything. I don’t know how she didn’t lose faith in those around and just pushed through it but she did. I guess you don’t truly know what you have inside until you’re tested.


This is my second book by Wendy Walker and her writing style sucks you in and immerses you completely into the story. You feel like you are there next to the main character feeling all the emotions and pressure to solve the case.


Thank you @blackstonepublishing @wendywalkerauthor and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Some of my favorite novels are by Wendy Walker! This novel didn’t disappoint! This was a thrilling crime novel with plenty of twists! I need find the characters secrets to be infuriating at times but necessary to keep the suspense going! Another unputdownable read!

Thank you NetGalley for this read!

The main character of this novel, Elise, is a police detective in Connecticut. At the outset of the book, while off duty, she kills a shooter in a store, the first time she has ever killed someone as she usually works on cold cases. Mired in guilt, she at first feels better when she tracks down a survivor of the shooting - until she discovers he’s not who he says he is and starts stalking her. Interspersed with this are chapters about a police investigation in a nearby town whose connection to the main story takes some time to unfold.

I’ve read and really enjoyed three of Wendy Walker’s previous four novels (she also has a fifth one that was an audible exclusive but is going to be published in written form later this year). Somehow she can get away with crazy thriller antics that annoy me in other writers. And I did enjoy this one too, but have to say it was not my favorite of her books. Elise just makes WAY too many stupid decisions for a police officer, it really strained credibility for me. It sure kept me turning pages though, and there was a good twist at the end I didn’t see coming.

3.5 stars

Pink towels.

The decision to buy pink towels for her two daughters will change Detective Elise Sutton’s life forever.

While in the department store, shooting erupts and Elise sees a man aiming a gun at a tall man and she shoots the gunman.

Elise has tremendous guilt afterwards and seeks the man she saved to justify her actions.

Bad move.

Soon, the man she saved begins to obsess over her and stalk her.

I really enjoyed this book. The author really showed how the stalker got into Elise’s head. Mind games.

Four stars for the psychological suspense novel.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and op are my own.