Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

337 reviews

veronica214's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Two women and a child go missing only days apart in the same neighborhood. Were they murdered, abducted, or did they simply just leave?

Two of their neighbors, Bea and Kate, turn into amateur sleuths to help figure out what happened. 

There are a lot of characters, and the story is told from multiple perspectives that time-hop. It can be a little difficult to keep up with. There are several twists and almost everything was *just* plausible to be believable.  

I'd recommend Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger if you like this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Death

Moderate: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Medical content, and Violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Vomit, Kidnapping, Infidelity, and Bullying

klandry98's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, Gaslighting, Confinement, Death, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Car accident, and Child abuse

Moderate: Infidelity, Cursing, and Bullying

Minor: Abortion

megodonn's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Bullying, and Kidnapping

kates_bookcase's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Murder, and Kidnapping

bkpeel's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Murder, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping

kcb22's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Suicide

Minor: Cursing

emmareads013's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Kidnapping, and Murder

mandycantsleep's review

dark mysterious sad fast-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? No

4.0

This book has some great moments, and also some really bad ones. Starting with the bad: Meredith, one of the main characters and the second woman who goes missing, is SO annoying. This book is told from multiple perspectives, and every time it got to a Meredith chapter, I was dreading reading it. Meredith is a doula, and most of her chapters are EXTREMELY preachy. She talks over actual medical doctors, yelling at them for decisions, acting high and mighty. And while the doctors portrayed in this book are definitely in the wrong, it's hard to side with Meredith because of the way she acts about it. She is also really, really dumb. You know that one girl in the horror movies who always makes stupid decisions and has you yelling at the TV screen? Yep, that's Meredith. I wasn't even upset by what happened to her character because she was so unbearable. That being said, here is the good: the book started out really intense, and it completely drew me in. There are a couple of red herrings, making you feel pretty convinced about who did what, until the final chapters of the book. I'll admit, I did not see those twists coming. And I love a good plot twist. So while one of these characters was annoying as hell, the plot kept me reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Blood and Vomit

Minor: Alcohol

krosebee's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

This book was an awesome read! It details how, unbeknownst to an upper-middle class woman, her home is being shared by another woman who is experiencing homelessness. 
Juno, the woman experiencing homelessness, is living in a park across the street from Winnie and her small family. Juno is accidentally trapped in Winnie’s house and before she can escape, she overhears a conversation between Winnie and her husband that exposes Winnie’s deepest secret. Juno is terminally ill and has made it her final mission to expose Winnie’s sin before she succumbs to Lupus.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Cursing, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Car accident, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Murder, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Infertility

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Kidnapping