For one week, everything in Luke Miller’s life is perfect. Surprised with a belated honeymoon by his wife, Rose, he’s had seven days with her in a Caribbean paradise. It’s more than he ever thought he’d deserve.
But as they pack their bags, Rose breaks down, confessing that on the day they left London, a violent man from her past tracked her down and broke into their home. He wasn’t expecting her to fight back. And, in her terror, Rose killed him. Now there’s a dead body in Luke’s apartment, and only one person he can think to turn to.
Mickey Sheils never expected to hear from Luke again, not after he disappeared the first time. Luke knows Mickey can’t deny a woman who needs help, so she promises she’ll deal with things – she’ll make sure Rose doesn’t have to keep running.
But it turns out, some lies are too big to run from.
🧡🧡🧡🧡.5
Hi and welcome to my review of Don’t Look Back!
A new Jo Spain novel is always a massive treat and once again, I couldn’t wait to get my mitts on it! My expectations were probably rather unrealistic, but Don’t Look Back nevertheless delivered everything I hoped it would.
The story is told from the perspectives of Luke, his wife Rose, and his estranged friend Mickey. They all seem like lovely people on the surface, but are they? Is Luke really the compassionate, madly in love husband? Is Rose really the still terrified abuse victim, who couldn’t help but fall for Luke? Is Mickey really as honest and straightforward as she seems? I couldn’t help but wonder who was hiding what beneath that lovely veneer, and whether one or more could be an unreliable narrator. After all, if you’re familiar with this author’s work, you’ll know that you should be wary of everyone and everything, as things are rarely what they seem. (And if you’re not familiar with this author’s work, you really should fix that ASAP.)Â
I figured out a few things before they were revealed, reading Jo Spain books you learn a trick or two, but she did have me stymied for longer than I care to admit. It was such fun seeing it all come together, because like every other Jo Spain novel I’ve read, Don’t Look Back is very cleverly plotted. She plays with perspective like no other. There were even some small details that at the time stood out because they seemed a little off or somehow important to the plot, I could tell they meant something, but I remained in the dark as to how and why.
Don’t Look Back is a fantastic, twisty ride that took me from London to the Caribbean to Ireland, and back again. I had a brilliant time with it and if thrillers are your bag, you need to put this one at the top of your to-buy list!
Don’t Look Back is out in hardcover, digital formats and audio on 11 May.
Massive thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.