Never Coming Back – Tim Weaver I must confess that when I started this latest Real Readers offering I started to get quite frustrated. There were too many time frame changes, too many different sets of characters and locations, the changes from first to third person, the change to italics, (was that because it was more important?) - I was ready to damn the book critically!! Boy, how wrong could I be? Once I got used to that style I couldn’t put the book down. David Raker is unfamiliar to me as a character but I think I like him enough to read some more (apparently this is the fourth). The other characters had enough depth to elicit an emotion from me towards them. They were people rather than characters with a narrative function. The violence was chilling but the tension was supreme all the way through to the final dénouement. I felt almost scared in places. The writing was tight yet flowing. The clues were there some were obvious, others not so which is where you get such a buzz from a thriller. When you can’t second-guess you know you have a good writer. I don’t do spoilers but I did suspect the genesis of the cover up and I found the ending sentimental I try to avoid spoilers so I can’t specify why but for me it was unrealistic and there was a point where it was predictable. However it would appeal to the ‘happy enders’ if they read that far? It was almost as if someone else had written the final few pages. But there is no such thing as perfection and I happily recommend this book to thriller lovers. I was thoroughly thrilled!!

I was lucky enough to receive an arc of this book through RealReaders. I am new to Tim Weaver's work but am a big fan of Simon Kernick....I must say I will now count myself as a Weaver fan!! Although it is apparently the fourth instalment featuring the investigator David Raver within a few chapters I felt I knew his history. From the first page you are captured and as the characters grow you feel as if you are there in the book with them. This story follows David Raker as he tries to find his ex's missing family - an entire household that just vanished. He has to draw on old friends as well as facing old demons. Words can't describe the exciting twists and turns, leaving you forever guessing and also trying to solve the puzzle. This book is well written, easy to read and leaves you guessing throughout - right up until the final line!! I did feel the first few pages were disjointed but by sticking with it you see a story spanning generations unfolding. If you enjoy thrillers and crime fiction then this book is for you. A brilliant read and one I will be highly recommending.

I was delighted to be sent an advance copy of Never Coming Back by Tim Weaver - This came from Real Readers and this is my first review on behalf of them. Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie's house to find the front door unlocked, and no one home. Dinner is cooking, the television is on, and milk is leaking from a bottle on the floor in front of an open fridge. After notifying the police she is left mystified and, after several months with no answer as to why the whole family are gone - their wallets, laptops etc untouched, she decides enough is enough and goes to see David Raker, an old romantic interest from her teens. As a private detective who has made a career out of finding missing people, this is his specialty. Her plea sparks his interest in the case and he promises to help with the search. As the investigation continues, it is clear that someone has secrets they don't want discovered. Barriers appear, and every time David thinks he has found a link, it is taken from him. He discovers a cover up spanning decades costing lives and exposing high level businessmen, and links he is not supposed to find. His persistence causes trouble with locals, and police forces as he struggles to unearth answers, and finally makes him a target when he won't back down. The drama between David,and his friend Healey, a damaged and bitter ex-copper staying with him, just add to the grittiness of this book. Hiding under the radar, after recovering from a recent life-threatening injury, can he afford to take another risk? This is the fourth installment in the David Raker series, and was a little bit of a challenge for me to begin with as I had not read the previous books. It made no difference by the end as the book can be read as a stand alone. Tim cleverly tells some of the history as he goes along. I did feel a little like I was missing something to start off with, but by the first flashback you are already catching up. This book is very well written and I have to say I love the way the flashback sections are written as separate chapters in an italic font, making it very easy to follow the pertinent information. I find it quite distracting when authors jump back and forth in time in their stories, assuming we are all following along without any issues. There are several points through the story where little points jump out at you, making you feel a bit like Sherlock Holmes - puzzle solving his way forward. Of course it would not be a mystery if you could figure out all of the answers before the end. There are more twists and turns in this tale than a roller-coaster , the anticipation level is kept high and I never once felt any disappointment as I raced through the book. A book I would highly recommend to anyone who is the slightest bit interested in crime, drama and thrillers. Excellently written,with a flowing style which will appeal to a broad audience, both male and female.

I had never read anything by Tim Weaver before and I was really impressed. Coming from the area in which the book is set I was sucked in by the atmospheric writing, the weather, the scenery raced across my minds eye as I turned every page. It has made up my mind to read the previous book by this author, I am sure they will be just as good as this one.

This is the first Time Weaver novel I have read and I was not disappointed. At first, I thought the first few chapters were very disjointed, but as I continued to read through the book I understood the relevance of this in bring certain elements of the story together. The novel is set in two contrasting areas the quiet peaceful areas of Devon and flashy, glitzy area of Las Vegas. Tim Weaver’s description of both areas are very life like and without going overboard gives the reader an insight into the environment, sights and sounds. The main character David Raker is an investigative journalist who is recovering from a brutal attack from which he nearly died, but when he is contacted by an old friend, Emily Ling, to find out what happened to her family, who went missing in very mysterious circumstances, he finds himself compelled to help. David Raker comes across as a really genuine caring guy who basically has nothing to gain except the satisfaction of helping others find their missing loved ones. The characteristic traits of the other characters that feature are also well described some dark and sinister, others menacing, greedy, depressed and disheartened giving the readers an array of individual qualities. As I said at the beginning the first few chapters were disjointed but as the story unfolds Weaver uses this method to go from the present to the past. This I feel enhances the context to help the readers understand the relevance of what and how things happened in the past, affect the present circumstances in the novel. Raker delves into past and uses an array of methods, some unconventional and some illegal to help him solve the mystery of the families disappearance. Unfortunately in doing so, he puts himself into grave danger as the investigation unfolds. Weaver has used some historical facts within the story to enhance the plot and there are so many twists and turns throughout the chapters to add to the overall suspense and tension portrayed. There is even a surprising twist at the end Overall an imaginative story excellently executed to provide a very enjoyable page turning novel. Highly recommended.