Never Come Back by Joe Hart. The characters lacked credibility and appeal. It was difficult to like Tess. An enjoyable yet relatively slow-paced book. Book two in the Nora McTavis series.

Thank you to the Joe Hart, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to preview the book.

The second book in the Nora McTavish series by Joe Hart was another winner. Each book has two storylines, but both involve Nora. Nora has left child services and is now working for herself as a family advocate when a young couple with disabilities needs Nora's service. Their three-year-old daughter has been taken from them and is now in the care of the child's elderly grandmother. Nora works to help this couple and sets the wheels in motion to get their child back where she belongs. While working to help the young couple, she receives a call from a close friend from her past needing Nora's help. She hasn't seen or talked to Tess since Tess's mother died when they were children. With some hesitation, Nora leaves the Oregon coast for the town of Mutiny in the mountains of Oregon. Nora hopes to visit Tess quickly and then return home to her dog and brother. She reluctantly stays with Tess and her daughter and quickly realizes that she doesn't know Tess anymore and that Tess has some ulterior motives for asking for Tess's help in a family matter.
The book is easy to read, and you learn more about Nora's childhood. Nora, reluctantly, is compelled to help Tess's family. Moreso, she is drawn to Tess's daughter Kendra, and when she disappears, Nora is on a mission to find the girl. The book includes murders, infidelity, and deceit, all wrapped up with a twisty bow.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the advanced digital copy.

I love a good series, and now I’ve got a new one to obsess over.

Family advocate Nora McTavish is settling into her new practice when she receives a call from Tess Grayson, a childhood friend she hasn’t spoken to in years. Tess is entangled in a custody battle with her ex-husband, Neil, a popular professor at a local university. It’s getting vicious—and dangerous.

Rumors are swirling of Neil’s affairs with students, one of whom was found bludgeoned to death. Though the charges against him were dropped, Tess doesn’t want the man anywhere near their nine-year-old daughter. But as Nora digs deeper into the shattered Grayson marriage, she sees more sides to the story than anyone anticipated. Which side can she trust is the question.

Old secrets and lies are beginning to emerge—some from Nora’s own past—and as suspicions begin to shift, another murder draws Nora perilously close to a killer. This time she’s not just betting her reputation on a case. She’s betting her life on it.

Never Come Back is book two in Joe Hart’s Nora McTavish series, following last year’s Where They Lie. It can easily be read as a stand-alone, although, for those of you that know me, that’s just not how I roll. Of course I started with book one, and both are equally addictive.

This is an intriguing tale about friends , who grew up together and met up again after a tragedy affected one. I liked this book. It was predictable at times but also had some surprising twists. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Thomas and Mercer for the advanced read in exchange for my fair review.

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by Thriller Book Lovers Promotions. The opinions are my own and freely given.

This is #2 in Nora McTavish series. I have not read #1 or this author before, but I just bought the first book! This was a really great read, and I was completely enthralled.

Nora is a family advocate and gets a call from her childhood best friend asking for her help. Nora travels several hours to see Tess and meet her daughter Kendra "Kenny". Nora's ex-husband has been accused of murder and Nora wants sole custody of Kenny. Through the court hearings and proceedings, Nora forms a connection with Kenny. Stronger than what she feels for Tess. This book was really up and down and sideways. I thought I had it figured out, but I was so wrong. I can't wait to read the first book, to get a little bit more background on Nora, and I look forward to book #3.

My review is live on bookbub, goodreads, the librarything and storygraph.
This will be posted on Instagram @kuhlreads on 2/26/24.

This is my first book by Joe Hart and it will not be my last. It was a fast paced thriller and kept me on the edge of my seat. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published April 2024.

As a longtime fan of Joe Hart I’m always excited to see a new release. This time around we get the sequel to Where They Lie, titled Never Come Back. This is the second book in the Nora McTavish series, and another excellent thriller. I’ve been reading Joe Hart for over a decade and enjoying thriller after thriller. They are as great as anyone out there, if not better.

In Never Come Back Nora is working her latest case helping her childhood friend fight for custody of her daughter Kendra. Unfortunately for Nora all is not what it seems and a missing child is just the tip of the iceberg. An unexpected call from a childhood friend sends Nora down the rabbit hole of emotions. Her internal struggles with her own childhood trauma are again front and center. This is where Joe Hart shines, creating characters with depth and a have a life of their own. The mystery and plot are well constructed, no holes to be found here people! I’m always at a loss to solve it before the conclusion. This makes the ride all the better when I finally reach the conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nora had a hard childhood. Harder than most. She does not let this define her, and makes her life’s work about providing a “Sanctuary” to families in their hardest times.
She is incredibly likable, and not to mention totally kick ass. Joe Hart poured an incredible amount of intelligence, self awareness, and insight into our main character.
Nora gets the chance to reconnect with a long lost friend, Tess, who she knew at a simpler time, when they were kids. Tess desperately needs Nora’s help to maintain sole custody of her daughter, Kendra, after Tess’s now ex husband is accused of murdering one of his students.
Nora must decipher truths from lies, and clear blurred lines to get to the bottom of things.
Who really killed the student? Where did Nora’s mom go all those years ago? Can she actually trust her former best friend whom she loved like a sister?

‘Never Come Back’ was an action packed journey. It almost felt like a movie.
Hart does an excellent job of making the reader feel like they are in the scene. I could hear the rain tapping on the windows, and could feel the cold of the Pacific Ocean while I read about it. The fact that there are multiple questions being asked at once, was so exciting and really kept me on my toes, without being confusing or overwhelming. The slight hints that are given can easily be skipped over, but that is the beauty of Harts writing. Sometimes the answer was right in front of you.

I throughly enjoyed this book, and cannot wait to read more of Joe Harts work.

Good book, great storyline! Strong, brave, female protagonist! I received a free ARC for review and this is my honest feedback.

Thank you Thriller Book Lovers, Thomas & Mercer, and Joe Hart for the advanced copy of Never Come Back in exchange for my honest review.

Worth noting: this is book two in a series, but as someone who did not read book one I can attest to the fact that it can easily be read as a standalone.

This was sooo bingeable and twisty, I absolutely loved it! I originally rated it 4 stars but woke up the next morning still thinking about it so had to amend my rating to 5 stars.

I love the mix of old secrets and new, the fact that as the reader you never really knew who you could trust, and the big reveal maybe feels like you should see coming but I definitely did not.

Based on the book's ending I think it's safe to say this series will no doubt be continuing. I definitely will be reading more from this author in the future!

Never Come Back will be on bookshelves April 2.

Nora has struggled with her past for years so when someone from that time reaches out for her professional help, she really cannot say no. Not when there is a child involved. Her friend from childhood is in the midst of trying to protect her daughter as her husband was the number one suspect in a college students death but the charge did not stick and so now he is fighting to get more custody of his daughter. But things are never as they seem and as Nora tries her best to help her friend and her daughter things are not seeming to add up and the mixed information she is getting has her questioning her friends true motive for Nora's help. Maybe justice did get this one right, and the husband is innocent but with a child in the middle Nora knows she cannot leave until the truth comes out. This was such a good read and I really enjoyed the storyline and how it all came together. I am looking forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Thriller Book Lover Promotions for the complementary ebook. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

This was a thrill ride that I truly enjoyed despite a few areas that I had to suspend some disbelief over. While I was reading the second in the series about Nora McTavish, I decided I needed to go back to the first book and check it out to see if her backstory was necessary to understand while reading the 2nd book. I listened to Where they Lie and discovered that while I got a little more of her backstory, it wasn't necessary for me to read book 2. So that was great to be able to share that it is a stand alone book in the series that provides enough information to allow you to understand the history of her trauma. With that said, I do recommend you read book #1 if only you will appreciate some of her insightful mindset to the world around her. She is portrayed as part detective/advocate/warrior of justice. I like her character even if romance isn't going to be part of her vocabulary. You can tell she is keeping her relationships at arms length.
Given all of that, this story is a continuation of her finding herself in the middle of things that are messy and violent. She goes to help an old childhood friend that she hasn't seen since she was 9 years old and so there is a bridge that needs to be crossed to reconnect. There's some mystery and thriller elements to this story and the pace is fast and keeps moving quickly. I enjoyed her observations of the world around her (particularly men that she seems to have a knack for reading their motives and personalities quickly). I think I'd like to see her get some professional help with her childhood trauma and abandonment issues so we can see how it might allow her to break down some of her walls.
The main story is also bookended with a case that she is working on in her capacity as a child advocate and that story reveals how broken the system of child welfare can be. I like that we get to see her fight for children and families reveal a side of her that is fierce as hell.
The final aspect of the story centers around her missing mother who left their family when she was a young child. It is revealed that Nora may have a clue where her mother might be and it leaves it open to the possibility that she may go searching for her.
My only gripe is that we get descriptions for other characters in the book but we never get any of Nora. It is revealed at some point that she's in her mid 30's but we don't know what she looks like. I like to visualize a character especially if we are following them in a series where I'm going to try to get to know her deeper. Also, how she has the money to "not work" at times seems a bit of a mystery as well. These little details are sometimes just the thing to make a reader feel closer to the character and I feel would add to the story.
Given all that, I recommend this series and look forward to another installment.

Nora a child advocate goes back to her home town to help an old friend that is going through a custody battle after her ex was accused (but let go) of murder.
Nora's time is spent going back to her home to help a young developmentally disabled couple keep custody of their young child and staying at her friend Tess's house to help. While she is staying with Tess strange things happen such as a rock being thrown through a window of her house, a black SUV following them, etc. As Nora starts discovering some of Tess's secrets and lies there are twists and turns leading up to a satisfactory ending.

Joe Hart did it again! I was completely enraptured by the second book in the Nora McTavish series. First of all, can we discuss how eye catching that cover is. Once I cracked it open, I was riveted. Nora is a phenomenal character. She has many layers that Hart exposes slowly. Her terrifying past is always mixing in with the present. In this book Nora, has gone out on her own as a family advocate. She knows the system inside and out, considering what her own family experienced growing up.

Nora is shocked to hear from one of her friends whom she has not seen in twenty years. Tess is in desperate need of Nora's experience. Her ex-husband has been accused of murdering one of his students and has been let off on a technicality. Tess does not want him near their 9-year-old daughter Kenny. With a touch of doubt Nora heads their way. She is met with family secrets, affairs, and so many people who could be behind all the weird occurrences. Who can any of them trust? Can they even trust each other?

I loved how the past and the present flowed effortlessly throughout the book. Bringing you so much closer to Nora and the strength that she has. She is one of a kind and will do anything for a child that is being mistreated. I hope there is a third book coming out, I need more Nora in my life. Thank you, Joe Hart, for sending me a copy of your newest book. I could not put it down! Do yourself a favor and read this series.

Frankly, I love Joe Hart. I love the series he creates. I love his horror, even though it terrifies me. I love the characters he creates and I love that many of his books are set in the Midwest (not this one.) I read Never Come Back in one sitting, never suspected who the killer was, adored the pre-teen - which I rarely, never do - so, naturally, I loved this book as well.

I really enjoyed the first Nora McTavish book, and when I saw there was a second one, I wanted to read it right after finishing the first. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first though. I did like most of it, but somewhere along the line it lost me and didn't have the same grip on me that the first did. I think maybe there were just a few too many things that felt pretty unrealistic for me.

Overall it was good, I just preferred the first!

A second book in a series featuring Nora McTavish (the book can be read without reading the first book). Nora, a family advocate, is called by a childhood friend (Tess) to help when Tess's husband is accused of murder. Concerned about her daughter's safety and her husband's released from jail, Nora is called to help out the family. Twists and turns, who did what and when makes for an exciting read. I plan to go back and read the first in the series.

3 stars for readability but the story just didn't hold water. The main character is a family advocate, which sounds great, but the way she describes it doesn't sound like she could make money. People's actions didn't make sense -- I can't explain without spoilers but nothing about the way things happened seems like it could have worked. And one of the characters turns out to have been doing terrible things but it's shrugged off because the person didn't know the truth.
I've read other books by this author and I'll read more.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Three plots running parallel - one bittersweet, one scary and one TBD for the future. Action, surprises, betrayal…Never Come Back has everything for a quick to read, solid mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ARC.

"Never Come Back: A Thriller" is book two of the Nora McTavish series. I had read book one and found the character of Nora well developed and a protagonist I would follow in a series. This is saying a lot for me because generally I tend to stay away from series books because I just can't commit to anything when it comes to reading (too many books, so little time!)

Nora works in child advocacy and does not let many people get close to her. She has a painful past yet she is empathetic, a champion for others and despite having only a relationship with her loyal dog companion, she does indeed have a big heart.

In Never Come Back, an old childhood friend, Tess, has reached out to Nora. Tess' husband has been arrested and accused of murdering a young girl on the campus he works on. Tess could use a friend and some help throughout this ordeal. Tess has a very bright 9 year old daughter Kenny who is, understandably, having a though time.

Throughout the book, we dive into the mystery wondering if Tess' husband Neil really did kill someone and if he didn't, who did? Mixed into the book, it hits the topic of child custody, child abandonment and touches at your heartstrings.

The ending of the book had some great action heart pounding edge of my seat moments which I appreciate in any murder mystery/thriller.

Would I read a book three of Nora McTavish? Absolutely.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the electronic advanced reader copy to read and review.