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Jun 30, 2019
It’s a heartbreaking set-up for Aubrey Finch. She is separated from her husband, Jack, and their daughter Charlotte who is living with him. Aubrey is the one who left her beautiful child and home behind for a dumpy apartment but generous visitation rights with Charlotte. With only a high school diploma, Aubrey considers herself fortunate to have landed a job in a library. Aubrey blames herself for the disintegration of her marriage and refuses all monetary offers from Jack. Psychological mysteries such as Wherever She Goes are about my least favorite mystery/thriller, just above cooking and old lady sleuths. However Wherever She Goes is written by Kelley Armstrong. C’mon, it’s Kelly Armstrong! I’m as likely to pass on reading one of her books as I am to give up chocolate for Lent. After all, she is the author of two series that are in my permanent top seven. Aubrey’s story gets even worse when she witnesses a small child being kidnapped. A child she and Charlotte had met only the day before playing in the park where they like to play. So Aubrey knows nothing about the boy or his mother. No one believes Aubrey; not the yummy mummies, not the police, nor her husband who just seems to be humoring her. For a stay-at-home mom, Aubrey seems to have some mad investigative and physical skills. These seem to be related to her past she has hidden from her husband; much to the detriment and likely end to her marriage. Jack is already dating the perfect woman. Aubrey puts her skills to use, she’s not about to abandon the small boy, but even Aubrey isn’t prepared for the tangled and dangerous web she discovers. Aubrey is a tenacious, fierce woman, but she is the only well-developed character. The others serve only to move the story along and to reflect the lioness that is Aubrey. Eventually Jack shows some quiet strength in his dealings with Aubrey and the villains. Wherever She Goes is fast-paced with some surprising character twists and certainly kept my attention. The story was told from Aubrey’s POV, and she told a straight-up story. When she finally needed to face her past, she owned it, used it, and tried to forgive herself. Armstrong has always excelled in flawed female characters, Aubrey Finch is no exception.