I have mixed feelings about this book! I liked the plotline and the characters, but I wanted more thrill in the content. The writing was ok. There were parts that were intense and I got lost in the book and other times when I skipped over paragraphs because it was irrelevant descriptions that stalled the progression of the story. The characters were the best part of the book. There were ex-cons, a shady uncle, murderers, psychopaths, obsessive girlfriend, an English teacher, and one lovable dog. The characters were what made the book so interesting. Even though I didn't fully enjoy the book, I would still recommend this book to readers that like a good action story.
Warning: There is a lot of language in this book! There is also mention of sex, rape, drugs, sexting, and issues of mental health.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was an intriguing read with memorable characters. The plot kept me guessing with many twists and turns along the way. I really enjoyed it.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

**I received an eARC of 'Never Turn Back' through NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, in exchange for an honest review**

'Never Turn Back' draws you in right from the start! Many emotions flow through the story, as Christopher Swann details Ethan's life. He's in a constant battle: trying to move past the demons from his past life, while his present predicament makes a point to rehash. He loves the women in his life (his sister and girlfriend), yet his ties with them are inextricably bound to the moment he yearns to forget.

Never Turn Back spirals through many twists and turns as Ethan struggles to make sense of his life. This story certainly kept me engaged to the final pages!

I recommend 'Never Turn Back' to those searching for a good thriller with layers of family connections. You will love this book!

Late one night, young Ethan Faulkner and his sister Susannah witness the murder of their parents who are trying to help a woman in need. Years later, Ethan is a successful teacher at a private school and his sister is still reeling from the events that took place that night. After a one night stand, Ethan finds his sister in his apartment and at the beginning of the next week his one night stand, Marisa, gets a job working with him as his substitute coteacher. He thinks he may have lucked out, but things soon go bad fast.

This book was a fast paced thriller that I had a difficult time putting down. The dual timeline between Ethan's childhood and the current time is well done, even when it takes place in the middle of the chapter. The characters are three dimensional and I really enjoyed the banter between a few of the main characters. If you like a good thriller this is definitely one to read!

My appreciation to Crooked Lane Books, Christopher Swann, and NetGalley for gifting me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a thrilling and exciting book with lots of suspenseful moments. A random attack by strangers has left Ethan and his sister orphaned and scarred. Now they are adults, but their past is back to haunt them. I really like the relationship between Ethan and his sister Susanna. They were both relatable characters in this fast-paced mystery.

Wow!! This book is explosive and definitely one of my better reads for 2020! Alot of suspense! Overall a fantastic book with fantastic characters!!

An intense story, with interesting characters and so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge throughout the book.
After a tragic loss and overcoming a hard past, Ethan is an adult now, a successful teacher on the lookout for a future and a girlfriend. But not everything goes as planned and after the breakup with Marisa, his life is turned upside down as his sister makes an appearance in his life, a murder is investigated and he’s the primary suspect.
The first part of the book was at a slower pace for my liking, even if it has many heartbreaking moments and shows how much Ethan changed and made good for himself. Now, the second part becomes more interesting and opens up a lot of secrets and hidden truths that change his life and future in moments.
It’s a story about life and overcoming tragedy as well as how many times the past never gets buried forever and it comes back to bite you when less expecting.
It was my first book by the author, but won’t be my last for sure

This was a super fast paced thriller that weaves together a domestic thrillers and a romantic suspense story extremely well. The characters were well done and the writing was strong and engaging. The only thing I didn't like was that the synopsis gives away a couple plot points and that leaves you waiting for them while you read. I think the book would be enjoyed best without reading the synopsis.

I'm not going to write a huge review of this book because anything would be a spoiler. But this book did not go where I expected it to go. The big reveal in the end, I thought of. But to get there, there's a twist in the middle, and that I didn't think of. It's a good twist. The book is very readable and is fast paced, and I wouldn't mind it being part of a series (particularly since there seems to be a set up for another mystery at the end of the book).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Years ago Ethan and his sister, Susannah, suffered a terrible tragedy. Ethan is now a successful teacher. He loves his job and his students. At a conference, he has what he thought was a one night stand, but when they meet again, the relationship blossoms. That is until things turn strange. Susannah has also shown back up in his life. Not the easiest to deal with, he does his best as he promised his father to take care of her. When the past collides with the future, things get really intense, really fast, and when someone turns up murdered, Ethan is the most likely suspect! Fast paced and hard to put down (although you might need to catch your breath in a couple places), Swann knows how to amp up the tension and suspense keeping the reader glued to the pages!

Ethan Faulkner is a schoolteacher who along with his sister, survived a violent home invasion that left their parents dead. He has tried to move on from his past, has entered a relationship with his co-worker, Marisa and his sister, Susannah is back in town and living with him. What could be better? How about not having everything in your life turned upside down? When a murder takes place, who is to blame?

If you think you have it figured out, you may find that you are wrong!

Christopher Swan has created this book with a few twists and turns. Like Ethan, the reader may wonder who can be trusted, why did someone turn on him, will he ever get answers, who is the killer, and will Ethan and his sister ever find peace?

Well written and interesting. Although I enjoyed this book, I was not as wowed as other reviewers. I would encourage you to read their reviews as well.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Edelweiss and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ethan loves his job as an AP English teacher at a private school in Atlanta, Georgia. He is away on a work conference when he meets a mysterious and attractive woman named Marisa, who he ends up having a one night stand with. When he returns home that morning, he discovers his sister, Susannah, has broken into his apartment and is planning on staying a while. However, Susannah’s sudden reappearance dredges up their traumatic past. Soon Ethan’s world is spinning into chaos as his job, relationships and safety are all thrown to the wolves. Who is lying to him about their intentions?

My number one recommendation for this one is go in BLIND. Don’t read the blurb, don’t read anything online. Follow my advice and I promise this short thriller will have you gripping the edge of your seat. Marisa and Susannah are executed perfectly - their character arcs are satisfactory and surprising. Swann’s novel sneaks up on you as you are just enjoying the mellow plot until things just go for a nose dive all of a sudden and you’re left grappling with the character development. This is a great read for fans of action/thrillers as I found it to be a great blend!

*4+ stars! I won't say much about the plot of Christopher Swann's new thriller because it would be easy to give too much away. (And you might want to avoid reading the publisher's synopsis for that same reason.) Just dive in and enjoy!

But I will say this thriller is enthralling from start to finish with well-developed characters and twisty situations that kept me on edge throughout. The timeline bounces between the present and the past where a shattering, life-changing crime takes place. The horrifying details of that crime are slowly revealed as the story unfolds, helping to explain why these damaged people act the way they do in the present.

Which brings me to the conclusion. I thought the twist ending was really nicely done. I didn't see it coming at all but found it to be totally believable considering the characters involved.

Ethan Faulkner and his sister Susannah suffered a horrific event in their childhood. Although his sister still suffers from trauma and mental illness, Ethan has managed to move on and create a stable life as a high school English teacher in a school that he loves. However, his life and career are suddenly thrown into disarray as his past collides with his present.

This is an enjoyable twisty tale of obsession and revenge. After a gentle start the pace ramps up and doesn't let go until the mysteries of Ethan and Susannah's past are laid bare. Well written with some great characters, both good and evil, and a delightful little dog.

Never Turn Back by Christopher Swann is a very highly recommended psychological thriller set in Atlanta.

Ethan Faulkner currently is an English teacher in a private school. He and his sister, Susannah, survived a tragedy in their past. When Ethan was thirteen and Susannah was ten they were both shot and their parents were killed in a home invasion. The two went to live with their uncle, their mother's brother, a man they had never met. Now Ethan avoids close relationships and his troubled sister always seems to be on the move. When Susannah comes back to stay with Ethan, he is at the beginning of a new relationship with a woman, Marisa Devereaux. They had a one night stand at a conference, but now she is a co-worker.

The whole plot takes on a creepy Fatal Attraction vibe, after it becomes obvious that Marisa is preoccupied with him and his story. She is obsessed with him and his sister, she has researched their story online, but why? She is also beginning to overstep boundaries and acting inappropriately, but when Ethan breaks up with her, she becomes weird and frightening. She begins to sabotage Ethan's life. Soon Ethan is being questioned about Marisa's death, but there is a whole lot going on behind the surface that the police don't know. His Uncle Gavin might be able to help him, because his Uncle is known to be able to fix problems.

This is an absolutely compelling, riveting, page-turning thriller that was so engrossing I kept reading it straight through to the end. The story itself, as I mentioned is based on a Fatal Attraction theme, but there is a whole lot more depth in the finely nuanced plot. There is more than simply one narrative thread in the plot and the complexities and depth of the plot is engaging and entertaining. That and the quality of the writing places this thriller above the norm and is what kept me reading. Swann has crafted a well-written and intriguing novel in Never Turn Back.

The characters are perfectly drawn and well-developed. The bond between brother and sister is believable. The subtle development of Marisa's obsession and malevolence is palatable. Adding an uncle who fixes things was just icing on the cake for me. I really enjoyed this thriller and relished the wide variety of well-developed characters Swann portrayed with perfection.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crooked Lane Books/ Penguin Random House.
After publication the review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

First off- no spoilers from me! Ethan and Susannah's parents were murdered when they were kids he's always blamed her in some ways for their deaths and she blames herself as well. They've dealt with it differently. She's got issues and he, despite this issues, has held it together to become a teacher. He thinks his life is on the up when he meets Marissa but oh no it's not. In fact, things start to get quite crazy. There's another murder and this time Ethan is a suspect but what role does Susannah play? Are the two murders linked and how? This is a well done page turner that twists back and forth on itself. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This would be a perfect travel book if we were doing that but it's also just fine as an armchair read.

Run-of-the-mill thriller story, but well written. Since I read a lot of these I found the ending a bit predictable, but still enjoyed reading this.

This is definitely a cinematic novel. It’s just one of those books that would be perfect for movie adaptation.
It’s an engaging story and the connectability of the characters is my favorite part. It’s fast-paced with a lot of action.
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When Ethan and his sister Susannah were children, their home was invaded, leaving them injured and their parents dead.
As adults, Susannah struggles with her mental health. Ethan rarely knows where she lives and doesn’t hear from her for extended periods of time. She has recently reappeared in his life.
Ethan is a beloved High School teacher. He meets a fellow teacher at a conference. She quickly insinuates herself into Ethan’s life. Her behavior evolves from exciting to disconcerting. She claims to know about his past.

Someone is murdered. Ethan becomes a suspect. He is in a race to find out what is going

There are many twists, turns, and surprises in this taut thriller by Christopher Swann. It combines some elements I traditionally like (mysterious murder, new but potentially suspicious love affair) with others I traditionally don’t (shadowy figures of the underworld, Mafia wiseguys with longtime grudges). But in this case, it all really worked for me. I agree with other reviewers that one particularly significant surprise is spoiled by the blurb, so try not to read it, and I won’t repeat it here. All you really need to know is that Ethan, whose sister Susannah has temporarily moved in, is still suffering from a past family tragedy when he meets a new and interesting femme fatale seemingly by chance.

The action moves at a fast clip and Swann has a suspenseful and interesting writing style. I was a bit disinterested in the wiseguy stuff but fortunately the book as a whole is about much more than that. There is an old murder mystery and a new murder mystery, and the two are potentially related. The author does a great job of tying the two together and making both stories equally suspenseful.

The ending was great - and despite one or two loose ends I still wonder about, I thought the book had a fast and involving pace and a very rewarding conclusion. I’m now very interested in checking out Swann’s first book. He is a suspense writer to watch!

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley and Christopher Swann for the ARC of this good thriller.

This was a very well written thriller with a fantastic twist ending that I loved. I also found that all the characters were well developed.

I will recommend. ✔️

I will not recommend.