It's Not Her by Mary Kubica

 

My thoughts

I've read a couple of Mary Kubica's books and enjoyed them very much. This one is on a whole other level of thrills. It actually had me feeling tense and scared in places. I was thinking everyone was guilty at some point. I never, ever, never, thought of what was revealed. That was brilliant. It was masterful. The best kind of twist. Actually both twists were great but the first one left me speechless...

My favorite line and the saddest line in this story: But who's to say what a grieving parent sees when they want so badly to believe??? That line would haunt anyone.

Two families on vacation at a cabin resort. Four adults who are related and four children between them.... Cousins will be cousins and siblings will be siblings. At times you truly want to strangle them, but at a time when only horror has happened you want to be there. To do what you can. But how. If you are so afraid then how. 

Courtney and Elliott have a ten year old daughter Cass. They are the best parents they can possibly be. Courtney's brother, Nolan and sister in law, Emily, have three children. A daughter, Mae, who is Cass's age. The two are very close. They are trouble from the word go but only as most all ten year olds can be. They love teasing Reese, Mae's seventeen year old sister. Mae also has a brother, Wyatt, who is fourteen. He's that brother who loves to blackmail you if he gets anything on you. He does this to Reese repeatedly. 

The two couples are very close. They get together almost nightly while in the cabins to play games, eat, drink. Just be free to be free. Nolan and Emily are having big problems. Seems they are not getting along well at all. 

Then the unthinkable happens. Nolan and Emily are brutally murdered and their daughter Reese is missing. Their son Wyatt slept through it all. Thus the story begins...

This book is great. It has all the feels and all the tension you want from a thriller. It has plenty of twists and turns. Lots of people to blame. A whole lot of guesses. And that ending. That unexpected, dramatic, earth shattering, ending. Ok maybe not earth shattering but it's till fantastic.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row Books, HTP the Hive and Harlequin Audio for the arcs. 

The narrators, Jennifer Jill Araya; Brittany Pressley; Gary Tiedemann, did a great job with this story. Kept it moving at a great pace and portrayed the characters perfectly. 

I received a physical copy from Harlequin also. 

FIVE big stars 

About

Two families vacationing at a secluded lake resort are at the center of a chilling crime and mysterious disappearance in this twisty, unputdownable thriller

A stunning discovery…
Courtney Gray's tranquil family vacation is shattered when she hears a blood-curdling scream from the lakeside cottage next door. There she finds the lifeless bodies of her brother and sister-in-law. Her teenage niece Reese is nowhere to be found, while her nephew Wyatt lies asleep upstairs, unharmed.

A shocking investigation…
As the police descend on the quiet resort town, disturbing secrets about Courtney’s family start to emerge. When she learns that the town has secrets of its own, it makes her wonder if Reese is another victim in a brutal crime or if she’s the killer.

A truth no one could have imagined …
As Courtney begins to unravel the terrible mystery, she realizes that everyone around her has something to hide. And the closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to see…