Don't Look For Me

This book started out with an amazing creepy factor - so sinister that I didn't want to read it at night. I am such a chicken. The story centres around Molly Clarke, a middle-aged woman who, after her car breaks down on a deserted road, accepts a ride with a man and his young daughter. And then she disappears.

Told from the POVs of Molly and her 21-year-old daughter Nicole who is trying to find what happened to her mother, this story began as an intense and dark read that sucked me right in. But the tension decreases in the second half due to repetition between the two POVs and the focus on family dysfunction that took over as the story progressed. 

There are some red herrings, but the story has a small cast, so readers aren't left with many options for the culprit's identity. There is a twist that throws the plot for a big 'ol loop but for me, it felt like it came out of left field and was trying too hard to shock the reader. I was left a bit confused with the author's choices and a bit disappointed with how things ended.

This was a good but not wow read for me. I'm glad I picked up another book by Wendy Walker even though I wasn't a fan of her book All Is Not Forgotten. This book was stronger in its creepy feel and interesting premise but lost some points with me due to its execution. Readers who enjoy a story with a strong focus on the mother-child connection and the devastation of familial loss and guilt set against a sinister backdrop should enjoy this book.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Wendy Walker

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Pages: 342

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: September 15, 2020

Opening Line: The sky grows dark as I drive.

Book Description from GoodReads: One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family that couldn't be put back together. It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. She doesn't want to be found. Or at least, that's the story. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?

The night Molly disappeared began with a storm, running out of gas, and a man in a truck offering her a ride to town. With him is a little girl who reminds her of the daughter she lost years ago. It feels like a sign. And Molly is overcome with the desire to be home, with her family—no matter how broken it is. She accepts the ride. But when the doors are locked shut, Molly begins to suspect she has made a terrible mistake.

When a new lead comes in after the search has ended, Molly's daughter, Nicole, begins to wonder. Nothing about her mother's disappearance makes sense.

Nicole returns to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen to find the truth. The locals are kind and eager to help. The innkeeper. The bartender. Even the police. Until secrets begin to reveal themselves and she comes closer to the truth about that night—and the danger surrounding her.