The story is told from multiple perspectives across multiple time periods. The story is dictated from Meredith’s point of view in the lead-up to her death, Meredith’s neighbor Kate shortly after the disappearance occurs, and Meredith’s son Leo in the present day. This nonlinear style of writing made it a bit difficult to mentally timeline what happened when. Additionally, Leo’s perspective didn’t add much – if anything – to the story. Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica has a TV series adaptation in the works. For all the details about a possible film adaptation of this book, here’s what we know about the Local Woman Missing TV series: What’s it about? What’s the plot?

And the ending, all tied up in a pretty bow, with a character who has been severely traumatized for YEARS (given the location, that it had been going on for years without detection was laughably ridiculous) goes on to live a completely normal and happy life as if nothing had happened.Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. A mysterious manuscript sends a young journalist on a collision course with an ancient and deadly secret society. Yeah, that’s what we have here. Keep in mind I read an ARC but a friend who read the published copy confirmed the writing. A few examples:

If the story sounds like your standard thriller fare, it’s because it is. Local Woman Missing does nothing new.The one person who may have all the answers is the daughter Delilah, suddenly reappearing eleven years later. So where has she been all this time? Can she, will she, answer the looming question regarding what happened to she and her mother? There is a lot going on in this book with all of the characters dealing with the fallout and investigation into the multiple missing persons as well as a lot of personal and interpersonal dramas that may or may not have played a part in those disappearances. Kubica manages all these storylines and plotlines deftly, somehow bringing it all together into a cohesive story that feels well-paced and with a narrative that flows smoothly.

All the adults in this story are flawed. I felt for the children who needed their people to stand up for them, to see past their adult worries and exhaustion so they could see what their children were telling them without words. One of my favorite characters is Leo and I was left wanting to know how he fares later in life. I'm glad we get a bit of an epilogue at the end of the book.I’m still rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 because it would be not fair to give this book three stars; it’s still one of the best written books with worst conclusion! There are some triggers here if you have problems with child abuse of any kind and some gruesome murders, this might not be for you. A Garda spokesperson said: "Gardaí are seeking the public's assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 69-year-old Maureen O’Connor, who is reported missing from her home in Skehill, Glengarrif, Co. Cork, since Wednesday 25th October 2023. Final score. If you’re looking for a thriller that you’ll want to read in one sitting, you could do much worse. And if you’re looking for Local Woman Missing, you can find the audiobook on the Hoopla library app. ;)