Never Coming Home

Englishman Lucas Forester, the unreliable narrator of this entertaining thriller from McKinnon (You Will Remember Me), is a self-proclaimed crook, liar, and murderer. Three years earlier, he met extravagantly wealthy Michelle Ward at a London gallery opening and quickly fell in love with her money. After the pair married, they moved to the upscale town of Chelmswood to be near her family, and for two years Lucas was content. Then came Covid. As Lucas explains, “the pandemic was when my patience wore less than razor-thin. Honestly, you spend months on end cooped up in a house with someone you’ve pretended to love, and it makes you imagine things, lots of things, including the music you’d play at their funeral.” His elaborate search of the dark web for the ideal anonymous hired killer and his meticulous plans to hide his involvement in the plot to abduct and murder Michelle are both fascinating and funny. After his wife disappears, Lucas begins to receive threatening notes. The suspense revs up as his excessive self-confidence unravels, though the forced ending doesn’t do justice to the setup. This amusing revenge tale will keep readers turning the pages. Agent: Carolyn Forde, Transatlantic Literary. (May)