"You say your child was taken. The police say you're lying."

Nobody Saw Him by Liz Lawler is a slow burning, emotionally charged thriller that looks into the aftermath of a missing child and the complexities of relationships.

When Jo leaves her 5 year old son Sam alone in the changing room at the swimming pool for a minute, she returns to a nightmare. Sam is missing. No one has seen him and Jo is frantic. When the police are called in to investigate, they make a worrisome discovery. The CCTV cameras show Jo on video, but Sam is not anywhere on video, she is by herself. With the police suspecting Jo and her husband Pete of abducting the boy, and grief and guilt wrecking Jo's mental state, can they figure out the truth about what really happened?

This was definitely an interesting premise and I was intrigued at first. I thought that the book started out really strong and exciting, but I felt that it started to become a bit confusing and hard to follow at times. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and some of the plot got muddled a bit. While this wasn't my favorite read, I still would recommend it to fans of thrillers with a more layered emotional experience. I would be interested in checking out another book by Liz Lawler though!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Liz Lawler, and Bookouture for this ARC!! Publication date is June 2nd 2025.

Jo decides to go to the pool one day with her son Sam, however when she leaves him briefly she comes back to find him gone. With no one knowing where he is the police are called. When they review CCTV they find that Sam was never there. How could this be possible?

I have enjoyed a few other books by this author so was excited to read this one, especially due to the premise originally seeming a bit different. I found the mystery compelling and was keen to see where it would go. The story starts strongly but then seems to start losing pace as it carries on and becomes a bit predictable. There are also quite a few characters which were hard to track at times. Even though this was a solid thriller, I didn’t like it as much at some of this author’s other books, likely due to reading a few similar books recently. Saying that though, I will still be interested to read what else the author creates. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Jo, a devoted mother, leaves her 5 year old son Sam alone in the changing room at the swimming pool for 2 minutes, she returns to find the changing room door shut and a woman hands her out her bag but there is no sign of Sam. Jo is frantic, no one has seen him, he has just vanished the police are called. Joe is hysterical with worry!
As the story unfolds, Jo and her husband are suspects, her husband is quickly cleared as he has a strong alibi, Jo finds herself under intense police scrutiny as no one seen Sam with her the morning he disappeared. Jo finds herself doubting her sanity especially when the green top she was sure Sam was wearing that morning is found in their home.
As the story unfolds we learn that Jo’s neighbours who employ her as a child minder, are harbouring dark secrets, they begin to unfold layer by layer, years of untruths, secrets and lies.
Really good characters I especially liked the family liaison officer DC Moraine and her colleague Kennedy.
This was a slow burn read, but cleverly written, I thought I had it figured out but great twists to the story concludes.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

A chilling, emotionally charged mystery about every parent’s worst nightmare.

Nobody Saw Him is a slow-burn psychological thriller that gripped me from the opening scene. Liz Lawler doesn’t just tell the story of a missing child—she delves deep into the ripple effects of that disappearance, examining the emotional fallout on a family, the suspicions that spread through a community, and the secrets that rise to the surface when trust is shattered.

The story follows Jo, a devoted mother whose five-year-old son vanishes in the space of a single minute. What unfolds is a multi-POV narrative layered with lies, flawed characters, and the weight of past trauma. I especially loved DC Moraine Morgan as the Family Liaison Officer—calm, fair, and quietly compelling.

The middle did slow slightly, but I’m so glad I stuck with it—because the payoff is worth it. The tension builds with every chapter, and just when you think you’ve figured it out, another sharp twist sends you in a new direction.

With its short chapters and emotionally resonant storytelling, this is a haunting and immersive read for fans of character-driven thrillers, dark secrets, and twisty whodunits.

This book was a slow burn to me, very boring. Super hard to get into. I wouldn’t recommend this to my friends and family because they are like me they like books that catch your eye, keep you interested and invested! Nonetheless I rate this book a 3 out of 5.

This was such an intense read especially as the tension builds as Jo fights for proof of Sam's existence, great twists too.

I found the premise of this book and the secrets kept by several of the characters very enticing. Not knowing what happened to the missing boy, the intro of a connected family who also have a missing son, and hints along the way about different characters kept me invested in the story. I did, however, feel like the characters weren’t developed enough or that too much of a hint would be randomly presented in the story, making some of the plot confusing.

🧸 The story follows Jo whose son Sam gets abducts at the swimming pool while Jo is away. The situation gets worse when police finds out that Sam was not even with her on the day of abduction…

🧸 Pick this up if you like/ don’t mind:
📌 psychological/ domestic thriller
📌 missing child case
📌 slow burn
📌 multiple POVs/ short chapters
📌 whodunnit
📌 lies/ secrets/ deception/ family dynamics/ legacies
📌 flawed characters

🧸 The book started off good with a fast pace. But then it hit a wall. It dragged on for so long, I think I aged a little. I only kept reading just to finish it, not because I cared about what would happen next. The plot twist came as a total surprise but it failed to have an impact. My brain cells are still in recovery trying to understand the abductor’s motive. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

🧸 PS: I didn’t DNF it because I needed closure, even if that closure was disappointment.

The concept was a good one - mother reported her son missing from a public place…but no one there remembers even seeing him, CCTV doesn’t show anything…the mother starts to look unstable and suspicion mounts.

Like some other readers, I thought the pace was tough - fast, then slow, and then fast again - and the chapters focused on different characters but it wasn’t always clear whose story was being told until a page or two into the chapter, making it difficult to keep track of everything. It may have been helpful to have the chapters titled with names.

I would read another of Lawler’s books. The tagline for The Next Wife is “you married him…but do you really know him?” Definitely intrigued.

Thank you, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of Nobody Saw Him.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Nobody Saw Him’ written by Liz Lawler in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jo takes her five-year-old son Sam to the local swimming baths and leaves him sitting on a bench in the changing cubicle while she uses the toilet. A minute later Jo goes back to collect him but Sam has disappeared and nobody has seen him.

‘Nobody Saw Him’ is a psychological thriller where secrets are kept and lies told. The characters are well-described and I especially like Jo who loves Sam and would never harm him, and DC Moraine Morgan who as Family Liaison Officer is sympathetic yet fair. The story is a slow-burn especially mid-way and I was tempted to skip chapters, but I’m so glad I resisted as the story becomes suspenseful with twists and turns that constantly change the direction of the plot. The story has been carefully constructed and focuses not just on Sam’s disappearance but also on what happened five years previously, and I recommend this thriller to anyone who enjoys a mystery with depth and a surprising conclusion.

This book starts off super interesting with the disappearance of Sam. The parents get investigated with Jo being the prime suspect. There’s a lot of focus on the parent’s emotions of having a missing kid which was very sad to read. Jo desperately wants her son back but Pete is distant and suspicious of his own wife. A lot of characters are introduced as the story goes on which I found made the story dull and not able to know much about the characters. The story was very slow paced. I would have liked the story more if the only POV was from Jo. I really liked how it ended and all the secrets that were revealed.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Nobody Saw Him, Liz Lawler delivers a masterclass in suspense, crafting a haunting and emotionally charged thriller centered around every parent’s worst nightmare—the disappearance of a child. From the very first page, Lawler pulls readers into a gripping and relentless narrative, where each moment is saturated with tension, fear, and desperation.

What sets this novel apart is its emotional intensity. The pain and urgency of the search are palpable, as is the growing unease as the mystery deepens. Lawler doesn’t just focus on the act of disappearance but explores the ripple effects—on the family, the investigators, and the community—as suspicion, secrets, and truths begin to unravel.

With its tight pacing and emotionally resonant storytelling, Nobody Saw Him is a suspenseful and immersive read that keeps readers guessing—and feeling—until the final revelation. A chilling and compelling exploration of loss, trust, and the dark corners of human behavior, it’s a standout in the genre.

Absolutely loved this book! I didnt see the twists coming at all. It's every parents worst nightmare. Highly recommend this book to any thriller lovers. Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this book for an honest review.

Definitely a 5 star psychological thriller. It kept me on my toes per se. The twists were great! I would 100 percent Reccomended this one to anyone!

No Body Saw Him
Liz Lawler
06/02/2025
Bookouture
I picked this up hoping for a solid psychological thriller—and it absolutely delivered. Nobody Saw Him starts with a disturbing moment and spirals into a tangled, suffocating web of suspicion, paranoia, and hidden secrets. This isn't just about solving a mystery; it's about constantly questioning what you think you know and realizing that trust can be as dangerous as any killer.
What really hooked me was how the tension builds. It’s a true slow burn that gains speed with each chapter until you’re racing through pages, desperate to know what’s real and what’s not. The story is full of moving parts, layered with secrets and emotional complexity that make it more than just a whodunit. If you're into domestic thrillers that make you doubt everyone, enjoy stories that escalate in intensity, this one’s worth your time.

NOBODY SAW HIM BY LIZ LAWLER.
Release day set for 2nd of June 2025.
The blurb had me so hooked on this story.
Love the cover.
This book pulls you I within pages of starting the story.
I enjoyed the pacing. Enjoyed the writing style.
I found the story mysterious and did not see that twist coming at all.
Really great book
I think this is my first book by this author and it won't be the last ☺

This book had me on the edge of my seat. The subtle foreshadowing in the book was brilliant - with when I thought I knew what was happening, the twist at the end had me!

This was my first time reading Liz Lawler. Nobody Saw Him drew me in but then the storyline seemed to slow down and become drawn out. There were a lot of characters to track and the revealing twist at the end did not quite make sense other than this person was broken. This was still a 3 star read for me and I will read Liz Lawler again. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Expected publication date: June 2, 2025

A fun day out with her little boy turns into a nightmare when he disappears and she can't find him. I feel like this is different from missing child stories because there is so much difference happenings in the sub plots. It is a story that takes all your concentration other wise it can be confusing. I enjoyed how the pace was going fast then it slows down and picks up again. With many suprise twists it's hard to pick out the guilty party but I love how the ending is summarised. Overall it's a complex and challenging physcological thriller that will blow you away!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: Nobody Saw Him
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a slow-burning, introspective mystery that focuses more on the emotional landscape than fast-paced plot twists. The writing is thoughtful and layered, and the themes around grief, isolation, and being overlooked are powerful.

That said, the pacing felt uneven at times, and I struggled to stay fully engaged in the middle chapters. The emotional depth is there—but I found myself wanting a little more momentum or surprise.

Still, a worthwhile read for fans of quiet, character-driven mysteries. Just go in knowing it’s more reflective than thrilling.