You Never Said Goodbye by Luca Veste

Sam Cooper leads a normal life. He lives in London and works in an office. One evening he receives a phonecall from his father, the father he's been estranged from for eighteen years. As Sam rushes to his fathers side he is flooded by memories. Sam is reminded that twenty-five years earlier the family car crashed into a river and his mother and younger brother didn't survive. From that moment on Sam's father retreated into himself. 

When Sam gets to his father's side he discovers that his father has been brutally assaulted. With his dying breath he informs Sam that his mother is still alive. Full of doubt, Sam begins to investigate and uncovers the truth behind the accident and it's aftermath.

This is a roller coaster of a thriller that simply doesn't let up for a minute. The true definition of a page turner. The action begins in the UK but swiftly moves to America to allow for car chases and shootings.

Sam Cooper is a likeable character, he works in an office, he's not ex-military, secret service or a martial arts expert. It's because Sam is a normal person that makes him so likeable and you realise that he gets through a considerable number of situations by tenacity and sheer luck.

As the story progresses we are transported back almost 35 years to discover the origins of the villain and 25 years to understand why Sam believes his mother and brother died in a car crash. With lots of mis-direction the action doesn't let up until the final page.

You Never Said Goodbye by Luca Veste will be published on 17th February 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Staughton for a review copy.