Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me access this book!

As someone who works in children’s mental health and frequently works with CPS, I was interested in the idea of a mystery with a child advocate as the narrator. The author did a nice job researching the role of an advocate and showcasing how the court system and CPS can do a terrible job of fulfilling their responsibilities. The author portrayed the difficulty of of assessing who is telling the truth, particularly in family court cases, and the way people in the middle have to balance each individuals’ version of events while trying to find the truth. The mystery was well built up and had some solid twists that led to a satisfying conclusion. My only major complaint, was that the second plot line of another court case seemed so separate from the main story that it was jarring going back and forth. If it could have connected more or helped the main character solve the other mystery. It was an important example of what can happen to marginalized people due to systems meant to oppress them, but I would have preferred a story that was entirely about that case rather than using it as a side story.

I enjoyed the first book in Joe Hart's Nora McTavish series, and expected to like this second installment even more. (I'm a bit of a series addict, and find that usually the first in a series is my least favorite, just because the nature of a series is that the first book is establishing characters, setting, tone, etc.) And as expected, this was indeed more enjoyable than the first one. The recurring characters are more fleshed out, Nora is settling into her new role as a private family advocate. We learn more about her troubled family background, especially since her new case involves a childhood friend who "knew her when". And the new case is an interesting one - one made difficult for Nora since her old friend came to her because of her expertise, yet is reluctant to accept her advice. And yes, there's a murder mystery and it's a good one, with enough possibilities that it kept me guessing throughout. And the ending left me ready for the next in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

I found this to be much better than the first book. The writing and characters are more fleshed out. Tess’s ex husband has been accused of killing a student he was having an affair with, when the charges are dropped he petitions for custody of Kendra. Nora is a child advocate and rushes to help a childhood friend she hasn’t seen in years. As details emerge Nora begins to suspect she hasn’t been told the truth. As events emerge, Nora works to unearth the secrets. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes thrillers.

I definitely enjoyed this book by Joe hart, is those books that have short chapter and the story is so fast paced, this book had a lot of mystery and suspense, never come back was a thriller, this is the second of the series but can definitely can be read as a standalone, this is a book I can definitely read more than once, is so easy to read and easy story to follow, all the characters are likeable, highly recommend

This is the first book that I read by this author. Luckily, they can be read out of order. Super quick thriller read. I will definitely be picking up more books by this author.

NEVER COME BACK is book two in the Nora McTavish series. Never Come Back can be read as a standalone. This is my first book by this author, and I am hooked on his writing!

It’s been a while since I have read a book in a day and NEVER COME BACK had me in such a chokehold, I could not put it down! I ignored everything! Text messages, social media, even my husband!

NEVER COME BACK is easily one of the best books I have read this year. I loved everything about it. A mystery with some family drama mixed in makes this book so bingeable. The story flowed seamlessly from chapter to chapter and before I knew it 5 hours had passed.

I loved Nora’s character. She is intelligent, fearless, and an all-around bad ass who will always do what's right.

The ending came together with a big twist that I did not see coming. My mouth fell open a couple of times!

I was gifted a copy of the first book in the series, Where They Lie, and I will be reading it very soon!

Nora gets a phone call from a childhood friend Tess. Tess needs Nora to help her get her daughter away from her husband.
Thanks to publishers Thomas and Mercer and to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars!!!

I was super excited about this book after reading the first book earlier this year! I loved the characters and the plot of the first one so I was hoping this would be the same. Again, I loved the characters in this book but the plot fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed learning more about Nora and her life, but the other characters in this book made stupid decisions and were just genuinely bad people. I still had a fun time reading this though and I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading it!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a little backlogged with some of my ARC’s but working diligently to catch up. I really enjoyed how complex this book was! I read the first a while ago so it took me some time to get acclimated to all of the characters again, but once I did everything fell into place. The characters are all very complex and the stories seamlessly intertwine with lots of twists to make your head spin! I would definitely recommend reading the first book before, but then jump right into this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. The story involves a Family Advocate named Nora, who has a dark past (her father was a killer). Nora is just starting a new case when she gets a call from her long-lost childhood friend Tess...who's needing some moral support in the midst of a scandal with her soon-to-be-ex husband Neil. There was a college student of Neil's who was murdered and there was evidence that suggested he did it. Even though he was released, Tess still thinks he did it, and will stop at nothing to ensure that he doesn't get custody of their daughter Kendra ("Kenny"). The story basically moves through the events leading to the custody hearing, as well as Nora's growing suspicions that maybe Neil is innocent and that some people are hiding some pretty big secrets. Things get a bit confusing and complicated with some of the characters and I found there not to be a very satisfying resolution once we finally find out who is lying, who is guilty etc. There seems to be a lot of extra "filler" thrown in that doesn't seem to really do anything to advance the storyline. I find Nora to be a bit one-dimensional at times as well. And the case that she started before leaving to visit Tess just doesn't seem to have any bearing on the rest of the story. There are some twists, but nothing shocking or wholly unexpected. Not a bad story, but just not fully fleshed out in my opinion. 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this! I really like the writing style and the pacing.The ending was really shocking which I loved! I would highly recommend this! Special Thank you to Joe Hart, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Family advocate Nora McTavish is settling into her new practice when she receives a call from Tess Grayson, a childhood friend she hasn’t spoken to in years. Tess is entangled in a custody battle with her ex-husband, Neil, a popular professor at a local university. It’s getting vicious—and dangerous. Rumors are swirling of Neil’s affairs with students, one of whom was found bludgeoned to death. Though the charges against him were dropped, Tess doesn’t want the man anywhere near their nine-year-old daughter. But as Nora digs deeper into the shattered Grayson marriage, she sees more sides to the story than anyone anticipated. Which side can she trust is the question. Old secrets and lies are beginning to emerge—some from Nora’s own past—and as suspicions begin to shift, another murder draws Nora perilously close to a killer. This time she’s not just betting her reputation on a case. She’s betting her life on it. A very twisty thriller with a suitably twisty ending. A story well told as are all this writers books. Highly recommend!

This is a thriller I read through NetGalley. It was fast paced and intense. I really enjoyed it! This follows Tess who calls her childhood friend Nora to help her with a custody case against her ex husband Neil. Neil is a popular professor at a college university who has had relationships with his students. Tess doesn’t want him anywhere near their 9 year old daughter. Later all this crazy stuff start happening and there’s a lot of twists and turns.

It's the second book in the series, following Where they Lie which I also enjoyed. Never Come Back is a much quicker read and something I appreciate in a thriller

I look forward to seeing where Joe Hart takes Nora McTavish and this series. Highly recommend

Addictive! I couldn’t put this book down!! The character development was 👌🏻. The story was gripping, I loved this read!! I would highly recommend grabbing it!

After the fairly interesting first book in the series "Where They Wait," I was intrigued enough in the character of Nora, and Joe Hart's writing style to continue on to his addition to the series. Happy to report it's just as good, if not better, than the first one. Nora McTavish, a child advocate, gives a different spin on a somewhat tired crime novel. We've all seen cops or PIs in novels pursuing the mystery. And we've all seen the "every man" character in the ever-popular domestic thrillers. But never have we seen a child advocate in the role (or at least I haven't). This gives the series a breath of fresh air. While the mystery here isn't super unique, it still has enough twists and turns to entertain. With Joe Hart's solid prose and guiding hand (not to mention the quick pace and short length of the book), this is a fun way to spend a day. I hope Joe Hart continues on with this series. I'm eager to read more.

I made one mistake, I started reading before going to bed...I stayed well past my bedtime because I had to read it. The story kept me guessing, and I turned pages as fast as possible. Just when I thought that I figured it out, I was wrong... It is a well-written story, it is not just a murder story, it has more layers beneath. I just have to read the first installment to have the whole background of the main character.

My first time reading Joe Hart and I couldn’t put either one of his books down. After getting Never Come Back from NetGalley of course I had to check out the first one from my local library!

They both were easy reads that caught your attention from the very beginning. Both were books you couldn’t and didn’t want to put down. Both had chapters that were short and to the point with little boring parts along the way.

👉🏼Darks truths

•Will your past catch up to you?•

This is the first time I've read Joe Hart and I was hooked! I wish I'd read the first of the series, just for additional background, although Never Come Back stands in its own right as a great novel. I did not see the turn of events at the end coming which was refreshing as many thrillers can err on the side of predictable.

Will definitely read the next in the series!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a good thriller that kept me guessing until the end. The main character was slightly annoying in my opinion. She made hasty decisions and it frustrated me throughout the story. Overall a good read