Last year, I read and enjoyed Steadman's debut novel, Something In The Water, so needless to say, I jumped at the chance to read her second book. Though the similar cover art suggests something of a tie to the first book, this is definitely a standalone (I guess the publisher just wants the two books to look nice together on your shelf!). I love a good amnesia story, so this one hooked me from the very beginning. The titular man, dubbed "Mr. Nobody" is found on a beach without any identity and no real memory - not of his name, his home or where he is from. In London, the other main narrator, is Dr. Emma Lewis, a neuropsychologist looking to specialize in cases just like Mr. Nobody's. So even though the location of his hospital brings back memories of her own deeply buried past, she agrees to leave London and take on this unusual case.

Steadman does a good job of slowly drawing out Emma's own secrets, as well as building up the mystery and hype of its central character. The plot definitely takes some unexpected turns and I really enjoyed reading this one. In a different time of year, I can see how this can easily be a one-sitting read! My only real complaint is the frequency of head-hopping in some chapters. That's a real pet peeve of mine as it's just so easily distracting and pulls me out of the action... but, otherwise, I definitely enjoyed this one and am looking forward to seeing what Steadman will write next!

Mr. Nobody is a fast-paced, addictive read filled with clever twists. A man is found on a beach who has no memory of who he is or how he got there. Neuropsychologist Dr. Emma Lewis, a specialist in memory loss, is hired to help the man. But why does he know things about Emma's past that nobody should know? Mr. Nobody is twisty and very well-written. Highly recommended to readers looking for a unique mystery that will keep them guessing.

This was tough - I liked the confidential nature of the story telling, like the reader is being told things they shouldn't know...but the pacing was slow and the big mystery was a fizzle. Not one part of any of it seemed believable.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mr. Nobody pulled me in right from the beginning. Instantly addictive and full of mystery, I devoured it in two days.

It begins with a man on a beach. He wakes up and realizes he remembers nothing about who he is, how he got there, or what his name is. Neuropsychologist Dr. Emma Lewis is asked to assess the man, first referred to as Mr. Nobody, then Matthew, the name given to him by one of the nurses. Emma is ecstatic for the opportunity to study Matthew but hesitant to return to the town she grew up in, and left fourteen years ago, following a tragic accident. As Emma gets to know Matthew better, she begins to suspect he knows more about her past than he is letting on, including the one thing nobody is supposed to know.

I flew through Mr. Nobody, developing theories as I went. I did not find it predictable at all, the ending threw me in a good way. It’s as good, if not better than, Catherine Steadman’s first book, Something in the Water. I highly recommend it to other thriller fans!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the review copy!

Mr. Nobody echoes the strengths of Catherine Steadman's debut novel, Something in the Water. The characters are well-developed and the reader accepts their flaws as it is a pleasure getting to know their stories. I enjoyed the gradual reveal, but I was disappointed that the threads of the story didn't hold true to the end. It is definitely worth a read for lovers of psychological thrillers, but keep your expectations in check to avoid disappointment.

This second novel will hold you hostage until the final page. Suspenseful, clever, and twisted. You will want this book the day it releases and you'll devour it in one sitting. This book kept me on the edge holding my breath for answers.

Thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC of Mr. Nobody, by Catherine Steadman. Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Emma Lewis is presented with a golden opportunity to advance her career when a man is found washed up on a British beach and doesn’t remember who he is or why he is there, which is her specialty. The only drawback is that she has left the beach town of her youth with so many secrets and a past she doesn’t care to revisit. She just can’t turn down the opportunity of a lifetime.........which might prove to be the end of her life. This book is a page-turner that keeps you guessing up to the end. Get ready to be intrigued, frightened, and, best of all, entertained!

A little too slow to start, a little to rushed at the end. I don’t think this is that bad of an offering, but in such a crowded genre it just doesn’t really stand out. The mystery of who Mr. Nobody is hangs over the first half of the book, with not much else going on. A secondary question, what happened in Emma Lewis’ past, is also present but feels inconsequential. It all definitely picks up later, with mixed results as to how satisfying this conclusion is.

I did like how much Catherine Steadman tried to explain the science behind the plot. I have no idea whether it was accurate or would hold up to scrutiny, but it at least sounded right enough to me. The eventual ‘big reveal’ was unexpected, but really stretches reality. Everything comes together because she’s decided it will, not because it makes sense. So much of the preliminary buildup was hinged on the two main characters, ‘Matthew’ and Emma, not meeting each other, and I think it threw off the pacing.

The memory loss and amnesia is pretty fun. One case that the book keeps referencing, The Piano Man, was an actual guy. The real person, Andreas Grassl, is kind of fascinating and I enjoyed reading up on him. Mr. Nobody could be a good beach book, but I wouldn’t call it a must-read.

***Spoilers starting now***
I really had a problem with the characterization of Zara, particularly paired off with Chris Poole, a police officer & her husband working on the same case. With the recent controversy around how Clint Eastwood decided to portray journalist Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) in the movie Richard Jewell as trading sex for a story, their relationship was all the more jarring. Zara doesn’t just bring up the case in passing to Chris, but goads and begs him to divulge confidential police information while performing some bizarre sex kitten act. The simultaneous infantilization of a grown woman, reducing her role in their relationship to cunning seductress and undermining both her own integrity & entire profession is pretty succinctly demonstrated here:
“‘I’ll make it worth your while.’ She pouts provocatively.” Ugh.

And after that HE WILLINGLY TELLS HER. But he gets to come off guilelessly, which is some bullshit. He should have been fired for gross negligence and she needed to be arrested for a whole mess of crimes. They served no real purpose to the plot besides annoying me profusely. I’ve decided to pretend they didn’t exist.***

A handsome man washes up on a beach in a charming coastal village in England. Dressed in wet tattered clothing, he has a bump on the back of his head and no identification in his pocket. Discovered by a passerby, the police are notified and he is quickly taken to a nearby hospital. With no memory of how he ended up on the beach and more importantly, no idea of his own name, Dr. Emma Lewis, eminent neuropsychiatrist is called in for the case. The man dubbed “Mr. Nobody” has remained mute until he meets Dr. Lewis and quietly mumbles her name. Eerily, it is her old name, one she hasn’t used in over fourteen years. It is difficult enough for Emma to be back in this town her family abandoned all those years ago, she can no longer ignore the impossible coincidences and slips of information Mr. Nobody whisperers. It is Emma’s job to solve this great mystery and to do so without the past repeating itself.

Creepy, really creepy. So much makes no sense that it makes your skin crawl. You know that something terrible happened fourteen years ago but Dr. Emma Lewis isn’t going to talk about that right now. Instead she is going to focus on her new patient who is found on a beach, soaking wet, with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Except he knows things that bring Dr. Lewis back to that point in time she is trying so hard to not to remember.

It has been said that people go into the field of psychiatry because of their need to work out their own “issues”. This book could be the poster child of that theory but that does nothing to distract from it being a really tense, tight, well crafted psychological thriller. Even with a few too many dangling participles and a bunch of unanswered questions it was a satisfying few hours. I admit to wondering about the naïveté of the protagonist and her ability to absorb platitudes as gospel that all will be well but the story moved forward at a brisk, only get up for a drink pace.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy.

I read the previous book by this author, Something in the Water and enjoyed it. I was curious as to what Steadman would do in her sophomore novel. She is still honing her craft but worth a try. The story is compelling and keeps you interested until about the final 20 - 25% of the book where she makes the classic mistake of a thriller writer. She tries to rush the ending and tie loose ends together in a clumsy way, making this book somewhat disappointing. I would still like to follow this author and see where she goes in the future. Her writing style is terrific, she just needs a bit of patience with her plot.
Thanks for the chance to read and review this early.
#MrNobody #Netgalley #BallantineBooks

This was too slow for my taste. I would definitely check out future books by this author but Mr. Nobody wasn't a great fit for me.

2.5 stars, rounded up
Catherine Steadman scored big with Something in the Water, although it wasn’t a particular favorite of mine. But I was still curious to see what she would do with her sophomore effort. The book opens with a man awakening on the beach, wounded, with only hazy memories. Among the missing memories are how he got there and what his name is. Dr. Emma Lewis is brought in to oversee his case. She wants to see if this is truly a fugue state, a case of Retrograde amnesia, the loss of all personal memories.

I’m not a big fan of books where the main character is privy to information that isn’t shared with the reader. Here, we quickly learn that something happened in Emma’s teen years that caused the family to move away and change their names. But we aren’t told what. It soon becomes apparent that Mr. Nobody knows what has happened as well.

Despite the irritation at the author’s little trick of misinformation, the book moves at a fast clip and kept my interest. The book is written so that Mr. Nobody’s sections are written in the third person and Emma’s in the first person. At times, it feels that she’s almost talking to the reader. It allows the author to slip in little psychological bits of knowledge, like defining blindsight. His sections bring you forward from the time he is discovered, hers don’t start until after he’s been in care for six days and she’s brought in to consult. So, there is initially a back and forth jostling in the time.

There are other characters which also kept my interest. In fact, my favorite part of the book was the drama between Chris and Zara and I wish their story had played a bigger part overall.

So, I was all happy with this book until about 80% in when it completely falls apart. The ending was so nonsensical that all my earlier happiness with this book just disappeared. Seriously, I would have graded the first part of the book 4 stars and the ending at 1.

My thanks t netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book/. I will admit that I was surprised by the twist at the end and it left me a little puzzled as to why the author chose to conclude her book in this manner. The characters were believable and the plot definitely pulls you in. I highly recommend this book to those who like her writing style.

Well wasn’t this an unexpected bit of fabulousness. I adored this story of missing memories, unexpected connections and compelling characters. Add in that totally delicious ending that just blew me away and you have a book that does not want to be put down.

I highly recommend this one to lovers of suspense, settings that are so creepy and characters that are very well written. I enjoyed this one completely

What a long winded novel. This book was very disappointing. The plot was extremely boring and I lost interest at several different parts in the story. I was not invested in any of the characters, I was especially disinterested in the main character. The story pace was slow and this made it almost unbearable to finish. Once I finally arrived at the end, I was more relieved that it was over, than wowed by the big reveal. I don't think after a few days I will remember any parts of this story, which is disappointing. Looking back on my review of her previous novel, "Something In the Water", I remember that I enjoyed certain plot points, but that it also had a slow pace. Perhaps this author is not for me. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed Catherine Steadman's previous book, "Something in the Water," but I think "Mr. Nobody" is even better! A man is found wandering on the beach, and he has no idea who he is or where he came from. Enter Dr. Emma Lewis, who has quite the history of her own. The way their stories are told, and the way in which this story ends--I never would have guessed! I can't wait for Ms. Steadman to write another book if they're going to keep getting better and better! Thanks to NetGalley for providing an e-copy of this book to read.

This book was a wild ride. As an avid thriller reader, it takes a lot for a book to surprise me, and I definitely didn't see this ending coming. The mystery of Matthew's true identity and Emma's past kept me enthralled throughout the story, and I thought the final tie-in was great. However, I felt some of the story was hard to keep up with, perhaps because of all the psychological jargon and discussion of fugue, memory, brain anatomy, etc. Overall, an entertaining read that will keep you guessing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader copy of this book!

A man (Mr. Nobody) is found on the beach with no memory of who he is. Emma is brought in to see if her medical knowledge can help him. They are both hiding things from their past. How does Mr. Nobody know Emma's real name? And is he faking his amnesia or is there a scientific reason for his memory loss? This is a good mystery.

4-5 stars! This book is one I originally did not think I would enjoy, but after trying another day, was finally grabbed and able to enjoy it greatly. I thought it was well written, intriguing, original, and quite shocking. I look forward to more by this author, as I do think she knows how to tell a story, especially thrillers.
Will make sure I buzz it up!