Christopher Swann (1)

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 show more 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?

=========

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
#NeverGoHome #NetGalley show less

A Fire in the Night by Christopher Swann is a highly recommended thriller.

Since his wife's death a year earlier, Nick Anthony, a retired professor of medieval history, has lived a quiet secluded life in the North Carolina mountains. When county Deputy Joshua Sams shows up at his house to inform him that the bodies of his estranged brother, Jay, and sister-in-law have been found after their Tampa, Florida home was set on fire, Nick learns that it appears to have been a double homicide and show more that their daughter, Annalise, a niece he didn't know existed, is missing. When an intruder later turns up on his porch, obviously ill and feverish, it is Annalise. After he brings her back to health, she has information, a map and thumb drive, that her dad wanted her to get to Nick.

At the same time Cole and his team of private military contractors have realized that Annalise was not killed in the house fire and has escaped with the information they are being paid to recover from Jay. Now the lethal team must find Annalise and recover the information. They will let nothing stand in their way. As they try to track Annalise's location, what they don't know is that Nick exists, let alone that he has some skills and abilities in his past beyond his academic career.

Perfect reading for escapism, A Fire in the Night is a fast paced literary thriller that is tightly plotted without a lot of extraneous details or multiple plot threads, which works well in this story. The writing is excellent, which I expected after Swann's last novel, Never Turn Back. There might be a little suspension of disbelief over some of the skills the characters possess, but not enough to detract from the narrative. The descriptive writing perfectly sets up the locations and scenes. The characters believably inhabit the world created here. The threat Nick and Annalise face is real and tension will mount as the men searching for Annalise get closer and closer.

Both Nick and Annalise are fully realized, developed characters who are realistically depicted. They are not perfect people, but you will like both of them, believe in them, and hope they both live to see another day. Annalise is portrayed as a believable teenager under unbelievable stress. Nick is grieving and surprised by Annalise's existence, but manages to do the right thing while thinking about the dialogue he and his wife would have had about the situations. The bad guys are seriously scary and threatening, but also feel like real individuals, which makes them more menacing in many ways.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crooked Lane Books.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/08/a-fire-in-night.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4211068275 show less

Early Reviewer Book. Nick Anthony is living in the mountains of North Carolina, alone and grieving for his deceased wife when he finds out his brother and his wife are dead in a house fire and his niece is missing. Before he can think too much about it, his Annalise shows up and tells him they were murdered. Nick is a retired teacher with some unusual skills. As the murderers come calling, they are met with more than they bargained for.

The main characters were well described. Setting was show more good, I love that area of North Carolina. I had a little bit of trouble believing that a teenage girl would be capable of finding a cabin in the woods all the way from Tampa. I liked how they learned to trust each other. Some of the minor characters could have been more dimensional or left completely out of the book.

All in all, an enjoyable read with some thrilling scenes. show less

Nick Anthony is in mourning for his beloved wife who recently died of pancreatic cancer when he learns of the death of his estranged brother and sister-in-law and also learns that he has a teenage niece who has gone missing.

When his niece Annalise shows up at his cabin door in the mountains of North Carolina, Nick is forced to move beyond his paralyzing grief if he wants to keep her alive. His brother was mixed up in some sort of shady deal in the Middle East and now hired mercenaries want show more the information he left with her. Nick will have to dust off skills he learned as a former CIA officer and call on his former associates because the mercenaries are getting closer and aren't hesitant to kill anyone who gets in their way.

This story was fast-paced and thrilling. I really liked both Nick and Annalise who were both dealing with lots of issues and who didn't know each other at all. Watching them deal with their separate griefs and get to know each other under very difficult situations was intriguing. It was interesting to have part of the story told from the viewpoint of the head of the mercenaries because he was a totally amoral character who was mentally falling apart as the story proceeded.

I recommend this story. I couldn't put it down. show less