Mind boggling & dangerously good is how I would describe this book!!!!!! I couldn't read it fast enough to satisfy my curiosity.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Simple plan - kill his wife and keep the money. However someone is onto him and knows what he did. And will not let him get away with it. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.75/5

Never Coming Home is a suspenseful, twisty read. There is a little part in the second half of the book, where the pacing of the plot does drag a tiny bit, but the pace soon picks up again.

I feel that although this thriller was overall an entertaining read, I found the plot twist to be predictable and I felt like I already knew what was going to happen and there was a little surprise for me in the end, but I was still right.

I enjoy reading a thriller where I think I have it all figured out, and I am proven wrong with a solid ending. For me, my rating reflects the predictable nature of this book. I may not have 100% figured out the how, but I knew the who and the why was pretty easy to figure out.

This is a scary thriller, with the leading man being one of the most despicable characters I’ve ever run across in a book. And, I made that observation before I reached the 15% mark in the book.

Lucas (our despicable character) preyed on Michelle, right from the second he saw her. His sole intention was to come and end up as a very rich man, no matter what it took. So he married her and later hired a hit man for the kill. But, as the publishers' description stated the hunter becomes the prey.

This quickly becomes an extremely convoluted tale. The plot is driven by Lucas. Although he is despicable (did I already mention that?) and quite evil, he is a very interesting character. He's certainly not someone I could warm up to but, possibly, through his charm, he might be able to fool me. No detail is too trivial, nothing is overlooked. Or, so he thinks. He is very confident in himself.

A twisted page turner. And it had me stumped. I had one possibility in mind as to what was happening, I had to wait to see if I was right. Strangely enough, there were even some humorous parts.

Books like this make me wonder how the author's mind works. Does the author stay awake at night trying to decide how suspenseful they can make it? Or does it just come naturally?

The outcome I was holding at bay in my mind, did sort of turn out to be true. BUT, it was much more complex than I could ever imagine. And the conclusion even made me smile. All along the readers know “who dunnit”. But, the reader had no idea who is “doing it”.

I could not have a steady diet of books like this but I do enjoy one upon occasion. This is one of the best thrillers I have ever read, though I had my doubts at the beginning. I could easily see this becoming a movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advance Readers Copy. Apologise for the late review.

You can count on Hannah Mary McKinnon to present you a well-thought, tidy story. And this time we have a character that is just like that, thorough in his task of killing his wife, taking all the family's fortune, and getting away with like he's the good guy. Things have been going his way to a point even his mother in law might be leaving him richer than he had calculated. Except someone is sending him letters like they know something.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

The story will at least make you curious, because Lucas really convinces you he's taken all measures to ensure his wife has been killed, he even knows where the killer he hired buried her body. Also, the more you suspected this or that could have gone wrong, Lucas will investigate and check that it's all as it should have been. Nevertheless, someone knows it. Who? Why? What's their purpose that they're taking their time to say their demand?

However, this book isn't a page turner. Maybe it was all too perfect for it to be as entertaining as it could have been. Certainly, Lucas wasn't the character I would cheer for, and it took me a long time to decide what in the book would make me happy. So, I'll blame it on not connecting with the main character or his plight. And not hating him enough to want people to catch him; he did convince me for that part.

The book is flawless in all else that counts. You're in for a story with numerous plot twists, and at least my theories kept crumbling away, so I was interested in finding out the end.

If you don't mind or even if you like slow-paced mystery novels, I recommend it.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

WHAT A RIDE. I loved that this was told from the POV of the husband: what a twist on the unreliable narrator! This is definitely a darker read, but a very solid psychological thriller!


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Lucas is such a manipulator, con man, killer, thief, that you will really hate him. His character grabs you from the start as he tells you he planned to kill his wife all along. At times his insights and narrative got to be boring as they rambled on. I also didn’t like his wife Michelle as pretty much everyone was beneath her. Strong character writing by this author. There did seem to be a lot of characters to keep track of as the thriller continued to the end. 3.5 stars

Hannah Mary McKinnon never disappoints! Never Coming Home may be my new favourite from her; although I've said that very same thing after each of her last few books I've read!

This one is told from the villain's POV, and you will love to hate Lucas! The book was fast paced, kept me interested from start to finish, and had some twists I didn't see coming.

There's a good reason Hannah Mary McKinnon is an auto-buy author for me!

Let me start by saying that this book is not your typical Mystery/Thriller novel. There are several things that set it apart from the run of the mill book in that genre. The first one being that all you need to do is read the published synopsis, or the first few pages of the book and you know that the main character, Lucas, put out a hit on his wife and had her killed. That is not the mystery. We also know right up front why Lucas had her killed. The mystery part comes in when someone starts sending him things in the "I know what you did last summer" kind of vein. The other thing that set this book apart for me is that Lucas is a totally unlikeable character with no redeeming qualities that I could find. This is not just my opinion, but a plot point stated by the author. Lucas is, as he would say, " a total arse" and you are not supposed to like him. I get that, and it works on some level, but unfortunately for me, his character was so over the top that I found him off putting and it actually hampered my enjoyment of what would otherwise have been a well crafted story. And the story was well crafted with a twist at the end that was really good and made the book worth the time to read it for the most part, but I just couldn't get past Lucas' personality enough to REALLY enjoy the book. I'm sure there are a lot of readers who would not be bothered by, and probably even enjoy Lucas as a character given how the book flows. As for me, I would like to thank Mira books for giving me a chance to read this book through Netgalley. My recommendation to other readers would be to give the book a try and see if the story wins out for you.

Review Pending on Amazon.,

I had hoped to like this book. I have been enjoying suspense books a lot as of late. Sadly, Never Coming Home didn't keep my attention. It was all a little too slow for me. I had to add this book to my DNF list. I do hope that others will enjoy and love this book. It just was not for me.

4.5 stars

This is my second book by Hannah McKinnon and I really enjoyed it! This was like the handbook on how to get away with murder.

As with any thriller/domestic suspense, it’s bound to be somewhat unrealistic. But if you think of it like an action film, you’ll enjoy it.

Another great book from Hannah. She always keeps me guessing and turning the pages. So good! A great suspense novel.

I found this book to be incredibly dull. I had to DNF about half way through. I think we all know the wife isn't actually dead. Or maybe she isn't? I don't really care.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting book with a unique premise. I figured it out part way through but still remained interested to see if I was right and how it turned out. Some of it seemed improbable but it was a quick, entertaining read.

This was such an entertaining read! I loved to hate Lucas. He seemed like he was the perfect husband and perfect son-in-law, but he was really a master manipulator. I really enjoyed hearing the story from his POV. The ending was surprising and I wasn't prepared for it!

Do you enjoy books with characters you just love to hate? Me too! And that's only one of the reasons why I have such high praise for NEVER COMING HOME.

Lucas Forester is just a guy who has done what he needed to in order to meet his goals. Taking the hit out on his wife, Michelle, was never personal. Sure, she had a few annoying characteristics but don't we all? Lucas is not a man with no conscience whatsoever. In fact, he feels quite badly about some of the collateral damage he's created. He's quite confident that he's taken all necessary precautions to prevent himself from getting caught and is playing the role of grieving husband as well as any Oscar winner on record. His cockiness prevents him from being too disturbed about the fact that someone may be onto him. Until it becomes obvious that someone is definitely onto him. And that is where the fun begins!

Hannah Mary Mckinnon has written a very smart and witty suspense novel. Its 368 pages flew by. Though I'd guessed some of the plot, there were penty of twists and turns I didn't see coming. I didn't feel it detracted from my overall experience. Though I'd not read any of this author's previous books, I would certainly do so and am looking forward to seeing what she'll write next.

Many thanks to MIRA publishing for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book I shouldn't have enjoyed. It was a mostly narrative book, and I will admit that I skipped over several paragraphs from time to time. I get bored with just reading a lot of someone's thoughts and descriptions. However the storyline kept me going, and trying to guess who was behind the mysterious happenings. I thought it was a good book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the prerelease ebook.

What a ride! Reading Never Coming Home I had NO idea who to trust or what was going to happen. I certainly had a few things figured out, but I sure had no idea how they'd play out and what would actually transpire! I LOVED reading a thriller from the villains point of view, something that is pretty rare in the genre. I love the depth that Hannah Mary McKinnon gives to her characters, weaving tales that relate to their past and experiences that play into the story as she goes. It's pretty rare these days that a thriller will leave me fulfilled, mind blown and talking about it for days after, but this one hit all the marks!

Is it odd to call a book that begins with a man's plan to kill his wife and take her money a fun read? It might be, but Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon is really a fun read. This "who done it" is all about the "who" - Lucas Forester. He is a con man, a thief, a liar, and a murderer. However, despite everything or maybe because of everything, he is fun character to follow.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/07/never-coming-home.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and the HTP Summer 2022 mystery and thriller blog tour.

I looooved this book. I do not compare thriller often, but this one really does measure up to the strongest in the genre.
Never Coming Home should be on the top of everyone's summer reading list.