Roughly ten years ago, Mary Kubica burst onto the domestic suspense landscape with her debut novel, The Good Girl. Releasing almost a book a year since then, Kubica has established herself as one of the premier authors tackling the psychological suspense sub-genre. Each novel is a gripping and twisted tale designed to keep readers guessing and guaranteed to keep them up all night long. Her latest—She’s Not Sorry—once again succeeds in lulling the reader into a complex and unexpected labyrinth of lies, misdirection, and sudden plot shifts populated by characters that readers can’t help but become attached to. This is what Mary Kubica does best and she proves it once again.
She’s Not Sorry is narrated by Meghan Michaels, a recently divorced nurse with one teenage daughter at home. Meghan’s care and compassion for both her family and her patients is evident in every action she takes. When she is assigned a new patient—a woman named Caitlin, who remains in a coma after jumping from a Chicago bridge—she finds herself getting more and more tangled in this woman’s life. After the police hint that its possible Caitlin was pushed off the bridge, Meghan begins to examine all of her hospital visitors, including the girl’s parents and brother, with increasing suspicion.
Meanwhile, Meghan is also learning to navigate the co-parenting struggles. Divorce is hard, but when a young child is in the mix, the stakes are higher—and competition for affection almost inevitable. With news spreading around Chicago that a vicious rapist is preying on women walking home alone, Meghan is determined to keep her daughter—and herself—safe. When Meghan makes contact with an old high-school friend, that woman’s predicament calls to mind an incident in Meghan’s past where she didn’t trust her gut and tragedy followed. She won’t let that happen again.
To say that Mary Kubica throws everything including the kitchen sink into She’s Not Sorry would not be an exaggeration. And yet, Kubica has mastered this style of storytelling, so readers never feel lost or confused. An unexpected sleight of hand move may discombobulate some fans of the psychological suspense subgenre, but further inspection will reveal that all the clues were indeed on display and this was a strategic decision made by a clever storyteller.
The more convoluted She’s Not Sorry becomes, the more invested the reader feels. Mary Kubica has a gift for drawing the reader in—if not slowly, at least methodically—before springing the trap that ensures there is no turning back until all the revelations are exposed. And you better believe, She’s Not Sorry has a wealth of secrets buried under each layer of this gripping tale.
One doesn’t necessarily pick up a Mary Kubica book expecting the most realistic of stories, but unlike many other popular authors in the psychological and domestic suspense arena, this is an author who tries to make her twists and surprises as organic as possible, allowing readers to agree that under this certain set of bizarre circumstances, it’s entirely possible something like this could happen. What one does expect from a Mary Kubica novel is an unforgettable, fast-paced tale with both heart and heart-stopping shocks. She’s Not Sorry more than delivers on all those fronts.
BUY LINKS: She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica
Disclaimer: A print galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
