Rating: 5/5 stars.

Hannah Mary McKinnon has done it again. “Never Coming Home” is cold, calculated, and completely captivating. She does an amazing job of putting you right into the mind and shoes of a murderer. I liked how she layered his character so that the reader has to put their judgment on hold, if just for a little bit. The novel is full of great twists and I absolutely loved it.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

Sorry, I am trying to clean up my netgalley and clear some old books. I did not finish this book because I couldn't get into it.

Whoops, delayed review here. Good thing anything Hannah Mary McKinnon writes sticks with you! Let's just say if you like an unreliable narrator, a person that just doesn't sit right... then read this book. You know from the first moment the MC is a jackass. But so who then is threatening him? I loved how there were glimpses into his past, so you really got to know the MC, and why he is the way he is. And the side characters, written to perfection! I highly recommend this one, and any HMM book really!

Extremely well-done! I started this book thinking there was no way I could root for the protagonist, and luckily the author didn't make me. It was all about waiting to see when Lucas got what was coming to him, and she delivered in spaces. Great job!

Never Coming Home is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out Never Coming Home today.

3.5 stars

This had a really interesting premise - told through the eyes of the perpetrator. Lucas hires a hit man to take out his wife while he plays the grieving husband. That is until he starts receiving cryptic messages implying they know what he did.

I thought it was pretty well laid out, and I did have an inkling where this was going to which I was partially right. I found that a part of the big reveal a bit cheesy SPOILER: (When they all declare in unison they hunt like a pack of wolves) *eyeroll*
I did like how different parts of the story connected together and ended up being more than what I initially thought and seeing the psychological spiral of Lucas as everything closes in on him, you can feel the manic paranoia.

In an interesting twist, our main character is a murderer. We meet Lucas as he sits at his ailing mother-in-law's bedside thinking about his he killed his wife, her daughter. It was all the for money, of course. And he's sure he got away with it. In true Hannah Mary McKinnon fashion though, the twists are just beginning. What a great read!

This was another winner from McKinnon. I have loved all of her thrillers and this one did not disappoint. I had the book and audio for this one. She does such a great job with writing in a good twist you don't see coming.

This was an okay read, an above average domestic thriller I would say, simply because the POV here is fun. Reading the POV of the bad guy was interesting.

Writing: 4/5 - Plot: 3/5 - Ending: 3/5

Honestly, this book was written well. Some good humour, descriptions, etc. It just wasn’t special.

The plot was unique and I felt it was executed well up until the ending, where it fell apart a bit. I just thought it was predictable and I wasn’t shocked.

TW:
Addiction, Drug use, Kidnapping

Hannah Mary McKinnon does it again with Never Coming Home. Fast paced, edge of your seat thriller that keeps the pages turning until the very end. If you are looking for a good thriller grab this one.

If you like murder stories told mostly in the narrator's head and aren't bothered by knowing how it's going to end by the first 1/3 of the book, then this one might be for you. Sadly, it was a miss for me. Obviously many others liked it much more than me so you'll have to decide. On to the next!

If you’ve never had a love hate relationship before for a character you’re about to for Lucas! How on earth could such a perfect husband love his dog roger but yet want his wife killed for her money what kind of none sense is that! This story is told by him so jump in for a while ride Lucas is driving. If you Jane the chance to get you hands on this do so pick it up and enjoy it!Tell them I told you so 💜

The number one thing on Lucas Forester's checklist for a future mate was that she have money, and we're talking serious money. The kind of money most people can only dream of; top 1%-levels. When he meets Michelle while she's vacationing in London, he sees those big, beautiful dollar signs all over her. She's perfectly wealthy.

He can hardly believe his luck. His long-time plans of acquiring wealth through a loveless marriage are about to come to fruition. Thus, he puts his well-thought out plan into motion. The culmination of this plan requires he take a hit out on Michelle and he does, without hesitancy or complication. Now he must play his most important role yet, that of the grieving widower.

Everything is falling into place. He's feeling good. He's going to get away with this and then the photos and cryptic messages begin popping up. Someone knows what he did...

Lucas is scrambling. He needs to figure out who is doing this and put an end to it before they're able to expose him, but no matter what he does, they seem to remain a step ahead. Lucas has a lot to hide and this mystery individual is a risk to everything he has built for himself. He'll stop at nothing to take out this threat.

I really enjoyed Hannah Mary McKinnon's last two novels, so was very excited to get to this one. Never Coming Home brought her signature wild drama, all while providing a unique perspective. Getting the story from Lucas's POV was different and admittedly, very fun. He's a conniving-dirtbag, there's no doubt about that, but I found myself quietly rooting for him. It felt a little strange initially, but I got swept up fairly quickly and then was all in.

The final twist was exciting and sort of a fist pump, jaw drop moment, but my main critique actually involves it. The big twist comes very close to the end and I actually could have done with a bit more after the big reveal. I wanted more of that goodness and I felt it wrapped up a little too quickly for my tastes. Although, with this being said, the final few lines were super-satisfying.

Thank you so much to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. It took me a long time to get around to it, but I'm so glad I have finally read this one. I am absolutely looking forward to more from McKinnon!

This was an EASY 5 star read, I loved this one so much! Great characters and the pace stayed the same if not picked up, I loved the twist and wasn't expecting it .

I’ve loved all of this author’s books and this one was no exception! I knew very little about this book going in and I think that was the perfect plan for this one.

Having the killer as the protagonist was such an interesting take on the “husband murdered the wife trope” and something I absolutely loved. And while it may be wrong, I actually really liked Lucas’s character and couldn’t help myself from rooting for him! Thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next book from this author.

Lucas Forester knew that Michelle was the one he had been waiting for from the moment he met her at the private party being held in a London Art Gallery.

BUT, NOT FOR THE REASONS HE LED HER TO BELIEVE

McKinnon never disappoints. A taut mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. I recommend this read.

this book… was a deliciously twisted story!

Giving this a 𝟜.𝟝 ⭐️ / 5 star rating
𝐷𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝟘.𝟝 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟， 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠．

LOVED how this book was written from a killer’s point of view… Hannah’s brain in writing this novel and to capture Lucas’ thoughts, actions and inner monologue was masterfully done!

Thank you to Hannah Mary McKinnon and Mira Books for my paperback arc I was sent. Also thank you to Libby (library audiobook app) for having the audio version available and NetGalley for an advanced eARC!

Cheers 🍷📚💃🏻
Tina

thanks to Netgalley for the free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review

Another win for me from McKinnon! I knew I would fly through this book and I did. I love her books and I haven’t been disappointed yet. Lucas is just an awful person from start to finish but I loved his POV in this book – who doesn’t want the perspective of the evil, calculating, self-proclaimed con artist that is trying to steal millions from his wife? Once again, the pacing was perfect, the short chapters kept me going, and there’s always something that McKinnon throws at us that you’re never expecting!

Really enjoyed this thriller! I loved how it started, we are thrown into the middle of a situation and have to piece together what has happened. This book is told entirely from Lucas's point of view. He's a bad guy, but the reader can't help but like him and root for him a little bit. Knowing what is going on inside of his head endears him to the reader more than if we didn't understand his motivation and reasoning. He's not entirely bad, he has a rescue dog and does seem devoted to both the dog and his ailing father in the UK. The ending twist is fun and makes the entire book very entertaining. There are a couple of sections that are a bit cliché and kind of silly, but overall I thought it was a clever, addictive read.