I’ve been a fan of Mary Kubica’s densely plotted novels, including Pretty Baby and The Good Girl (a big hit with  a book club I belong to) – so was looking forward to her latest effort, Don’t You Cry.

The story unfolds along two tracks: the first involves the mysterious disappearance of Quinn Collins’s roommate Esther. Quinn awakens one morning to the sound of Esther’s alarm, and then finds Esther’s window onto the fire escape open and no Esther. She later is startled to hear Esther’s phone ringing…clearly wherever Esther has gone, she has left her phone behind. Quinn begins to seek answers, but at first only questions emerge, as she finds out that Esther has a new name, has advertised for a new roommate, and has asked their super to change the locks on their shared apartment. The second track involves Alex Gallo, a smart kid who has been left behind in a town on Lake Michigan when everyone else left for college. He has a sucky job in a restaurant and a worse home life. He sees a woman come into the restaurant, and later he watches as she takes off most of her clothes and walks into the icy lake.At which point, I suspect most readers had thoughts similar to mine: “WTF?”

I love the way Kubica reveals her plot points, making her readers ponder the actions of her characters, with their motivations generally only revealed near the conclusion…in her books, things are NOT what they seem, and it is a fun ride to see how everything will come together, with disparate stories and people converging.

While this one is entertaining, for me it didn’t come up to the level of her prior books. Likely my expectations were a bit high, and I think her fans will enjoy it, and she will likely gain some new fans. I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for my review…and I wish I could say more about the story itself, but I HATE it when a review spoils the story, so I won’t go there! Four stars.