Book Review: What Remains by Wendy Walker

My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

A young man with a gun walks into a department store and begins shooting. Detective Elise Sutton, a cold case detective, buying towels for her daughters, hears the shots and witnesses the shooter aiming his weapon at a tall man and is compelled to take him down. With several eyewitness accounts corroborating Elise’s role in saving the lives of those present in the store on that day, the police have no doubts that Elise’s actions were justified. Her heroic act earns her accolades and recognition but Elise is consumed by guilt for taking the life of a young man. Traumatized she hopes that the testimony man whose life she saved will help her justify her actions to herself. But he seems to have disappeared without giving testimony. But when Elise finally meets the man, Wade Austin, the meeting does not end as Elise would have expected. The man in question becomes obsessed with Elise, following her every movement, threatening her safety as well as that of her family, leaving Elise with no option but to conduct her own investigation into this man, separate from her that being conducted by her department since she knows that Wade is not going to back down unless she beat him at his own game.

The narrative is well-structured and consistently paced. The story is shared from dual perspectives in alternating chapters, which works well in building up the tension. Complex characters, an intriguing premise and unpredictable twists and turns make for a riveting read.  The character development was superb – both for Elise and Wade as well as the other supporting characters. I did feel, however, that the drama in Elise’s personal life was an unnecessary plot point, but luckily that did not detract from the overall reading experience. Overall, I found What Remains by Wendy Walker an intense read that grabbed me from the very first page. This is my first Wendy Walker novel and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the digital review copy of this gripping novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on June 13, 2023.