Local Woman Missing

by Mary Kubica

[Jeff Sexton]

Confusing Front. Interesting Ending. This book has one section at the front of the book that seems to go on *forever*... and yet is the singular most fascinating passage of the tale. In this particular section, we get a girl who is trapped in utter darkness and we *feel* what it is doing to her after being here for so long. Then she *finally* breaks free and runs for her life, and we feel her utter terror viscerally.

And then... the book completely transitions into a more "typical" domestic psychological suspense/ thriller. There is someone threatening someone. There is a murder. There is a suicide. And through 2/3 or so of the book, we get a fairly standard (though to be clear, engaging, if a bit confusing to pick up on at first, particularly in the mind-shock of coming from the escape into this) tale.

But then... Kubica begins to do things that you're not supposed to do in this genre. We get a major reveal *before* the last 20% of the book. And then we build... and we get *another* reveal before the last 10% of the book! And another! And the actual ending... well, it isn't the complete mind-bender that so many of these books end on. Which may be a good thing, depending on your tastes. And which I enjoyed just because it *didn't* go the "typical" route, if for no other reason.

Truly an interesting story, one that could have arguably been told in a better way. But still engaging and still worthy of reading - and without any objective flaws to hang a star reduction on. Therefore it maintains the full five stars and is very much recommended.