Fun thriller read that did keep you e bc aged and turning the page to find out what happens. while the twist was unique the character development was lacking and not as strong as other thrillers.

I was able to figure this one out. It was a simple light read. A good story, but too predictable for me.

It was ok. I had the whole thing figured out by the middle of the book. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, but I wish I hadn't been able to figure it out so easily.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of No Turning Back by Tracy Buchanan.

Anna and her baby are taking a stroll on the beach, when a hysterical teen runs up to them and threatens their lives. Anna acts instinctively, and now the boy is dead.

Immediately a media storm of speculation sparks about Anna's guilt, or need to protect herself. It is all made worse by her job as a radio announcer, as well as the autopsy of the boy she killed. There is something way more sinister going around, and Anna always seems to be at the center of it.

I will admit that I had this one figured fairly early in the game, although I read a TON of books like this. That doesn't change the fact that this was a dark and exciting suspense novel. Great back story, great characters, twisted villain, good stuff.

While Anna is out walking her baby daughter, she is confronted by an armed teenager and through a set of unfortunate events, the boy dies in an accidental struggle. From there, the story delves into the guilt she feels as well as the town turning on her as they question the circumstances of the struggle. There is also a backstory that begins to emerge with the death of her father and a serial killer who begins to write to her.

I think I found the reaction of the public to her story quite unbelievable. She seemed quite ostracized for no real reason, so I didn't love that part of the story. But when the story of the serial killer gets going, the plot gets more interesting and it ends up being a decent book. I just think there are too many other plot situations you have to get through to get to the good stuff.

NO TURNING BACK by Tracy Buchanan is in turns captivating as well as histrionic. Set in a picturesque seaside village on the south coast of England, the story is peppered with characters representing both ends of the economic spectrum.

Anna Graves, the co-host of a call in radio show, recently separated from her husband and first time new mother is accosted while taking her infant daughter for a walk along the beach. While attempting to protect her baby she accidently kills the attacker, a teen aged boy from a neighboring working class area. The wreckage that results from this event soon takes a toll.

First, there is the apparent re-appearance s of the Ophelia Killer, whose serial killings of teen aged boys 20 years earlier was the subject of Anna’s father’s investigation prior to his suicide. Next there are the bizarre e-mail messages Anna has been receiving, supposedly from the Ophelia Killer. Then there is the backlash brought on by the media frenzy over an inconsequential kiss shared with a married co-worker and her involvement with the brother of the boy she killed, finally, there is the local detective who theorizes that Anna may be an Ophelia “copycat”. Abandoned by co-workers, husband, friends and family Anna’s wretched personal life reaches a new low and her feelings of guilt about killing the boy are overwhelming.

Points of view in the narrative alternate between Anna and that of the killer who vicariously relives the past murders and gloats as the current body count grows. Incredulity is the name of the game as this tale unwinds toward its grim conclusion.

"It takes someone to kill a schoolboy, doesn't it?" Her gran was quiet. "I think that's why Leo hates me so much, he can see that darkness. It disgusts him."

'No Turning Back' by Tracy Buchanan is my first 5 star read of 2018 and Wow, was it worth the wait! It was EVERYTHING I love in a psychological thriller; Terrifying, fast paced, thought provoking, twisted and utterly jaw to the floor gob smacking.

Anna Graves is a successful radio host who has recently split with her husband but she still leads an exceptionally good life with great friends and family. The apple of her eye being her gorgeous, infant daughter Joni.

Anna's father tragically took his own life when she was 11 years old at their family lighthouse. She walks along the beach every day to be close to her father and to let him know that she is doing ok, but one day this walk takes a tragic turn for the worst. Out of nowhere comes a deranged, 15 year old boy with a knife. He is going straight for Anna and her daughter Joni. He aims for Anna's face with the knife and slashes her cheek. Then he goes for Joni. Anna's motherly instincts kick in and she knows she has to defend her daughter at all costs. She has a tail comb in her bag and before she knows it the 15 year old school boy is dead. Self defence right?

The death of a local school boy starts a media frenzy and skeletons from Anna's closet start being revealed which makes people question if it was self defence or if she has had an underlying darkness within all along, but it doesn't stop there. More bodies start showing up. More young boys. The same happened 20 years ago and the murdered was never caught. Could Anna be responsible for all these deaths, is she a copycat or does it have nothing to do with her at all?

If you love thrillers. You need to read this! Thank you to Crooked Lane House and Netgalley was a free ARC in return for an honest review.

Loved the setting of this book. Nice British seaside, completely idyllic until the bare underbelly is exposed. Anna seems to be a typical self centered talk show host (chat show, as they call it in the UK). She's all about taking care of her daughter but not about taking care of her husband, mother or brother. The convoluted plot spans several generations of her family and it seems that she is going crazy. But overall, I enjoyed the book wondering how unbelievable the author could make the next plot twist.

Anna is walking with her baby daughter when she is approached by a teenager holding a knife. He mutters something to her, then lunges. In an effort to defend her own life, and the life of her child, Anna kills the boy. His family is understandably not too happy about that, though public sentiment is largely on Anna's side. But, when some dirty little secrets are leaked, she becomes something of a pariah. To make matters worse, Anna has started receiving emails from a serial killer who was never caught, and who abruptly stopped all activity twenty years ago . . . the same time Anna's father took his own life.

I really had trouble suspending my disbelief with this one - the whole thing seemed wildly implausible, and riddled with too much coincidence. I tried to quiet that little voice inside that kept saying "Yeah, right. Uh-huh. I'll bet," but to no avail - I just couldn't buy it. On the plus side, it was intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages . . . until that over-the-top ending. Then it lost a star.

Wow!! This is definitely a compelling psychological thriller!! A must read!!!

Newly divorced Anna Graves instinctively reacts to protect her baby girl when they are attacked on the beach by a crazed teenager. But her life begins to fall apart when the teen dies from his injuries. The police believe Anna’s story, until the autopsy results reveal something more sinister.
A frenzied media attack sends Anna, a radio presenter, into a spiral of self-doubt.
Further complicating matters, the boy she killed is linked to a serial killer, known as The Ophelia Killer (TOK). Even though the killer hasn’t murdered anyone in 20 years, he appears to be back and taunting Anna.
Anna has a personal connection to the TOK. This is the same serial killer that was being investigated by her father before his suicide. Anna begins her own investigation into TOK & she uncovers dark family secrets that place her in danger.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

A fantastic read. Tracey Buchanan is quickly becoming a favorite. What an interesting twist of a story. As parents, it comes naturally to defend our children. In this story, defending your child is not so simple. A teenage boy loses his life while the mother is defending your young child. The events leading up to this and the events that take place after are all very interesting reads. How do you deal with killing someone, even in self-defense?!? Worse, how do you deal with killing a child unable to control their actions because of being poisoned? There is so much more to this story. A situation that is relatable with characters that are relatable. It's a quick read, one that will keep you turning the pages even when you know you should step away from the book and do other things. Fantastic story!

A riveting thriller that brings you to the heart of both a personal and cultural conflict. It is not just the tale of one woman's struggle with a life changing incident but also shines a light on how society views women who are accused of crimes. This book convincingly portrays the huge emotional upheaval and trauma that comes from being vilified by the press. It is at turns painful and poignant.

Tracy Buchanan absolutely kept the promise of the premise with this psychological thriller. Her concept was thought provoking and her novel well conceived and written. I think what I appreciated most was that the action in No Turning Back began in the first pages and though events were a bit predictable, carried through the book. I think it was because I truly connected to the heroine that I kept reading late into the night to see what happened. The settings are beautifully detailed, the character portraits layered, and the dialogue appropriate to character and situation. I will definitely read more form Tracy Buchanan.

No Turning Back is a multi-layered crime mystery that packs a punch and has you wanting to keep turning the pages. The book starts out with Anna Graves, a new single mom who has recently gone back to work. She has taken her daughter to the beach and is attacked by a young man who has a knife. She defends herself and her baby and the attacker dies from the confrontation. This story becomes very complicated from this point There are 3 generations of Anna's family that are involved in the story. They all have deep dark secrets that eventually come to light. This is a great mystery which keeps you reading! I would highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first novel by Tracy Buchanan but it definitely will not be my last. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish and have already recommended it to friends

Ana is a new mother, a newly separated wife and is trying to keep it all together. She is a radio presenter and is just returning to work. Could life get more stressful for Ana? To take a break she takes a stroll when a chain of events start happening. She is being attacked! She must protect her baby. She doesn't question her reaction. Then the story takes a turn. What has Ana done? What are the police saying? What is the media saying? What about the family of the boy who attacked her? The story takes so many unexpected twists and turns. I am rating it at three stars only because I had a hard time bonding with Ana the main character. The story was well written and definitely keeps your attention all through the book. A definite summer read.

Serial killers are prolific in current fiction, so it's hard to write about one without falling into the trap of being like all the others. This author manages to find a unique view point - a single mom becoming the lead suspect and fighting to clear herself even as the killer seeks to draw her closer. The twists are plentiful and the action swift enough to keep the readers' interest. All in all a great beach read for lazy summer days.

No Turning Back is a fast paced thriller. Anna Graves is a radio celebrity who is a mother of an eight month old who is the center of her world. Anna is divorcing so she is sharing custody of her daughter. One day Anna and her daughter are walking on the beach and a teen approaches her and attempts to harm her and her daughter. The boy has a knife so Anna defends herself and kills the teen. The initial reaction from the family of the slain teen is anger. Soon the boys brother, Jamie, begins to see that Anna was only protecting her child.

Anna begins to receive emails from a person claiming to be the notorious Ophelia Killer. The Ophelia killer plagued their community twenty years ago killing young boys and then decorating them with flowers. The emails are taunting and disturbing to Anna. Soon things seem to get really bad for Anna. Mistakes she has made gets leaked to the press. Soon the public opinion of her becomes bad and people begin to accuse her of killing the teen on purpose. Everything Anna does seems to turn bad. The only person that sticks by Anna is Jamie. He and Anna partner up to try and solve who is responsible for the emails and the recent killing that are once again plaguing the community. Everywhere you turn in No Turning Back there are twists and turns. Anna seems to be able to do nothing right. The police are just waiting to charge her and the public is pitted against her. But when the case if finally solved, it is a bomb shell you did not see coming.

No Turning Back really keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is well written and the characters are likable.

No Turning Back by Tracy Buchanan is the perfect beach read. I instantly found myself so wound up in the story that I did not want to put it down. Ms. Buchanan kept the suspense going throughout. As a mother, I was able to easily relate to Anna’s consuming need to protect her child…but at what cost does Anna provide this protection? No Turning Back is fantastically written and I cannot wait to read other books by this author. If you enjoy psychological suspense and mystery books, this book will give you just what you’re looking for. So.Many.Twists!

I couldn’t finish this book, I like the author’s writing and have enjoyed many of their books before but this one wasn’t one I could get into. I will try again when the author’s next book is released as I am a fan of theirs.