Don't Look for Me: A Novel

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

From the bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten comes Wendy Walker's Don't Look for Me--a compelling and emotionally powerful story of a daughter's desperate search to find her mother before it's too late.

They said she walked away. But what really happened to Molly Clarke?

They called it a “walk away.” The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family. It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to start over. But what really happened to Molly Clarke?

The night Molly disappeared began with a storm, running out of gas, and a man offering her a ride to safety. But when the doors lock shut, Molly begins to suspect she has made a terrible mistake.

A new lead brings Molly’s daughter, Nicole, back to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen to renew the desperate search. The locals are sympathetic and eager to help. The innkeeper. The bartender. Even the police. Until secrets begin to reveal themselves and Nicole comes closer to the truth about that night—and the danger surrounding her.

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Published Sep 15, 2020

352 pages

Average rating: 8.36

11 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Mary Pat Holt
Feb 05, 2026
8/10 stars
I really liked this psychological suspense from Wendy Walker. It has family drama, neglect, abuse (but not gory), obsession. It is a fast-paced story that I read in 2 days. It has complex characters that keep you guessing, and the timing is perfect.
Molly Clarke ran out of gas during a storm and walked away from her abandoned car looking for help. Or did she? A man in a truck, with a little girl, stop to offer her a ride back to town. But Molly never returns to her family. Did she really just walk away? A note was found at a local hotel with a credit card purchase. Molly quickly learns that things are not as they seem, and she will do anything to protect her family from another tragedy. Nicole, Molly's daughter, is a young woman who is still suffering from the trauma of losing her sister years ago. When a new lead comes in about her mom, things don't add up and Nicole goes to the small town where her mom disappeared. The locals seem eager to help but can she trust them? Nicole is searching for her mother; the kidnapper is hunting for the daughter. Time is running out-will Molly be able to save them all? Lots of twists and suspense in this page turner.
thebooktroup
Jan 30, 2025
8/10 stars
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for a free galley in exchange for my honest review. Don’t Look For Me is the twisty thriller that you won’t be able to put down this Fall. Molly’s life is crumbling around her as she struggles to forgive herself for an accident that took the life of her youngest daughter. When she goes missing during a storm, the police deem her disappearance as a “walk away” and believe she has chosen to leave her life behind and doesn’t want to be found. However, Molly’s eldest daughter Nicole refuses to accept this explanation and sets out to small town Hastings determined to find her mother. As Nicole begins to uncover the truth, she too finds herself in harm’s way. Perfectly paced, complex, and full of suspense, Wendy Walker will keep you up late at night, racing to the end.
Jessica Haggard
Feb 03, 2024
10/10 stars
This was a great suspenseful book! Highly recommend. Lots of great twists and turns I did not see coming. It comes out Sept 15! Add it to your TBR!

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