Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard

December 18th, 2018 Kimberly Review 36 Comments

18th Dec
Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard
Hunting Annabelle
by Wendy Heard
Genres: Suspense Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Sean Suh is done with killing. After serving three years in a psychiatric prison, he’s determined to stay away from temptation. But he can't resist Annabelle--beautiful, confident, incandescent Annabelle--who alone can see past the monster to the man inside. The man he's desperately trying to be.

Then Annabelle disappears.

Sean is sure she’s been kidnapped—he witnessed her being taken first hand—but the police are convinced that Sean himself is at the centre of this crime. And he must admit, his illness has caused him to “lose time” before. What if there’s more to what happened than he’s able to remember?

Though haunted by the fear that it might be better for Annabelle if he never finds her, Sean can’t bring himself to let go of her without a fight. To save her, he’ll have to do more than confront his own demons… He'll have to let them loose.

twisted SUSPENSE Standalone thriller 2018 Fave

A gritty, gripping, edge of your seat read with an unreliable narrator and unexpected twists, Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard is perfect for fans of You by Caroline Kepnes. What happens when a recently released psychiatric prison patient befriends a girl who then ends up missing. Strap in because the ride is twisted.

The Facts:

  • 1986 Texas.
  • Sean Suh is in outpatient therapy after being released from a psychiatric prison where he was held for committing murder.
  • His mother, Dr. Suh a world renowned neurosurgeon manages his care at home. He is being treated for schizophrenia, medicated and sees his doctor three times a week.
  • Sean Suh is passionate about drawing people and spends his days at a local amusement park drawing people. His doctor encourages Sean to interact with others. He is socially awkward, wears multi-colored rubber bracelets which he snaps impulsively and has shaved the sides of his head which he randomly rubs.
  • Sean still struggles around sharp objects and envisions killing.
  • Sean befriends Annabelle. The two begin a weird little friendship and exchange a few kisses.
  • Annabelle goes missing.
  • Sean reports that someone has kidnapped his friend.
  • Sean has lost time.
  • Sean searches for Annabelle. He interviews friends, teachers and visits her hometown.
  • Sean is receiving strange messages.
  • The cops suspect Sean.
  • Sean is not well.

I love stories with unreliable narrators and Sean Suh was such a fantastic character. He is awkward, has a controlling mother and walks around in a medical induced fog. This is a story where you question EVERYTHING!

There are twists, insight into Sean’s mind and moments of violence. Part of me completely likes Sean, part of me wants to believe him and the other part looks at all the clue and thinks how did he do it? Wendy Heard delivers a complete mind-f@ck of a tale and I love that she kept me spellbound until the end.

The author raises questions about violent crimes involving the mentally ill. Can they be rehabilitated? Is money and influence a game changer? (good or bad)  But most of all she delivers a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.

Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard delivered a dark, gritty, edge of your seat thriller. #MustRead #thriller Share on X
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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36 Responses to “Hunting Annabelle by Wendy Heard”

  1. Mary @StackingMyBookShelves!

    I am sorry it has taken me this long to hop over. I am trying to play catch up. This one sounds amazing. I really think I might get this one on Audio! Especially since it was a 5 and a 2018 fav. Yeah, I am gonna do it.

    Mary

  2. Olivia Roach

    1986 Texas? I definitely haven’t read a book in that kind of setting or time period before, so that sounds intriguing to me. This is another book I have seen doing well across the blogsphere as well. Unreliable narrators – I love them too much 😀 Hahaha

    Olivia Roach recently posted: Blood’s Revolution [Book Review]

  3. Anne

    I’m sure I would like this. You are a difficulty for my TBR because I want to read all the things you do based on your fantastic reviews. Anne – Books of My Heart

  5. Angie Elle

    Wow. I need this book now! The blurb made me think of YOU, and then you confirmed it was a comp title. I really really need this book!

    Great review.

  11. Lizzy @ Bent Bookworm

    This sounds fascinating but my experience with unreliable narrator stories tells me I couldn’t deal. They always make me feel cheated, somehow, and I get angry at the book! LOL

  12. ShootingStarsMag

    Oh, I really liked this one too. It’s so not what I expected, but not in a bad way at all! And you really DO kind of want to like Sean.

    -Lauren