Never Look Back

by Alison Gaylin

Overview

From the Edgar Award-winning author of If I Die Tonight

Reminiscent of the bestsellers of Laura Lippman and Harlan Coben—with a Serial-esque podcast twist—an absorbing, addictive tale of psychological suspense from the author of the highly acclaimed and Edgar Award-nominated What Remains of Me and the USA Today bestselling and Shamus Award-winning Brenna Spector series.

For thirteen days in 1976, teenage murderers April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy terrorized Southern California's Inland Empire, killing a dozen victims before perishing themselves in a fire... or did they? More than 40 years later, twentysomething podcast producer Quentin Garrison blames his troubled upbringing on the murders. And after a shocking message from a source, he has reason to believe April Cooper may still be alive. Meanwhile, New York City film columnist Robin Diamond is coping with rising doubts about her husband and terrifying threats from internet trolls. But that's nothing compared to the outrageous phone call she gets from Quentin... and a brutal home invasion that makes her question everything she ever believed in. Is Robin's beloved mother a mass murderer? Is there anyone she can trust?

Told through the eyes of those destroyed by the Inland Empire Killings—including Robin, Quentin, and a fifteen-year-old April Cooper—Never Look Back asks the question:

How well do we really know our parents, our partners—and ourselves?

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062844545
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/02/2019
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	676,198
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Alison Gaylin is the author of the Edgar-nominated thriller Hide Your Eyes and its sequel You Kill Me, the stand-alones The Collective and Edgar-nominated What Remains of Me, and the Brenna Spector series: And She Was (winner of the Shamus Award), Into the Dark, and the Edgar-nominated Stay With Me. A graduate of Northwestern University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, she lives with her husband and daughter in Woodstock, New York.

Editorial Reviews

05/06/2019

In this uneven thriller from Edgar finalist Gaylin (If I Die Tonight), Quentin Garrison, the interviewer for Closure, an L.A.-based podcast on the ongoing impact of murder, knows too well the lasting damage of a brutal crime. His mother’s younger sister was shot to death in 1976 at age four by teen killers April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy. In an effort to resolve his own pain, Quentin interviews his estranged grandfather about the shooting, setting into motion events that result in the death of a man in New York. Quentin begins to suspect that April may still be alive and leading a quiet life in suburbia. He confronts April’s daughter, columnist Robin Diamond, with his suspicions, causing them both to question just how well they know the ones they love. Despite a gripping beginning that combines the crimes of the past with the best and worst of present-day mass media—instant exposure, fame, and trolls—the plot eventually falters under the weight of its own twists. Hopefully, Gaylin will return to form next time. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Alison Gaylin’s 11th novel perceptively examines family dynamics, the domino effects of violence and our personal stories—real or invented—that help us maneuver through life. The strong tension that launches Never Look Back only intensifies with each surprising twist… Never Look Back is another superior outing from Gaylin.

Associated Press

Alison Gaylin is a great storyteller.

Mark Billingham

An addictive and complex tale related through the experiences of April, Quentin, and Robin, with multiple startling conclusions.

Booklist

★ 2019-04-14
A young man seeking catharsis probes old wounds and unleashes fresh pain in this expertly crafted stand-alone from Edgar finalist Gaylin (If I Die Tonight, 2018, etc.).

Quentin Garrison is an accomplished true-crime podcaster, but it's not until his troubled mother, Kate, fatally overdoses that he tackles the case that destroyed his family. In 1976, teenagers Gabriel LeRoy and April Cooper murdered 12 people in Southern California—Kate's little sister included—before dying in a fire. Kate's mother committed suicide, and her father withdrew, neglecting Kate, who in turn neglected Quentin. Quentin intends for Closure to examine the killings' ripple effects, but after an interview with his estranged grandfather ends in a fight, he resolves to find a different angle. When a source alleges that April is alive and living in New York as Renee Bloom, Quentin is dubious, but efforts to debunk the claim only uncover more supporting evidence, so he flies east to investigate. Renee's daughter, online film columnist Robin Diamond, is preoccupied with Twitter trolls and marital strife when Quentin calls to inquire about her mom's connection to April Cooper. Robin initially dismisses Quentin but, upon reflection, realizes she knows nothing of Renee's past. Before she can ask, a violent home invasion hospitalizes her parents and leaves Robin wondering whom she can trust. Artfully strewn red herrings and a kaleidoscopic narrative heighten tension while sowing seeds of distrust concerning the characters' honesty and intentions. Letters from April to her future daughter written mid-crime spree punctuate chapters from Quentin's and Robin's perspectives, humanizing her and Gabriel in contrast with sensationalized accounts from Hollywood and the media.

A mind-bending mystery, an insightful exploration of parent-child relationships, and a cautionary tale about bitterness and blame.

Kirkus Reviews

Nothing is as it seems in Gaylin’s addictive, shape-shifting thriller... a twisty-turny plot that will sizzle your summer.” — People, Included in “The Best New Books”

“Expertly crafted… A mind-bending mystery, an insightful exploration of parent-child relationships, and a cautionary tale about bitterness and blame.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Alison Gaylin’s 11th novel perceptively examines family dynamics, the domino effects of violence and our personal stories—real or invented—that help us maneuver through life. The strong tension that launches Never Look Back only intensifies with each surprising twist… Never Look Back is another superior outing from Gaylin.” — Associated Press

“Mystery and true crime aficionados will delight in piecing together the puzzle in Edgar winner Gaylin’s (If I Die Tonight) deliciously twisty novel.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“An addictive and complex tale related through the experiences of April, Quentin, and Robin, with multiple startling conclusions.” — Booklist

“Moody, densely layered mystery whose emotional notes are as affecting as the plot points are enthralling…a model of superb narrative craft.” — Los Angeles Review of Books

“Her latest release, Never Look Back, is not only her best novel yet, but also one of the best novels of the year-to-date, period.” — BOLO Books Review

“Right now, Alison Gaylin is at the very top of her game, crafting exhilarating and audacious crime novels that are both rich in character and rivetingly told. Her books are, quite simply, not to be missed.” — Megan Abbott, Edgar Award-winning author of Dare Me and The Fever

“Alison Gaylin is a great storyteller.” — Mark Billingham

“New Alison Gaylin is a good reason to set everything aside and give yourself wholly to what promises to be a psychologically riveting and suspenseful read... It’s a fascinating, fresh, and intoxicating thriller about motherhood, truth, and the mysteries that shroud those closest to us.” — source to follow

“Never Look Back asks us to be unafraid to look deeper, to believe in the healing power of the truth, and to accept the consequences and be good to ourselves regardless.” — source to follow

From the Publisher

Moody, densely layered mystery whose emotional notes are as affecting as the plot points are enthralling…a model of superb narrative craft.

Los Angeles Review of Books

Her latest release, Never Look Back, is not only her best novel yet, but also one of the best novels of the year-to-date, period.

BOLO Books Review

New Alison Gaylin is a good reason to set everything aside and give yourself wholly to what promises to be a psychologically riveting and suspenseful read... It’s a fascinating, fresh, and intoxicating thriller about motherhood, truth, and the mysteries that shroud those closest to us.

source to follow

Nothing is as it seems in Gaylin’s addictive, shape-shifting thriller... a twisty-turny plot that will sizzle your summer.

Included in “The Best New Books” People

Right now, Alison Gaylin is at the very top of her game, crafting exhilarating and audacious crime novels that are both rich in character and rivetingly told. Her books are, quite simply, not to be missed.

Megan Abbott

An addictive and complex tale related through the experiences of April, Quentin, and Robin, with multiple startling conclusions.

Booklist

Never Look Back asks us to be unafraid to look deeper, to believe in the healing power of the truth, and to accept the consequences and be good to ourselves regardless.

Criminal Element

New Alison Gaylin is a good reason to set everything aside and give yourself wholly to what promises to be a psychologically riveting and suspenseful read... It’s a fascinating, fresh, and intoxicating thriller about motherhood, truth, and the mysteries that shroud those closest to us.

CrimeReads.com

Included in “The Best New Books,” “Nothing is as it seems in Gaylin’s addictive, shape-shifting thriller... a twisty-turny plot that will sizzle your summer.

People