Local Woman Missing

Confusing Front. Interesting Ending. This book has one section at the front of the book that seems to go on forever... and yet is the singular most fascinating passage of the tale. In this particular section, we get a girl who is trapped in utter darkness and we feel what it is doing to her after being here for so long. Then she finally breaks free and runs for her life, and we feel her utter terror viscerally.

And then... the book completely transitions into a more “typical” domestic psychological suspense/ thriller. There is someone threatening someone. There is a murder. There is a suicide. And through 2/3 or so of the book, we get a fairly standard (though to be clear, engaging, if a bit confusing to pick up on at first, particularly in the mind-shock of coming from the escape into this) tale.

But then... Kubica begins to do things that you're not supposed to do in this genre. We get a major reveal before the last 20% of the book. And then we build... and we get another reveal before the last 10% of the book! And another! And the actual ending... well, it isn't the complete mind-bender that so many of these books end on. Which may be a good thing, depending on your tastes. And which I enjoyed just because it didn't go the “typical” route, if for no other reason.

Truly an interesting story, one that could have arguably been told in a better way. But still engaging and still worthy of reading - and without any objective flaws to hang a star reduction on. Therefore it maintains the full five stars and is very much recommended.