Our Take

Mary Kubica has built a career on domestic thrillers that turn family into the scariest word in the book, and It's Not Her leans fully into that strength. The setup is deceptively simple — a double murder, a missing girl, an unharmed witness who was in the house the whole time — but Kubica uses it to peel back layer after layer of secrets that implicate nearly everyone in Courtney's life. What makes this one work is the ambiguity at its center: readers are given just enough reason to suspect Reese as both victim and culprit that the mystery never settles into a predictable shape. Kubica's pacing is relentless once the plot gets moving, and she's especially skilled at planting small, unsettling details early that pay off much later. Fans of her earlier hits will recognize her signature move — a domestic setting that starts to feel less safe with every chapter — but this one raises the stakes with a small-town backdrop that has its own secrets to hide. If you like your thrillers with an unreliable cast and a resolution you won't see coming, this is a strong pick for your next read.