She's Mine

by Susan Walter

When a four-year-old girl disappears the night after her birthday party, all the guests are suspects. Except for the one who turned up dead. Mary Kubica meets Lisa Jewell in this dark and twisty mystery of domestic suspense.

Summer Brownley is barely holding it together. Her marriage is ending and her heart is in pieces, but she still threw a damn good party. Afterward, though she really shouldn’t, she curls up with a bottle of wine. It’s her soon-to-be ex-husband’s night with the kids, what could go wrong?

Except everything.

The FBI arrives at dawn. Her four-year-old daughter is missing. But the kidnapping is just the beginning of her nightmare. Because as the search for her daughter begins, one of her party guests turns up dead.

FBI Agent Willow Thorne is on the trail.

There is no shortage of suspects: the cheating ex-husband, a best friend with regrets, a covetous surrogate. Every new lead uncovers another lie. Thorne has a knack for noticing what people choose not to tell her, but there’s something about this case that has her second-guessing herself.

If Summer wants to help Thorne find the kidnapper, she’s going to have to expose her most tightly-held secrets.

Before her daughter is gone for good.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery Thriller

290 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 16, 2027

About the author

Susan Walter is a recovering screenwriter and film director who started writing books to kill people because it was frowned upon in real life. Her first two novels, “Good as Dead” and “Over Her Dead Body” are set in the movie business, but then she discovered there are places that are even more dangerous. She is now murdering people on airplanes, on ski hills, and in safehouses while on the run from organized crime.
A sometimes director, her Netflix movie ALL I WISH, which she also wrote, stars Sharon Stone and Tony Goldwyn and won a screenwriting award that you have never heard of, but that she is proud of nonetheless. Her latest novel, "Letters from Strangers," is based on the real-life mystery that riddled her own childhood. You can learn more about Susan at www.susanwalterwriter.com, and thanks for stopping by!

Reviews

[Celeste | bookrecs_by_celeste]

4.5⭐️

Wow what a twisty read! I was so invested in this story and characters that my head was spinning with every twist and turn. I can’t wait to read everything else this author writes!

You may think you have this one figured out but I promise you…you don’t! One twist in particular had my jaw on the floor!

A young girl disappears after her fourth birthday party and everyone is a suspect. This isn’t your typical kidnapping thriller. I felt that the pacing , plot , and twist were all unique and kept me on my toes throughout.

These characters were sooo twisty and diabolical. The family and everyone in their lives had such an intricate web of lies in every aspect of their life. My head was spinninggggg in the best way.

Many thanks to thrillerloversthepulse for my arc. All opinions are my own.

This book publishes February 16th, 2027 so be sure to add it to your new year tbr!!

[Rae B B Reads Thrillers]

She’s Mine starts with a four-year-old girl disappearing overnight, but this quickly becomes so much more than a missing-child thriller.

What really worked for me was how layered everything became. There are complicated family dynamics, buried secrets, messy relationships, and so many characters who clearly aren’t telling the whole truth. Every time I thought I understood how everyone fit together, another piece shifted the picture.

Underneath all of the twists, there’s also a really strong emotional story about motherhood, grief, obsession, identity, betrayal, and that very dangerous line between loving someone and believing they belong to you.

I especially enjoyed how morally messy the characters were. Nobody fits perfectly into a good-or-bad box, and there were plenty of moments where I understood why someone made a choice even while thinking, Girl… absolutely not. 😂

The final stretch was where this really earned the extra quarter star for me. Once everything starts coming together, it MOVES. The reveals keep coming, connections start clicking into place, and even when I thought the story had finally shown me everything, there was still something else waiting.

Were there a few coincidences and connections that required me to just go with it? Absolutely. But I was entertained, invested, and needed to know how this entire mess was going to come together.

Twisty, emotional, addictive, and morally messy in exactly the way I want my domestic thrillers to be.

Thank you to Susan Walter, NetGalley, and Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse for the advance copy and the opportunity to read and review She’s Mine.

Publishing February 16, 2027.

[Carrie Shields]

"𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬."

Summer Brownley is already watching her life implode when her four-year-old daughter disappears after a party at her house. Then the FBI shows up. Then one of the party guests turns up dead. THEN the secrets start crawling out of the walls. FBI Agent Willow Thorne is trying to untangle a case involving a cheating husband, a resentful friend, a suspicious surrogate, and a mother who clearly has more to say than she's saying. The alternating points of view had me flying through this because every time I thought I had finally figured something out, the book grabbed me by the throat and went, "Oh, you thought THAT was what was happening?"

I CANNOT COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES I HAD TO DOUBLE-CHECK MY PAGE PROGRESS BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WAY THAT JUST HAPPENED. Except it DID. This book felt like watching a true crime docuseries where every single episode ends with a scream-worthy cliffhanger and you're sitting there going, "WAIT. WHAT?!" before immediately starting the next one. Except there was no next episode because I WAS ALREADY READING IT. Every chapter pulled another thread. Another lie. Another secret. Another person I suddenly didn't trust. I was running down this rabbit hole so fast I stopped caring whether there was a bottom. I just needed to KNOW WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON.

And somehow, through ALL OF THIS, Susan Walter keeps the entire machine running. That is the part that impressed me most. There are so many moving pieces, so many characters with their own motives, and so many little details that could have sent this whole thing careening off the rails, but she keeps tightening the screws until you're sitting there questioning literally everyone. I kept thinking, surely we have reached maximum insanity now. NOPE. Here comes another reveal. Another turn. Another reason to yell at the book. This was twisty, chaotic, completely addictive, and exactly the kind of thriller where you stop trying to predict what comes next and just hang on for dear life. I devoured this one, and my only complaint is that I now need to find something equally chaotic to fill the void. Huge thanks to The Pulse, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for this early read that will publish February 16, 2026.

[Tia]

RATING: 5 ⭐
GENRE: Domestic Thriller
BINGE FACTOR: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
TWIST FACTOR: 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
PUBLICATION DATE: February 16th, 2027

Summer Brownley’s already messed up world is about to turn completely upside down. Her marriage may be in shambles, but she is determined to throw a perfect birthday party for her two young children at their Malibu beach house before the divorce is finalized. The presents have been opened, the cake eaten, and the last guests have finally gone home. Her soon to be ex, Van, has taken the kids to his apartment for the night, so Summer settles onto the patio lounger with a bottle of wine to decompress and contemplate her future. What she doesn’t expect is to wake up to a living nightmare. Her four-year-old daughter is missing, seemingly vanished from her father’s apartment during the night. Where is Daisy and who has taken her? The FBI is on the case, but the secrets hiding in this Malibu setting bring up more questions than answers. Will they find Daisy before it’s too late?

Oh, the tangled web we weave… and let me tell you, this is one messed up tangled web! This was my first novel by Susan Walter, so I had no idea what to expect. Well, color me impressed! I had no idea the wild ride I was about to take 😲

🥳 What worked for me

Cast of characters: Told from multiple perspectives in a “before” and “now” timeline, these people were superbly written; raw, authentic and messy, they put me through the emotional wringer.

Pacing: No lull in the action here! This was intense, unrelenting and anxiety inducing which had me flipping the virtual pages at record speed.

Ending: The last 15% of the story had so many twists, turns and revelations, I had no time to pick my jaw up off the floor!


🤔 Things to consider

Content warnings: Infidelity, domestic abuse, fertility issues, grief & loss

Final Verdict

An incredibly fast-paced domestic thriller with an intense and extremely well written police investigation, this was so freaking good! I have found a new author that will be an auto-read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Susan Walter for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

[Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm)]

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
👩🏼 are a mother
❤️‍🔥 if you would do anything for your child
👀 enjoy multiple POVs
🗽 ever wanted to stay at the Plaza

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Summer Brownley is barely holding it together. Her marriage is ending and her heart is in pieces, but she still threw a damn good party. Afterward, though she really shouldn’t, she curls up with a bottle of wine. It’s her soon-to-be ex-husband’s night with the kids, what could go wrong?

Except everything.

The FBI arrives at dawn. Her four-year-old daughter is missing. But the kidnapping is just the beginning of her nightmare. Because as the search for her daughter begins, one of her party guests turns up dead.

FBI Agent Willow Thorne is on the trail.

There is no shortage of suspects: the cheating ex-husband, a best friend with regrets, a covetous surrogate. Every new lead uncovers another lie. Thorne has a knack for noticing what people choose not to tell her, but there’s something about this case that has her second-guessing herself.

If Summer wants to help Thorne find the kidnapper, she’s going to have to expose her most tightly-held secrets.

Before her daughter is gone for good.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

I really enjoyed this multiple POVs mystery about a little girl who goes missing after her fourth birthday party. I honestly had no idea who the kidnapper was until about 70% into the book when it finally clicked, and I couldn’t believe I’d been so daft! Susan really had me in a chokehold over their identity! I loved that we got to know each character’s background as it was told from their POVs. You never really know what’s going on behind closed doors, and this story proves that. As a mother, I really resonated with Summer. I would have been in a state of panic if I were going through what she was. I felt like she handled everything really well. The ending wraps up nicely, and even hints at the possibility of another book? That might be fun!

[Marilena EchoHawk]

I rated this 3.75 stars not necessarily because I loved the story (because honestly, I wasn’t a fan of the ending), but because I really enjoyed the author’s writing, the character development, and the suspense throughout the book.

The first part was so intriguing, and then things got messy but in a good way. There were SO many moving parts, characters, secrets, and lies .. and when you think you’re on it , someone else comes in the picture with more lies and drama .
I really liked how the author kept the suspense going. And I’ll give the author credit I did NOT figure out who did it!
My one issue was with the timelines. The “before” and “now” timelines themselves were easy enough to follow, but the ages of the kids didn’t always seem to line up with how much time had supposedly passed. It threw me off a few times because I kept trying to make the timeline work in my head.

And then there’s the ending… it wasn’t my favorite
But , I have to give credit where credit is due. The writing was strong, the characters were well developed, and the suspense of not knowing who was responsible kept me turning the pages.

But overall, this was a twisty domestic suspense that kept me guessing. There were plenty of secrets, lies, and suspects, and I enjoyed not knowing who I could trust.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Second Chapter Books]

Okay, THIS is what I want from a domestic thriller. She’s Mine had me suspicious of absolutely everyone, changing my mind constantly, and still managed to catch me off guard.

The pacing was fantastic. There really wasn’t a point where I wanted to put this down because every new piece of information seemed to expose another secret, another lie, or another reason not to trust someone. And just when I thought I had finally figured out where Susan Walter was taking the story - nope. Another turn.

I also loved the multiple POVs and the “before” and “now” timelines. With this many characters and this much going on, that structure could have easily become confusing, but instead it kept adding layers to the story and made me even more invested in figuring out what actually happened.

And that last stretch?! The twists just kept coming. Some thrillers throw in twists simply for shock value, but these actually worked for me. By the end, I realized just how many times this book had successfully sent me in the wrong direction.

Fast-paced, messy, twisty, and completely bingeable. Exactly the kind of thriller that makes me say, “Just one more chapter,” until suddenly I've finished the entire book.

5 stars. Absolutely loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Susan Walter for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Brandy Dougan]

This was my first read of Susan Walter and OMG I’m now adding some of her past books to my TBR!

The way this book had my brain doing mental gymnastics trying to figure o it what would happen next is wild!! I can’t even think back and count the number of twists because Susan really knows how to throw a twist in and make it blend seamlessly.

This is a kidnapping book at first glance but I goes so much deeper. Dysfunctional family, trauma, guilty, greed, envy literally everything. Multiple POV’s and dual timeline, that again just felt so natural and all characters had their own voices and unique speech. Even when the story gets a little twisty it was still very easy and fun to keep all of the characters straight.

I usually try to throw a little synopsis in my reviews but I truly feel like you should just go into this blind. This is one of my favorite reads of this year and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for this authors next book. Do yourself a favor and pick up She’s Mine!

Thank you to Susan Walter, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Mickey]

When four-year-old Diana is kidnapped from her bed the night after her birthday party, the FBI are called in. And from that moment onwards, my heart was firmly lodged in my throat.
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, isn’t it? I genuinely don’t think I breathed properly again until the final page.

This was such a tangled, twisty story. There are quite a few characters, multiple POVs and dual timelines to follow, and I’ll admit it took me a little while to remember exactly who everyone was. Once I had them straight, though, I found it surprisingly easy to keep up.

Pretty much every man in this book (Alex, Nick and Van) was an absolute prick, each for completely different reasons. Naturally, that meant I spent far too long side-eyeing all three of them and questioning absolutely everything they said or did.
Not that it made any difference, because the real kidnapper wasn’t even remotely on my suspect list. I don’t think I ever would have figured it out, and I bloody love it when a thriller manages to completely blindside me.

[Simone]

WHAT. A. TWISTED. READ! 😱

She’s Mine completely pulled me in and did NOT let go! This was such a fast paced, addictive thriller that I couldn’t put it down. And those jaw dropping twists?! I was left speechless more than once. Seriously… WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! 😳

Every chapter drew me deeper into the story, and before I knew it, I was flying through the pages because I had to know what was coming next.

The characters absolutely got inside my head! I was constantly questioning what was real, who I could trust, and where this story was going to take me next. Just when I thought I had things figured out… nope! 😂

This was such a gripping, twisty, mind bending page turner, and I had SO much fun reading it! If you love thrillers that keep you guessing and messing with your mind, add this one to your TBR!

I can’t wait to see what Susan writes next!

Thank you so much to Susan Walter, Blackstone Publishing, and Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse for allowing me to read this eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Cheryl Barnes]

She’s Mine by Susan Walter was a great surprise! This was a fast-paced family thriller that grabbed my attention and kept me turning the pages.

The story revolves around Summer and Van Brownley, who have two children through adoption and surrogacy. When their four-year-old daughter disappears after her birthday party, the search for her begins to uncover the family’s complicated past. Long-hidden secrets start spilling out, even though some people have gone to great lengths to keep them buried.

I really enjoyed the way the story was told through short chapters, with each chapter offering a different character’s point of view. It kept the story moving and added to the suspense. There were plenty of secrets, twists, and revelations along the way, and I ended up reading the entire book in one day!

I rated She’s Mine 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.

[Farah]

When Summer's four year old goes missing after her birthday party, everyone is a suspect. But as the investigation gets underway, FBI Agent Willow finds that Summer has secrets of her own.

I'm going to leave the synopsis right there as the less you know about this book, the better. When you read it, be sure you have your mind switched on. There are a lot of characters and they are all intertwined. I did struggle a little to keep track at the start but the more you get into the story, the easier and more intense it gets. At the end of the book, I marveled at how Susan Walter came up with such a plot! It was mind blowing the amount of twists and secrets she had written in this story and that ending! Let's just say, I didn't see that coming at all! This was a fabulous domestic thriller that really cements why I love reading this author's work. Definitely one you need to get a copy of!

[Tyler]

I absolutely LOVED She’s Mine. It was one of those books that pulled me in and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I loved that everyone had their own secrets, motivations, and sides to the story. I really hope there’s a second book so we can learn about what happens to Summer and Val’s relationship and what Crystal may end up doing.

Susan Walter did such a great job building the suspense while also making you care about the people at the center of the story. There were definitely moments that had me thinking, “Wait… what?!”. Definitely a page turner!

Honestly, it was just such a good book. Suspenseful, emotional, and full of characters that kept me completely invested. I didn’t want to put it down, and I definitely recommend it!

[JJ]

She's Mine is messy, sexy domestic suspense at it's very best. I was so invested in these characters, I didn't see the kidnapper hiding in plain sight.
Every time I was sure I had it figured it out, Walter threw another curveball. The plot twists left me breathless! As did the spicy bits that snuck up on me in the best way.
I loved Summer Brownley so much I wanted to reach into the pages and give her a hug. Crystal, the surrogate, is somehow both diabolical and super sympathetic. My rooting interest zigzagged every which way, right up until the very end.
I enjoyed Susan Walter's other books, but this one is next level.

[Kim]

She’s Mine by Susan Walter was absolute perfection! I am not usually one to focus heavily on star ratings, but this is a solid 5-star read all the way. It hooked me from the very first page, kept me completely engaged throughout, and I genuinely did not want to put it down.
The multiple points of view added so much depth to the story. The transitions were handled seamlessly, keeping the narrative distinct and easy to follow without ever feeling jumbled or confusing.
The intertwining timelines flowed like a perfectly crafted puzzle. Each piece fell right into place, connecting smoothly and keeping the full picture hidden until the final word.

[KDRBCK]

She's Mine by Suasan Walter is a stand alone crime fiction published by Blackstone Publishing. I'm a fan of the author's writing. I like her style, the worldbuilding, the suspense and the bookhangover I get after I finished one of her novels.
And She's Mine is no exception. Utterly brilliantly written, literally unputdownable, characters so very easily to connect with, a gem of a story.
A little girl disappears, everyone is a suspect til the next body shows up.
The FBI and the mom are on a race against time, unique, fresh, outstanding, this book goes to my re-read pile for sure.
Recommend, all the stars.

[Jennifer (allshedoesisread)]

Thank you to the author for providing the NetGalley widget of this book for me to read and review. When a child goes missing on the night of her birthday party, we get a mystery on top of mysteries to wade through alongside the FBI agent Willow and local police as the kidnapping case turns into a kidnapping and murder case. I will say the premise involving a resentful surrogate, a resentful mother, a resentful best friend and cheating ex was a wild ride full of coincidences and bad behavior. Was this a little hard to believe at times? Yes, but the author did a good job of holding my interest and weaving the pieces of the puzzle together. 3.5/5⭐️

[blondethrillerbooklover]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It’s my favorite that I have read so far this year and will remain one of my top books forever. It was literally perfect to me. The exact type of book that I love. The pacing, the setting, the characters, the twists. Every time I thought I had it figured out, Nope! My mouth actualy fell open at one part.

A little girl goes missing after her birthday party and there are a lot of suspects. The more we unweave the tangled mess, the more secrets and lies fall out. Buckle in for this bad boy!

I have loved all of this author’s books, but this one is next level. Seriously, it is so freaking good!

[Janilyn Kocher]

Excellent read!
It kept me on the edge of my seat because just when I thought I’d figured it all out Walter clunked me over the head with more surprises!
I did figure out a major plot point a quarter of the way into the book but turns out I had the wrong person who did the snatching.
Van is a putz and he was not worthy of Summer.
I felt the sorriest for Summer because she carried the bulk of the load but was constantly betrayed by people she trusted.
If you like plot twists get entangled!
Thanks NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Booklovers Thriller fest for the advance copy.

[Anita I]

Thank you for letting me ARC read this book. It’s such an unputdownable book. I ravished it in a few hours. It’s so good and you never expect the twist that happens. A story that carries you along every step of the way and leave you wanting more till the end. You won’t regret reading this book. Go get your copy once it comes out.

[Hope Spears]

Such a great story. I did not want to put it down. There were so many twists and turns and possible solutions for the things that were occurring. It was hard to determine who could be trusted. Infertility, infidelity, kidnapping, and murder…this book has it all. So many complicated family relationships and friendships as well. Highly recommend.

[Karrie Lynn]

This book had so many twists and turns that I was dizzy in the best way. I love a good whodunit and this did not disappoint. I found the pacing to be engaging and the charters both likable and dreadful. Every time I was on the verge of connecting the puzzle pieces another unanswered question would arise and in the end there were multiple victims and bad guys.

[Suzanna Jane]

I tore through She’s Mine in one sitting. It's that good. Twisty and tense with genuine emotion with everything you want in a thriller, including a hint of spice.
I kept thinking I had figured things out, and then something would happen that would knock me for a loop. One of the late reveals that wasn't even the main twist made me gasp . IYKYK.
Such a fun read!

[Uri]

I completely devoured this book. It is a stunning, rapid-fire ride with absolutely zero dull spots. If you are looking for a thriller that will keep you up past midnight gasping for air, this is it. I absolutely loved it! Walter proves herself to be a top-tier voice in modern suspense.

[Tiffany LeThriller]

This book was deliciously unhinged and full of surprises!

[Mehva]

light escapist book with lots of twists

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50)]

Her best yet! A wild ride. Needed to pay attention as there is a lot going on.

She’s Mine
By: Susan Walter
Pub Day: Feb 16, 2027
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Susan Walter is an auto-buy and read author for me. I have read all her books and I am NEVER disappointed and know I will get hours of enjoyment.
A crumbling marriage, a four-year-olds party, kidnapping, murder, lots of suspects.
Get ready to curl up with your favorite beverage and dive in for this thriller mystery. Trust me if you have not ready any of her books, give her a try.

[Lois]

So happy I had an opportunity to read this early, and so sorry for those of you who need to wait until February. I strongly urge you to preorder now so you can be among the first to read this thriller. My heart is racing from the series of surprise twists and turns. Brilliant plot that will have you reaching for everything by this author if this is your introduction to her work. Would give it six stars if I could.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.