This was a fast-paced read and the premise was interesting enough, I found the main character easy to relate to. However, I think there was too much of the whole "you killed someone, Anna!" and the police were acting in a completely unrealistic way.

Everyone raved about the twist, so I thought about the most improbable outcome... and it was exactly that. I didn't think it was believable, but I think I would've enjoyed it more if I hadn't read any previous reviews. I'm afraid this wasn't for me, but I'd love to try another book by the author, as the beginning and the premise did catch my attention.

Anna Graves is the co-presenter with Nathan Wheeler of a very popular morning radio phone-in show. She’s only recently returned to the station after some momentous changes in her life; the birth of her daughter, Joni, and her divorce from Guy just three months after Joni’s birth.

Anna is starting to settle into working life and being a single mother when she is confronted by a young boy who comes towards her, looking wild and wielding a knife. The only thing she can find to defend herself is her hair comb. As the boy lunges at her, she stabs him in the throat and he dies.

There were witnesses who testified that she had no option but to defend herself, so she’s not charged and the police record it as an act of defence. She hopes that this will be the end of it. Unfortunately, it’s only the beginning as she starts to receive threatening emails from someone claiming to be The Ophelia Killer. But how is this possible? The last killing occurred shortly before her father committed suicide. This raises all sorts of questions; where has the killer been hiding all these years? Is it a copycat killing? But the most important question is why is she being targeted by this person?

Tracy Buchanan has crafted an extremely clever plot filled with very interesting characters. I can’t say that I particularly liked Anna, but thought her grandmother was a loving and caring person. Her brother is overbearing and mother weak. There is a reason I’m saying all this because the killer, when finally identified, was a huge shock.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

4 stars
This was a very good mystery, set in the south of England. It opens with a flashback to someone badly hurt and the narrator refusing to help. It is the first murder. But there is a gap of twenty years between the first set of murders and the second set. The first set is by someone called "The Ophelia Killer." The killer was never caught and when the murders start up again, panic grips the community.
One suspect is Anna Graves, who kills a young boy who attacked her and her baby. There are other suspects and I was not really sure who the killer was until near the end.
The narration goes back and forth between the killer and Anna, as Anna tries to clear her name with an unlikely ally, the brother of the boy that she killed. Anna receives emails from the killer, which frighten and sicken her. I thought that the ending worked very well.
I recommend it to British mystery fans.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book.

I couldn't put this down, but it turned out to be your typical mystery / thriller. It would have gotten more than three stars if the ending was more believable, but I had a really hard time taking it. I was also annoyed by Anna (and Jamie) the entire book. She was supposedly this strong gravelly-voiced radio personality, but I saw barely any of that. Those things made this just your average thriller but the suspense was built effectively to the point that I finished this in a day. I will look for more from this author for sure.

Recently split from her husband, Anna Graves takes her daughter out for a normal walk on the beach. A confrontation with a crazed teen ends in Anna killing him to protect her child. Innocent until (media) proven guilty, she mentally starts to lose it. A serial killer lain dormant for two decades, shows up again, taunting her. As more death piles up, the coincidences to her presence make her the prime suspect. Her friends, the police, even her family, start to question her. Her only ally? The brother of the kid she killed. But can she truly trust him? And is the "Ophelia Killer" back?

A true thriller encompassing the question of how far someone would go to protect their own. Fast paced, easy to follow and seen through Anna's perspective for most of the book, we see the emotional toll each horrible instance takes on Anna. There are a few flashback scenes that come into play, but they're so intermittently put in that I actually forget about them until they pop up again. I had a hard time comprehending death by red, long toothed comb. And while I didn't expect that ending, I needed some more. Give me more background in the flashbacks. Really tie it all in so I get a better understanding of where it all came from. That being said, it's a dark, twisted ride that any lover of thrillers will enjoy. 3.5 stars!

A very twisted psychological thriller! This novel will keep the reader wondering what is going on to the very end. Some things were a bit far fetched and the local police were totally incapable of solving anything. Anna's brother was such a jerk through the whole story which made me curious about why but no explanation was offered. The ending was shocking which is always a plus with a thriller. Highly recommended!
..

A well written thriller with an interesting character in Anna- lots of contradictions here. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Buchanan is a pretty reliable writer with a smooth style and a good sense of plot; this was yet another book of her I enjoyed. Recommend this for a good, quick read that will keep you guessing!

This book tells the story of Anna Graves, a mother who is confronted with a mother’s worst fear, a threat to the life of her child. Acting on instinct, she defends the lives of herself and her child, but unfortunately takes another life in the process. While at first people are supportive of her actions in protection of her daughter, as people dig more and more into the story they start to question whether or not they could really take someone’s life. And as every little secret in Anna’s closet is exposed, her actions are questioned as to whether they were really the product of instinctual protection or revenge. Then Anna starts receiving emails from the Ophelia Killer, a serial killer who hasn’t surface in the area in 20 years. She wonders why she’s being targeted by this madman, and the police don’t take the emails seriously, thinking instead that Anna’s behind it all. And so her only hope is to solve the mystery with the help of Jamie, the brother of the boys she murdered, and not only clear her name but hopefully stop the threat on her life.
Overall I really liked this book. It got a little repetitive, with how ostracized Anna became and how much everyone hated her. It got almost to the point where it was just so frustrating to hear about how badly Anna was still being treated. Other than that though, the plot line was pretty good. The whole book the author is leading you in one direction and making you think you know who the real killer is, but its not anyone you would have ever guessed. I thought I knew for who it was and I was wrong. This was a make you look over your shoulder kind of creepy read, which sounds bad but really was great. I was finishing it late last night and I had trouble going to sleep afterwards. I would definitely recommend this one, I think it will be a great summer read!

It all begins when Anna Graves takes her baby, Joni, on a trip to the beach. There, they are confronted by some boys who seem to be menacing them. One boy in particular is behaving very strangely and lunges towards them. In order to protect her baby, Anna pulls a comb out of her purse to use as a weapon. He falls on it and she accidentally kills him, leading to a world of troubles for her. At first she is seen as a hero, but when the autopsy comes back, there are some shocking revelations and public opinion turns against her.
This was a clever mystery. I was so intrigued that I drew diagrams, with lists of characters, and connections between them. I was sure, with enough careful consideration, I would be able to solve it. Nope. The solution came as a complete surprise, but once I thought about it, it made sense.
I recommend this book as an entertaining way to spend some time escaping from reality. If you like solving puzzles, you will enjoy this. A fun read.

This book is crazy with plot twists. First of all, Anna thinks a group of teenagers on the beach is after her and her baby as they start towards them and she runs from them only to find out they just want to return something she has dropped. Then next another teenager comes towards her and her baby mumbling something while swing a knife at her. He accidentally stumbles into her comb neck first and dies gaining her newsworthy attention as to whether she is either a murderess or a victim. Then the parents of the boy are out to get her. The next thing you know the brother of the boy is trying to help her figure out what happened and why the boy seemed incoherent and why he was poisoned.

Next, it seems a serial killer who poisoned his victims over 20 years ago, but suddenly stopped seems to have started again is up to his tricks again and is after young teenage boys again. And all the victims seem to have something in common with Anna.

And the ending will absolutely blow your mind.

This is definitely one that I whipped through. I could not read the pages fast enough. These boys were dying left and right. I could not fathom that Anna would become friends with the brother of the boy that she killed. I was screaming at her and asking her if she was stupid or what. And her brother, I just so wanted to slap him. And her mother, I did not know what was up with her. She was buried so deep down inside of herself, she was definitely hiding something. I had to know what was going on with these characters. I could not find out fast enough.

I want to shout out a huge thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley for the privilege and of their providing me with a free e-galley in order that I might read and give an honest and unbiased review.

Radio personality with baby. Separated from father. Embroiled in murder that is linked to her past. Finds out some disturbing things, but discovers some good things along the way.

While the premise of this book was quite interesting, the successive plot was wrapped up in a way that relied a lot on believing a coincidence that I just couldn't buy.

I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. I enjoyed the sentiment behind how passionate Anna was as a mother, but I felt like she wasn't well developed as a character otherwise. She's got a career as a radio presenter, but she has to take a lot of time off. This isn't her fault, but it takes away a lot of her interest.

I will definitely say that I was surprised by the ultimate end; I did not see it coming at all. But I was surprised and I didn't really buy it because it didn't fit in with anything I'd read to that point. It was a unique ending, but not one I was particularly pleased by.

I guess I just feel like the police should have handled this one. Anna wasn't the one investigating. The novel focused on how the events affected her, but I just didn't really care. I wanted to be in the action.

This is worth a shot, but it was sadly not my cup of tea. It took me forever to read it because I kept getting distracted by more engaging books.

I had to almost turn the last page to get answers to this one, and then I was still surprised, oh my I never saw it coming.
A young mother, a broadcaster, a recent divorcee, a daughter, a sister, yes this is Anna Graves. As the story opens you feel like she has it all, a beautiful little one, and a fabulous job, but soon her world comes crashing down around her.
What is going on, and who is responsible, and now Anna is drawn right in, and it is almost like coming full circle as the cast of characters are presented. You are going to be guessing right to the end, and even then shaking your head.
Don’t quite know how I feel about the ending of this story, the author had us chasing after clues, but some times things are not what you think they are.
If you like suspense, and being frightened for the main character, than this is a read you don’t want to miss.
I received this book through Net Galley, and the Publisher Crooked Lane Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

I really liked this story of,a young mom who,is a radio news presenter just coming back to,work after having a baby. She and her husband have separated so,in addition to,the struggle of leaving her child, she's still dealing with the separation. Then she kills a boy who,comes at her with a knife and her life is turned even more upside down. This one has lovely connections to separation of classes and family loyalty and what causes the break up,of a marriage in addition to the amazing large surprise of,whodunit. I think Tracy Buchanan is awesome.

Tracy Buchanan’s No Turning Back is aptly named because once you get started reading this heart-pounding roller coaster ride of a novel, there’s no turning back and no putting this book down until you’ve made it through all the twists and turns that this story throws at you. If you like a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end, this book is for you.

Anna Graves is a popular local radio host who is just returning to work after maternity leave. She is also going through a divorce and so has a lot on her plate living the single mom life. As if she didn’t have enough drama in her life, one day while strolling along the beach with her infant daughter, Joni, she is accosted by a teenage boy with a knife. With no one around to help her, Anna desperately searches for something to protect herself and her child with. She finds a comb with a long, pointed handle and points it at the boy to fend off his attacks. He slices her face with his knife but then loses his footing and falls on the handle of the comb Anna is holding. It punctures his neck and he ultimately dies from the wound. Anna is of course horrified by what has happened since she was only trying to protect herself and Joni and didn’t mean to harm the boy.

At first, the police believe Anna’s story and deem the boy’s death an act of self-defense. But when the autopsy results reveal that he was poisoned shortly before his death, questions start to arise and the police start to question whether this was a straight case of self-defense or not. Public reaction is also mixed with some hailing Anna as a heroic mother, while others proclaim her to be a murderer. The media doesn’t help matters either, as they try to sensationalize the story from every angle, first seeming like they are on Anna’s side but then turning on her and trying to dig up anything they can to tarnish her reputation. Then Anna starts receiving taunting email messages from someone claiming to be The Ophelia Killer, a serial killer from 20 years ago who was never caught. The Ophelia Killer targeted teenage boys who looked like the boy Anna killed and used the same poison that was in Anna’s victim’s system. When another teenage boy goes missing, the story takes on a whole new level of creepy suspense. Is the original killer back? Or is it a copycat? Or is it just some sicko playing mind games with Anna?



LIKES

Anna Graves. I really liked Anna. I think being a mom myself, I found it very easy to put myself in her shoes while she was standing on that beach trying to do whatever it took to protect her infant daughter. I could also empathize with the challenges of being a new mom and trying to juggle that with a career. In all of these ways, she was a very relatable character. I also tend to root for the underdog in stories so when the media, the community, the police, her soon-to-be ex-husband, and even her so-called friends started turning on her and questioning her actions and her mental state, I found myself in her corner that much more.

The Suspense and the Plot Twists. Buchanan does a phenomenal job of weaving together an intricate mystery that will keep you guessing who the real killer is all the way to the end. Lots of dirty little secrets come to light throughout the course of the story, each of which seemed to lead either directly to Anna, much to her dismay, or else toward a suspect who could plausibly be The Ophelia Killer. I lost track of how many times I was sure I knew who was behind the murders only to end up being completely wrong.

The Portrayal of the Media. Even though I was not at all a fan of the media in this story, I thought Buchanan portrayed them in a very realistic manner, especially in terms of the power the media wields. With one positive or negative story, they can make or break a person’s reputation. And when tabloid style journalism gets in the mix, all bets are off as to how they’ll choose to cover a story. Any shocking headline that is guaranteed to get the public’s attention seems to be fair game. As we were given glimpses of some of the stories that were being written about Anna, all I could think of was a certain President running around yelling “Fake news! Fake news!”

The Big Question. What I really enjoyed about No Turning Back was that in addition to being a wildly entertaining mystery, it’s also a book that made me think. That big question that was out there from the early moments of the book – How far would you go to keep your children safe? Could you take a life? I bet it’s a question that stays on every reader’s mind, whether they have kids or not, long after they finish reading this story.

The Jaw Dropping Ending. I can’t say anything else about it without giving away the story, but just WOW! I didn’t see it coming at all and it blew my mind!



DISLIKES

Overall, I loved the novel but I did still have a couple of issues with it. The main one was that I didn’t like how the police were portrayed. While it made Anna’s journey that much more of a roller coaster ride to have it seem like even the police were out to get her, I just couldn’t imagine a police force conducting itself like the one in this book did. They didn’t really seem to care much about evidence or about Anna’s safety when she was receiving threats from the dead boy’s family. They had little to no interest in finding evidence that would exonerate Anna. Instead, they seemed to look at everything only insofar as to see how they could use it to prove Anna was guilty.

The other aspect of the novel that bothered me was that some events just didn’t seem plausible, the biggest one being right at the beginning of the novel when the boy falls on Anna’s comb and gets fatally stabbed in the neck. What are the odds of that actually happening? I think it would have made for an even more compelling story than it already was to have Anna make a conscious choice to stab him in self-defense rather than having it be more like a freak accident.





FINAL THOUGHTS?

If you like a good mystery that will keep you guessing up until the final pages, I’d highly recommend No Turning Back. With all of the twists and turns this plot has to offer, there’s never a dull moment!



RATING: 3.5 STARS

I'd probably give this 3 1/2 stars (rounded up to 4). I was originally give it 3 stars but it really picked up near the end and was not expecting the twist at the end!

The first line of the synopsis really sets the reader up for this book - "You’d kill to protect your child – wouldn’t you?". I think most people would said that yes they would to protect a child, spouse, etc if the situation warranted that drastic of an action. But how would you feel and act and react in the months following? Probably a lot like our main character Anna. She feels guilty about the situation and honestly didn't mean to kill the teen that appeared to be attacking them and acting crazy. How was she to know that there was more to the situation than meets the eye?

What follows in the rest of the book is Anna dealing with her guilt, trying to figure out why the teen was crazy, trying to protect her child, and investigating these deaths and are were the deaths perpetrated by The Ophelia Killer (TOK) from 20 years ago that her father was investigating for an article?

The first 2/3 of the book fill in a lot of details and history is explained somewhat of the TOK but to me were a bit slow. Plus most of the chapters were really really long (personal preference is to stop at a chapter and was sometimes hard in this book). I also didn't understand how a comb could kill a person even if they fell on it because that would have to be a lot of force for a comb to penetrate the skin (assuming plastic comb vs metal).

There are many characters to not like and a few red herrings mixed in to get you thinking that someone was behind all this that wasn't really. I felt for Anna because of all the negative press she was receiving and how everyone painted her in a bad light and made assumptions that just weren't true. Most of that was tied to the media and the stories they reported. Not too surprising considering what we see in the media today.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Can you say TWISTS? – This book is full of them.

Anna Graves’s finishes up her 8 month maternity leave to return to work as a radio talk show host. Separated from her husband she is trying to find the balance between work and home. While taking her daughter for a walk on the beach a young man attacks her with a knife. She does everything she can to protect her child and herself, fatally injuring her assailant. She is cleared by the police, it was clearly self defense. Until the autopsy shows there is more to the story. They bring her back in for more questions. The press hounds her everywhere she goes. She is forced to take another leave from work. Then she receives a terrifying email from the “Ophelia Killer”. A serial killer that has been heard from for 20 years…since her father took his own life. Hang on tight this is just the start of the story…

The story is told alternatively between Anna and the killer making for a spine chilling read. When Anna receives emails from the killer she tries to stave off another killing but she ends up finding the body which makes her even more of a suspect. The police were mind blowing in the way they twisted logic to focus more on her and disregard any thing she tried to tell them. She puts herself at risk from the first page to almost the very last.

The characters in this story are very unique. Anna and her grandmother are close because her mother had an emotional breakdown after her father’s suicide. Her brother is strange in his behavior and manner. He and Anna are not close. We see the darker side of the area, the docks, and those who live in the area. The young man who attacked Anna lived there. Anna’s work at the radio station brings in some notable characters too.

The plot was very complex and full of red herrings. Each chapter seemed to have a new twist pointing at another person who could be the killer. It was impossible to put this book down. I stayed up late trying finish but my body shut me down at about 70%. I couldn’t wait to get back to it and rushed to it as soon as the work day was done. At the end I just said WOW! This book took my breathe away.

The only thing in the story that gave me pause was the implement Anna used to defend herself and kill the teenager. The story calls it a comb. I went to a British dictionary to see if it was different from what we Americans call a comb. I didn’t find any difference but I am thinking it was the type of comb used to hold hair in place not one used to get out snarls. I think had it been made of metal those tines could be quite sharp.

This book marks the author’s US debut and is an author to watch. No Turning Back is a compelling psychological thriller and I give it more than 5 stars! My Paradise Rating! It kept me up the first night reading it and the second night thinking about the story I read.

Easy to read and enjoyable, this is one I'd pick to take with me to the beach or on vacation. It's got enough of the chill factor to keep me near the edge of my chair without scaring me out of my wits. Recently separated from her husband and with a small daughter named Joni, Anna Graves has just returned to her successful call-in radio show after several months on maternity leave. She gets along well with her much-loved co-star, Nathan Wheeler, but less so with her new producer, Heather. But all things considered - which includes a psychologically troubled, off-putting mother and a father who committed suicide - Anna is getting it together.

That is, until it comes apart in a dramatic way. One day as she's walking on the beach with Joni, a teenage boy runs toward them with what Anna believes is clear intent to harm her and/or her daughter. Anna pulls a wicked-looking comb from her purse and, in the tussle that ensues, the boy is stabbed with it and dies. The police, and for the most part, Anna's family and friends, believe she acted in self-defense; the family and friends of the victim - who live on the "other side of the tracks" near the docks - believe otherwise.

For the most part, Anna is coping; but then, new details about the boy's death are revealed, followed by text messages she receives from someone who claims to be the "Ophelia Killer" who murdered seven boys in the town some two decades ago. That person, who seemingly was content to stop at seven, was never identified. In fact, Anna's late father, a journalist, was working on the case when he died. Could it be that he or she is back? And could Anna and her daughter be in danger? In trying to sort things out, Anna strikes up a relationship with an unlikely person - one who may or may not be on her side.

Toward the end, the action begins to heat up, as new details come to light that lead to the killer's identity (I suspected who was involved, but wasn't sure exactly how). And I never really warmed up to Anna despite all that was happening to her; some of what happened stretched the limits of my believability, and further, when heroes and heroines do things that are just plain dumb (the movie version is the scared-silly female being chased by a monster who heads not for a crowded street corner but rather into a dark alley), my sympathy factor drops to zero. All in all, though, this is a very good book - and I thank the author and publisher (via NetGalley) for providing me with an advance copy to read and review.

This was a truly compelling thriller that had me intrigued from the very beginning, especially given my fascination with reading anything serial killer related. I was also really intrigued by the idea of Anna's profession as a radio producer and how that would play into the story. I kept picturing a character like Roz from Frasier, but ultimately, the main focus is definitely on the backlash Anna receives from the media and the dark and vicious side of its scrutiny even towards one of its own.

The many twists and turns throughout the story make it incredibly difficult for both you as the reader and Anna to trust anyone or predict where the story is going to go. As an unreliable narrator, Anna can't even be trusted because she is filled with so much self-doubt and questions everything about herself, her own actions, and the past. Not to mention that almost everyone has secrets of their own that once exposed only add more layers of suspicion and distrust to what Anna thinks she knows and what readers should believe. This sense of unknowing is even more enhanced by the fact that while the vast majority of the story is told from Anna's perspective, there are small glimpses from the killer's perspective that provide details about the murders, but nothing in the way of clues that could lead you towards figuring out or even preparing for the big reveal. I never saw the ending coming and it was certainly different than anything else I've read in thrillers!

I really enjoyed how the author was able to pair the seemingly disparate types of killings, self-defense and serial murder, into a story that attempts to put them on the same level, especially in terms of how reactions are shaped depending on what information is revealed or kept hidden. One minute Anna is hailed as a hero, only in the next to be pursued as a pariah. There were many times that I was left speechless by the response of some within Anna's family to how she handled the situation in protecting her daughter, as though she was no better than the serial killer preying on the community. This aspect really heightened the storytelling and made it impossible to put down!

This was my first experience reading one of Tracy Buchanan's novels and I am definitely excited to check out her others! Thoroughly entertaining and hard to forget, this is a book you shouldn't miss!

What an interesting premise for a book! Being a mother of four and grandmother of five I would most certainly try to protect any little one that I thought was in danger, with whatever I had available to me.

That is what happens to Anna Graves, a popular radio announcer in the coastal town of Ridgmont. She is just getting back to work from maternity leave and is walking her daughter Joni in her stroller along a familiar path. Anna has lived in this town her entire life and her father used to work at the lighthouse where she is now walking. Suddenly she sees a young teenager approaching her quickly with what looks like a knife. There is another group of teenagers coming from the opposite side and Anna feels trapped. She scrounges in her purse and comes up with a comb which is all that she can think of to use as a weapon. The obsessed teen, Elliott Nunn, ends up losing his footing and falling onto the sharp part of the comb which pierces his neck. He ends up bleeding to death before help arrives. (I had a bit of a problem understanding how a comb could cause this much damage, but that’s probably just me).

Afterwards the town at first hails her as a hero and then later starts to pick apart her story. In particular the police department headed by Detective Morgan, is convinced that something else took place and sees Anna as a killer. As the story plays out Anna finds that she has an ally in Elliott’s brother Jamie, there is even a hint at a possible future romantic involvement.

At the same time as Anna is dealing with all of this she begins to get message from The Ophelia Killer, a very famous event in the town’s history when several young men were killed and the Killer left his signature on each of them, what that is I will leave for you all to find out. I should mention that the story is mostly told from Anna’s POV but there are some running thoughts from The Ophelia Killer that also are told at the beginning of some chapters, really creepy!

This book was definitely a quick read for me and I couldn’t decide how much I liked it. I felt that the original story was believable, the past killer messaging Anna was a very interesting touch. What I found unbelievable was the way that the police handled the situation. They would have to be incredibly inept to have no idea what is going on here.

That said, I enjoyed the book. The ending was very creative and I definitely did not see it coming, it was quite a surprise, I love to be surprised!!! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
Will also post to Amazon upon publication.