Wow what a twisty and unpredictable book this is.

I didn't see any of it coming and was continually being shocked at the directions it was going in, in a good way.

Utterly brilliant, I devoured this book, and couldn't get enough of it.

Loved getting to know Mickey, Luka and Rose. There are some sections that are hard to read, especially regarding Rose's previous relationship, but they are needed so that you could feel her emotions that much more vividly.

Just another wonderful book from the twisted mind of Jo Spain!

Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This is a amazing twisty read kept me guessing until the end I just couldn't put it down it kept me up way past my bed time

Don't Look Back" by Jo Spain introduces unexpected turns as Rose surprises her husband, Luke, with a spontaneous honeymoon. However, the discovery of a dead body in their flat prompts Luke to enlist help from his former lover, Micky, leading to a cascade of unfortunate events.

While Micky offered a small saving grace with intriguing depth and complex relationships, my enthusiasm for the overall story was lacking. Micky's presence, however, was captivating, leaving me hopeful for more of her in future novels.

The pacing felt sluggish after key incidents, and the narrative's explanation through random happenings left little room for empathy toward the characters' reasoning.

As a fan of Jo Spain's earlier works, this novel fell short, failing to meet the established standards. The lack of connection to the characters and disappointing plot progression led me to assign a rating of 2.0 out of 5.0 to this particular novel.

Between her books and screenwriting, I’ve become a huge fan of Jo Spain. But… Unfortunately, this one, for me, was a bit of a letdown.

After a whirlwind romance, Luke and Rose marry. Things go awry when her violent ex-boyfriend tracks her down. A dead body later, Luke has called in his friend and former barrister, Mickey, to assist. However, once Mickey starts investigating, she’s not sure who to believe.

I liked Mickey. I would like her to feature in another book. There were moments though that Spain confused me with where she wanted Mickey to go romantically. She’s in love with this one, and then this one, and then having dinner with this one, but hang on, she loves this one. It all seemed very out of character with the rest of Mickey’s personality and was very distracting.

Likewise, the flashbacks of Rose and Luke’s romance were also unnecessary. They became quite tedious and, in the end, I didn’t think these numerous scenes added to the plot.

I also found that the wealth of the main characters grating. At times, it read like a 80s Sidney Sheldon.

I’m still keen to read more Spain books but this one was not her best work.

3 out of 5

Rose accidentally killed a violent intruder and now Luke needs to pick up the pieces. A compelling read that will keep you guessing right up to the end.

This wasn’t a good reas, it was an absolutely brilliant one and right from the start it gripped me and I honestly didn’t want to put it down. It’s packed full of twists and turns and had me on the edge of my seat at times. Another class read from one of my favourite authors.

Pacy and twisty read.

Rose and Luke are just about to return from their postponed, last-minute honeymoon in the Caribbean when Rose breaks down and begs Luke to return to London without her. All week she's been keeping a terrible secret related to her past in Ireland and she needs Luke to leave her behind and save himself.

Luke has no intention of letting Rose take the blame after all she has been through, so he calls someone he hasn't spoken to in years, not since he let her down, but who he knows will not turn their back on someone in trouble.

Through dual timelines and flashbacks, the danger mounts and we gradually discover that nothing is as it seems.

Luke and Rose Miller have spent an idyllic week on the Caribbean island of Saint-Thérèse, a surprise belated honeymoon that Rose sprung on Luke out of the blue. Now it’s time to go home, but suddenly Rose tells Luke she can’t go back with him. She tells him she killed a man in their flat, and the sudden holiday was her way of running away. The dead man was her ex-partner, Kevin Davidson – a man so violently abusive, Rose had fled from her home in Donegal, changed her identity and tried to lose herself in London. But Kevin had tracked her down, broken in to their flat and attacked her when she came home, and it was half-accident, half-luck that he’d come off worse in the encounter. Luke is shocked but is determined to protect Rose, so he devises a plan to deal with the body. For his plan to work he needs help, though, so he contacts Mickey Shiels, his ex-lover, a woman who now spends her life trying to help abused women get away from their violent partners…

There’s lots to like about this one. The writing is very good and there’s a variety of different settings – Saint-Thérèse (which I think must be fictional), London, Donegal. The pacing is steady rather than fast-paced, but there’s always enough momentum for it to have held my interest and kept me turning those pages. However, somehow it never caught fire in quite the way I expect from this type of thriller. Although there were frequent big build-ups to events that created some good tension, the events themselves tended to fizzle out. Not so much fireworks as sparklers.

We quickly learn that both Luke and Rose are hiding secrets from each other, and those secrets remain hidden from the reader too, and from Mickey, who has (oddly) dropped everything to run to the aid of a man who betrayed her so badly he nearly destroyed her life. I can’t say I really found any of these three main characters convincing, and I had a pretty good idea of at least one of the major secrets from quite early, so it didn’t come as a big surprise. There are also hints as to the motives early on, and while I didn’t work out the whole thing, again I felt rather unsurprised when all was revealed at the somewhat unexplosive end. And the post-climax tidying up of everyone’s lives simply didn’t ring true at all – it seemed like a cosy ending tacked on to a book that had been anything but cosy up to that point.

This was my first Jo Spain and I did find it quite enjoyable as a quick read, but nothing outstanding or unmissable. However, a couple of blog buddies who are both long-time Spain fans had pre-warned me that this isn’t one of her best, so I’ll take their advice and try her Inspector Tom Reynolds series instead. I feel the lack of fireworks in this one might suggest her style would work better in the police procedural type of novel than in the standalone thriller format. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.

A gripping read that had me hooked all the way through. It was twisty and kept me guessing right until the end, I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting

Loved this twisty book and the setting was so well done as ever. I love Jo Spain's writing and would literally devour anything she wrote. This one certainly didn't; disappoint.

I've had Jo Spain's books on my radar for a while now so was really excited to give this a read.
This did keep me captivated but the pacing was a bit all over the pace, which was a bit frustrating.
I did, however, like the writing style and the way that there were a good number of twists and turns.
Did it get a bit OTT, silly and unbelievable at times? Yes and that's why I couldn't give this any more than 4 stars.
But it has certainly inspired me to go back and read the other Jo Spain books on my TBR list.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this, finding out the twists and turns and realising that not everyone is what they seem, and the people you think you can trust you can’t

Quite a tense thriller but, difficult to get into. I nearly gave up halfway through but persevered and got to the end. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc

I have tried multiple times to get into this book and it just doesn’t hold my attention like I thought it would. But don’t let that put you off because I know many people will love this, just not me.

Thanks to netgalley for supplying this advanced copy for the purpose of review.

This was a cleverly written thriller with a fast paced narrative.

Kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. I also loved Mickey. The ending was great and unexpected for me.

I really like Jo Spain’s writing, I just think this one was a little slow at the start to get going, but once it did it really took off!
It makes your head spin with the twists and has fascinating characters and a really good plot as well as some fabulous setting locations!
I feel like you know what you get with Jo Spain and it definitely isn’t disappointment. A good well paced thriller that kept me hooked!

A chillingly crafted mystery thriller. At the end of an idyllic Carribbean honeymoon, Rose breaks down and confesses to her husband Luke, that before they boarded the plane, she killed a violent man from her past, in their London home. What should Like do? Superb.

I really enjoyed this book, I read it in one sitting! Will definately be looking for more books by this author!

I went into this book with high expectations after how much I had enjoyed the previous book The last to disappear. But this doesn’t have the same impact.