Dare I say this is McKinnon's best yet? Told entirely from the perspective of a psychotic husband who targeted his wife solely for her money & arranges her disappearance through a hitman while simultaneously playing the grieving husband, this dark, salacious psychological thriller will keep you entertained from start to finish!

This psychological thriller gives readers a front row seat into the life of a manipulative, villain-of-a-husband. Lucas has spent years meticulously planning his wife's demise so he can inherit her money. Once the deed is done, he thinks he's in the clear and will be a very rich man. But when he receives a cryptic note, he's not so sure the murder went off as planned.

What stands out for me the most with this thriller is the unique POV of a killer. Lucas is a guy you'll love to hate, but he's got a dark sense of humour and a smidgen of good in him. Just a smidgen - he is a murderer after all. I enjoyed the detail McKinnon gives his backstory and while my initial suspicions of whodunnit were correct, I still felt like I was kept on my toes in the first part of the story.

But the middle of the story slowed down for me as we get stuck in Lucas' internal dialogue and things became more and more implausible. Unfortunately, I found the ending to be disappointing and contrived. I won't lie, it was kind of satisfying, but it was so unbelievable that it wasn't the strong finish I was expecting.

Top marks for a unique POV and a strong start but it faltered for me with its big but improbable reveal.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for my complimentary digital copy of this book given in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 stars. Interesting plot told through the eyes of the male antagonist which was a unique approach from the usual thriller reads. Some great scenes, good sleights of hand, and a satisfying ending. The pacing was slow at times and the male character’s inner thoughts were a bit too detailed. A different take on a thriller which I generally enjoyed.

Thanks to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Never Coming Home, Hannah Mary McKinnon
Pub Date: May 24/22 by Harper Collins & Mira Books

Hannah’s latest psychological thriller does not disappoint!

With an eerily realistic craftsmanship, Hannah has constructed a psychological thriller told in the antagonist’s voice that reads like a memorie of a sociopath who has waited, calculated and constructed the perfect murder for his wife who is set to inherit a fortune. A character you’ll love to hate and might even hate yourself for loving - even if just a little bit. He’s cheeky, shrewd and surprisingly funny. And while at first all seems to be going according to Lucas’s meticulous plan, bits begin to unravel leaving him grappling and desperately trying to regain control of his narrative and the millon’s that are slipping away.

Never coming Home is a well plotted and paced thriller with a good helping of twists and turns and just the right amount of deception. As with You Will Remember Me, Hannah once again delivers a delicious ending that has you rooting for the bad guy and then championing for the unexpected!

Thank you very much to Hannah and Harper Collins Canada and Mira Books and NetGalley for my advanced readers' copy. Can’t wait to read the next twisty thriller from one of my favourite authors.

I love Hannah Mary McKinnon’s books. I was hooked from Her Secret Son. Never Coming Home was told in a unique POV. I haven’t read a story like this before and I read a lot of thrillers. I really enjoyed this book. This is one I don’t want to give too many details because going into this blind will have you hooked and you will read this in a flash. I was intrigued right from the very beginning!

Oh Lucas… Always wanting to be the “good guy” except when it comes to wanting to kill his wife to inherent her millions.. POV from Lucas, who is hilarious & dark.. You want to root for him at some point, but should you? Who is the bad guy? 4.5 stars for a highly entertaining read!

I LOVED this book! Super twisty, hard to put down, and just enough suspense to keep me guessing. I really enjoy books from the killers perspective and this was no exception. This is my first from this author and I can't wait to read more!

I can’t say enough good things about Never Coming Home! The story is truly told from a villain’s point of view, and McKinnon writes him with a sardonic wit. The pressure is mounting all around Lucas as he struggles to keep all his balls in the air, and everything comes together at the end for a shocking but perfect ending.

This was a pretty good thriller of a ride and the main character was so perfectly well done I almost felt bad hating him at some points. We know right up front he is a bad guy and I was interested to know his demise and that is what the story centers on. Someone starts screwing with his head and they do a really excellent job. Very entertaining and definitely pulled me along as a reader. The ending though. I didn't hate it, but I was disappointed. The plotting seemed to wan through the middle a bit and then felt like it wrapped up too quickly and, honestly, in an almost unbelievable way. But the ending scene - perfection!

A digital ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions are my own and freely given.
This was just okay for me. It seemed like it took too long to setup the characters. I didn't really like any of them, to be honest. The plot was good, where the wife is abducted, and the husband gets anonymous picture and cryptic messages. It just fell a little flat for me because the ending didn't really wrap up.

Pulled me I'm right away...lost me a bit at the Bobby part in the middle. Kept reading and ended up being a great ending..

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of 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: May 24, 2022
Lucas Forester knew as soon as he saw beautiful, young Michelle at an art gallery event, he wanted to make her his wife- but not for the reasons everyone expected. Lucas’ father, permanently disabled as a result of a stroke, requires constant care, and although that care is growing exceedingly expensive, Lucas is willing to do anything to continue providing the best possible life for his father, and for himself. If that means he must wine and dine wealthy, (sometimes) single women than so be it. But Michelle may be his last “mark”, and he finally sees a secure future for himself and his father when he convinces Michelle to marry him. But with an ironclad pre-nup, the only way Lucas can benefit from Michelle’s fortune is if she were to “disappear”, and Lucas is determined to do all he can to ensure this happens, and also to ensure that he can, in no way, be blamed for it.
Hannah Mary McKinnon introduces a deliciously evil and seriously sly sociopath as her protagonist in her sixth novel, “Never Coming Home”. As Lucas narrates his tale, and we see his devious plans to eliminate his wife and take her wealth, the sick inner workings of his mind are revealed, and I was immediately fascinated. Right from the get-go, it is obvious Lucas is an unlikable character (McKinnon does not sugar coat Lucas’ disgusting nature) and yet, even with such a protagonist, I enjoyed every page.
When Lucas starts receiving threatening notes, indicating the sender is aware of Lucas’ dirty deeds, McKinnon leaves readers with a plethora of possibilities as who the culprit could be, yet there is enough suspicion to keep the secret until the final chapters. In “Home”, everyone has secrets and no one can be trusted, which leads to pulse-pounding twists and turns that lead to one heck of an ending! The haunting conclusion is unexpected yet also satisfying, bringing readers the resolution they didn’t know they wanted.
McKinnon is a UK-born author, but as she now lives in Canada, I think the Great White North can take credit for her creativity and talent. “Never Coming Home” is so much more than a “psychological domestic suspense” novel, and I eagerly anticipate McKinnon’s future works.

Never Coming Home was a wonderful read, one that kept me trying to figure out what was going on until the end.

The main character, Lucas, wasn't very likeable, but the story is so engrossing that I purely did not care. I kept hoping something terrible would happen to him and truly, his back story as a child did help me realize why he was who he was. Well, partially.

If you enjoy mysteries and family suspense, then this is a must read. It is one that will keep you wondering and wanting to know what's going to happen.

And there's a wonderful dog! This isn't a long review, nor does it have much "meat" to it, but it's far too easy to spoil this story and I want to make sure my review doesn't spoil it for anyone.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

Lucas. Well,,,he’s not a good guy, and you know that…almost from the start. This book started out a little slow for me, but I pushed through, and I’m glad I did. The ending was nothing like any other book I’ve read! Wow!

Ok I really really liked the way this one started... I feel like I'm saying that a lot lately, particularly with domestic thrillers. I may well be over this genre - at least for now. So keep that caveat in mind when you read the rest of this.

This one started like a house afire - in a good dramatic, emotionally charged way. It started feeling a little over the top and then gradually devolved into an eye rolling monstrosity - and while I was determined to see it though to the bitter end, and never seriously considered walking away, it was in a train-wreck way rather than a positive one... I'm not exactly sure where it jumped the shark for me, but suffice to say that the current trend of layering red herrings with jaw-dropping left-field revelations into a parfait of craziness is getting old for me right fast.

If I read less of these I might not have minded. McKinnon is a talented enough writer that the pages turned easily, and her characters were morally bankrupt in a fun, rather than distasteful, way. But the Big Reveal felt like a feminist fantasy rather than a cohesive finale, and that's where it really, finally lost me. It was fun right up until it felt like it was delivering a political message - and that's not why I read thrillers.l like this. The conclusion felt forced and while not entirely unexpected, at least in part, it didn't deliver on the promise of the opening gambits in a way I found at all satisfying...

Have you ever read a thriller and wished you had the bad guy's POV? Well, look no further because this one is unique romp into the twisted mind of a greedy psychopath - and it's a lot of fun!

Lucas has the perfect marriage. He and Michelle are so very happy and in love and are insanely wealthy, and everything seems, well - perfect. But here's the thing... Lucas has been meticulously planning Michelle's death for years. And once he inherits all her money, he will finally be free to live the way he's always wanted and deserved. He's covered all his tracks - both in the past and the future - and everything has gone perfectly to plan.

Until the note comes.

It's hard not to root for Thomas because as unlikeable and sinister as he is, we learn all about where he's come from and what he has been though. And he's pretty damn smart and devious - you kinda want to see what he gets away with.

But someone is on to him... will he actually get away with anything??

Fans of Gone Girl will love this one. And if you've read McKinnon's books before - you know to expect something fun and twisted at the end of the story - and this one does not disappoint!

4.5 Stars

Never Coming Home surprised me in the best ways possible. It’s a pulse pounding thriller that kept me glued to the pages. Readers are immersed in the main character’s, Lucas, mind as he plays out his meticulously planned long con to steal his wife’s fortune that can’t possibly fail, right?

Never Coming Home is a book as close to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn that I’ve read. It’s twisted and will keep you guessing until the end. There were a few obvious reveals and some I didn’t see coming.

Lucas is an incredibly relatable character in many regards, despite the fact he took out a hit on his wife. He’s funny, caring, charismatic, and intelligent. His perspective is written as a stream of consciousness style, however it’s devoid of mundane day-to-day activities as the pace of the novel is fast with little to no room for downtime.

Never Coming Home could have been 5 stars for me, however the ending was rushed and abrupt. I wish McKinnon would have spent a couple more pages explaining, though I understand this wasn’t possible because of the constraints of the point of view. However, I loved the final few pages. These types of endings are always my favorite.

Overall, Never Coming Home is an excellent thriller with twists and turns you won’t see coming and a villainous main character you can’t help but relate to.

This book had a clever premise and I liked the narrator, but the ending was fairly predictable. I guessed the wife was alive the entire time; I wish they fleshed out how everyone was in on it, though. I'd say this is my favorite of McKinnon's work and am optimistic about her next novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I never cared for Lucas, and perhaps that's the point of this story. The premise was interesting, but I couldn't get truly engaged in the story because I just didn't care for Lucas, and there was way too much information about his background.. I did appreciate the fact the story is told from the POV is the male villain, as that's not common in the books I read. There were a few too many predictable plot points, unfortunately.

Never Coming Home
Hannah Mary McKinnon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: May 24, 2022

Thank you to @netgalley and @_mira_books_ for the eARC for my review.

This was one of my most anticipated books on my tbr for this year. I’m happy to report that it definitely exceeded all my expectations!
NEVER COMING HOME was unlike any other suspense novel that I’ve read before. It’s told from the antagonist’s point of view and he is quite the character. And this author knows how to tell a complete story. Now I can go back and read her other novels while I wait for her next new release.

Lucas Forester, the antagonist, has been planning for every twist and turn in his plot to gain a great inheritance from his wife, once she dies. He doesn’t hate his wife, it’s just all part of his well thought out plan. As the tagline on the cover says, “First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder.”
Everything seems to be on track until Lucas receives a mysterious orange envelope. Somebody knows what he’s been doing and Lucas has to scramble to keep his plan on track.
If you’re a fan of true crime shows as I am, you’ll recognize some of Lucas’ tactics. He is such a great character and I loved that this book had a humorous side to it also.

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