#BlogTour ‘Local Woman Missing’ by Mary Kubica

About the book…

You’ll never find her. Don’t even try.
When a local mother and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, suddenly vanish, their close-knit suburban community is rocked by fear and suspicion. How could such a terrible thing have happened in their small town?

Then, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly reappears. Everyone wants to know what really happened to her. But there are secrets hidden deep in the past – and when the truth about those missing years begins to surface, no one is prepared for what they’re about to find out

Many thanks to Sian at HQ Stories for the blog tour invite and also the gifted e-arc of ‘Local Woman Missing’ which was published in e-book and paperback formats on June 10th!

Apologies for the lateness of the review, I am desperately playing catchup as quickly as my fingers can fly across the keyboard.

How have I not read any of Mary’s books before, she is bloody fantastic! Except for the fact that this book kept me up all night trying to work out what happened to the two missing women and 6 year old Delilah. The hook catches you deep in your throat and takes your breath, first new mum Shelby goes missing, never returning from her late night run.

As if that wasn’t tragic enough within the confines of a small community, local doula Meredith and her 6 year old vanish very soon after.

11 years go by and suddenly, Delilah has come home.

Where has she been, and when she finally is able to use her voice, will anyone believe what she has been saying? Or will someone be waiting for her to stop her talking .

The case seems pretty straight forward-after initially thinking it is a serial killer which sends waves of fear around the town, the police investigation succeeds in finding 2 bodies.

Believing she is cheating on him soon after the birth of their baby, husband Josh is immediately suspected after her body is found and imprisoned for Shelby’s murder.

Meredith is found with self inflicted wounds and a suicide note , case closed.

Or is it?

Who has been sending Meredith threatening emails, taunting her with something that she has allegedly done in the past?

How will Delilah ever be able to fit back into a home, a community, that remembers her as a six year old-the girl who has returned reignites the grief of her father and her brother Lucas who has lived in the shadow of his sister’s famous disappearance, bullied and made to feel weak and unloved.

Neighbours Bea and Kate step up to help out and investigate the women who have gone missing, quickly uncovering links between the two which could spell danger if they get too close.

The narration is shared between Delilah, Kate, Lucas and Meredith giving these first person threads a sense of intimacy and knowledge of them that makes Meredith’s death very hard to take when you find out what happened, makes you cry for Lucas whose emotional neglect by a distraught parent ends up turning around to be the grownup his father needs for support. Delilah’s narrative just breaks your heart, the book begins with her escape and you are urging every single step onwards towards safety and feel so angry that she was stolen in more ways than one. Kate’s involvement in a family dynamic so different from her own reflects just how much she wants to be a part of something, to belong and intimates that she feels the cumulative guilt that invades small groups of people when a crime hits close to home.

The psychology of the investigation weaves itself around your mind as you become deeply invested in finding the truth but in doing so, you are neatly set up because sometimes the truth is just so awful that you wish you didn’t look so hard for it.

And also, this book has one of the best descriptions and explanations for pregnancy and birth trauma that I have ever read. Mary completely nails the way that women are subjugated, have their voices talked over and are seen as less than one person as soon as they are perceived to be pregnant. The presence of a doula is highly recommended as an advocate in place of women and their partners who are emotionally wrought, trying to balance a need to trust their bodily processes and also the medical professionals caring for them. The catalogue of disaster illustrated in Shelby’s birth experience, is highly accurate in a medical model based society, which values the voice of the doctor far more than that of the women they are actually supposed to be supporting ,in either a clinical, or professional capacity.

Highly enjoyable, very skilful and emotive storytelling at its best.

About the author…

Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many novels.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature.

Mary lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children.

Links-http://www.marykubica.com/

Twitter @MaryKubica @HQStories