Wendy Walker

"One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime"--

Emma in the Night

"Both twisted and twisty, this smart psychological thriller sets a new standard for unreliable narrators." –Booklist, Starred Review One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime.

A Novel

Anna

“But seeing the future is a worthless gift if you don’t have the power to change it.”

The overall reviews seem mixed, but I really loved this book. I will admit some parts in the middle were slow, but the author really has such a horrifying beautiful way of portraying each member of this messed up family.  

Alexa M

Melyssa Tromberg 

A slow-burn psychological thriller that centers around the epitome of a dysfunctional family and narrasistic behaviors.

The beginning of the book was extremely slow for me (why I only rated 4 stars). I almost didn't finish it a few different times because of that reason. But once it picked up and with plot twist after plot twist; the ending of each chapter will leave you wanting more. 

Cass and her sister Emma disappear without a trace and alot of unanswered questions. Three years later, Cass returns home without Emma. In this book, it is about Cass explaining what happend but as the story unfolds, details don't add up. This is where it gets REALLY interesting - Told from 2 different POV's; Cass & the forensic psychologist working the case. 

Overall, this book is twisted with an ending I did not expect. The psychology side of me absolutely loved it!

sophia n

* 3-3.5 stars?

i'm torn on my rating of this. it was really engaging and interesting, and i liked the plot and the way things were revealed. but i had a hard time following the timeline/stories being told for some reason, i actually had to relisten to a few parts, and i think i also feel lukewarm about the ending. also i think the biggest negative to me was that we were told that the narrating sister is desperate to find her other sister, but from what we learn about emma, i kind of hated her lol and just didn't really care. still a good read and i'd recommend it if you're looking for something engaging, but without anything fully shocking.

Varshh

In this twisted yet smart psychological thriller, the readers are warned to be aware of the narrator's words. 

Three years ago, Emma (17 y/o) and Cassandra (15 y/o) left home, disappearing into the night for unknown reasons. Cass returns to her home out of the blue without Emma. The cops along with Dr Abby Walker starts interrogating Cass about the details of her stay to find Emma before it's too late. Cass's narrative, mixed with Abby's investigation paints a horrifying picture of Cass's trauma and her family history. A self-obsessed mother, a missing sister and an unsuited household where Cassandra is forced to become an adult suddenly to lure the prey before becoming one. As the story progresses, readers will root for Cassandra as she narrates the disturbing story, and ponder what could have happened? 

If you want a book that leaves you guessing till the end, then I can't recommend a perfect read than this. The author has done a great job in stripping the layer one by one to give us the dark and unsettling situation. A perfect example of "the devil is in the details".

As I said before, Don't trust anyone in this book (Muhahahaa).

Cara 

Crazy plot twist that slowly unravels with each page.

chloe mcpherson

Three years ago the Tanner sisters disappeared, Emma 17 and Cass 15, now three years later Cass turns up on her mothers doorstep alone. 
This was such an unexpected read, to be honest at the beginning I quite unsure, it was so weird, but then half way through was like BAM BAM BAM, I was hooked, the story Cass told of what happened that past three years was so bizarre. And the ending. Omg the ending. I was shook. After finishing this book I literally just sat there processing of what just happened. 
I love Cass, I love the way she told her story, I loved the way her family was so dysfunctional. It was so wonderfully written, if you’re looking for a story with many twists and turns then read this, you will not be disappointed.

Two sisters go missing. Only one returns.

Lauren Attaway

I struggled to get into Emma in the Night for what felt like ages. I know it was the references to Narcissism in a family dynamic, but I won't get into it. Once I really started reading the book, I could only be increasingly impressed by the setup and the unreliable narrator and the elaborate games this family was playing. Excellent book, and I'm looking forward to reading more Wendy Walker.

Sakthi Varshini

AileySchiller 

My favorite mystery/thriller yet! That ending came out of no where!! 

Stephanie Midolo

This is the second book I've read by Wendy Walker, and I'm just not that into them.

Erin Pitstra

Tanya Sutton

The story starts with a bang, as 18-year-old Cass Tanner knocks on her family’s front door late one night. Cass has been missing and presumed dead, along with her older sister Emma, after they both disappeared one night three years prior. As family and investigators gather around her to hear her account of what happened that night, Cass begins to tell her story – a story that involves a baby and an escape from an island where she and Emma were being held captive. The forensic psychologist assigned to the case of the missing sisters, Dr. Abby Winter, is suspicious of how polished Cass’ story seems to be, as she has long believed something else was going on in the Tanner household when the girls disappeared. In alternating chapters, Cass tells investigators how to find her sister while Abby seeks to discover what, if anything, Cass feels she still needs to hide.

The multiple POV style seems to be gaining popularity in the genre and sometimes it feels overused but here it was executed perfectly. You get to hear Cass’ inner thoughts as she narrates her story for her audience, all the while following Abby as she becomes increasingly emotionally invested in the case and begins to see herself and her family in Cass’. As the book goes on both characters become *less* reliable, leaving you on unstable footing as a reader. For a less talented writer this could cause the characters to seem inauthentic or less sympathetic, but in Walker’s skilled hand this feels more like two sincere people who cannot both possibly be telling the truth. The narration unspools like this gradually until you suddenly realize that you don’t know what has been the truth and what has been a lie. Small revelations appear at just the right time, hinting at something larger that dances just out of view of the reader. When the truth comes out, it’s jaw dropping. In most of my reading I can say that I saw bits of the ending coming even if I didn’t actually guess the entirety of the outcome. With this one I was completely blindsided and couldn’t have been happier to have been so surprised. It was entirely satisfying, especially because the book stayed strongly character driven throughout.

My only real criticism of this novel is that some of the mental illness suffered by the characters was dealt with in a heavy-handed way. I think most readers would recognize the problems this family was facing without it being spelled out so directly and it felt a bit like a “tell” rather than a “show” by the author. However it was such a small problem that the rest of the novel’s strengths more than made up for this flaw.

To find a thriller that examines mental illness and it’s devastating effects on a family while also maintaining a strong pace and compelling characters is a treat. This is a novel I highly recommend.

(Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.)

This is a book where I think the author took the narcissistic personality trait, mixed it up with psychopathy, and ran with it. I'll give Walker props for a creative story idea, I haven't seen it before, but I just didn't like it. It seemed so far-fetched. And the motives being withheld for so long made me lose interest and j never really got it back.

Zoë

i could not put this book down and man did i love every second of it

Jolie

Emma In The Night was not what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be your standard police thriller where you follow the lead detective around and follow the case from beginning to end. Instead, the reader is switched between Cass’s 1st person view of everything that is going on and what happened in the past and the 3rd person view of Dr. Abby Winter, a forensic psychiatrist working with Cass to find out exactly where she was the 3 years she was gone and most importantly….where Emma was.

I am not going to go into the book because I am afraid that if I do that, I will give something major away. I will say this: This book has more twists than a pretzel and each one of them was a surprise. So if you are going to read Emma In The Night, make sure you are in a comfy chair (or bed) because I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down.

How many stars will I give Emma In The Night: 4

Why: Fast paced, well-written thriller that kept me wondering what was going to happen next

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence, sex and sexual situations and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one. This was my first Wendy Walker book, (though I've heard that her debut is pretty fantastic, so I hope you read that one soon too!) and I was immediately captivated by her writing style. I loved the questions, assumptions, and confusion I was forced to have. When I neared the end of this book I was shocked and quite satisfied with the way this story played out. I'm definitely interested in reading more of Wendy Walker's work in the future.

Emma in the Night

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