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There are so many ways in which a person can deal with loss. Some scream and yell, some retreat, and some decide to lose themselves in the guilt and feeling that this could have been prevented, stopped somehow, and fate could be decided by a person just by wanting it so. Jan and I were anxious to read this book so when the publisher offered us the opportunity, we jumped at the chance.

They called it a “walk away.” It happens all the time.

Jan’s review

Nic (Nicole) arrives in the small town of Hastings to investigate her mother Molly’s disappearance after her car was found abandoned by the side of the road. The authorities are calling it a walk-away, a mom who left her family as the result of grief and guilt after a family tragedy. Nic doesn’t believe it and perseveres in her search for her mom.

The reader knows what has happened to Molly and we follow her ordeal and Nic’s investigation and search in alternating chapters. I was captivated from the first page with heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat tension. I simply couldn’t put it down and read it in two sittings. 

One of the things I enjoy most about a Wendy Walker novel is the way she delves into the psychology of her characters. People are complex and life is full of shades of gray. The way Molly and Nic suffer and cope after their tragedy is done with skill and empathy. 

The small town has a dark underbelly with secrets and untrustworthy characters. I did guess one twist but the tension as to how it would be resolved remained, so it didn’t ruin the story for me. I found the ending somewhat convoluted and a let-down, or this would have been an easy 5 stars. 

Still, this is a terrific psychological thriller that I highly recommend! 

• To be published on Sept 20, 2020.
• I received a free copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Marialyce’s review

I just can’t imagine, nor even want to know, how a parent deals with the loss of a child. It breaks more than one’s heart. It can break a family apart, make life seem like it’s not worth living, and throw a once stable loving family into turmoil from which it seems they will never recover.

Such was the life that Molly Harper is living. Her youngest daughter is dead, her marriage is falling apart, and her remaining children seem to want no part of her. How easy would it be for Molly to run away from all of this, to hide, to try and forget. So, on a rainy night after visiting her son’s football game, Molly runs out of gas. Her car is found abandoned, and the investigation into her whereabouts seem to point to Molly’s running away from grief. But, has she?

Her daughter, Nic, doesn’t think so, her husband doesn’t seem to care, and her son, away at school has ambivalent feelings about the turn of events. But what if Molly isn’t a runaway, what if she has become embroiled in a scenario that is both devious and evil? What if Molly is in danger?

Told with tight suspense filling every page, this tale digs not only into a mystery, but also tells of the loss and guilt one feels after the death of a child. Wendy Walker is able not only to elicit a feeling of inherent danger, but also one of empathy for what Molly and her family have gone through. This quickly read thriller provides hours of “unputdownable” pleasure and reading late into the night. I definitely recommend it to those who enjoy a taut, solid thriller that keeps one totally engaged in Molly’s struggles.

Thank you to Wendy Walker and St Martin’s Press for a free copy of this fascinating thriller that is due to be published on September 20, 2020.

and here’s the author

Wendy Walker is a former family law attorney in Fairfield County, Connecticut who began writing while at home raising her three sons. She published two novels with St. Martin’s Press and edited multiple compilations for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series before writing her debut psychological thriller, All is Not Forgotten in 2016. Her second thriller, Emma In The Night, was released the following year. Her latest novel, The Night Before, was published in May 2019.

Wendy earned her J. D., magna cum laude, at the Georgetown University Law Center where she was awarded the American Jurisprudence award for her performance in Contracts and Advanced Criminal Procedure. She received her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Brown University and attended The London School of Economics and Political Science as part of her undergraduate studies.