Book review: It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica

I had a strange sense of deja-vu as I read It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica. The electronic version I received for review is published in late August, but I noted other versions were published earlier this year so I wondered if perhaps I’d read it then. Of course Goodreads is my go-to source of info, as my own mind is akin to a sieve, and it’s not listed in my ‘read’ books. Perhaps I read a similar book, featuring brutally murdered parents of three children (aged 17, 14 and 10), with the oldest girl (17yr old Reese) missing. Feared abducted… though also unfortunately with motivation to be the killer herself.

About this book

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.

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.

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…

My thoughts

One of our narrators is Courtney who is holidaying with her husband and 10yr old child along with her brother, sister-in-law and their three children. They’re at a lodge of some sort, staying in neighbouring cottages. She’s our host in the present, the book opening with her niece, 10 year old Mae, returning home from a sleepover to find her parents’ bodies.

We go back in time slightly to meet our other narrator, Reese who’s unhappy about having to change her holiday plans to spend it with her family. She’s clashing with her mother in particular, but her warring parents get on her nerves and she calls them out constantly. Reese herself tell us she has intermittent explosive disorder and is prone to lash out when angry.

Back in the present, Courtney is grieving the death of her best friend and her brother, while at the same time frantic about Reese’s whereabouts. She is also anxious however, because the night of their murder Reese (in anger) wished her parents dead.

Through Courtney we’re offered several suspects along, including 14 year old Wyatt who seemingly slept through his parents’ murder; and then there’s her suspicions about her own husband who inexplicably has a photograph of Reese on his personal iPad.

There’s a strong sense of urgency here as police (and Courtney) try to locate Reese and investigate the murders. Kubica also adds background colour… a girl who went missing three years earlier and her devastated parents who can’t move on from the disappearance of their only child, a crotchety lodge manager as well as an employee who’s seducing Reese with cheesy lines and behaviour adults will recognise as gaslighting.

It felt a bit like Kubica rushes to resolution here, but I certainly didn’t guess where this was going or what unfolded and suspect we’re not supposed to. And what precipitated all of this is kinda devastating and you wonder if those involved will ever recover. I should mention Kubica throws in a final twist just when you think it’s all done and dusted. So perhaps karma prevails.

It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica will be published by Little, Brown and Company in late August.

I received an electronic copy of the book for review purposes.