Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, MIRA Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Never Coming Home in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
This is the third book I have read by McKinnon and even though they are all equally entertaining, Never Coming Home really blew it out of the park. Plainly stated, this is McKinnon’s best story yet.
The Details
Alright, we have an unreliable narrator, who is the only voice we hear throughout the entire story. Everything that is being said or done is seen through this narrator.
This creates the perfect basis for the mystery, because how can we truly and fully trust and believe this person, who so willingly admitted to having had his wife murdered?
We might think that because he is so open and honest with that little tidbit of information, we can take everything he says at face value. Or can we?
He establishes this image of himself and the people around him that suggest we should sympathize with him.
Don’t get me wrong. I love cheering for the anti-hero, but this had my “spidey” senses tingling very quickly.
The portrait he paints of his wife and the justification for getting rid of her, the other people in his life and his motivations all make sense in his mind. And it is extremely interesting to witness how this story unravels.
The writing is excellent and really puts the reader right beside the protagonist, almost looking over his shoulder. The setting is perfect with the colder weather, rain and moody atmosphere.
I wish I could gush a little more about Never Coming Home, but I’m afraid I might give something away that is imperative to the mystery that is this story.
The Verdict
Overall, I really enjoyed Never Coming Home. I am so impressed with the writing, the plot and the overall execution of this story. It is fast becoming one of my top reads of 2022.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery/thriller novels.
About the Author
Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing, and is now the author of The Neighbors, Her Secret Son, Sister Dear and You Will Remember Me. She lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons, and is delighted by her twenty-second commute.
