From my blog: Always With a Book

Each summer I have come to look forward to having a new Hannah Mary KcKinnon thriller to read and let me just say I was definitely not disappointed with this latest one. How this sweet, kind lady manages to write such evil, devious characters I do not know, but this one is pure genius and I think it’s my new favorite!

One thing I love about McKinnon’s books is just how dark they are and this one takes the cake. Told completely from the villain’s point of view, I was all in! Lucas just gets under your skin and as much as you want to despise him for all that he has done – and believe me he does a lot that will have you strongly despising him – somehow, and I’m still questioning this – there were times I felt empathy for him. Yes, you read that right…I felt bad for this crazy sociopath but you have to read this book to find out why!

This book grabbed me from the start and I flew through it, unable to put it down until I finished it…and the twists were so perfectly played. While I had an inkling it was heading in that direction, I never saw it playing out the way it did and true to the darkness of the story, it really does come together just right.

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you love a good, dark thriller that just oozes with tension and a little dark humor, than this is definitely one to add to your summer reading list for sure. It’s one addictive, thrilling ride that will keep you flipping the pages.

Well my friends, McKinnon does it again! This is the fourth book I've read by this author and they just keep getting better!!

If it's wrong to root for a villian, then I don't want to be right...

Lucas Forester, what a character!!

Hires a hitman to take out his very wealthy wife. Has it all planned out, every single detail. Now to just sit back and wait for millions of dollars to fall into his lap...

HA! Are things ever really that simple?

This was a highly entertaining read. The ending was a bit ridiculous but I'm here for it!

Huge thank you to MIRA for my e-arc!

This book is all about Lucas Forrester and how he wanted more - and made certain he got it. To get his wife Michelle's fortunes, Lucas had to design a plan. All the while, as this book is delivered from his perspective, he watches his plan take place, fall into line, and slowly fall apart.

Lucas is brilliant - yes, he is quite sure because that is his opinion of himself. But, why the notes? Why the clue? One such note simply says: I KNOW. Who knows and how? He took a hit out on her. She is dead. He is sure of it. So, why can't he get away with it? In fact, he cannot figure out why he is being threatened and why he might possible have to give up precious money from the fortune he has been banking on.

Lucas is villian that you love to hate. You KNOW he is a bad guy, but, heck, he is funny. His expressions made me laugh out loud, making this intriguing book far from as dark as it could be, although we know he did something to his wife.

That ending though.... Yeah, that ending. Shocker of shockers, that is for certain.

Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please also enjoy my YouTube video review -

https://youtu.be/XpHPqjUZfAw

#FirstLine ~ The steady noise from the antique French carriage clock on the mantlepiece had somehow amplified itself, a rhythmic tick-tick, tick-tick, which usually went unnoticed.

Wow, this book was amazing. I was not sure what was going to happen or how it would end. It was intense and so well paced. What a rollercoaster. I will not soon forget this book. It would make an amazing book club pick!

” Good things happen to those those who make them happen… and than wait for the payoff. Mine was on its way. “

This was definitely a twisty one. This entire book is written in first person from Lucas’ POV which was fun since he’s the “villian” He was such an easy character to hate. I will say I had a hard time getting into the story… it was a little slower in the beginning but once the problems started happening it definitely picked up. I also found it hard to focus since there want much dialogue. Even though I saw the ending coming, the way Hannah wrote it was witty and super fun !! Loved it !! Definitely read if you loved Gone, Girl!!!

Thank you NetGalley, MIRA and Hannah Mary McKinnon for and advanced readers copy of this book !

Wow!

That about sums up my thoughts on this book! This book starts backwards and works it's way to the craziest ending ever!!!

Love her writing - but this is definitely her best! Can't wait till the next one!

Thank you to the publisher, MIRA Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Never Coming Home in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist
This is the third book I have read by McKinnon and even though they are all equally entertaining, Never Coming Home really blew it out of the park. Plainly stated, this is McKinnon’s best story yet.

The Details
Alright, we have an unreliable narrator, who is the only voice we hear throughout the entire story. Everything that is being said or done is seen through this narrator.

This creates the perfect basis for the mystery, because how can we truly and fully trust and believe this person, who so willingly admitted to having had his wife murdered?

We might think that because he is so open and honest with that little tidbit of information, we can take everything he says at face value. Or can we?

He establishes this image of himself and the people around him that suggest we should sympathize with him.

Don’t get me wrong. I love cheering for the anti-hero, but this had my “spidey” senses tingling very quickly.

The portrait he paints of his wife and the justification for getting rid of her, the other people in his life and his motivations all make sense in his mind. And it is extremely interesting to witness how this story unravels.

The writing is excellent and really puts the reader right beside the protagonist, almost looking over his shoulder. The setting is perfect with the colder weather, rain and moody atmosphere.

I wish I could gush a little more about Never Coming Home, but I’m afraid I might give something away that is imperative to the mystery that is this story.

The Verdict
Overall, I really enjoyed Never Coming Home. I am so impressed with the writing, the plot and the overall execution of this story. It is fast becoming one of my top reads of 2022.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery/thriller novels.

This story had me engaged from the very first line. I love how Lucas thinks he is so much smarter than everyone else. He has devised a way to get rid of Michelle and keep her money. He thinks he will get away with murder. Someone else has a better plan.

Just love it when the tables get turned and Lucas doesn't get what he wants. Lucas is one person you will love to hate in this book as he has no redeeming qualities.

Someone is leaving notes in the house, at his work, and messing with him but he can't figure out who it is.

HEHEHE! This thriller was so devilishly delectable I was completely blown away!

I despised the main character, Lucas Forester, and I couldn’t wait til he got what he deserved from the start. However, as the book carried on, I uncovered a real conscientious person under his thick layer of venom and disgust. Agh, who am I kidding lol, but for real this book keeps getting darker and darker as it continues.

Read this now if you love villainous characters in all shapes forms and sizes!

A winner of a book!

One month ago, Michelle Forester was abducted, leaving a distraught family and husband Lucas. Well, maybe not Lucas who orchestrated the whole thing flawlessly. He’s covered his tracks after having waited patiently for years to execute his plan and setting himself up to be unscathed. Her wealthy mother still has hope she’ll be returned but Lucas knows she’s never coming home. However! When he starts receiving some cryptic photos, he begins to worry that maybe the person he hired has decided to shake him down.

Well, now! I’ve got to welcome Lucas to my “villains you struggle not to like” club because as vile as his actions are, he manages to get under your skin and have you unconsciously rooting for him. Think You’s Joe Goldberg and For Your Own Good’s Teddy Crutcher. It’s an exclusive club because I don’t like people getting away with murder. Lucas is so very manipulative and calculating but hides behind a frankly wonderful facade as there’s a side of him that’s a bit honorable, though it’s teeny tiny. Michelle wasn’t the most likable of people (according to Lucas) but she didn’t deserve what he doled out, all for her luscious trust fund as the prenup left him no other options.

I’ve gotta say this is one of those times that you should treat yourself to the audio version if you can because the narrator had a lot to do with Lucas’ seduction of my sensibilities. His interpretation of the character was dead on and his voice just dripped with sarcasm and condescension. He was magnificent. But, the story itself is great in any format as it explores not only who’s messing with Lucas but steps back to provide lots of insight into his past and how he ended up this twisted. This isn’t the kind of mystery you can attempt to solve, more like one where you try to just figure out who it could be and who you can trust to be a reliable narrator. I had such a good time and the ending was absolutely delicious, worthy of what came before it. McKinnon has now moved into auto read space because this was so, so clever and I love clever. 4.5 stars

A Liar and A Con Man You Will Love to Hate

SUMMARY
Lucas can't wait to get his hands on his wife’s millions of dollars. His long-term plans for this are finally coming together. Michelle and Lucas have been married for three years. Now he has recently hired a hitman from the dark web to kidnap and murder his wife. He took every precaution to cover his tracks, and he deserves an Emmy for playing the grieving husband for Michelle's family and friends. He already has plans for all that money.

Michelle has been missing for weeks, when Lucas received a series of notes and photos of Michelle. Someone was playing him. Was his hitman going to blackmail him? Or could it be Travis, Michelle’s drug-addicted brother, staying in Lucas’s house? Whoever is sending these notes is escalating, and they are getting to him. He is running scared.

REVIEW
Never Coming Home is a tense but witty character-driven thriller. Lucas is the narrator in this clever tale of deception and duplicity. Author Hannah Mary McKinnon grabs the reader with a fait acompli. Lucas has had his wife killed. The only question left...is will he get away with it.

Lucas is a delightfully well-developed and intriguing character. You will love to hate him. He is deceptive and despicable, but he is also funny and relatable.
The ending was fabulous. Maybe not very realistic, but really fun and funny in a dark way.

Author Hannah Mary McKinnon does a great job writing Never Coming Home from a man’s perspective. Other titles she has written include You Will Remember Me (2021) and Dear Sister (2020). Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher MIRA
Published May 24, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Review of Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book was so refreshing. I loved the unique take and perspective from many thrillers. I sped through it fairly quickly considering how busy I’ve been. I’m a huge fan of this author and this book is one of my favorites of here for sure. The twists kept coming until the very end. It was out yesterday so grab a copy!

Quick synopsis: Lucas is a man who had a hard start in life but is determined to become wealthy even if it means hurting others. Case and point he decides to hire a hit man to murder his wife Michelle for the money. But it can’t be that easy can it? Soon he finds himself the one being hunted as well.

Thanks to @netgalley for the advanced copy of this one!

Can we just talk about how this is the fourth novel of Hannah’s and how each one of them has left me with my mouth open? How they keep you on the edge of your seat and won’t let you go, not even at the end?

Thank you to Hannah, Harlequin and NetGalley for the review copy! I thoroughly enjoyed this story and especially the crazy rampage it took me on. I loved that the “murderer” was the main character and that the twist, yeah that was at the end and I HAD NO CLUE! I know, I know, people say that all the time BUT, this one is true.

Lucas Forester never had plans on staying married and growing old with his wife, Michelle. Her snobby and wealthy attitude offended him. She looked down at even dogs and thought they “must be put down”. He simply wanted to marry and then divorce her and collect most of money. However, that doesn’t work when you sign a prenup. So, the next best thing was to have her killed. To keep his hands clean, he hired someone from the dark web. Can you really trust someone you’ve never met though?

This read was a solid five stars and if you’re a thriller enthusiast like me, then RUN and grab it wherever you buy your books, or check out your local library! I couldn’t get enough of this read.

Another delightfully dark and entertaining book from Hannah Mary McKinnon. She almost had me rooting for a villian. I enjoyed this twisty tale and found the ending very satisfying. Hannah kept me guessing until the very end. Pick this one up as its a page turner!

What a ride! It was twisty, disturbing, chilling and clever; everything I love about a good thriller. I hated Lucas so much, but I couldn’t stop reading, I loved every page! Hannah Mary McKinnon did it again!

Welp, Hannah Mary McKinnon has done it again and created an ending I saw coming from a mile away. But once again, I didn't know how far she would go, and I LOVE IT! Never Coming Home reminded me of a different take on another book I've read (not saying which one because I don't want you looking it up), and I could not put it down. Lucas is the guy you love to hate, and I thought it was so awesome that McKinnon chose to tell the story from the viewpoint of the villain. I really wish I had saved some of the quotes from this book, and I promise you will want to save a lot of them!

The audiobook is narrated by Alex Wyndham who I am fairly sure I have never listened to before, but man was he good. He really nailed Lucas and the whole vibe of the book, and I could listen to him all day. Never Coming Home was a tense and suspenseful read, and even though I predicted the end to some extent that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it. There were some parts that struck me as utterly hilarious, and it is pretty comical how Lucas thinks he's got it all in the bag. If you are a fan of spellbinding writing, and dark, humorous storylines, this is a must-read.

Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was a propulsive psychological suspense and an entertaining page-turner!

This one features a first hand story by a particularly charming psychopath which I found incredibly intriguing and amusing!! I truly relished in never knowing what he was going to do or come up with next! I secretly love rooting for the bad guy and this one had me shamelessly doing just that!

While I didn’t find this one mind blowing and the ending wasn’t my favourite part, I was still hooked the entire time and found it an overall solid and wickedly fun read!

Hannah Mary McKinnon has done it again! There is a reason that this woman is an auto buy author for me. She consistently writes stories that keep me thoroughly entertained and reading way too late into the night! I'm giving this one 4.5 stars only because I was able to predict the ending. I don't think this has anything to do with the author's writing, which is awesome. I just read a ton of thrillers and feel like I've finally learned to pick up on things. Either way, I totally loved it and even though my prediction ended up being correct, I still loved the book from cover to cover!

This one was unique in that it was told from the perspective of the villain. It was really interesting reading from their point of view and seeing how everything pieced together. It was dark, quite diabolical and clever with the perfect twists to keep the reader engaged. I always look forward to Hannah's books. This one was a total winner and I can't wait to see what she come out with next!

I really enjoyed this twisty domestic thriller that has you cheering for the villain! If anyone could get readers to root for a murderous, gold digging husband it’s Hannah Mary McKinnon!

Lucas Foster thinks he’s planned the perfect murder. His victim? None other than his wealthy wife. The only problem is the past doesn’t want to stay buried and it’s clear someone is out to make him pay.

Perfect for fans of antiheroes or books like My wife is missing by DJ Palmer. Much thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for my early review copies!

It was a refreshing change to read a book with the bad guy as narrator. I also really enjoyed the dark humour. Although there were some parts that felt contrived and the ending was meh, this was still a fun read.
This is the first book I've read by this author and I am going to check out some of her other ones.