A six year old girl, her mother and another woman are missing from the same town. The thriller book follows the past and present of the lives of these women. Are these disappearances all related? Did one person abduct all three women? Are they still alive? This suspense book will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. If you love mysterious disappearances, multiple POV’s, and some secrets in your thriller novels, this is a book you will love. If you love crime shows or a documentary on a serial kidnapper or killer, check this book out.
Are you looking for book talk regarding your favorite thriller novel? Are you looking for a place to share all your thoughts since your friends are sick of you obsessing? You have come to the right place. Book talk is somewhere you could share your book thoughts (good or bad).
This post is all about the Local Woman Missing book by Mary Kubica.
Book Summary
Local Woman Missing book follows the storyline of two missing women and a missing child. This domestic thriller novel will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Are these missing cases connected? Is there a serial killer in a small town? Or is someone keeping these people hostage? If you love a crime book that follows multiple POV’s and dual timelines, be sure to check this book out.
A woman named, Shelby Tebow vanishes first, then Meredith Dickey and her 6-year-old daughter, Delilah. The strange part of this case is these people live in the same area. This begins a police investigation into anyone that knew the victims in the area. Everyone is suspect. Is the neighborhood safe? Are these abductions or is there a serial killer in this small town?
This thriller book is twisty, brilliant, and will have you trusting no one. An unreliable narrator makes for the perfect thriller book.
Book Talk
SPOILER ALERT: The below section contains Spoilers of the book.
Welcome to book talk! A place to discuss books after you read them. This post contains spoiler alerts if you have not read the book already. This post is intended for after you finish the book or a refresher. Let’s talk books! 🙂
The questions below make for great book discussion questions! 🙂
Do you think the ending of the book left is open for a sequel?
Everything was wrapped up nicely in this thriller novel. The twists left you guessing until the end. A prequel would be awesome. This would allow for the readers to understand the people that abducted the little girl and her story. That was the only storyline I was slightly curious about since in the end she was not Delilah.
This book was a perfect balance of crime and showing raw human emotion. The book displayed what humans are capable of in a given dilemma. The book has the reader questioning how they would react in a various circumstances. Additionally, the book has the reader questioning everyone. The characters that lead you to believe they are innocent, might not be.
Moral Dilemma
What would you have done in Meredith’s position after hitting Shelby with the car?
I would have acted like I was on board with the plan but then went to the police. Guilt is something that will eat a person up alive. Also, knowing what Bea is capable of should speak volumes. A person that could discard another human being, is capable of killing or hurting their friend. Meredith should have gone to the police to protect her own family. On the other hand, this is one of those situations where one would have to likely be in the moment. People are not thinking clearly in a crisis.
Do you believe if someone does something bad (murder) that defines who they are?
There is so much that goes into making someone a “bad” person. It is also depends on the circumstances. If someone kills another because that person was repeatedly abusing them, I would not say they are a bad or evil person. If someone does one bad act and feels remorse, they are likely not a bad person. An evil or bad person is someone that repeatedly does something terrible and would not stop unless they are dead or incarcerated. With that being sad, Bea does not seem like a bad person. She is flawed
Favorite Character
Which character did you relate to the most?
Meredith was the most relatable. The way she reacted to the hit and run seemed to be the most human response coming from a person that feels remorse. In the heat of the moment we all might not know how to react. However, the guilt was eating her alive. Additionally, Meredith had a connection to Shelby. It is difficult to pretend something did not happen when you have interacted with someone. It would be interesting to see if Meredith would have the same reaction if it was a stranger.
Plot Twists
Did you predict any of the plot twists in the book?
Since Bea was not mentioned a lot in the book and there was no perspective from her, I did not. I tend to guess the least likely or nicest character to be the perpetrator. This one threw me for a loop in the discovery that Bea was behind it all. In addition, I was suspicious of Shelby’s husband since he seemed cold and distant. However, the most suspicious person is usually not the murderer in thriller books.
What did you think of Bea’s confession?
Jaw-dropping. Unexpected. Unfathomable. How? How did Bea possibly keep this secret from literally everyone for so long. That is the one thought that is unbelievable. It must have been killing Bea to keep this secret. However, she did an amazing job not breaking for so long. It was also a relief to know that Delilah was alive and well. It was great to see that Bea has redeemable qualities. The way she went about everything had me seriously questioning her character. It was sad that she kept her friends and family in the dark for so long regarding Delilah. In the end, she was able to fight the urge to lie and was able to come to her senses. It must have literally felt like a weight was lifted snice she was carrying about that secret for so long.
Adaptation
What do you think this book would do as a movie adaptation or limited series?
Book adaptations are so tough, as readers we typically compare them to the book. However, when they are done correctly, they are amazing. Especially when the characters are exactly how you pictured them. A limited series would do well for this kind of book. Since there were not too many perspectives, it would make for an awesome limited series. The twist regarding the little boy not being real would be an amazing, jaw dropping moment for viewers. It is still jaw dropping to think back and realize that the boy was a figment of the girls imagination. This thriller book had so many twists, it would do amazing on the big screen. The dual time lines work in the favor for a limited series. The suspense of what Bea and Meredith covered up would make for a great and binge worth series. Fingers crossed for something in the works in the future!
Rating
What would you rate this thriller book?
I would give this 4.5 stars out of 5. While the beginning about what the young girl was going through was necessary, it seemed slightly dragged out. The book had a slightly slow start but when the twists started they did not stop. What an amazing suspense novel. I LOVED this suspense book and was at the edge of my seat. I love an ending that I didn’t see coming at all. Also, have to love when there are multiple twists throughout the book.
Author recommendations
Love this book? Here are some author recommendations and related posts that will sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Mary Kubica has other thriller books out. Be sure to check them out! Other authors that will have that wow thriller factor include, Freida McFadden, Alice Feeney, Jennifer Hillier, Natalie Barelli, Shari Lapena, and John Marrs. That is to name a few. On Amazon, there are always new authors trending or on the top charts for the week/month. Be sure to be on the look out. There are some amazing authors out there! Additionally, hit the follow button on Instagram to the right of this post for book reviews, book recommendations, and book talk.
Local Woman Missing book is a domestic thriller novel that follows the story of 3 missing people. No one is safe and everyone is a suspect. As the story unravels, the reader quickly realizes the innocent people are not as innocent as they seem.
Happy reading! xx