Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Local Woman Missing

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

387 reviews

blueskyvibes1point0's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

"Local Woman Missing" by Mary Kubica is a psychological thriller that revolves around the mysterious disappearance of three women from a small town: Meredith, her daughter Delilah, and a young woman named Shelby. As the investigation unfolds, dark secrets about the town and its residents are revealed. The story explores themes of betrayal, deception, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets.

1. **Plot and Storytelling:** 2/5 The pacing of the plot was sluggish, to say the least. While the initial chapter captured my interest, I found myself disengaged until I reached the 79% mark. It's a wonder I didn't abandon the book altogether.

2. **Characterization:** 3/5 The characters were adequately developed, although their actions weren't always entirely believable. Nevertheless, they did fit within the context of the story to some extent.

3. **Writing Style:** 4/5 Mary Kubica demonstrates solid writing skills. Despite my issues with the pacing, her prose is well-crafted and vivid, effectively painting a picture of the narrative.

4. **Originality:** 2/5 Unfortunately, the story felt somewhat recycled, lacking in originality. It felt eerily familiar, as if I'd encountered similar plotlines elsewhere before.

5. **Emotional Impact and Resolution:** 2/5 While the story failed to evoke strong emotional responses from me, it did succeed in creating moments of discomfort. I appreciated the tidy resolution with most loose ends accounted for, although I found the ending somewhat far-fetched.

Overall score: 2.6/5

If you’re looking for a good psychological thriller I recommend "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides. It has a captivating plot with a steady pace that keeps readers hooked from the beginning. The characters are intriguing and well-developed, and the writing style is compelling, making it hard to put the book down. It offers a fresh and original storyline that delivers both suspense and emotional depth, providing a satisfying reading experience overall.

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coco78337's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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opplecopter's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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chandlerkl's review

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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bek_p87's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was nuts, but I couldn't stop reading. Every twist and turn came as a shock, and the conclusion blew my mind. Dark and messy.

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doodlebeanz's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I was SO excited for this book and I am SO sad that it was such a let down. I try to go into every thriller I read with optimism and hope that one will reach the level of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, and every time I am let down. This book was no exception.

First off, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. Lots of dialogue followed up by internal dialogue which was then also followed up with 'I said this to her/him/them.' Like... just have the characters have external dialogue and a conversation instead of writing about what someone is thinking in their heads and also saying? I don't know, the writing style was weird. It was good writing, but just oddly set up.

Second, there were WAY TOO MANY CHARACTERS. Too many characters who shared too many similarities; living on the same street, having children, being slightly suspicious, being dead. There were so many times I had to be like 'wait, who?'. I even had to start writing in the journal entries here on Storygraph to keep up with the characters.

Third, I am usually a huge fan of books that deal with the past and the present, but similarly to the mass amounts of characters becoming confusing, the back and forth between present and future became confusing in the end.

Why were Leo's chapters like he was writing in a journal, or a letter written to Delilah?

There was too much skipping around and too many POVs where it just became jumbled in my mind.

Fourth, and the worst of them all, this book fell victim to my biggest thriller book irk... I read 340+ pages of tension and build up just for it to be wrapped up in 2 pages... approximately 5-6 paragraphs, maybe.

You find out that Bea is a sociopath apparently and Delilah had been living in her 'studio' in the backyard, 20 feet away from her family for 11 years, and Bea goes to jail and Shelby's daughter is living with her real father and Jason was let out of his wrongful imprisonment and the people who took Carly were copycat criminals and they stupidly went back to the house where they held Carly captive and were captured... all in 2 pages. Like why did I even read the entire story then?! Also, what the hell was the point of the entire OBGYN Dr. Fiengold? Just seemed like a little plot point to throw everyone off the scent of what really happened but by then the reader, at least I didn't, realize anything was amiss with Bea so... just unnecessary characters and mini suspenseful plot twists that turn into nothing.

The story had so many characters and twists and turns and so much suspense that it just couldn't keep up with it all. The first half the book was good, but it was also SLOW PACED... like glacially slow. Like painfully slow. It didn't hold my attention much past the half way point, if I'm being honest. So disappointing. :(

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