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Quick answer: If you liked Local Woman Missing, read Mary Kubica's The Other Mrs. and The Good Girl, plus Gone Girl, Big Little Lies and Then She Was Gone. All are twisty domestic thrillers about disappearances, secrets and what neighbours never say.
Mary Kubica's 2021 thriller begins with a woman who vanishes from a small town, then another disappearance years later, and a web of lies connecting them. It is fast, layered and emotional. The books below share its missing-person plots, shifting viewpoints and big reveals.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Other Mrs. | Mary Kubica | Adult | more Kubica |
| The Good Girl | Mary Kubica | Adult | the author's debut |
| Don't You Cry | Mary Kubica | Adult | roommate vanishes |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Adult | marriage and lies |
| Big Little Lies | Liane Moriarty | Adult | suburban secrets |
| Then She Was Gone | Lisa Jewell | Adult | missing teenager |
| The Girl on the Train | Paula Hawkins | Adult | unreliable witness |
| Sharp Objects | Gillian Flynn | Adult | dark small-town crime |
| Behind Closed Doors | B.A. Paris | Adult | perfect marriage |
| I Let You Go | Clare Mackintosh | Adult | hit-and-run |
| The Silent Wife | A.S.A. Harrison | Adult | marriage collapse |
| The Wife Between Us | Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen | Adult | twisty relationships |
| All the Missing Girls | Megan Miranda | Adult | backward storytelling |
| The Last Thing He Told Me | Laura Dave | Adult | missing husband |
| Verity | Colleen Hoover | Adult | manuscript mystery |
1. The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica
A new neighbour is found dead and a family is pulled in. Dark, twisty and a good second Kubica.
Best for: more Kubica.
2. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
A teacher is abducted and the story is told from several viewpoints. Tense and emotional.
Best for: the author's debut.
3. Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica
A woman disappears, leaving only a note. Moody and full of surprises.
Best for: roommate vanishes.
4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A wife disappears on her anniversary and her husband becomes the prime suspect. A defining modern thriller.
Best for: marriage and lies.
5. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Three mothers are drawn into a death. Funny, sharp and full of twists.
Best for: suburban secrets.
6. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
A mother whose daughter vanished ten years ago meets a man who changes everything. Gripping and emotional.
Best for: missing teenager.
7. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A commuter watches a couple from the train and becomes entangled in a disappearance. Moody and twisty.
Best for: unreliable witness.
8. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
A reporter returns to her hometown to cover murders. Disturbing and brilliant.
Best for: dark small-town crime.
9. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
A seemingly perfect couple hides something terrifying. Short and chilling.
Best for: perfect marriage.
10. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
A mother flees a tragedy while a detective investigates. Known for a huge twist.
Best for: hit-and-run.
11. The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
A couple's marriage unravels from two perspectives. Cold and clever.
Best for: marriage collapse.
12. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
A divorced woman watches her ex-husband's new fiancee. Famous for its reveals.
Best for: twisty relationships.
13. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
A woman returns to her hometown to find another girl missing, and the story runs backward. Clever and addictive.
Best for: backward storytelling.
14. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
A woman searches for the truth after her husband vanishes. Fast and emotional.
Best for: missing husband.
15. Verity by Colleen Hoover
A writer finds a disturbing manuscript while working in a couple's home. Dark and very popular.
Best for: manuscript mystery.
How to Choose
For more Kubica start with The Good Girl or The Other Mrs. For classic modern thrillers choose Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train or Big Little Lies. For missing-person mysteries pick Then She Was Gone or All the Missing Girls. For domestic suspense read Behind Closed Doors or The Silent Wife. Keep in mind that these books rely on twists, so avoid spoilers when choosing. Thrillers like these make excellent audiobooks, since multiple narrators can voice the different perspectives. If you enjoy missing-person plots, look for the pattern in these books: a disappearance, a search that exposes ordinary secrets, and a final twist that recasts everything. Choose Then She Was Gone and All the Missing Girls for the strongest versions of that structure. Choose Sharp Objects if you want a darker, more literary take. Because suspense depends on surprise, library copies and audiobooks are both good ways to try several before buying.
Related: 15 Books Like The Woman in the Window You’ll Love: Psychological Thrillers With Unreliable Narrators · The Woman in the Window Ending Explained
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Local Woman Missing about?
Two women disappear from the same town years apart, and secrets link the cases.
Who wrote it?
Mary Kubica.
When was it published?
2021.
Is it a standalone?
Yes.
Is it violent?
It has dark moments but is mostly suspense.
Does it have a twist ending?
Yes, with several reveals.
Is it told from multiple viewpoints?
Yes, with shifting narrators and timelines.
What should I read next?
Try The Other Mrs. or Then She Was Gone.
Is it similar to Gone Girl?
It shares the missing-person hook and unreliable relationships, though Kubica's tone is more emotional than cynical.
Are there trigger warnings?
Some involve abduction, abuse or violence, so check descriptions first.