Rating- 8/10
I have to say, this is probably one of the nicest thriller covers I have seen in a while! I tried to capture the shiny metallic rain effect that you got on the cover in the photo above, but it’ll never do justice to the physical book itself. I was mega excited to get to read this book because, one, I loved Wendy Walker’s book titled ‘The Night Before’ that I read last year, (I’ll link my review for The Night Before below this review) I gave The Night Before a 9/10 rating! So I knew this would be a great read too, and two, the book cover had me at hello!
I’d love to say a huge thanks to St Martin’s Press for sending me an advance review copy of this thrilling read!
Synopsis:
The setting is New England, between Southern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
The night that Molly Clarke disappeared began with a torrential storm, she was on her way home after driving down Route 7 from her son’s university to catch his football game. Molly ran out of gas, and a man in a pick up truck offered her a ride to safety. When Molly stepped into the truck and the door suddenly locked, she knew she somehow had made a terrible mistake.
The next day, a note was found at a nearby hotel. They called it a “walk away.” It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over.
But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?
A new lead in Molly’s disappearance, brings Nicole, Molly’s daughter, back to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen to renew the desperate search. The locals are sympathetic and eager to help. The innkeeper. The friendly bartender. Even the local police. It all seems fine, up until secrets begin to reveal themselves and Nicole comes closer to the truth about that night as well as the danger surrounding her.
Don’t Look For Me is a story about a woman with a tragic past and seemingly bleak future. It’s also a riveting story of a daughter's desperate search to find her mother before it’s too late.
My Review:
Let me just start off by saying wow. What a true psychological, thrilling read! This book is THE definition of a Psychological thriller. Well Done Wendy Walker.
This story is told from two points of views, Molly, the mother who disappears, and Nicole, her daughter. It weaves through separate timelines but soon the story pulls itself together extremely well towards the end. I loved the pace of the book a lot! Walker kept you on your feet throughout the entire book. There was no point where I felt bored, or I thought that the story was lost in anyway, this book was a complete thrilling ride and I loved every second of it.
I liked the character development for Nicole and Molly, we got to know exactly where both characters were coming from, and you got a good sense of who they were as people, as well as the kind of decisions they would make in life. Molly was your typical suburban mom who just adores her kids and I loved all the little touches that Walker put within her character. Such as how Molly knows certain recipes off her head, and memories she has about her kids, she was a very endearing and a realistic character and definitely relate-able. Nicole as well, was a great character and we get to know these two women and the relationship they have with each other. There were very few characters throughout the book which made the plot super easy to decipher, as well as getting to know who each individual person was and their role in this story.
I enjoyed the setting of this book. A random middle of nowhere town somewhere in New England. I actually drove through this area last year, and on route 7, so I could totally picture these random towns that were in the book. Walker was very descriptive with Molly and Nicole’s surroundings and it all felt highly visual as you read the story.
This was a moody, twisty and captivating read! I loved it, I really did. It was eerie, creepy and a total edge of your seat suspenseful read. The pace of the book was truly exciting from beginning to the very end. This is the kind of book you can read in one sitting, or over one weekend, as it is extremely fast paced with the short chapters and any thriller lover will adore this book. I kept wondering who the culprit was or I kept trying to solve the puzzle, and I never guessed that ending that Walker brought to us until it was revealed. I was pretty shocked! Ha. Great twist in the end and well worth the read.
Don’t Look For Me is a story about the bond between a mother and her child, a relationship between husband and wife, it’s also about grief and forgiveness. I tend to get disappointed sometimes when I read psychological thrillers but I definitely did not feel this at all with this book! I’m officially a Wendy Walker fan, seeing that this is now my 2nd book of hers that I’ve read. This is probably my favorite thriller of the year that I have read so far. Highly recommend it!
Check out my past review on Wendy Walker’s book from February last year titled, The Night Before HERE. I seriously loved this book so much! She’s an amazing psychological thriller writer.
Song Pick:
I wanted to choose a song that showcased the strong themes in this book, of loss and grief. Also a song that captured the haunting mood of the story and the captivating book cover.
I chose a beautiful song that I’m sure you have all heard of, love this track. my song pick is, - ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence - Click Here to hear and watch the music video
Genre: Psychological Thriller | Suspense | Mystery
Publication Date: September 15, 2020 by St. Martin’s Press
Pages: (Hardcover) 352 Pages