Hunting Annabelle

by Wendy Heard

[kimbacaffeinate]

A gritty, gripping, edge of your seat read with an unreliable narrator and unexpected twists, Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard is perfect for fans of You by Caroline Kepnes. What happens when a recently released psychiatric prison patient befriends a girl who then ends up missing. Strap in because the ride is twisted.

The Facts:

1986 Texas.
Sean Suh is in outpatient therapy after being released from a psychiatric prison where he was held for committing murder.
His mother, Dr. Suh a world renowned neurosurgeon manages his care at home. He is being treated for schizophrenia, medicated and sees his doctor three times a week.
Sean Suh is passionate about drawing people and spends his days at a local amusement park drawing people. His doctor encourages Sean to interact with others. He is socially awkward, wears multi-colored rubber bracelets which he snaps impulsively and has shaved the sides of his head which he randomly rubs.
Sean still struggles around sharp objects and envisions killing.
Sean befriends Annabelle. The two begin a weird little friendship and exchange a few kisses.
Annabelle goes missing.
Sean reports that someone has kidnapped his friend.
Sean has lost time.
Sean searches for Annabelle. He interviews friends, teachers and visits her hometown.
Sean is receiving strange messages.
The cops suspect Sean.
Sean is not well.
I love stories with unreliable narrators and Sean Suh was such a fantastic character. He is awkward, has a controlling mother and walks around in a medical induced fog. This is a story where you question EVERYTHING!

There are twists, insight into Sean’s mind and moments of violence. Part of me completely likes Sean, part of me wants to believe him and the other part looks at all the clue and thinks how did he do it? Wendy Heard delivers a complete mind-f@ck of a tale and I love that she kept me spellbound until the end.

The author raises questions about violent crimes involving the mentally ill. Can they be rehabilitated? Is money and influence a game changer? (good or bad) But most of all she delivers a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.

This review first appeared on Caffeinated Reviewer