It was an accident. Molly Clarke, hurrying home from work to see why her teenage daughter, Nicole, wasn’t answering the phone, rounded the blind corner by her home when her youngest, Annie, burst out into the street directly in her path. She’d done all she could to avoid the impact, but the result was the same; Annie was dead, and Molly, her mother, had killed her.

Years down the road, her marriage was in shambles, and her two other children hated her guts. Only this morning, Nicole had screamed horrible accusations at her about Annie’s death, and this afternoon, her son, Evan, had publically shunned her when she’d driven the four hours to his private boarding school to watch his football game. And now, on her way home through a massive storm she runs out of gas within sight of the Gas n’ Go, the only building along this lonely stretch of Route 7 and the crossroad to rural Hastings, Connecticut.

Running through the rain to the station, and hopefully some help, she discovers the place is “Closed for Storm.” Miserable, and with thoughts running through her mind that she’s a horrible mother and that her family would be better off without her, Molly starts walking. And disappears.

DON'T LOOK FOR ME, the latest work by Wendy Walker, is a first-class thriller and a tragic and complex mystery. When the preliminary search for the missing mother yields conflicting results (and no Molly), Nicole picks up the reins of the investigation and returns to Hastings to follow up on a promising new lead. The story of what happened to Molly unfolds through two converging timelines: one is from Molly’s point of view and the other from Nicole’s. I found myself holding my breath reading both. There are numerous twists and turns for both women that I never suspected, and it was exciting reading. The character, Alice, kept me off balance any time she was a part of a scene. I really enjoyed Nic’s journey and the changes this troubled young woman makes while looking for her mother, and I loved how she always tried to bolster her younger brother, Evan. There are many promises made throughout the book, and one that I, too, can share; I promise DON'T LOOK FOR ME is a good, satisfying thriller.

I recommend DON'T LOOK FOR ME to thriller and mystery readers, especially those that enjoy a story involving second chances and overcoming regrets.