Book Review: It’s Not Her

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

This is my book review of “It’s Not Her,” Mary Kubica’s latest novel. This amazing author can always be counted on to deliver suspenseful mysteries, and this one is no different.

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.

Book Summary:

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 is she the killer?

A truth no one saw coming…

Both Courtney and Reese are the protagonists, and their voices narrate the story.

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.

They traveled with her brother, Nolan, and his family. Nolan has been out of work, and it has put a strain on the family. They needed to get away for a bit. Along with Nolan’s family, there was Courtney, her husband, Elliott, and their daughter, Cass.

The murderous mystery begins after Courtney goes to the cabin where her brother and sister-in-law are staying.

Now, shockingly, both Nolan and Emily are dead. And their oldest child, Reese, is missing.

The police are baffled. Who would want to kill these people vacationing with their families? Were they targeted, or was it a crime of opportunity?

Courtney tells the police that she last saw the other couple the night before. They had dropped off Mae to spend the night with her daughter, Cass.

Courtney Thinks Through the Possibilities:

Her mind speeds through the possibilities. Reese said she wished her parents would die, but wasn’t she just being a petulant teenager? Surely she didn’t mean it, and she has been kidnapped.

Courtney wonders if the killer could possibly be her husband, Elliot. He had acted suspiciously after a fishing trip. Then there’s how strange he seemed to be acting toward her niece, Reese.

Wyatt says his mother gave him Benadryl the night before for his allergies, and he didn’t hear a thing. Could it have been Wyatt? But what would be his motive?

Young Mae is traumatized and quiet. Courtney knows she must protect the children at all costs. preserve what is left of their innocence.

Then she recalls that Emily told Elliot she had something to ask him the night before. When questioned, he said he had no idea what that was about. That never came to pass because Emily and Nolan were killed hours later.

In the last few pages, everything you thought you knew about this thriller implodes. And the ending is a revelation I didn’t expect.

About the Author:

Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many suspense novels, including THE GOOD GIRL, PRETTY BABY, DON’T YOU CRY, EVERY LAST LIE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT, THE OTHER MRS., LOCAL WOMAN MISSING, JUST THE NICEST COUPLE, SHE’S NOT SORRY, and IT’S NOT HER.

A former high school history teacher, Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and American Literature from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children.

Mary’s novels have been selected as Amazon Best Books of the Month and have been LibraryReads selections. They’ve been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide.

She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller” (Kirkus Reviews) and “a writer of vice-like control” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (Los Angeles Times). She is currently working on her next novel.