Thanks to Quercus books & Netgalley for ARC.

Mickey Shell, ex-lawyer, Irish expat in London, now works on the fringes of the law helping people extricate themselves from violent situations and relationships. She's astonished to be contacted by her old flame turned honeymooner Luke Miller, whose new wife Rose has confessed something very dark indeed. Can Mickey make this go away? Against her better judgement, Mickey travels to a Caribbean island to see what she can do. Things go very badly very quickly.
Spain is a master at this kind of stuff and you will be gripped, frustrated, puzzled, and just want to read one more breathless chapter before you put it down. Mickey is a great character, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of her if circumstances permit.

This tense, densely plotted thriller set in some very pricy real estate reminded me of the Somerset Maugham quote about Monaco - 'a sunny place for shady people'. Everyone has a lot of money - and everyone has an equivalent amount of secrets and moral compasses set to 'flexible'.

A fast-pace and action-packed thriller, Don't Look Back constantly took me by surprise with its clever twists and misdirection.

I've only read one other of Jo Spain's other books before so I knew how clever she is a tricking the reader. So I was constantly looking for chinks in the narrative, trying to see if there was anything left to misinterpretation. And while I did guess a few of the smaller twists, there was a lot that I never would have been able to predict.

An addictive read that will undoubtedly keep you on the edge of your seat, this will make a perfect beach read for the summer! I'd also love to read more about Mickey and Elliot who were brilliant supporting characters.

I'm a big fan of Jo Spain's Books, so I went into this with great expectations and I honestly think Don't Look Back is my favourite of hers yet.

Luke Miller has just reached the end of a magical belated honeymoon in the Caribbean that his wife Rose surprised him with and he is literally on cloud nine when she pulls the rug out from under him with the confession that her violent, abusive ex Kevin is lying dead in their London flat after he finally found and attacked her but this time she fought back.

We then meet Mickey, Luke's old friend, who he reaches out to for help, Mickey is an Irish former lawyer now based in London helping abused women escape their abusers with a lot of help from her wealthy husband and his deep pockets. (I'd love a book just on Mickey)

In true Jo Spain style, you never really know if the picture she paints of the characters is truly who they are, Luke is a successful, driven, ambitious Investment Banker, and hopelessly devouted to Rose and protecting her. Rose is a terrified teacher from Donegal who ran away to London to escape her abusive ex Kevin who comes from a wealthy powerful Donegal fishing family who's wealth is far from legal, she is constantly looking over her shoulder, afraid to let Luke in for fear of him getting hurt.....But is this really who they all are......

This is a gripping, suspense filled thriller full of secrets, lies, twists and turns. Floating between the Caribbean, London, Donegal and over different timelines, you won't be able to put it down, telling yourself just one more chapter. As the story progresses, it starts to unravel quickly with the lies and secrets spilling out, I definitely muttered a few WTF's!!

Random fact about me: I'm from a fishing family in a small Irish fishing village so I found it very entertaining reading about the Davidson family and can confirm that my family and village is very boring compared to theirs.

Thank you to Netgalley, Quercus Books and Jo Spain for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Review also posted over on my Instagram page @ericas_bookreviews

I have heard so much about Jo Spain’s books and how addictive they are. This was my first book by her and now I see what all the fuss is about! I was on the edge of my seat throughout this page turner and had no idea the way the story was going to go until the very end. If you enjoy a good thriller, I definitely recommend giving this one a go.

Luke Miller is surprised when his new wife Rose meets him in a taxi outside his London office in with their passports and a bag packed for an unexpected honeymoon on St Thérèse in the Caribbean. They didn’t have time for a honeymoon when they married, so now he’s making the most of a well-earned break, although Rose is becoming more anxious as their holiday comes to a close. When it’s time to leave, she tells him she’s done something terrible and can’t go home to their apartment.

Rose and Luke first met in a pub when they were with workmates. There was an instant attraction and when Luke got her number and called her, she agreed to meet. However, she told him she had moved to London from Ireland to get away from a violent ex-husband and wasn’t looking for a relationship. However,

Rose and Luke felt an instant attraction when they first met in a pub with workmates and before long had fallen in love. But Rose hasn’t told Luke everything about her past in Ireland and Luke also has a dark secret he’s been keeping from her too.

Jo Spain has written yet another gripping page turner. Fast paced, with sharp, punchy chapters, that keep the reader totally engaged. The plot is cleverly thought out with enough twists to keep you guessing to the end. The action moves between St Thérèse, London and Donegal as Luke tries to work out how to help Rose. He engages the help of an old friend, Mickey, who helps abused women escape from violent relationships. A former lawyer, Mickey has a good network of contacts and great instincts which tell her she needs to learn more about Rose’s past to unravel what is happening today.

In addition to an intriguing plot, the novel is populated with diverse and complex characters. Rose is the most complex of all and her history of domestic abuse makes her the most vulnerable. Although Luke seems gentle and straight forward, working now as a pension funds investor, he previously worked in the more cut-throat world of hedge funding before leaving it abruptly and without explanation. He also has some history with Mickey and she is wary of letting him back into her life. As the mystery unfolds, it becomes hard to know who to trust in this tale of lies and hidden secrets, but it will certainly keep you guessing right to the end.

At first I was a bit skeptical, because the beginning sounded like quite a few other books that I have read. After that it really picked up and the story had many twists and turns, and it was hard to let go of the book. There are some bits that I did not really find realistic, and I decided to not put too much emphasize on them, but since I am still thinking about it, maybe that was a bit of a turn off for me. There were also a couple of inconsistencies along the way, but otherwise the book was very entertaining, it kept me interest, and mostly I enjoyed the pace. It could have been a bit shorter. A bit of a better balance would have made this book nearly perfect. Pretty sure lots of people will love this book!

Wow! What did I just read? This is stupendous. So many twists and turns, so many what the! moments.
Brilliantly crafted, I think this is the author’s best work so far and I've read and enjoyed all of them.
Rose books a last-minute honeymoon with Luke to Saint-Therese and all is definitely not what it seems.
An exceptionally good read

When Rose turns up at Luke's work and tells him they are going on a surprise belated honeymoon at that moment, he thinks he' is a lucky man.
At the end of the week, Rose confesses that she had another motive, she has killed her abusive ex and his body is in their apartment. Luke gets an ex of his, Mickey, involved and she reports back that there is no body there. So begins a nightmare for Luke. To all appearances it appears that the ex, Kevin has followed them to the Caribbean. As Mickey digs deeper for Luke, lots of anomalies start to surface. What is the truth and will it help Luke when he's in desperate need of help?
This gathers momentum and keeps going right to the end.

I have read quite a lot of books by this author so my expectations were high. I have to admit this one didn’t grab me to the extent the previous ones had done. Somehow I didn’t seem to be involved in the characters as much this time although it is an interesting storyline.
Luke has married and his wife surprises him with an unexpected holiday but that is just that start of a series of events that lead to this quite complicated tale.
I will, however, continue to check out future books by this author as I have always enjoyed them

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I'm an avid fan of Jo Spain, and still am after reading her latest book. From the start I was drawn into the story of Luke and Rose Miller. As you can imagine, everything is not as it seems. We travel to the Caribbean, Donegal and London, whilst also varying between present day and months previous. As usual Jo ties up all loose ends, and no stone is left unturned, when it comes to tidying up all parts of the story. I would absolutely recommend this book

Don't Look Back 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 Don't Look Back asap.

"Don't Look Back" is a thrilling and suspenseful novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. It is a must-read for fans of crime fiction who enjoy complex characters, intricate plot twists, and a healthy dose of mystery.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Well. This was brilliant! I really enjoyed this. I'm not new to Jo Spain's books but the premise of this one really drew me in. As secrets continue to unravel throughout I found myself drawn in and unable to put my book down!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the advance copy to read.

This is my first Jo Spain book and it won't be my last. Super easy book with lots of twists. It's a great psychological thriller. I didn't see all the twists coming. Loved the characters Rose and Luke, very clever plot and also really enjoyed the character Mickey.

Solid 4 stars.

Don’t Look Back is a 4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5⭐️
Luke Miller is enjoying the last few hours of his belated honeymoon he’s just had, curtesy of his wife, Rose. He’s relaxed and even Rose has started to relax too but it’s time to go home but Rose has a shock for him. When she was last in their apartment a man attacked her, she fought back but by doing so he knocked his head and he’d died. Luke doesn’t have a clue what to do but there is a dead man in their apartment and he’ll do anything to save Rose from any upset.
This was a very cleverly written book that I couldn’t put down and read in a day. The twists are really good and the Caribbean setting was a welcome change. The duel timelines worked well and helped with the background story ensuring a deeper understanding of the characters. I would recommend this book.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Having had the pleasure of meeting Jo Spain, I can tell you that she is a delightful person. That said, when she is in writing mode, don't believe a word she says. Away from her superb police procedural series featuring Dublin copper Tom Reynolds, she has written several stand-alone thrillers, in which she practices to deceive.

In Don't Look Back she runs through the complete repertoire of her trickery. She tells us the main characters are:
Luke Miller: A decent - but driven - investment banker who fall in love with, and marries -
Rose Miller: An Irish lass, née Gillespie, now a teacher in London and married to Luke, Has an abusive ex boyfriend called:
Kevin Davidson: A member of a rich and powerful Donegal family, whose wealth may not have been acquired entirely legally.
Mickey Sheils: A former lawyer, and onetime lover of Luke Miller. Originally from Ireland, now working in London to protect abused women from their abusive former partners. Able to act mostly pro-bono, thanks to her marriage to:
Nathan Sheils: A big man in The City, formerly Luke's boss.

Be prepared, however, for some of these people to be -  how best to put it? -  not entirely who they appear to be. The story starts off in a fairly straightforward manner. Rose and Luke are married, but due to Rose's trauma at the hands of Kevin Davidson, their courtship had been a case of two steps forward, one step back. Rose turns up at Luke's workplace, complete with airline tickets and packed bags, and announces that she has arranged a super surprise - a delayed honeymoon on the idyllic Caribbean island of Saint-Thérèse. Their stay is blissful, but on the last night, Luke senses that Rose has become agitated and distracted. Then, she blurts out that they cannot possibly be on their return flight to London the next day.

The reason? Because on the floor of their bedroom in Luke's flat, lying there since the day they left for Saint-Thérèse, is a corpse. It is the mortal remains of Kevin Davidson, who had been stalking Rose for weeks, and finally made his big appearance. They had fought, Rose had pushed him, he lost his footing and cracked his skull - with fatal consequences - on the sharp edger of a very solid  piece of Edwardian furniture. Rose's initial panic had metamorphosed into a plan. A desperate one, yes, but a temporary solution. Luke's flat is the only one occupied on that floor, and ts remoteness would give them at least a few days' grace.

Luke books them out of their hotel and, despite having had a fairly frosty relationship with Mickey Sheils since he ended their affair, he calls her and asks her to go to his flat and investigate. Reluctantly, she does, but when she gets there, guess what? There is plenty of dried blood - but no body.

What follows is classic Jo Spain. One block at a time, she kicks away the supports of what we think we know about what is going on. I read the book on my KIndle, and even when it said 99%, there was time for one more surprise. This is wonderfully inventive stuff, and shows that one of Ireland's finest writers is at the top of her game. Don't Look Back is published by Quercus, and will be available on 11th May.

Thank you Quercus Books, Quercus and Netgalley for the arc. The cover is stunning but unfortunately the book let me down. It was a nice time line and all that was not confusing. But I excpected more after knowing the details from the past. Will ceetenly continue to read the author anyway.

A cracking thriller from this excellent writer, which grips from start to finish and which keeps surprising the reader at every turn. A surprise holiday in a Caribbean idyll, what could be more perfect? But of course there are secrets and lies galore, and myriad revelations, and life will never be the same again. Superb.

When Rose and Luke spend a week together on a perfect, idyllic holiday, what could go wrong? As Rose then confesses her violent ex has found her and is lying dead in their home, they decide to go on the run. But is it only Rose who is keeping secrets? This was different from any other thriller I have read before and kept me wanting to read just one more chapter. Things start to unravel quickly and the depths of people's hidden secrets are shown throughout.

This is a great psychological thriller.
Luke is enjoying a last minute holiday booked for him by his wife but when it’s time to leave, Rose tells him they can’t go back to London as she killed a man in Luke’s apartment, and his body is still there.
Rose has been living in fear of her abusive ex but when an altercation goes wrong, he ends up dead.
Luke calls an old friend and asks for help but when Mickey gets to the apartment she’s in for a shock.
I can’t say too much more as there’s lots happening from this point and I don’t want to spoil it.
There’s more than a few secrets being held by the main characters and as the story progresses more and more is revealed.
This is a great read that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Quercus books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.