The day she left was only the beginning . . .
Sam was eleven when his mother went out and never came back. He waited for her and then he grieved for her, as his family fell apart around him.
Sam tried to get on with his life in the intervening years. But it's only as his father lies dying that Sam begins to realise the cracks and inconsistencies in their family history.
Who was his mother and why did she need to disappear? Why cover it up? As Sam searches for answers, and the trial leads him from the UK to the US, danger builds around him . . .
Taut, thrilling and full of tension, YOU NEVER SAID GOODBYE is about a man who discovers his entire life is built on lies. But what price is the truth?
You Never Said Goodbye by Luca Veste is published on 17 February 2022 in hardback by Hodder. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour
You Never Said Goodbye is a tense action thriller that spans decades and oceans and its a story that kept me totally entertained throughout.
The story begins as Sam Cooper, a regular guy, living in London receives a phone call. His father is dying; the father that he hasn't seen or spoken to for many years. The guy that Sam did his best to get away from and create a new life. The old saying goes that blood is thicker than water and despite his misgivings, Sam goes to the hospital. What his father tells him will wreck his world.
Sam's mother died in a car accident when he was ten years old. She and his younger brother Michael both died, whilst Sam and his father survived. Sam's childhood was lonely and cold. His father withdrew from him, found solace in the bottle and he and Sam never spoke about what had happened. Sam has always felt so guilty.
Now, all these years later, it seems that his mum is not dead. Almost crazy with disbelief, anger and confusion, Sam makes the snap decision to travel to the States to try to find answers.
This is the just the beginning ..... It is obvious that Sam is being watched at every step and there's more than one person determined to track him down and stop his investigations. So begins a cat and mouse chase across the state, stopping at isolated, run down motels, eating in roadside diners and trying to make sense of his life.
This book is so well written, it's extremely cinematographic, and the sense of place is perfectly done. Those of us who've never been to the States will instantly recognise the settings from many cinema screens and I thought it was just perfectly put together.
There is a lot of action, lots of blood is shed, but it's not all action either. It's also a contemplative journey for Sam and his family, an expertly written look at the effects that control can have one a person and how that can last through generations. There's an increasing sense of loss throughout the narrative, as Sam comes to terms with what he missed out on as a child, and realises just how different life could have been, if only he'd known.
Deeply compelling, complex and suspenseful. Highly recommended by me.
one of nine children. He studied psychology and criminology at university in Liverpool. He is the author of the Murphy and Rossi series, which includes DEAD GONE, THE DYING PLACE, BLOODSTREAM, and THEN SHE WAS GONE.
Part psychological thriller, part police procedural, his books follow the detective pairing of DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi. The novels are set in Liverpool, bringing the city to life in a dark and terrifying manner...with just a splash of Scouse humour.
He is also the editor of the Spinetingler Award nominated charity anthology 'Off The Record', and co-editor of 'True Brit Grit', also an anthology of short stories for charity.
He is a former civil servant, actor, singer and guitarist (although he still picks it up now and again), and now a full-time writer.
Twitter @LucaVeste
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