Never Go Home by Christopher Swann is a highly recommended thriller and the second book in the Faulkner Family series.

Susannah Faulkner, orphaned at ten, grew up learning how to take care of herself and her family. She usually uses her abilities against the bad guys for pay and to right wrongs. When she is contacted during her current job to go home because her brother Ethan needs help, she immediately ties up the loose ends and goes home to Atlanta. At the airport she discovers her Uncle Gavin has had a heart attack. He whispers one word to her, Peaches, and Suzie must figure out who or what that is and why her uncle would say this.

Ethan also needs help. An ex-soldier and ex-con named Finn has shown up and claims that their father stole millions of dollars fifteen years earlier while serving in Iraq. Finn wants to know where the money is and he wants his share of the missing millions. But right now, with Uncle Gavin hospitalized, a gang war threatens to explode as people fight to take over control in Atlanta.

After a heart-stopping opening, this is an excellent thriller that will hold your attention throughout. The action does come and go in explosive bursts of energy as Suzie has to deal with the denizens of Atlanta's underworld. Although Never Go Home is the second book in the series, following Never Turn Back, it can be read as a stand-alone, especially because this novel follows Susannah and the first follows her brother, Ethan.

The narrative follows two different story lines, which helps create tension but also allows for more exciting action scenes and clashes. There is also plenty of intimidation and posturing from characters. Readers will have to suspend disbelief for many of the action scenes, which is easily done because the action unfurls at a frantic pace and everyone, but especially Suzie, is using all these intense fighting skills.

Character development portrays both the positive and negative parts of the character's personalities as is clearly showcased in the plot. These characters have a proficiency and capacity for violence beyond the ordinary. Suzie is a damaged person, but the appeal is found in her fighting skills and intelligence. There was some incorrect information presented as facts in Suzie's comments which was a bit off-putting.

This is a good choice for escapism, especially for those who appreciate action packed thrillers.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley.
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Review of eBook

Susannah Faulkner returns to Atlanta at her brother’s request, but her Uncle Gavin’s heart attack mars her arrival at the airport. Before the paramedics whisk him off to the hospital, he whispers, “Peaches” to Susannah and she’s determined to find out what the message means and to do whatever her uncle wanted her to do, but her investigation soon embroils her in a gang war.

Adding to the complexity of her homecoming, an ex-soldier named Finn arrives on the Faulkner doorstep, claiming to have served in Iraq with their now-deceased father, James. Furthermore, he claims James stole millions of dollars from the government . . . and he’s come to get that money.

Neither Susannah nor Ethan know anything about the money, or the possibility that their father had stolen it, but lives are on the line, leaving Susannah in the thick of things, trying to find the truth, trying to locate the money, trying to keep everyone alive.

With the FBI hot on her trail, a kidnapped man in mortal danger, and Finn’s escalating demands, Susannah must navigate a treacherous path. Will she find the answers? And what about the missing money?

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Opening with a bang, this narrative, a follow-up to the earlier “Never Turn Back,” pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. Despite being the second in a series [and clearly at least one more book will follow this one], the book works well as a standalone. While Ethan is the central character in “Never Turn Back,” his sister, Susannah, is the central character in “Never Go Home.”

Grim and gritty, with strong, complex characters and a compelling plot, the story doesn’t hesitate to plunge into treachery and intrigue. At times, Susannah comes across as cold and calculating, but readers will discover that she’s simply good at what she does and, although she doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, she truly cares about her family.

The unfolding narrative, filled with tension and suspense, keeps readers guessing as the plot twists and turns, revealing some surprises along the way. Readers will find it difficult to set this one aside before turning the final page [which leaves one plot point open, presumably for another book]. But with the main plot points tied up, questions answered, and truths revealed, there’s satisfaction for readers, both in the denouement and in the promise of things to come.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley
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