My first book from Christopher Swann and it went down a treat!

I really liked the badass main character and her attitude towards people who otherwise would be considered dangerous and untouchable,

The writing is fast-paced, and the fight scenes are high stakes and violent, it was a different thriller than I usually read, but that did not keep me back from enjoying it.

A solid 4 stars and looking forward to his next book!

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

A follow up to the Faulkner family. I reviewed the previous book when I started but I think I would have been able to remember if I had not. The series is thrilling and wild. What else can be expected from a family with this history? There is enough action and character development to make this sequel engaging and intriguing.

I have yet to be disappointed with a Christopher Swann book and Never Go Home may just be his best work to date.

Never Go Home is a Faulkner Family Thriller Book and the second in the series. This book CAN be read as a standalone but why would you want to when book one (Never Turn Back) was equally as amazing as this one!

Never Go Home is a fast paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. At times I felt as though I had to close my eyes in fear of what was going to come next! Swann pushes boundaries and really gets you feeling anxious throughout the entire book.

This is the perfect action packed thriller for a wide demographic and will not disappoint !

I have become a huge fan of Swann and I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with for Book Three!

A great follow up on the Faulkner family, although you don’t necessarily have to read the first one. Never Go Home brings you up to speed on everything quite nicely. Ethan and Susannah have more problems to deal with, this time involving uncle Gavin and an ex-soldier named Finn. Fast paced, great story!

Orphaned at age ten by a violent home invasion, Susannah Faulkner grew up wild, her stubbornness the only thing harder than her heart. Since then, she’s used her skills to put a boot in the faces of those who deserve it. She knows she’s wired wrong and living a dangerous and violent life, but she’s determined to wring something decent from the world before she leaves it.
Then she gets word her brother Ethan needs her help and returns home to Atlanta. But in the airport, she finds her Uncle Gavin suffering a heart attack. Before he is rushed to the hospital, Gavin whispers a single word to Suzie: Peaches. She’s determined to uncover the meaning behind the cryptic message, but Ethan is also deep in trouble. An ex-soldier and ex-con named Finn appeared on his doorstep with a disturbing story: fifteen years earlier, Finn served with their father in Iraq, where they stole millions in cash. Now the money is missing, and Finn wants his share—or else.
A gang war threatens to explode on Atlanta’s streets. Uncle Gavin clings to life in the hospital. Finn is bent on finding his missing millions. And now, Suzie will be tested as never before in a crucible of violence where all that she holds dear is on the line.

This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary

I loved Susannah, her actions, the way she thinks, A little bit of a mess with a pension for violence.
This was a wild ride filled with crazy plans, kidnapping, lots of bad people and stolen money! The energy of the story, made me not want to put it down. A great mix of side characters really added to it all. The ending was great and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for my review copy!

Never Go Home by Christopher Swan

Susannah grew up wild. Her stubbornness was the only thing harder than her heart. She faces a dangerous crowd.

This is not my usual read. I felt like it was just a look into the daily life of drug users and dealers. Although it was well-written. It was a scary book.

Peaches? Susie finds herself in the middle of a mess many years in the making when Finn turns up and threatens her brother Ethan because he wants the money he believes their father stole from him. Problem is, their parents, both of them, were killed in a home invasion when they were adolescents and neither of them know anything about it. Peaches, as it turns out, is a gangster but why did her uncle whisper that word to her as he lay suffering from a heart attack. There are good guys, lots of bad guys, and a mystery that goes back to Iraq. There's a lot (a lot) of action but that's not a bad thing because it becomes a page turner. Susie is terrific- she's definitely unique. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I read this as a fine standalone and now I''m curious where Swann will go next.

I’ve read all of Christopher Swann’s novels and I enjoyed this latest book, Never Go Home. It’s an action-packed thriller that takes place in Atlanta and revisits characters from his first Faulkner Family novel, Never Turn Back. Suzie is a great character and it’s always exciting to follow the twists, turns and surprises in Swann’s stories. A good story and I’ll look forward to reading his next novel.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Never Go Home by Christopher Swann is a highly recommended thriller and the second book in the Faulkner Family series.

Susannah Faulkner, orphaned at ten, grew up learning how to take care of herself and her family. She usually uses her abilities against the bad guys for pay and to right wrongs. When she is contacted during her current job to go home because her brother Ethan needs help, she immediately ties up the loose ends and goes home to Atlanta. At the airport she discovers her Uncle Gavin has had a heart attack. He whispers one word to her, Peaches, and Suzie must figure out who or what that is and why her uncle would say this.

Ethan also needs help. An ex-soldier and ex-con named Finn has shown up and claims that their father stole millions of dollars fifteen years earlier while serving in Iraq. Finn wants to know where the money is and he wants his share of the missing millions. But right now, with Uncle Gavin hospitalized, a gang war threatens to explode as people fight to take over control in Atlanta.

After a heart-stopping opening, this is an excellent thriller that will hold your attention throughout. The action does come and go in explosive bursts of energy as Suzie has to deal with the denizens of Atlanta's underworld. Although Never Go Home is the second book in the series, following Never Turn Back, it can be read as a stand-alone, especially because this novel follows Susannah and the first follows her brother, Ethan.

The narrative follows two different story lines, which helps create tension but also allows for more exciting action scenes and clashes. There is also plenty of intimidation and posturing from characters. Readers will have to suspend disbelief for many of the action scenes, which is easily done because the action unfurls at a frantic pace and everyone, but especially Suzie, is using all these intense fighting skills.

Character development portrays both the positive and negative parts of the character's personalities as is clearly showcased in the plot. These characters have a proficiency and capacity for violence beyond the ordinary. Suzie is a damaged person, but the appeal is found in her fighting skills and intelligence. There was some incorrect information presented as facts in Suzie's comments which was a bit off-putting.

This is a good choice for escapism, especially for those who appreciate action packed thrillers.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

Hard living is the adjective to describe the main character’s life. Her business is also in the underbelly, seedy side of the world.
I liked when she rode her motorcycle.
I had trouble connecting with the story line and the characters.

Two years on, the second Susannah Faulkner saga Never Go Home by Christopher Swann is finally published. Sussi is working on a missing child case with her usual aplomb, attitude and action, when she is called back to Atlanta when her uncle suffers a heart attack. His whispered words set her off on a hunt for Peaches and then the FBI come calling, potentially setting off a dangerous gang warfare. A most enjoyable rollick of a read with a sassy hero whose troubled past and family tragedy makes for a four star rating. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes.

Never Go Home, the second installment in the Faulkner Family series is just as exhilarating as the first book. This book is written from Susannah’s point of view. Suzie is a kick-ass main character, a strong woman that is not afraid of anything or anyone. Ethan calls Suzie saying he needs her help back at home in Atlanta. Upon arriving in Atlanta, Suzie finds her Uncle Gavin being taken away by ambulance. Before being whisked away Gavin whispers the word “peaches.” Meanwhile, an ex-soldier, Finn, that served in Iraq with Suzie and Ethan’s father shows up on Ethan’s doorstep. According to Finn when they served in Iraq, they stole millions in cash. Now he wants his share of the money.

What does peaches mean? Did their father really steal millions in cash? If so, where is it now? Can Suzie protect her uncle’s business while he recovers from his heart attack? Suzie has a lot on her plate, but she is more than ready to kick ass and take names.

I really enjoyed this book! While I think it could be read as a standalone, I definitely enjoyed it more having read the first book. Christopher Swann has a way of writing characters that just makes you fall in love with them. They feel like friends because you know everything about them. I enjoyed learning more about Suzie in this book. The action kept me reading to find out what was going to happen next. I give it a solid 4.5 stars. I can’t wait to read the next book starring the Faulker family!

I just finished Never go home by Christopher Swann and here’s what I think about it.

Susannah is called home by her brother Ethan. She arrives just as their uncle, the man who raised them, has a heart attack which triggers a whole world of chaos for her to deal with. Whispering the word Peaches to her, she hunts to find out what Uncle Gavin is after.

Not only is there a turf war coming, but Ethan is in need of her help too. He had a man show up, Finn, a man that knew their father… The father that came home from the war not right and was murdered… Finn has a story to tell. One that has their father stealing money and Finn is here to collect his share after spending almost 20 years in prison. Finn wants Suzie to find it…

Can Suzie protect her Uncle's business while he is recovering from his heart attack? Can she find Finn’s missing money before he hurts anyone? Will she be able to stop the turf war that her uncle doesn’t want? Can she survive being tested in this all out action thriller?

I actually didn’t know that this book was a sequel but it didn’t matter as it read like a standalone in its own right and all the characters were nicely developed in this book too.

I loved Suzie. She is hardcore and a bad @ss. I love really strong female protagonists so I was so happy to find a raw and vulnerable person who has her heart in the right place.

There was so much going on that sometimes, it got a little distracting. I don’t think it needed 2 storylines but they were interwoven pretty seamlessly so it wasn’t necessarily a negative thing.
The storyline with Finn was definitely the most exciting part of the whole book. I feel like the author has set themselves up with an antagonist for future reads. Suzie really has met her match now and I need to know what happens next!

Nothing was left not explained, the pace was exceptional and the style of writing was actually so brilliant that I need more from this author.

4 solid stars!

Do you like an action packed thriller that doesn’t stop? Get this one on Aug 9th 2022

Thank you netgalley and crooked lane books for my ARC in exchange for my review!

4+ stars! This is one thrill ride from start to finish! Susannah Faulkner is a wild and crazy, totally kick-ass lead character. She's damaged and flawed but has only grown stronger. The rest of the cast of characters, her family and friends, offer support, sage advice when she's willing to listen, backup when she needs it, and cleanup afterwards. Can't wait to see where her adventures will lead her next!

I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. Many thanks for an exciting read. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Atlanta author Christopher Swann returns following Never Turn Back, featuring Susannah Faulkner and her brother Ethan and other secondary characters in this compelling sequel, NEVER GO HOME. A Faulkner Family Thriller #2.

Dark, Gritty, and Complex.

Suzanne and her brother, Ethan, experienced a home invasion that killed their parents. Now, Suzanne is a tough PI, and Ethan is a teacher.

When Suzanne receives a call from her brother that she needs to come to Atlanta, she is off.

At the airport in Atlanta, her uncle, Uncle Gavin, has a heart attack, and before he is whisked away to the hospital, he simply says, "peaches." What does this mean?

In the meantime, a strange man appears at the doorstep of Ethan's house, an ex-soldier and former marine, Finn. Many years ago, Finn stole millions of cash with their father during the Iraq war. Now Finn wants his share. Then comes the gang fight in the city of Atlanta. So they are both dealing with unanswered questions.

Gavin is not an above board or a strictly law-abiding citizen, but Suzanne has some idea what this message means. Frankie, who runs her uncle’s bar, and his boyfriend Caesar do know. Peaches is the nickname of Antoine Daniels, a proper gang banger. There is also Tane Kamaka, a mob accountant whom Uncle Gavin wanted to find to avoid a gang war in Atlanta.

Suzie is a tough-as-nails heroine due to the childhood trauma that has shaped her. From nonstop action, violence, danger, and suspense.

While I did not read the first book in the series, this one can be read as a standalone. I lived in Atlanta for many years, and always nice to revisit in a book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to #CrookedLaneBooks and #NetGalley for an ARC to read, review, and enjoy.

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Put Date: Aug 9, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars
Aug 2022 Must-Read Books

A digital ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. The opinions are my own and freely given.

I don't read series out of order, typically and I didn't know when I requested this book that it was part of a series. That being said, it took me a couple of chapters to figure out who some of the characters were. The beginning was not a fast read and it seemed kind of slow. I don't know if that was more the story, or me trying to really figure out who and what the characters were. After finishing the book, I still know if I am completely sure every one's "part" in the story; however, I was really invested in this and couldn't wait to finish it.
With a cryptic message from her uncle, who is in the midst of a heart attack, to getting involved in the middle of a gang war, to locating money that was stolen from Iraq, this was pretty chock full of action. Yes, there were a couple stories going on but it adding to the suspense / deadline.
I really did enjoy this book, want to read the first one to really understand Suzie, her brother, her uncle and EVERYONE else involved in her life. This story, although doesn't end on a cliffhanger per se, does keep the storyline open for the 3rd book, which I really want to read.
Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Christopher Swann.

There are books that pull you gently into the landscape and atmosphere of the story; that take you into the minds of the characters gradually. And then there are books like "Never Go Home" by Christopher Swann, which start off with a bang that hits you over the head brutally, and believe me, you don't even know what hit you, and confiscate your attention from the get-go. This book is the follow-up to author Sawnn's "Never Turn Back", featuring Susannah Faulkner and her brother Ethan along with other important characters.

Susannah and Ethan have had a traumatic childhood, having witnessed the murder of their parents in a horrible home-invasion. This hard event turns the siblings to extremely opposite ways of life - Susannah is always on the edge of law, living an eventful life and Ethan lives a sedate life as a teacher. In the previous book, it seems the siblings had uncovered the mystery surrounding their parent's deaths.

In this story, there are unexplained things happening in both their uncle's front and their's - a man from their father's past says that their father ows him millions of dollars. Susannah, at the same time, is also entrusted with a task by her uncle, with not much detail to go on, and it does not help that he is lying invalid in the hospital having to undergo a surgery. Suzie, as she is called, tries to stay ahead of the task her uncle entrusted in her, all the while trying to put together the mystery of the strange man from their father's past, Finn. She needs to pull-through some insurmountable challenges to fulfill her uncle's plea to her, while trying to stay ahead of Finn.

The story rips through, with us following Suzie, as she sails through one tight spot after another, trying her best to find what is going on and how best to handle the issue, using her ingenuity and her training. She is kick-ass with a weird personality and unique psyche owing to her childhood trauma. She is the axis around which the story and the other characters in the book revolve. Her dynamics with her brother, uncle and other people make for an interesting read and quite refreshing too. She is the kind of heroine we get to see very rarely - both in our movies and books.

Most of the secondary characters have been given a tangible presence too, with a depth of characterisation. We know who they are and where they are coming from. Even though I haven't read the previous book, the relationship between these people and their interactions seemed very natural to me. They manage to capture your heart without striving too hard.

The story is carried forward with frequent bursts of brisk action sequence interspersed with light lulls. This makes for a fast- paced, thrilling read which never bores you. In fact, I just couldn't stop reading it. This is the first book I am reading which contains people of shady characters but it still managed to make me root for them; the author has done a tremendous job in that aspect.

I only had a small issue with the book, in that, the character of Finn is not given the same depth as the other characters. We never really get to know what drives him and why he is the way he is. More details on him would have given more depth to the story Itself. In spite of this, this book manages to be slick, fast- paced, action thriller. It's.a continuing story and I am definitely eager to read more of Suzie.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing the Advanced Review Copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the second book of the Faulkner series but I have not read the first book in the series. Maybe that's why I wasn't into this book much.

Suzanne Faulkner and her brother Ethan experienced home invasion which killed their parents. Now Suzanne is a PI and Ethan is a teacher. When Suzanne comes to Atlanta, her uncle, Uncle Gavin has a heart attack and before he is whisked away to the hospital, he simply says peaches. While trying to find the meaning of this meaning, a man appears at the doorstep of Ethan's house--an ex-soldier, Finn. Many years ago, during Iraq war, Finn with their father stole millions of cash. Now Finn wants his share. Then comes the gang fight in the city of Atlanta.

The story is mainly told from Suzanne's point of view. Though I didn't find this book much interesting, nevertheless, it got interesting towards the middle. This book as a whole, felt like a some part of an action thriller movie which I am not really a fan of but overall I did enjoy the book.

If you like an action packed thriller, then this book is one for you--worth four stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This is the third Christopher Swann book I have read and I have really enjoyed them all! This book is a sequel to book 1, Never Turn Back. The second book was a stand alone. Susannah Faulkner (Suzie) was only 10 years old, her brother Ethan 12, when their parents were killed in a violent home invasion and the children were wounded.

Ethan is now a teacher and Suzie is a kick ass PI who specialises in finding people. She has mad fighting skills and is a crack shot. Suzie knows she’s not wired right, she knows she is probably too violent, but if she can rid the world of scum then that’s gotta be a win -right? She gets a message from Ethan that she needs to get to Atlanta so off she goes. When she arrives, her Uncle Gavin is having a heart attack in the airport terminal. Before he gets whisked off by the ambulance he manages to pass a one word message - “peaches”.

Now Gavin is not a strictly law abiding citizen but she has idea what this message means. Luckily, Frankie who runs her uncle’s bar, and his boyfriend Caesar do know. Peaches is the nickname of Antoine Daniels, a proper gang banger. Suzie brazens her way into his home to find out what business her uncle had going on with him. After putting down two of his men he hands over a guy, Tane Kamaka, a mob accountant whom Uncle Gavin wanted to find to avoid a gang war in Atlanta. She takes him to her brother’s place but he beats feet and escapes out the back while Suzie is telling the FBI she’s never seen the guy!

Cr@p! Now she has to find him again. But also in play is former marine, Finn, who was part of a group that stole $10 million dollars from the billions in cash being sent to Iraq to help rebuild the place. He’s just come out of prison and he wants his money. This was another fast paced, full on action book by Swann. Suzie is really up against it as she tries to find Tane and fend off Finn. Suzie was such an awesome character. I love reading about strong independent women. While she is very independent, she is also deeply protective and caring of her family and friends who also do their bit to assist in this mammoth quest. There was never a dull moment in this story! Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.