Publisher’s Description
Two families at a secluded lake resort are at the center of a chilling crime in this twisty thriller from the bestselling author of Local Woman Missing
A scream shatters the silence…
Courtney Gray’s peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage. Her niece Reese is missing. Her nephew Wyatt is asleep upstairs—unharmed.
A town full of secrets…
As police swarm the quiet resort, dark truths about Courtney’s family—and the town itself—begin to surface. Is Reese a victim… or the killer?
A truth no one saw coming…
With everyone hiding something, Courtney races to uncover the terrible mystery. But the closer she gets, the harder it is to know who—or what—to trust.
Thrilling Reads Review
In It’s Not Her, Mary Kubica delivers a psychological suspense story set against the backdrop of a remote Wisconsin resort. Two families—tightly connected but deeply dysfunctional—spend two weeks vacationing together in what should be a relaxing getaway. Instead, simmering tensions, buried resentments, and family secrets bubble to the surface. The uneasy trip takes a dark turn when, one night, two people are murdered and another vanishes, leaving the remaining family members scrambling for answers.
Unfortunately, getting to that central mystery requires a lot of patience.
Much of the novel focuses on interpersonal drama within the two families—arguments, grudges, teenage angst, and long-standing dysfunction. While this setup may work for readers who enjoy character-driven domestic drama, I found it repetitive and slow-moving. The story spends considerable time cycling through the same emotional conflicts, which made the first portion of the book feel like a slog.
Another challenge was the characters themselves. Nearly everyone in the story is difficult to root for. The teenagers come across as particularly grating, with constant attitude and hostility, while the adults often prove just as frustrating in their own ways. With such an unlikeable cast, it became hard to stay invested in their problems or outcomes.
That said, the novel does pick up considerably toward the end. The final stretch—roughly the last twenty percent—finally delivers the tension and momentum I was hoping for earlier. The pace quickens, the stakes rise, and the story introduces several solid twists along with a more suspenseful, action-driven conclusion.
While It’s Not Her ultimately rewards patient readers with an engaging final act, the long buildup and difficult characters made it a challenging read for me overall. Readers who enjoy family-centered drama may appreciate it more, but for those looking for a faster-paced thriller, this one may require some perseverance.
