I am definitely losing it. I received a copy of Joe Hart’s latest, Never Come Back, from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved it, so I looked for more by him. Turns out Never Come Back is book #2 in the “Nora McTavish series” so I went back and read #1 in the series, Where They Lie. I loved it, and it clarified things about Nora, the protagonist…then today I went to my blog and searched for Joe Hart, and I had not only READ book #1, I had reviewed it in 2022. (No wonder it seemed familiar to me!)

When Never Come Back opens, ­Nora McTavish is self-employed as a family advocate who worked for quite some time (including in book #1 in the series) for Child Protective Services. As a former foster mom to a teenage girl, I have had more than my share of working with CPS, and I found both books to resonate with me. In book #1, Nora’s frustrations with the system are evident: “Someone once said we don’t have a. justice system, we have a legal system.” Nora tries to keep her emotions in check and to keep her personal and professional lives separate, but it is clearly a struggle, so it makes perfect sense for her to be settling into her new profession at the start of book #2. She gets a phone call out of the blue from her childhood friend Tess, whom she has neither seen nor heard from in years, since Tess was there when Nora went into foster care herself after horrific abuse and neglect.

“We forget how young some people are when they start carrying weight beyond their years, then wonder why they struggle”… but Nora gets it as a result of her own childhood experiences. “Being a child of abuse was a little like trying to outrun a storm.” Tess has called asking for Nora’s help in her custody battle with her ex-husband Neil, who is a professor at the local university. Rumors have it that Neil was having an affair with one of his students, who was found murdered. Charges were dismissed, but Tess is trying to keep Neil away from their young daughter. As Nora works to unravel the situation, things from her own past (some of which Tess knows about better than almost anyone) start to emerge. Then another murder REALLY starts things moving in ways that make for a great story.

I really enjoyed both books in this series, and have started to read other books by this author. I hope we will see more of Nora McTavish – I have found over the years that it takes a real gift for a male author to write well from a female POV, but Mr. Hart does this better than most. Five stars. Highly recommended.

Nora McTavish is a family advocate with a tragic childhood. When one of her childhood best friends Tess calls on her for help navigating custody of her 9 year old daughter Kenny after the death of a university student and Tess's husband the accused, Nora walks into a dangerous situation. I really enjoyed how everything came together at the end. I will definitely be checking out the rest of the Nora McTavish series!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley for my ARC!

I wanted to try and get into this story, but the first few chapters are jarring. It didn't work for me, because I was not invested in the characters enough to try and figure out what is even going on. I don't think the first book would be needed to read this, but I don't think this one is for me, unfortunately.

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

This is a quick easily read story set in Oregon about family advocate Nora. She’s recently established her own practice with previous employment and years of experience in the social services field. A plea for help from a childhood friend stirs up the past for Nora. Her mother abandoned her family when Nora was a child. Tess lived close by and their moms were besties back then. As the story unfolds the difference in who you are at ten isn’t who you’ve become in your thirties is apparent. Tess is in a custody battle over their young daughter and has reason to distrust her cheating husband. Nora has an open case with a family involving parents with disabilities. She’ll have to travel a considerable distance to help Tess and the trips back and forth for both cases are frequent. Nora becomes quite close to Tess’s daughter who loves and misses her father. Nora soon learns Tess isn’t being completely honest about her rocky marriage. There are many lies and secrets underneath this family’s façade. Tess stirs up emotions that Nora came to terms with long ago about her mother. Families are complicated and just when all the pieces begin to fit and make a picture you’ll see the cracks. There are twists and turns in the plot that kept me excited to see what happened next. If you enjoy a good mystery with emotional family drama and suspense read it! I’ve come to really look forward to Mr. Hart’s novels and would definitely continue to read his work. I received a digital advance reader copy of “Never Come Back” by Joe Hart, Published by Thomas & Mercer, expected publication date 04/02/2024, from NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Nora works as family advocate. She receives a call long lost friend ,Tessa, in need of Nora’s help. Tessa is in a custody battle with her ex-husband who is accused of murder. Nora starts to dig deeper to find out who the murderer is and if she can trust her friend she hasn’t seen in 20 year.

I enjoyed this book! I thought it was a great plot with a climatic ending.

#netgalley

Holy Plot Twist!

Never Come Back, put me on a dark and twisted ride of a lifetime.

I cant even begin to describe the way this book was skillfully crafted to come together with an explosive ending that no one will see coming. Talk about twisted! Cue the jaw drop.

This was my first book by Joe Hart, but there is no way I will stop now, I just want more more more! Hart, is a true storyteller that will have us all eating out of his hands if he keeps delivering books like this. After concluding Never Come Back, I did my research to find any and all books that might have been published previously and imagine my surprise when I had over 10 to choose from (I ended up choosing The Last Girl)

I have become a fan of Hart with just having read Never Come Back, and I am sure you will be too! Check out the teaser below :

Finding the truth in a family shattered by lies, betrayal, and murder is a deadly gamble in a twisting novel of suspense by Joe Hart, Wall Street Journal bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of Or Else.

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.

My students will like this fast paced mystery, a family dealing with divorce , with the ex husband, possibly a murderer. No one is quite what they seem.

Nora, a family advocate in private practice , is called by a childhood friend for help with her situation. Nora, has a very painful history and unresolved feelings about the mother who left her with her dangerous father. this is the second book of the series, but easy to follow. Can she trust her friend' s version of what is going on or is there two or more sides to this story. She finds herself in danger as she tries to figure out what is going on. It is easy to read and Nora is a character worth caring about

This was a fast paced mystery which kept the reader’s attention throughout. There was a good mixture of twists and turns which kept the reader engaged. This is a book which i would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This was my first book by Joe Hart and I overall found it to be a quick read. Nora is a family advocate who is contacted by her childhood friend Tess for Nora’s help in gaining custody of her nine year old daughter from her ex-husband. Tess’s ex is a suspect in the murder of his former student. I struggled to connect with any of the characters and felt Nora’s backstory was not as developed. I didn’t realize until I finished the story that this was the second in the series which definitely explains the brief mentions of Nora’s traumatic childhood. The ending was somewhat predictable.

This was largely underwhelming. It was predictable and felt like a few other thrillers I've read recently - specifically The Guest by BA Paris and None of This is True by Lisa Jewell.

This series is so fascinating to me because it’s not the typical police procedural, but it is written in the same style. I tore through the first book and this one today. I was a victim of serious abuse and my husband was in the system from an early age. (He was homeless and on his own from the age of 12. The system didn’t serve him well either). Joe Hart has an incredible insight into what abuse and child protective services are like. I know a friend of his helped with the POV of a CPS worker, but he’s so knowledgeable about all of it, it makes me wonder if he has experience with both abuse and the system himself. He was so spot on that I had to stop reading sometimes because it brought back a lot of memories. I don’t say this to put anyone off from reading this. Quite the contrary. His characterization was incredible in both books. Enough so that it made me feel like it was happening to me, which is why I had to take breaks. (Some trauma never fully goes away). I’m definitely a fan and will be reading the next books in the series for sure!

Huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

I simply adored this book. This is the second book in a series featuring Nora McTavish, a family advocate who as a background story of trauma and loss. In this book we follow Nora while she helps a childhood friend in the custody case of her daughter. However Nora’s help to her friend Tess will put her in danger while in the middle of a series of secrets and obsession unravels.

The narrative is amazing with so many unexpected turns that made it impossible to predict the outcome. The author suspense ensures that the readers are constantly on edge without knowing what will come next.

The book is a fast-paced read full of old secrets, lies and twists leaving us on a roller-coaster of emotions. The transcripts of Edgar Allan Poe were perfect for me making this journey more unique. I recommended to all that enjoy a captivating mystery with a bit of drama.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

I really liked this book. I'm unsure if I read book #1 in this series but it wasn't needed to fully enjoy this one.

Nora, former employee of Child Protective Services has gone into practice as a private family advocate. She receives a phone call from a childhood friend asking for help. Of course she says yes. Her friend Tess is in a battle for custody of her child. The kink is that Tess's husband was accused of murdering a college student, his lover. Charges were dismissed but Tess think that's enough to keep him from gaining custody of their daughter. Woven into this is the story of Nora's mother who disappeared on the family when Nora was young. She has not forgiven her. There is also a side story of Nora helping a family regain custody of their daughter. None of this distracts from the main story.

As the story progresses, there is another murder all leading to Nora's life being at risk. She figures out what is happening all leading to a dramatic conclusion with the main story and learning more about her mother,

"Never Come Back" by Joe Hart is a gripping and suspenseful novel that follows the journey of Nora McTavish, a family advocate with a deeply traumatic past. Nora is dedicated to helping the most vulnerable, and when an old childhood friend, Tess Grayson, reaches out to her for assistance, Nora feels compelled to help.

Tess's life drastically changes when her husband, Neil, a respected professor, is accused of killing a student he allegedly had an affair with. As the charges against Neil are dropped and he seeks custody of their daughter, Kendra, Nora steps in to support Tess through this challenging time.

However, as the murder investigation unfolds and the peace in their community is shattered, Nora begins to question Tess's honesty. Determined to safeguard Kendra's well-being, Nora delves into the dark secrets of Tess's family, placing herself in danger as someone desperate to keep those secrets hidden will stop at nothing, even murder.

"Never Come Back" keeps readers on the edge of their seats, with its intriguing plot twists and well-developed characters. Joe Hart skillfully weaves together suspense, mystery, and emotional depth, creating a story that explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the lengths one will go to protect their loved ones.

Overall, "Never Come Back" is a compelling thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. Hart's writing style immerses readers in the world of Nora and Tess, making it difficult to put the book down. Whether you're a fan of suspense novels or looking for a captivating read, this book is definitely worth checking out.

Fast paced. Edge of your seat. I loved everything about this book. The build up to the ending was phenomenal! One of my favorite Joe Hart books!

Really enjoyed the book from start to finish. Author wrote this with great pace. Never Come Back is now one of my top books of the year for sure. Loved every second of this book.

Not sure if tis is a series...it should be! Loved the main character as she navigates a child custody case with her oldest best friend. This one has you questioning everything! Loved the storyline and the ending.