Fast paced, thrilling and tightly woven. This is the best way to describe Never Go Home. It's violent, it's scary, and it doesn't lose it's grip on the reader. I devoured this book and am ready for more from the author.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

A solid thriller with plenty of twists and turns - featuring a kick ass heroine! For fans of Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben.

I always finish a book but had to make an exception. Primarily because this was super violent, lots of gang related, mercenary activities. Seemed to do some character development with the siblings but just couldn't get into the violence. I'm a murder fan but this was too much!

There was just something about Never Go Home that made me want to read it immediately. I do love a good high speed and action-focused thriller, and that was exactly what the blurb seemed to promise to deliver... What I didn't realize back when I requested a copy was that this is actually the second book of a series. Which is a shame, because while Never Go Home can easily be read as a stand-alone, major plot twists of the first book are spoiled and as a consequence I don't think I will return to read that one even though I had a great time reading book number two.

Never Go Home is one of those lightning fast, exhilarating, over the top and action-packed thrillers that can go either way; either you are able to sit back and enjoy the rollercoaster ride or you can't look past the credibility and cliches and abandon the ship before it reaches the end. Thankfully I definitely belonged to the first group. Then again, like I said before, I do love a good action thriller and Never Go Home will give you basically non stop action, violence, danger and suspense. I know this type of thriller might not be for everyone, but if it's your cup of tea you will find yourself having an excellent time with this one.

While I did miss out on having the characters introduced in book one of course, it was quite easy to pick up the threads and figure out how the different characters fit in. Suzie is a true firecracker and, as she says so herself, basically a high-functioning sociopath. She definitely isn't afraid to jump right into the most dangerous situations and make things work out in her favor, that's for sure! She might not be 100% likeable and there might be cliches involved when it comes to the character development of most of the cast in general, but they do work perfectly in this story. This is probably because you are constantly distracted with yet another action scene, dangerous situation, shoot-out or (car) chase. Never Go Home would definitely make for a great action movie!

The plot does have different layers, with not only a glimpse of what Suzie can do at the beginning of the story, but also for example a focus on a gang war, Atlanta crime, an FBI investigation, events in Iraq and family issues. These different elements do help giving the story more dept, and while things can be said about the credibility of it all and certain parts of the plot are definitely over the top, as a whole I can't deny Never Go Home was a very entertaining ride and most definitely a pageturner.

I am a big fan of thrillers and this was just not my type of thriller. This book took me a little while to get into. Maybe because this is the second book in the series. And I did not read the first one. I think Susie was a really strong main character. I think the plot was really good. But this is not one that I would read again. It was good for what it was.

Susannah Faulkner was orphaned at the tender age of ten, which shaped her to become the woman she is today. She is a hunter, who lives a dangerous life full of violence, intending to make wrongs right before she leaves this world. At the same time a man named Finn comes into her and her brother Ethan’s lives with a story and a threat about stolen money from his time spent in the war with their father, their Uncle Gavin suffers a heart attack that leaves him gravely ill. He whispers the word “Peaches” to Susannah, leaving her with a puzzle she must find a way to solve. A gang war threatens Atlanta while her uncle clings to life and Finn’s threats become increasingly violent. Susannah survive this mountain of a test while everything she loves is in jeopardy?

“Never Go Home” is an exciting, impossible-to-put-down novel that I literally read until the early morning hours. The action and suspense throughout the book keep the reader turning pages as quickly as possible to find out what twisty surprise is around the next corner. It’s a well-written, descriptive, multi-character-driven plot/story line that leaves the reader quite satisfied with the ending. I would be very interested to read more of Christopher Swann’s work after having raced through the pages of this one!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Christopher Swann, and Crooked Lane Publishing for the ability to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

Never Go Home
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/9/22
Author: Christopher Swann
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Pages: 288
Goodreads Rating: 3.88

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing a digital copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Orphaned at age ten by a violent home invasion, Susannah Faulkner grew up wild, her stubbornness the only thing harder than her heart. She knows she’s wired wrong and living a dangerous and violent life, but she’s determined to wring something decent from the world before she leaves it. Before her uncle is rushed to the hospital, Gavin whispers a single word to Suzie: Peaches. She’s determined to uncover the meaning behind the cryptic message, but Ethan is also deep in trouble. An ex-soldier and ex-con named Finn appeared on his doorstep with a disturbing story: fifteen years earlier, Finn served with their father in Iraq, where they stole millions in cash. Now the money is missing, and Finn wants his share—or else.

My Thoughts: This book is the second in a series, however, this can absolutely be read as a standalone and you follow along fine, I had not read the first book and had no problem keeping up with the storyline. This book is quite different from what I normally read in a thriller, different but good. The author does a creative job at developing the characters giving them depth and complexity. Suzie had experienced trauma but the trauma did not define her, it shaped who she was, crafted her into being fearless and strong, just a badass herione. The plot was intriguing, again something I have not seen before, but very much enjoyed. The writing style is creative, inventive, and just works for this book. The author did an amazing job at his descriptions of the various scenes, I felt like I was right there with Suzie on this journey with her. While some of the scenarios probably would not be plausible, this is a work of fiction and we can stretch it a bit and it still be a fantastic read. I really enjoyed this book and I would read the first book and of course the next book in this series, or anything else Swan puts out.

Book 2. A strong, badass investigator. The writing itself is excellent, and the story is compelling. Moved a bit slow at parts. Susannah is thrust into action when she returns home to help her brother Ethan. There were a couple plot lines, and I struggled at times to kind of keep everything straight. Overall, a good read.

Susannah Faulkner grew up wild. Her brother, Ethan, needs her so she returns home to Altanta. In the airport, she finds her Uncle Gavin suffering a heart attack. Gavin whispers a single word to Suzie: Peaches. She's determined to uncover the meaning of the cryptic message but then Ethan is also deep in trouble. An ex-soldier Finn appeared on his doorstep with a disturbing story: fifteen years earlier, Finn served with their father in Iraq, where they stole millions in cash. Now the money is missing and Finn wants his share - or else.
This is the 2nd book of the series. I didn't read the first but it can be read as a standalone. The characters and plot line were interesting and kept the pages turning until the very end. If you like action thrillers, then you will enjoy this one. I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy for an honest review.

I really did enjoy this book. Intense and exciting with a fabulous female protagonist. The other characters were beautifully developed and kept the story rich and full. Hooked from page one and did not let go.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

This is the third book I’ve read by Christopher and he continues a winning streak. Great story, interesting Characters.

Wherein My Own Reading Habits Do Me In. The story itself here was an excellent romp through mostly northern, Inside The Perimeter, Atlanta, and a great tale of a woman who has become quite good at skills few have. Maybe it got a touch bogged down in the backstory in Iraq, but before that point - when our main character is trying to really figure out what is going on - and after that point - when the tale switches gears to a cat and mouse game with someone even better at these skills than she is - this is actually a remarkably different book than its predecessor. It also *ends* with the title... which blatantly sets up at least one more book in this series.

But here's where my reading habits did me in: I never once realized that this book was the sequel to 2020's Never Turn Back while reading it. Because I had read 434 books between the two entries in this series. Yes, over a span of just 17 months or so. Indeed, I only realized it was the sequel when coming to Goodreads to write this review and seeing it labeled as "Faulkner Family #2, then reading both the description and my review of Never Turn Back.

So do yourself a favor: Don't wait hundreds of books between the two in this series - and when you finish this one, you're going to wish Swann already had Book 3 ready to put in your hands (which he may have, depending on when you read this review/ read this book). Very much recommended.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Crooked Lane Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fast paced, strong characters and a gripping, compelling story.

Never Go Home - Christopher Swann
When Suzie receives a call from her brother Ethan to return home to Atlanta, she never could have imagined the family mess she was walking into.
As she arrives, she learns her Uncle Gavin has had a heart attack and needs surgery. As the head of the family, Suzie has never seen him so helpless. When she gets her chance to see him he whispers one word to her - "peaches".
She jumps into action trying to figure out the meaning behind his message.
Along with finding out what Peaches means, her brother has an ex soldier Finn arrive on his doorstep, looking for his missing millions. He blames Suzie and Ethan's father and expect Suzie to find it.
The clock is ticking for Suzie as she tries to put together her uncles puzzle, find the missing millions for Finn, all while a gang war is happening and doing her part to prevent it.
Okay, let me start by saying this would make an awesome action movie. However, this isn't typically my genre of book. I possibly misunderstood and thought I was jumping into a thriller.
Looking past the fact it's not my typical genre, the writing was very well done. The characters could've used a bit more development, but overall enjoyed Suzie and her ferociousness. I really had no idea how it was all going to end but was satisfied with the ending. If you enjoy reading about female badasses, definitely give it a read!
⭐⭐⭐.5/5
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Opening with a bang, this narrative, a follow-up to the earlier “Never Turn Back,” pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. Despite being the second in a series [and clearly at least one more book will follow this one], the book works well as a standalone. While Ethan is the central character in “Never Turn Back,” his sister, Susannah, is the central character in “Never Go Home.”

Grim and gritty, with strong, complex characters and a compelling plot, the story doesn’t hesitate to plunge into treachery and intrigue. At times, Susannah comes across as cold and calculating, but readers will discover that she’s simply good at what she does and, although she doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, she truly cares about her family.

The unfolding narrative, filled with tension and suspense, keeps readers guessing as the plot twists and turns, revealing some surprises along the way. Readers will find it difficult to set this one aside before turning the final page [which leaves one plot point open, presumably for another book]. But with the main plot points tied up, questions answered, and truths revealed, there’s satisfaction for readers, both in the denouement and in the promise of things to come.

Found this one a bit of a slog to get into. Unrealistic action and adventure that i really wanted to love but just couldn't get past the dialogue. The main character was very badass though and just wished i could've loved it more.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

This wasn't too bad! I think it was a great concept, but I do think it got overloaded. There seemed to be two separate plots that never quite overlapped. I wish only one had been chosen as the focus. And the second one didn't really happen until the halfway mark.
Had a lot of potential, but wasn't executed quite as well as it could have been.
I'm also not sure how comfortable I am with a white author writing in AAVE.

Susannah Faulkner is a badass. Her brother has called and asked her to home to Atlanta. Once there she sees her uncle at the airport and he's suffering from a medical emergency and being taken to the hospital. He whispers one word to Susannah, Peaches. But what is he referring to? She quickly learns Peaches is a person and she must find him to help her uncle.
This is an action packed story with a strong female trying to unravel events that happened before her father died.
It doesn't stop until the very end.

Thank you #NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks #NeverGoHome for this ARC

DNF at 50%. I read NEVER TURN BACK and gave it four stars, so I was looking forward to reading the next book in the series. But I could not get past the awkward and unrealistic dialogue that reads like a bad gangster movie. And the endless narration of the main character's thoughts and overly detailed descriptions of office furniture. Sorry, this one wasn't for me.