In downtown Chicago, a young woman named Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her friend and roommate Quinn Collins to wonder where Esther is and whether or not she’s the person Quinn thought she knew.
Meanwhile, in a small Michigan harbour town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where 18 year old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her charm and beauty, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more dark and sinister.
As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under the stranger’s spell, Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted rollercoaster ride that builds to a stunning conclusion.
This tale is told through two voices, Alex the cafe worker and Quinn, the room mate. It is well written and although not fast paced, nicely creates an air of mystery thaat draws you in to the story; makes you wonder how the two tales may be connected and then draws the story together with a strong climax.
Alex has something of a lonely life. He is kept at home in his small Lake Michigan community because he is the sole carer of his alcoholic father. He also looks out for Ingrid, a woman who lives across from the cafe and earns her living making jewellery. But she never goes out the house and so Alex runs errands for her and makes her grocery deliveries. So when the woman with the pearl bracelet attracts his attention it is not that surprising that his imagination allows him to get carried away when thinking about her and what her situation might be. As he does so, he finds himself more drawn to her. But is her mysterious personality an attractive trait or something more deadly?
Quinn herself is a bit of a renegade and she’d be the first to admit, not the best flatmate in the world. She’s answered Esther’s ad for a flatmate and though they get on well enough it actually takes her a few days to realise that Esther is missing. As she starts to poke around in Esther’s life to try and find out what has become of her, she starts to wonder if she really knows Esther at all. Finding the ‘My Dearest’ letter sets her off on the trail of Esther’s disappearance, pulling in her work colleague Ben to assist her.
There are enough twists and turns in the book to keep you guessing and the ending nicely ties together all the story strands in a satisfying and compelling fashion.
A well written novel which kept me interested throughout.
Don’t You Cry is published by MIRA on May 19th 2016
Live and Deadly 