My first book by this author and an enjoyable fun read. A psychological domestic thriller with a good narrative and a conclusion with a twist. There was some slowdown and deviation in the middle. The story started as a psychological thriller and blended with a domestic drama. The characters are not well developed. Overall a definite page turner, finished in one day.

I enjoyed this book. It's the first I've read from this author and I'll be reading more from him. This book was a thriller of emotions. It kept me hooked from beginning to end. I love the characters, especially Ethan. Great story that you wont regret reading.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A woman rings their doorbell and their are changed forever. Years later Ethan wants his sister to suffer because she stopped him from getting to his father before he died I enjoyed this book

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 6, 2020
Christopher Swann’s second novel, “Never Turn Back” is a story of vengeance, family and long-kept secrets.
Ethan Faulkner is an English teacher, following in the steps of his beloved deceased mother. When Ethan was a young boy, his parents were shot and killed in front of him, and both he and his sister were wounded. Raised by an uncle with mysterious friends and lots of criminal secrets, the now-adult Ethan and his sister Susannah have both gone their own ways, trying to start over. After Ethan has a one-night stand at a conference with a young teacher named Marisa, she quickly becomes his teaching partner, and then, girlfriend. But Marisa’s behaviour starts to turn dangerous and soon Ethan is looking at criminal charges and unemployment. When Marisa turns up dead, Ethan is at the forefront of the investigation and when he discovers that secrets that Marisa has been keeping, secrets about his family, he will put himself in danger to discover them.
I am new to Swann, and therefore went into this novel completely unsure of what to expect. A Southern-murder-mystery filled with family secrets is Swann’s novel “Never Turn Back”. Ethan has a very “Dead Poet’s Society” feel in his teaching style, and is instantly likable as a professional and as a person. Knowing what he suffered through in his childhood simply increased my affection for him.
This novel started strong with “Single White Female” vibes. However, somewhere in the middle the plot shifted focus completely, with Ethan on a quest to uncover the answers about Marisa, and about his family’s death. Both plot lines were intense and entertaining, but they were very disconnected. I was hoping that a connection between the two would be revealed at the end in some sort of twist, but I was disappointed.
Although the novel was a good read, I would’ve preferred a smoother flow between the beginning and the end. Either plotline would’ve worked for me, but there could’ve been more crafty ways to merge the two. Hands down to Swann for his creativity and writing style, as I was very invested in the characters from page one. Swann’s style is a unique one, and I am not even sure in what genre this novel should fall but I was entertained throughout all the same.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of Never Turn Back by Christopher Swann in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book I have read by this author. The characters were well developed. The book was engaging and fast-paced. I would recommend this book to others.

Well written story. Kept me engaged the entire time. A page turner for sure! Looking forward to reading more books by this author!

Before I go any further - DO NOT READ THE FULL DESCRIPTION OF THIS BOOK above, or on Amazon, or anywhere else. In my opinion it gives away too much, taking away from some of the (many) surprises that come early in this novel. Trust me... it's more fun to let it unfold without knowing anything that may be coming. So, very spoiler-free review follows.

Where was I?

"Never Turn Back" is a fantastic sophomore outing from Christopher Swann. I really liked "Shadow of the Lions," but I loved "Never Turn Back." It's a good ol' fashioned page-turner that I burned through in two days.

The characters are well-developed, interesting and diverse. Good guys, bad guys, and mostly morally-grey guys alike, all are compellingly written and are people you'll want to know more about. In fact, there are multiple characters I'd love to see more of - sequel? (Not naming names b/c I read this book having no idea who might make it to the last page and don't want to ruin that for other readers)

The story is fast-paced and has plenty of twists and turns and caught me off-guard several times (ergo the aforementioned warning to go into this knowing as little as possible). I enjoy being surprised by a writer, so kudos to Chris for doing that, repeatedly.

As an Atlanta resident, I enjoyed the local setting, with many familiar neighborhoods and landmarks. Heck, more than a couple of times I found myself putting down the book to Google a location to see if it was a real destination that Swann had pulled into his fictional universe. I'm still disappointed that I'll never get to have a pint at Ronan's. Also... I'll never look at the King & Queen Buildings in quite the same light.

Bottom line: This novel is, above all else, a damn FUN read, filled with engaging characters, a compelling plot, and a very satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.

Ethan thought it was just a one night stand with Marisa -- until she shows up at his place of employment. What follows is a bizarre case of Marisa stalking and harassing Ethan until one day Marisa is found murdered. Did Ethan have a hand in Marisa's murder? Or, could it be someone else from Ethan's past?

For fans of "Disclosure," and "Fatal Attraction," this is a must read. A page turner. I certainly wasn't disappointed. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this digital book in exchange for my honest review. Review will be posted on social media outlets such as Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook at least 30 days prior to publication date and will be posted to retail sites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble on publication date.

Ethan Faulkner is a precocious child with a brilliant but troublesome sister, Susannah, a war vet for a father and a weary mother trying to manage their family. One night, a young woman rings their doorbell, desperate to hide from two men who are pursuing her when one of the two barges in after her. The struggle leaves both of the parents dead and Ethan and Susannah both wounded. Their mother's criminal brother takes them in and raises them, but he is a very tough taskmaster and with Susannah having to deal with mental issues, it is far from an ideal situation.

Years later, Ethan has a successful teaching career, a budding relationship with a coworker, Marisa (who turns out to be a psycho) and his sister shows up out of nowhere and is staying/living with him. Susannah is not an easy person to live with and Ethan still has issues with her going back to the night his parents died.

It was a long time ago and Ethan wants to leave it in the past where it belongs, but it seems to be the only thing Marisa is interested in discussing. When Ethan attempts to break it off, Marisa's reaction threatens to shatter the life that Ethan has carefully constructed. Before long, news of a shocking murder breaks with evidence pointing to Ethan as the prime suspect, leaving him no choice but to dig up the painful memories of the past in order to find the truth of the present.

It is an easy read and I enjoyed the book.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review of this book. Thank you NetGalley.

Never Turn Back by Christopher Swann is a domestic thriller surrounding a family tragedy. The characters are well developed and you can clearly see the reasons for their actions. It did hold my attention but I was hoping for more of a dramatic twist. Good read though.

Never Turn Back, opens with a story about a family including, two parents, a son and a daughter. The father returns from Viet Nam. He isn't the same and had terrible fits of temper which he takes out mostly on his wife but also abused his kids. Ethan is the older sibling. His Mom puts the burden on him to always take care of his sister. Shortly after the story opens we are told about an intruder and two others, who burst into their home and shoot the parents who end up dead. The daughter Susannah is shot and so is Ethan but they survive. The story goes on to tell about an uncle who is a criminal and takes the kids in. Susannah is mentally disturbed and is in constant therapy through her life. Ethan meets and had a romance who turns out to be a psycho. I couldn't but it down.

This is the first book that I've read by Swann. I enjoyed the book a lot. The book definitely kept my attention and hooked me with in the first half!
His characters are really developed with the back story and you can completely understand the motives and thoughts behind the actions. The home invasion fuels a lot of the actions and feelings through everything. The whole social media girlfriend is something that is definitely something someone can feel now days lol social media has put a different level of craziness into play. I loved the mystery and suspense of it all! I definitely recommend! I will also check out other books by this author!!

A lot of family drama with heavy topics. Overall a good book, it kept me turning the pages!

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

This is my first book by Swann, though I've had my eye on his first novel since it came out. In Swann's sophomore entry, he manages to cross several genres into one coherent narrative: there's a terrifying home invasion that has plagued the protagonist with feelings of loss, guilt, and blame for years; there's a crazed girlfriend that uses social media to threaten his work; there's a dark underbelly crime connection to our protagonist's family; there's mental illness and estranged family dynamics; and there's a mystery that tries to uncover the perpetrators from the long-ago home invasion as well as a couple of current murders that are clearly all connected in some way. If this seems like a lot, I mention them all because Swann adroitly manages all of these plot points and doesn't leave the reader feeling any sense of chaos. It's well-managed and well-written. I do think some of these topics could have been teased out a bit more--there are some heavy topics here with lots of emotional impact and there was room for further exploration. However, as it stands, Swann uses the topics to his advantage and connects the dots in a compelling manner.

I'd categorize this more as a family crime drama than a mystery, though it does include all of these genres. Swann is definitely worth a read, and I certainly will be sure to go back and read his first novel that I missed in 2017!

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Well-written and detailed, it kept me invested in the story and the outcome. 4.5 stars

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a child, Ethan witnessed both his parents murders after they tried to help a young woman in distress who knocked on their door one night. One of the men chasing her broke into Ethan’s house and killed them in front of Ethan and his sister, Susannah. As an adult, Ethan is a teacher and has recently begun a romance with a colleague, Marissa. The only thing that keeps him from being happy is the dying promise his father extracted from him, “take care of Susannah”. Ethan still blames his sister from preventing him from getting to his father in time to save him. He wants nothing to do with his sister, but his new girlfriend is obsessed with Ethan’s past, so much so, he attempts to ditch her. But Marissa will not be denied, and her actions will make Ethan the suspect in a murder. He now has no choice to go back to that long ago night and relive the past so that he can have a future. Swann is a formidable talent with an uncanny grasp of the mind of a wounded child