📖 Book Review: Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
⭐ 3.5 out of 5 stars | Psychological Thriller / Mystery
🚪 Kept Me Turning the Pages, But That Twist...
Local Woman Missing definitely kept me hooked from start to finish. The writing was engaging, and the mystery pulled me in. But when the big twist hit? Let’s just say I found it hard to suspend my disbelief.
📝 The Plot — Full Spoilers Ahead
The story begins with the disappearance of Shelby Tebow. Shelby is cheating on her husband Jason and sneaking out to meet her lover when she goes missing. Soon after, another neighbor, Meredith Dickey, and her six-year-old daughter Delilah also vanish without a trace.
The investigation heats up. The police eventually find Shelby’s body, and Jason becomes the prime suspect. He’s arrested for her murder. Meanwhile, Meredith’s body turns up later in a motel room alongside a suicide note, but Delilah is nowhere to be found.
A Child Found... But Not the Right One
Some time after the disappearances, police recover a girl named Carly who claims to be Delilah. They send her to live with Meredith’s husband, Josh, and their son, Leo. A DNA test quietly proves Carly isn’t Delilah, but the police withhold this info from Josh. It’s only when one of Delilah’s childhood friends points out that Carly lacks Delilah’s distinctive cleft chin that Josh confronts the police. They admit the truth, and Carly is returned to her actual family (tracked down via DNA).
Eleven Years Later...
In a shocking development, Delilah is discovered alive—hidden in the attic of neighbor Bea for all these years.
Here’s what really happened:
Years ago, Bea, her girlfriend Kate, Meredith, and Josh had gone out for Bea’s birthday. After Josh and Kate left for the night, Meredith and Bea stayed to keep drinking. When they eventually headed home together, Bea—who was driving—hit Shelby, who’d been on her way to see her boyfriend.
Rather than call the police, Bea convinced Meredith to help hide the body. But guilt ate at Meredith, and she wanted to come clean. Before she could, Bea manipulated her into writing a fake suicide note, then killed Meredith to keep her quiet. Unfortunately for them, Delilah had witnessed everything. To protect herself, Bea abducted Delilah and kept her hidden in their attic for over a decade.
🤔 Why I Struggled with the Twist
Honestly, the resolution left me rolling my eyes a bit:
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Why wouldn’t Meredith call the police right away? She wasn’t the one driving.
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Why tell Bea she wanted to confess before actually doing it?
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And the biggest stretch: how could Bea keep Delilah locked in an attic for 11 years without Kate ever noticing?
It felt implausible, like the twist was forced to shock rather than naturally unfold.
📚 Final Thoughts
Despite my issues with the ending, I can’t deny I was entertained. The pacing was solid, and I stayed invested all the way through. It just didn’t stick the landing for me.
👍 Read this if you enjoy:
✅ Domestic thrillers with multiple timelines
✅ Stories about secrets in tight-knit communities
✅ Fast, bingeable mysteries
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