Y'all, this ARC has been in my TBR pile since 2019 and I could just kick myself in the teeth for not reading it sooner. Never Look Back is a riveting read that didn't have me coming up for air. I basically lost an entire Saturday reading it and hashtag no regrets. I'm ready to follow Alison Gaylin off a cliff.

For nearly two weeks in 1976, two teenagers, Gabriel LeRoy and April Cooper went on a killing spree, killing a dozen people before dying in a fire at a cult's compound in the middle of the southern California desert. Forty years later, journalist Quentin Garrison is working on a podcast about the murders tentatively titled "Closure." His husband, and even his producer Summer, think it's a great idea. Quentin has a connection to the murders. His aunt, just a young girl at the time, was gunned down by LeRoy and Cooper at a local gas station. Her death set off a chain of events that included his mother's spiraling drug addiction and an estrangement from his grandfather. Now Quentin has uncovered a lead. A man who saw an interview about movies online and he swears on his life that one of the women in that interview is none other than April Cooper.

Robin Diamond is a film columnist living in New York City and her life is starting to unravel. Her husband is hiding something from her, and she's convinced he's having an affair. On top of that her latest column has generated a predictable amount of hate from Internet trolls. The one solid in her life, the one thing she can count on, are her parents. Her mother, the perfect homemaker. Her father, a retired criminal psychologist who now has a small, private practice. Her parents are solid. Her parents have the perfect marriage. Her parents love her. And then she gets a call from Quentin Garrison who tells her he thinks her Mom is the notorious, not dead after all, serial killer April Cooper.

The story is told from multiple points of view (primarily Quentin and Robin) and different timelines (1976 and present day). The 1976 timeline is told from April's perspective, in the form of a school assignment she received from her favorite teacher right before Gabriel LeRoy murdered her stepfather and kidnapped her. That assignment is to write a letter to her future child, which April does. Those letters become her diary, as she details her life on the run with Gabriel and the bodies left in their wake.

This book is a ride, and Gaylin keeps the reader guessing by taking forks in the road. I didn't see the forks coming and once on that stretch of road, I had no idea where the driver was taking me. Not all of them are shocking twists, but they're twists all the same, the story winding and curving, keeping me on my toes and unable to look away.

The compelling theme behind the story is that everybody has secrets - even your parents. What do any of us truly know about our parents? They had lives before they had kids. They had tragedies, triumphs, made good and bad choices. That's what drives this narrative. What does Robin truly know about her mother? For that matter, what does her father know and how much? At first Quentin seems completely off the rails, but then there's the little things - the cracks that start appearing. The coincidences that are just too amazing to be actual coincidences. As Robin starts her journey towards the truth, the 1976 storyline careens to it's fiery epic conclusion at the cult's desert compound.

I'll also say that I loved the settings of this story, which takes place between southern California and the suburban enclaves outside of New York City. Los Angeles tends to get a fair amount of attention as a setting for suspense stories, but this story tickled me for featuring such Los Angeles County cities as Duarte, Claremont, and even a brief mention of Pico Rivera.

Truly, it's an excellent read that I could not get enough of. As soon as I get through some more long neglected suspense ARCs on my Kindle, I need to drop my life and go on an Alison Gaylin reading tear.

Final Grade = A

Alisson Gaylin is a fantastic storyteller. In this psychological thriller, we follow the story of the 1976 teenage murders. April and Gabriel killed a dozen victims terrorizing along the way those living in Southern California.

Everyone thought the serial killers died. However, more than forty years later there is new evidence suggesting April may be alive.

A great story!

Years ago there was a teen couple-serial killer stalking the residents of a town. They thought the killers had died in a fire but did they? Now, a podcaster thinks Robin’s mom is somehow connected to the couple. Robin thinks he’s nuts but once she starts investigating, she thinks he may be on to something.

This was an ok read. It’s told from three perspectives – Robin’s, Quentin’s, and letters written by fifteen-year-old April. I found the storytelling from the different perspectives and the time jumping a little confusing. It took me a while to really get into the story. Not the best mystery I’ve read lately.

I just love Alison Gaylin's books. They never disappoint. This book is about a woman discovering that what she thought she knew about her loved ones isn't what she always accepted. There are many twists and turns which keep you doubting right up to the end. The book is present day with sporadic flashbacks to the past. Past and present are expertly woven until it all comes together. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

Interesting start...didn't go the way you thought it would. Just when you think you have the story figured out, the author takes a few amazing twists...kept things fresh and page turning!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.*

The first title I have read by Alison Gaylin, I can say without hesitation I will look for more of her books.

Never Look Back is a psychological thriller told in part through letters written by 1970's era serial killer April Connors to her future unborn child, and partly from the varying perspectives of of journalist Robin Diamond, and podcaster Quentin Garrison.

Garrison is creating a podcast re-investigating the murders committed by April Connors and Gabriel LeRoy in 1976, seemingly to find closure because his mother's sister was one of the victims. He stumbles across a video on Diamond's website and becomes convinced that her mother Renee is April Connors and he embarks on a journey to interview them.

Things quickly spin out of control when Diamond's father is discovered shot to death and her mother is clinging to life in what looks like a home invasion gone wrong.

Well constructed and thought out and something truly current-with a link to true crime podcasts, moral ambiguity and how once hidden secrets always seem to find their way out.

I'd recommend this one to fans of true crime, and my Murderino buddies.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Although the pacing is a bit off, Never Look Back is an absorbing read that's well worth your time. I think Alison Gaylin is tremendously talented and look forward to seeing what she comes up with for her next novel!

I liked the inclusion of a true-crime podcast element in this thriller. Page-turning and easy to read - this will be easy to recommend and is bound to be popular, though the plot didn't turn out to be anything special.

Quentin Garrison is a true crime podcaster who is determined to find the identity of the female half of a pair of serial killers from back in the 1970s. Quentin has a very personal connection to the crimes even all these years later. At the time,, the girl's name was April Cooper. Quentin begs a meeting with a website columnist, Robin Diamond, because he truly believes that Robin's very own mother might actually be April.

Robin is shocked and in complete denial. She is absolutely certain that Quentin is dead wrong, yet she uses her own skills and contacts to begin her own investigation. The deeper she digs, the more disturbed she becomes. Things reach a fever pitch when a home invasion leaves Robin's father dead and her mother seriously wounded.

This fast-moving, angst-filled story is told from both Robin's and Quentin's points of view, as well as a series of letters written by April beginning when she was fifteen years old.

Robin certainly does not not want to ever ask her mother directly about the killings, her past, and any memories she might have about that time years ago. She has always been close to her parents, but a wave of internet threats and doubts about her husband begins to create chaos in Robin's mind.

Who can you trust, if not your very own family?

What a dangerous and thrilling ride! The back-and-forth delivery of this story was quite hair-raising. Add to this the twists and turns, as well as questionable characters, and this certainly turned out to be a fantastic read. Alison Gaylin is a new author to me, but I will certainly keep an eye out for future books by her.

Many thanks to William Morrow and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

While a somewhat predictable story, it was very entertaining and keep me interested. The twists were good and I enjoyed the plot. The writing delved into the psyche of the characters and I enjoyed that as well. Good read!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The words "page-turner" are thrown around so lightly, it seems almost too easy to use them to describe this book. But my heart was literally pounding when I reached the end of the first page. I could not put it down; I could not turn the pages fast enough. With so many psychological and domestic thrillers hitting bookstores these days, it's that much more difficult to stand out in the crowd, but Alison Gaylin has done that with "Never Look Back." While voracious thriller readers should be able to figure out the mystery, that knowledge does not lessen the enjoyment of this book a single bit. Five stars.

Favorite Quotes:

When someone is that close, you don’t just hear a whisper. You feel it.

She clutched a skittish little terrier in her arms that yapped and yapped, as though it had been born into the wrong life and was desperately trying to alert the world about it.

And then I saw it happen: Officer Nelligan recognized us. I knew it before he said anything, just in the way he stopped talking, the way his back straightened, and he seemed to change shape, growing bigger and taller and meaner than he’d been just two seconds earlier. I pictured buttons popping on his uniform, his rage turning him into a giant, a monster that could, would kill Gabriel and me… Time froze into a still photograph. I was standing at one end of a tunnel and Officer Nelligan was at the other and there was no one else in the world but the two of us.

I think that spending all this time with Gabriel has made me turn a little, like when you leave a glass of milk out in the sun… Every day, I will do something good for a person or an animal. I won’t go to sleep until I’ve made someone’s life better. And all those good deeds will turn me back.

Life rides some of us harder than others.

The sky here is so beautiful— like someone spilled a jar of silver glitter over a black velvet cape.

Summer glanced up to see the waitress standing over her, a look in her eye like they’d drawn straws back in the kitchen and she was the loser.


My Review:

After reading If I Die Tonight, I was aware of Ms. Gaylin’s uniquely devious style of slowly weaving seemingly unrelated yet mind-tickling events together into an ingeniously intriguing and complex tale of tragedy and secret lives. The characters were compelling yet deeply damaged and brimming with recalcitrant secrets and incongruence. The storylines were diabolically captivating and maddeningly paced, keeping my curiosity on a sharp edge. And to my unbridled delight, the last hundred pages exploded with twist after twist, it was brilliant. Alison Gaylin is an exceptional talent and has mad skills, but I can’t help but feel a bit fearful for her neighbors…

I became a huge fan of Alison Gaylin's when I read her novel What Remains of Me, my adoration only grew when I read If I Die Tonight, and now, Never Look Back has turned me into a raving super-fan. Gaylin does an excellent job of driving the plot, creating true suspense and tension and not meandering from the story at hand.

Told in dual timelines, we learn about teenage murderers April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy, via April's journal. In present day, we learn that podcast host Quentin Garrison thinks Cooper may be alive and seeks out the truth, bringing us to chapters with Robin Diamond, a celebrity pop culture columnist. Each perspective brings it's own unique voice and drives the plot forward.

Gaylin in an extremely talented voice in a genre that is over-saturated at the moment and truly stands out in the crowd. I have yet to rate any of her novels lower than 5 stars and this one certainly fits that bill as well.

Thank you to William Morrow for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

NEVER LOOK BACK is the story of April Cooper, a teen kidnapped by her violent boyfriend, Gabriel, and forced to go on a killing spree. April and Gabriel perished in a fire 40 years ago - didn't they? When podcaster Quentin Garrison hears that april Cooper might still be alive, he sets out to find her. After all, she and Gabriel killed his aunt and ruined his mother's life. But when he finally meets the woman who could be April, everything goes to hell and she winds up shot and her husband dead. But did Quentin really shoot anyone, as he claims? REally twisty, well-written story about identity and the experiences that define us. NEVER LOOK BACK moves backward and forward in time and keeps the reader guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed the book until the end, which left many unanswered questions about the villain's motivation. The end was so sloppy that it detracted from my enjoyment of the rest of the book.

Never Look Back by Alison Gaylin tells the tale of a teenaged couple from the 70s who went on a murdering spree that seemed to have ended with their deaths. Fast forward to the present day when a podcaster with a familial connection the story begins to investigate the case. He ends up opening a whole can of worms that reveals that all may not have ended as it was suspected to in the 70s. Riveting with lots of twists. Read and enjoy!

Quentin Garrison is examining the past to try and find closure. With his childhood, his absentee and drug-addicted mother, with the serial killers that caused the trauma that damaged his mother and grandfather's relationship. However, in looking back, Quentin seems to stir up more than he may have bargained for. As the novel moves between the past and present, as well as different perspectives, there is thrilling drama and suspense. A well-crafted novel with a satisfying conclusion.

I couldn’t this book down. It was fast paced and grabbed ahold of me right away. Just when I thought I figured things out I found out I was wrong. An enjoyable and well written mystery.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review of this book.

A serviceable thriller, the first I've read to make good use of the true crime podcast as a plot point. As always, Gaylin delivers!

Such a FANTASTIC mystery/suspense read!!! Never Look Back had such an original premise that I was complete grabbed from the very first page! I found this novel absolutely unputdownable- as in, if I had a spare 5 seconds, I was most certainly picking up my kindle! I felt Alison Gaylin did a brilliant job of weaving together this multilayered mystery!! The pace and timing of this 5 star read were spot-on— the twists and turns were placed perfectly! I haven’t read Alison Gaylin before, but I was thrilled to learn she has many books prior to Never Look Back (that I will definitely be 1-clicking)!!!