Police procedural + thriller + stalker + murder = entertaining, yet likely forgettable?

Female cop shoots perpetrator of a mall store shooting, regrets it, meets with victim she has supposedly saved, and goes down a loooooooong rabbit hole of crazy, with the net result of some pretty scary stalking and life-threatening moments.

I was a bit confused by the back and forth to a ‘killing room’ being investigated as well as this story line; it all made sense in the end, but puzzled me most of the time.

At the end of the day…it was fine, but not memorable.

I am a huge fan of Wendy Walker, and was eagerly awaiting this new book. However, it wasn't my favorite. The characters, especially the main one, made terrible decisions. The plot didn't make 100% sense to me, and I found myself skimming towards the second half. I'm happy to say I'm an outlier here, and many others are loving this one. I am still excited to read whatever Walker comes out with next even if this wasn't a favorite of mine.

The author’s writing is so realistic. The vivid description gripped me. I felt that I am not reading the book but it’s all happening around me. I love how wonderfully author has taken us in the personal life of protagonist. Then there is a crime scene. The beginning is so profound and excellent. The author has done such a great job by taking us in the life of each character. It not often happens that we get to read the perspective of each character.

The protagonist’s suffering, her personal and professional life with what remains and what‘s been at stake has been well written and put together throughout the book with deepening feelings and prevailing mystery. The investigation is certain to keep the readers at edge with a slow-burn mystery but a lot of things happens in the book. The vibe is atmospheric with grotesque, blood, strange murder, and the missing person. There were too many suspects with hidden history, facades, mystery and secrets. Trying to get to the bottom of grotesque murder, people’s disappearance, find the shooter and narrowing down the suspects; all of these has been turned into a pieces of puzzle connected with mysterious past. The ending was twisted, shocking and horrifying.


•First Person
•Atmospheric
•Dual Perspective
•Dual Timelines
•A game of cat and mouse
•Grotesque Murder
•Police/ Detective Investigation
•Strong and emotional FMC
•Action- Packed
•Fast Paced

Thank you Netgalley, Author and Publisher

Wendy Walker's latest release. WHAT REMAINS, is an action-packed thrill ride perfect for readers who enjoy:
-Police procedurals
-Independent female main character (who sometimes makes very questionable decisions)
-Cat-and-mouse chase
-Dual settings/timelines

"She saved his life. Now he'll never let her go."

This book hooked me from the first page because of how intense it was! When Detective Elise Sutton goes into a department store to buy pink towels for her daughters and hears gunshots ring out, she ends up having to take one life in order to save another. When she later finds that the man whose life she saved is stalking her, a game of cat and mouse is set in motion.

There was a subplot about a kill room, which was a little confusing at times, but I liked how it connected to the main plot in the end.

This was an enjoyable book. The only thing that keeps me from rating it higher is that I couldn't really get on board with some of the decisions that Elise made.

Thank you, @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the gifted e-arc of this book!

3.5 stars

Great read - I have always been a fan of this author and this book continued my enjoyment of her writing! Will recommend and be adding to my bookshelf!

The title for this book was perfect.
What Remains..
What does remain. After you take a life. Even when it's in self defense or when you think someone else's life is at risk. You have to pull that trigger and take down a suspect. His life is over. Your's is never the same. That is what happened to Detective Elise Sutton when she has to take out a young man who is firing a gun inside a department store.

Elise is a wife, mother, partner. She's good at her job and has never had to fire her gun at anyone. This day is different. She had no other choice. She could not take a chance that people would not be harmed. Killed. She heard the gun fire and reacted as any detective would. She saved a man who was in the line of fire. Little did she know what a turn her life was about to take.

This story is not about a shooting. Not exactly. It does start out with one but then it goes in another direction. It had me wondering and guessing at first. I thought Elise was a good cop. She only did what she had to do that day. When she finds the guy that she saved things go in direction I did not expect. Elise loves her family. But she sure put her life in danger following a stranger. She put her daughters, her husband, and her partner in danger. Maybe it was from the shock of her killing a young man who had mental problems. Maybe she lost her will to live. Maybe she thought she could do it all. She did what no one should have ever done. Lack of sleep? Lack of good judgement?

This book is very good. It made me feel like I was in the the store. Looking under the overpass. Seeing the cabin in the woods. The descriptions are well done. From how the boy's parents were dealing to how the women who had been stalked and assaulted felt. It has feeling. How do you handle taking a life. Even in a case like this? It would have to be hard for the normal person. Even a well trained detective. The crimes talked about in this story are pretty bad but necessary for you to understand how a person can do some of the things done. Also knowing how some people try to get away with things.

From the time I started this book to the very last word I waited for it to wow me as did this author's other books. It did not. But it was still good. It held my attention and had me guessing at things. I did find it hard to believe that a cop, a detective, would do the things Elise did. A mother and wife. She was very careless even though she thought she was doing the right thing and protecting her family. It was foolish.

This was almost like reading two different stories in one for a while. Until they merged and you see how they play out. How the two become one. How things are woven together. I have to give it to this author she is great at doing that. This was no exception in that.

Thank you #NetGalley, #WendyWalker, and #BlackstonePublishing, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Four stars and I do recommend it. It's good. It just didn't wow me.

Almost 5 years ago I received an advance reader's copy of Wendy Walker's The Night Before. 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.)

As readers, we sometimes do ourselves a disservice by getting caught up with the book's genre rather than just letting a story play out. There are thriller, mystery, and suspense elements throughout but in my opinion the driving force is the character and pondering what you would do if you living this nightmare. It made for an intense read. Very effective storytelling as I couldn't put the book down.

I absolutely loved this book. I actually read it in a day which is the first time I have done this in quite some time. I loved the main character, Elise, as well as her partner at work. It was extremely well written and had a great pace for a thriller. It kept me guessing until the end. I remain a huge fan of this author’s work and can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Pub date: June 13, 2023.   

SYNOPSIS: 

She saved his life. Now he'll never let her go.
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

A cat and mouse thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Well written, engaging, and suspenseful with a satisfying end.

I love cat and mouse scenarios in thrillers and this one is written so well. The dual viewpoints work great and I enjoy the feeling of just the facts, but also the thread of emotion that runs underneath. I had to stop reading it late at night because the terror at being stalked felt all too real, but immediately picked it up again in the morning because you can't stop reading this book. The characters are compelling and the storyline perfectly paced to give you an amazing thrill ride of a reading experience. Another fantastic book from a favorite author!

I previously read "Don't Look for Me" by Wendy Walker and loved it! So when I saw "What Remains" come up on Netgalley, I immediately requested it and, again, I was not disappointed. We are taken on a truly thrilling and suspenseful journey of Detective Elise Sutton's emotional journey after shooting and killing an active shooter in a department store she was shopping in while off-duty. Even after being deemed a hero by her department, family, and community, Elise feels guilty and can't stop asking herself if killing this young man was necessary and justified. To help herself feel better, she finds Wade Austin, the tall man who she ultimately saved from being executed by the department store shooter, and talks with him in hopes of answers and relief. While this meeting had good intentions and started well, it ended with Wade being aggressive and obsessive over Elise. This is just the starting point of his obsessive and scary obsessive behavior - that threatens her family, partner, and her own safety. Elise has to end this, somehow, someway - before he goes too far.

"What Remains" is an extremely well-written, fast-paced, and perfectly structured novel. It's told in dual-perspective and alternating timelines/locations, which leads to the best amount of suspense and mystery. I love how everything connected and the different twists Wendy Walker perfectly executed. Elise is an interesting character and I feel her personal experiences where important to explaining her decision-making and thought-process throughout the book. Overall, this was well-crafted and I can feel the love Wendy Walker put into this thrilling, creepy book!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Wendy Walker, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wendy Walker is such a talented author. All of her books are so different.
This one is about a detective that shoots an active shooter. She is being called a hero, but she is consumed with guilt.
Then she is contacted by one of the people she saved that day. Things take a terrifying turn, she realizes he is not who he seems 👀

What Remains by Wendy Walker is the psychological suspense you won't want to put down. The book literally starts off with a bang... an off-duty detective, Elise, is shopping for bath towels when she hears the unmistakable sound of gunshots. There is a shooter in the store and she is faced with the choice to take one life in order to save another.

Elise is overcome with guilt and wonders if she had to pull the trigger in order to protect the shoppers that day. That is, until she meets the man she saved. The man who has become obsessed with her. Although her detective spidy-sense has alarms ringing, Elise pursues "Wade" which sets off a suspenseful game of cat and mouse where the multiple layers of the story converge for a major 'aha' moment.

The book had my heart racing! I loved all the forensic information and can't help but wonder what the search engine of Ms. Walker looks like!

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Wendy Walker for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book was released 6/13/23.

If I could explain this book in two words they would be heart pounding! Wendy Walker has this way of quickly demanding your attention that will take you deeper and deeper with each chapter you read.

After a violent incident in a department store, Detective Elise Sutton was hailed a hero in her community. The truth is though, Elise doesn't feel like one.

She's battling complicated and conflicting emotions about that day and the only person who seems to understand is the man she saved. A man she comes to know as Wade Austin. The two of them are now connected by the event. Unfortunately for Elise, he'll never let her go.

Elise quickly realizes she's called a wolf to her door. This man is not who he says he is and soon he becomes an eminent threat to her and everyone she cares for. Racing against the clock, Elise works to outsmart him and severe their tie before it's too late. This guy has done his homework though and always seems two steps ahead.

Y,all! Wendy Walker has done it again. This was so gripping. The opening scene, oh my word, I was at the edge of my seat. 100% in it. There were a lot of elements to this, like Wade's interactions with Elise, that really got under my skin. The circumstances were playing off some of my own real-life fears. I always love when a narrative is actually able to raise my heart rate and that was certainly the case here.

I liked Elise as a main character. She was smart, resourceful and fiercely independent. I did get angry at her now and again for her secretiveness, but I understand her motivations for being that way.

I loved her partner, Rowan. I sort of wish we would get more Thrillers with them as a detective duo. I feel like there is more we could explore with them personally and since they specialize in cold cases, I am sure there is plenty of interesting mysteries for them to dig into. Wishful thinking, I know. I'm sure this is a standalone, but this just gives you an idea of how much Walker sold me on this detective partnership.

In addition to the steady pace and tension throughout, the ending of this got nail-biting intense. I was at the edge of my seat, flying through the pages so fast, I think I saw sparks come from the end of my fingers. I would absolutely recommend this to people who enjoy a taut, intense, well-plotted Thriller. I always enjoy Walker's stories, but I think this is my favorite one yet!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I'm sure you can tell by this review, but I'll say it one more time, I loved it!!

This was my first book by Walker and the beginning started off promising and fast. However, there were parts in the story that felt kind of disjointed, even though it did come together in the end. Also, I didn’t love her decision making throughout the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When police officer Elise shoots and kills an active shooter inside a department store, it sets off a chain of events that sends her life on a dangerous course and Elise must work fast to stop an obsessive stalker.

What I liked:
- a twisty, engaging plot that kept me wanting to turn the pages and see what would happen
- reasonable-length chapters
- interesting characters who were dealing with real trauma and had their own ways of coping with tragedy
- two timelines/storylines that came together in an unexpected way

What didn't work for me:
- I didn't find any of the characters to be particularly likable. Interesting but not likable. The fact that they were interesting kept me reading though.

4 solid stars

What Remains is a dark psychological thriller that focuses mainly on the effects of trauma. I enjoyed the cat and mouse aspect of the plot, but I appreciated that this book was more about what happens to a person after they suffer a trauma (or several).

I loved the dynamic between partners Elise and Rowan. I would’ve liked to learn a bit more about Rowan and his past. There were times I felt like parts of the plot were very obvious and that Elise wasn’t being a very good detective, but that’s also where her trauma response comes into play. How the subplot with her husband was handled wasn’t done well in my opinion, and just made me mad.

Overall a psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I recommend reading this if this type of thriller is something you enjoy.

3.5 stars

What Remains by Wendy Walker

My rating:
4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“She saved his life. Now he will never let her go”

This was a solid thriller! I was so invested in what was going to happen in this and really enjoyed the pace. I think the author tied everything together at the end and while it was relatively predictable, it has parts that I was not expecting either!

Overall I would definitely give this one a read but take a look at the synopsis first as there are some trigger warnings at at time very graphic. This book definitely heightened my anxiety at times, especially how one moment can change your entire life.

This was my first Wendy Walker book and it will not be my last!

Thank you @netgalley and blackstone publishing for the ARC!