Free ARC from Net Galley

Feedback from or on Jeff Abbott is always easy. From his first book until this one simply read everything he writes. Great story lines and pacing a modern twist on family and the lengths we would go to protect that family. Bravo Mr. Abbott

The Pollitt family live in an upscale suburb of Austin, Texas. Parents Iris and Kyle have two children, Julia, their biological daughter, and Grant, an adopted son from Russia. When Julia and her friend, Ned discover Ned’s mother, Danielle, dead in the greenbelt within their community, each of the Pollitts begin behavior they think will protect the other members of the family. Danielle was an adoption consultant who helped Iris and Kyle bring Grant to the United States. Each family member is tugged in a different direction - anonymous emails, protection of an adopted child (a diary of the adoption is interspersed throughout), or making sure that friends are well. As each family member begins to suspect another one, “never ask me” becomes the operative phrase of what each will do to protect the family. A very confusing and convoluted story. I was reading on a tablet - and the book did not get interesting until I hit the 75% mark. Once the pieces started to fall into place, it was a good read, but it took way too long to get going. I only kept reading because I received an ARC from Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley and I felt I had to finish to give an honest review.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
I love Jeff Abbott's books - he always writes winners!
Danielle helps struggling parents adopt children - but is that all she does?
The Pollitts adopted Grant from Russia with much mystery.
Years later their son begins to receive mysterious messages telling him he's been told a lie. Who is sending these messages? What is the supposed lie? Who lied? His parents?
And suddenly Danielle is murdered - and there are many suspects- with dangerous secrets to be revealed.
You will want to grab this book for a captivating read!

This psychological thriller kept me turning the pages to get to the end as quickly as I could. Never could I have predicted what that ending would be. Many people in the neighborhood of Winding Creek were hiding secrets!

I like Jeff Abbott's books a lot and this one didn't disappoint.

Convoluted but good. The body of Danielle Roberts is found by her son and his friend dead on a park bench. The Pollitt's live nearby. Danielle was instrumental in handling the adoption of their son Grant from Russia. Something is going on with Kyle Pollitt, the dad. Were they having an affair? Grant starts getting strange emails. He asks Danielle's boyfriends son to help him figure out where the emails are coming from.

What I really liked about the book is the way it was told. Straight narrative, Iris Pollitt's journal of the adoption and the reporter who is following the case.

This is a hard book to review because of all the characters and how convoluted it is but I liked it.

Wow. I was hooked on this book from the first chapter! The plot follows a family whose neighbor was discovered murdered in their neighborhood. It is told through several viewpoints. In addition to the viewpoints of the family members, there are chapters written as a transcript from police interviews, an excerpt from a tv show, and excerpts from a book that was written about the ordeal. It was so exciting and personal. You really felt a lot of empathy for these characters. I have not read anything by this author before, but I will certainly check out the rest of his work!

What an excellent book. Features a strong cast of characters, believable characters, that carry on in spite of their pasts. I liked that it showed the flaws in each of these characters but also the love they held for those close to them. Iris is a brave, strong woman who doesn't always get it right but loves her children. The author is a great storyteller and writes using vivid descriptions of his characters, and events. I appreciate that he writes about a strong woman who is protecting her children at any cost. Looking forward to more of these thrillers by this author, Abbott knows how to hold the reader's attention. Each chapter gives just enough information to leave the reader eager for more. The result is a complex story intricately woven and expertly paced—a page turner from start to finish.

Never Ask Me by Jeff Abbott is a magnificent suspense novel that will have you staying up all night to read. There is a perfect neighborhood with a wonderful community and everything is amazing until the body of a woman is found in the park. This murder sends shock waves through the town and slowly things in this perfect place begin to unravel. Its easy to imagine this happening in real life in any of the small towns across America.

Synopsis:

In a quiet neighborhood in the wealthy Austin suburb of Lakehaven, the body of Danielle Roberts is discovered on a park bench. Danielle was a beloved member of the community, an adoption consultant who delivered the joy of parenthood to a number of local families. Her murder shocks Lakehaven.

Perhaps no other family is as crushed as the Pollitts, who lived two houses down from Danielle and thought of her almost like family. Her death becomes the catalyst for a maelstrom of suspicion and intrigue. You have been told a huge lie, an anonymous email charges the son, Grant. No one can learn the truth now, thinks the father, Kyle. Never ask me what I’d do to protect my family, resolves the wife, Iris. I’ll do whatever it takes to save him, vows the daughter, Julia, of Danielle’s grieving teenage son.

The Pollitts always thought they’d always be there for each other. When each begins to suspect the others of the unimaginable, the strength of their bonds will be tested in extraordinary new ways. The latest from New York Times bestselling author Jeff Abbott is his most suspenseful thriller yet: a riveting tale of the dangerous secrets one family has concealed — and what happens when the question each Pollitt hoped they’d never be asked threatens to expose their darkest truths.

There are twists and turns and darkness and secrets between the pages of this book. Fans of suspense and mysteries will want to be sure to grab this when it comes out next month.

This comes out on July 14, pre-order here!

I am always biased when a thriller is written about Austin after living there. I also really enjoy Jeff Abbott's writing style and interesting storylines and this one does not disappoint. Life in this well off suburb outside of Austin is wonderful - the neighborhood is safe, the schools are great, the people are smart and ambitious as is their children - perfect right? Until one day when two teens on a morning walk through the park and one finds his dead mom. Suddenly, strange behavior affects the community and secrets begin to emerge about the dead woman and her neighbors. Twisty, intense and perfect for summer. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

A quiet suburb is thrown into chaos when a neighbor is found murdered. The murdered woman was an adoption consultant who helped families adopt from foreign countries.
The ripples through the community reveal secrets and lies. Why was she murdered, what secrets was she hiding. There were a lot of twists and turns in this book that will keep you guessing. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

A couple who are living the perfect life finds their past catch up after the death of a neighbor. When the body of Danielle is found in their exclusive neighborhood, The Politt family wants to believe it has nothing to do with them. But soon each of them is targetted. Father Kyle is beaten by a stranger after disposing of some evidence. Son Grant gets some mysterious emails and packages indictating that his parents have lied about his adoption. Daughter Julia tries to help the dead woman's son, and is pulled into a drug deal. And mother Iris just wants to protect her whole family as they seem to be soon fighting murder charges. Is someone trying to set them up? What does this have to do with Grant's adoption? There's twists, turns, national intrigue and more in this thriller.