Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for an advanced reader copy of No Turning Back in exchange for my honest review.

Suspenseful story of a ride share gone wrong, with a little cliffhanger at the end of every chapter.

This is my 2nd book by Steve Frech and he definitely keeps me turning pages.

Steve Frech's No Turning Back is a relentless, high-octane thriller that hooks you from the very first page and won't let go. We meet Lucas, who is secretly driving for rideshare after losing his job, struggling to get by and keep his family going as he and wife Julia look forward to their first child. His vulnerable position is compounded into a nightmare when a fellow passenger, Damon, places a gun in his temple, compelling Lucas to become an unwilling participant in a series of systematic murders.

The novel excels in creating authentic tension, with Lucas being presented with an impossible decision: comply and rescue his family, or resist and potentially lose everything. Frech skillfully weaves a dizzying whirlwind of events, keeping the tempo brisk and the tensions amazingly high. The emotional resonance of Lucas's dilemma, between survival and ethics, is truly compelling. With outstanding writing and a breakneck-paced plot, No Turning Back is an unputdownable novel that investigates the desperate actions one would take to save loved ones.

I’m well in the minority here but I can’t give more than a three star rating for this book. I don’t want to give any spoilers but I always dislike how a book is fluffed out by writing a number of chapters stein the past to explain how one or other of the characters fell in love when actually a good paragraph would describe it and allow the rest of the action to keep going. It takes any tension there might be out of the story.
On the plus side it’s a quick read with a reasonable plot which is original. There are also some twists along the way which kept me reading.

No Turning Back by Steve Frech is a taut, high-stakes thriller that grips you from the very first page. With expertly crafted characters and a genuinely heart-wrenching dilemma, this book is packed with tension, twists and emotional depth.

Lucas and Julia are expecting their first child, but Lucas is hiding a secret. He lost his job two months ago and has been working as a rideshare driver to keep their finances afloat. One night, a routine pickup turns into a nightmare when a man named Damon puts a gun to Lucas’s head and gives him a terrifying ultimatum.

Damon has a list of men he plans to kill and needs Lucas to drive him through Los Angeles to carry it out. If Lucas cooperates, his family will be spared. If he resists, his wife and unborn child will be the next targets.

The tension in this book is relentless. Lucas’s choices are impossible and the story explores the emotional toll of being caught between survival and morality. Frech keeps the pace sharp, the action tight, and the stakes incredibly high throughout.

A fast-paced, intelligent and emotionally driven book that examines fear, desperation and what it truly means to protect the people you love. No Turning Back is impossible to put down and impossible to forget.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

4.5 stars

This is a fast-paced novel that quickly pulls you in and has you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I had a hard time putting this book down. I've never read anything by Frech, but I will certainly watch for future books!

Lucas is easy to root for, and you can't help but puzzle along trying to figure out Damon's motives. This rollercoaster of a story is full of action and tension, and just when you think you have things figured out, you discover you're incorrect. The final twist was definitely unexpected. It may leave readers wondering what they would do in this situation.

A seriously high-paced read!
Lucas got himself into a tough situation by lying to his wife and by the sheer bad luck of deciding to pick up just one more fare, leading him on a drive of destruction trying to stay one step ahead of the cops.
The clever twist in the plot gives a whole new perspective on the story once you find out what is really going on at each kill site.
You won't want to put it down!

Lucas, after being let go from his job, is driving for a ride share company. He picks up his last ride of the night, not knowing his night has just begun.

Frech always takes us on a wild ride. Story reminiscent of the Netflix movie “Carry On”. Lucas is taken by Damon, who is going around town killing people and making Lucas his accomplice, if he doesn’t drive him around and do as he says, Damon is threatening Lucas’s family. An enjoyable ride through and through.

As I started reading No Turning Back by Steve Frech, the story didn’t seem all that interesting or captivating. But, as it turns out, my first impressions were wrong. Really wrong.

Lucas is young and newly married, with a baby on the way. He’s also recently unemployed, so he’s driving for a rideshare app to make ends partially meet. Just his luck, he decides to accept one more fare before quitting for the night. But, instead of a quick delivery just a few blocks down the street, Lucas finds himself driving around Los Angeles who is bent on revenge.

No Turning Back is a rollercoaster ride. I kept repeating to myself “what more could possibly happen”….and then Mr Frech would come up with an unexpected glitch or event. It didn’t take long for me to become totally immersed in Lucas’ world. This is just the kind of book that will cause me to burn dinner because I just have to read a few more pages.

This book is very well-written and the scenes the author describes are vivid and realistic. Once again, I have enjoyed a book by Steve Frech and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he has many more great plots queued up in his author’s toolbox. Thank you, Mr Frech. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

I often find books too slow, not enough action BUT #NoTurningBack cannot be accused of that!! Non stop action!
Occasionally a bit ott but that's the fun of it, I could just imagine this action thriller being on TV, one of those shows where you're holding your breath most of the time.
I also enjoyed the softer side of the throw backs to when Lucas and Julia first met and how they grew up together. On a serious note, it's scary of what could be and possibly really is going on in the world that we don't know about. All those high rollers able to silence their victims, very sad and heartbreaking to think about.
Overall a great read, thank you #NetGalley for the arc.

I’ve enjoyed every single book written by Frech and No Turning Back was no different!
It’s incredibly well written, with just the right amount of suspense. I was completely hooked throughout the whole book.
The writing style was great, easy to follow and the twists were all so unpredictable.
Thrilling and exciting. This suspense novel will keep you on the edge the whole way thorough.

Thank You NetGalley and HQ Digital for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

There aren’t many books I can say I read in one sitting—but this was definitely one of them. From the very first pages, No Turning Back had me in a chokehold and refused to let up until the last word.

Lucas, a recent transplant to L.A. from small-town Pennsylvania, is already under a ton of pressure—he’s lost his job, lied to his wife about it, and is secretly working as a rideshare driver. Oh, and they’re expecting a baby girl any day now. So when Lucas decides to pick up one last rider at the end of a long night, he has no idea that choice will spiral into a life-altering nightmare.

This story had me holding my breath, and yes—my anxiety definitely spiked more than once. The pacing is relentless, the twists are sharp, and the stakes feel real. If you’re looking for a fast, high-stress thriller that keeps you guessing, this one’s for you.

All I can say is WOW! This book was the definition of an action packed thriller! I felt like I was holding my breath the whole way through, and the entire book is filled with action right from the very start! There wasn’t a single boring moment in this book, and I literally could not turn the pages fast enough.

I absolutely adored the main character, Lucas, and I loved how strong willed he was despite the unfortunate, terrifying situation he was put in. I also found myself liking and sympathising with the villain, Damon, which I didn’t expect at all! He was actually a pretty likeable villain, and I loved the unusual dynamic between the two men.

I also LOVED that we also got flashbacks of Lucas’ life— specifically flashbacks of how he met his wife, Julia, and how their love blossomed through the years. Those chapters were a lovely break from the drama and tension of the present, and it gave the reader more insight into Lucas as a character, which I loved.

Overall, this was an amazing, high intensity, action packed thriller and I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a tense, non-stop action thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good read! I ended up binging it all in one day! He story was well written, exciting, and kept me guessing. The back story is heartbreaking, and the ending is shockingly sad. I love that there was an “update” at the end, rather than a cliff hanger!

Lucas and Julia are about to become parents, but Lucas is harbouring a big secret. Two months ago he lost his job and had been working as a RideShare driver to make ends meet. As he picks up his final passenger of the evening, he’s told to simply ‘drive’ and that when his real problems begin. I could not put this book down and read it in less than a day. It’s a gritting, gripping thriller that had me hooked from the start. thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

WOW. Just wow. There is so much I can say about this thriller! Heart-Pounding, full of action, terrifying, susepenseful....just to name a few! Imagine being a rideshare driver and excited to expect your first child soon. One night, you have a passenger put a gun to your head and demands are made that you will drive this person around so he can execute his kill list. If you don't comply, your family will pay. What choice would you make? Could you survive?

Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down until I finished it. There was never a moment that felt dull or slow. This was action packed from the beginning until end.

Set to be published on May 8, 2025, do not wait to add this one to your collection. You will not regret it.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ-HQ Digital for this EARC review opportunity!

I received a complimentary e-arc of NO TURNING BACK via Netgalley from publisher HQ. The book captured my attention from the first page, and from then on, it was a wild ride. NO TURNING BACK would make a great action movie, complete with car chases, twists, turns, and a buzzy premise.

Soon-to-be dad Lucas is working as a rideshare driver to hide the fact that he lost his job from his pregnant wife, Julia. On the last fare of the evening, Lucas picks up a man who puts a gun to his head and forces him to drive him around on a crime spree.

NO TURNING BACK is well plotted. Although Frech does flash back in time to Lucas meeting his wife when they were children, I would have liked to have more of an emotional connection with Julia, who is the person Lucas is working to protect. The characterization is good, and the writing itself is also well done. There are some surprises and a few twists which I enjoyed. Overall, this is a solid book which should appeal to lovers of fast-paced thrillers.

A story/film we have probably all read/seen versions of before….a rideshare driver picks up his last fare of the night, unaware the man he has picked up is off on a murder spree, Lucas ( the driver ) of course is then drawn into this and as the night evolves the reasons behid the murder spree become apparent….

I liked it, was tense and an exciting ride to be on and there was ‘something different’ in the end up…but it is as it says and follows mainly a route you would expect if read a similar book, which is fine if you enjoy this kind of story

Set in and around Los Angeles which is always a bonus for me when reading

A quick no let up read

A fast moving chase thriller set over the course of one night in Los Angeles. The story.kept me guessing and I liked the strained dynamic between Damon, the bad guy and his hapless driver, Lucas. The denouement was satisfying and I could imagine this as a tv film.

A gory but intriguing thriller set in Los Angeles. Lucy’s is working as a cabbie because he has lost his previous job and his wife is heavily pregnant. Then he chooses the wrong fare to pick up. He’s kidnapped by Damon and forced to drive around Hollywood doing his evil bidding, You have some sympathy for Damon when you realise how his life has been blighted. There’s a thrilling climax involving a car chase. Would make a good film.

Steve Frech is back with a bang! This story is set over just a few hours and is fast paced and hard hitting.

Our main character is trying to keep his head above water, earning money to support his heavily pregnant wife, when he encounters Damon, his last customer of the night. What follows is a rollercoaster of events, questions over morals and just trying to stay alive!

You could easily read this in one sitting as it twists and turns and keeps you wondering. I did suspect one of the twists we find out later in the book, but it’s very cleverly written and not easily picked up on.

This is high action, edge of your seat suspense!

Definitely a must read.
4.5 stars