Review: Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

By: Deborah Cruz

Goodreads gives many of Mary Kubica’s books high reviews, so I was excited when I picked up Local Woman Missing. Unfortunately, this book was not as thrilling as I expecting it to be.

The novel starts off with an exhausted wife sneaking out on her overbearing husband to meet another man, a potential lover, when she is apparently abducted. The following chapter then delves into the life of Delilah, a young abductee kept in a moldy, humid, and dark basement for years, who is planning her escape. While both of these chapters captivate the reader, it completely shifts pace in the following chapters.

Each chapter we see a shift in perspective, while at first a bit confusing, I quickly caught up to the sequence of events. This development is well crafted, however, with the ever changing timeline that goes from 11 years ago to present time and the shift in character perspectives I had a hard time staying engaged.

I enjoyed all the characters, especially the big reveal in Delilah’s character at the end and while I enjoyed the grand reveal at the end I thought it a bit ludicrous and disappointing. There were so many things left unanswered. It almost seemed like the ending of the book was rushed.

Regardless, the author did a great job at surprising me. I think it is still a good book to read, but was not for me.

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

5/10