I had only read the first book in the David Raker series, but it didn’t feel like I was coming in on book 10! No One Home is easily readable as a standalone, but I’m sure the back story is brilliant and worth reading too. This book was super. Engaging, dark, and utterly absorbing. I loved the premise, and the whole book was just excellent.

Having enjoyed the previous David Raker novels this one sadly is rather overblown and complex. Over half of the story is disconnected and just makes one more confused with leaps from present day Yorkshire to 1980s LA , a connection that finally makes sense too late in the tale to make one care. The ending is even more confusing presumably to whet the appetite for another episode which reverts (hopefully) to the previous high standard.

The NetGalley description pulled me in although I had slight misgivings about it being the 10th in the series with David Raker as the prime character. I needn't have worried as this is a strong standalone volume. He now investigates missing persons and is asked to do so by relatives of 4 families who disappeared a couple of years ago during a dinner party at Black Gale, a remote 4-house village somewhere up the Yorkshire Dales.. A cold case as far as the police are concerned. Chapter 2 jumps back 25 years to California with a female detective investigating a murder whilst trying to have a family life and cope with incredible misogynistic, bigoted, colleagues. Obviously the two will link and this takes the rest of the book to weld. Both sub-stories are well written and the characters feel real; there are plenty of twists and turns, and frustrations. It's quite a dark story and the main "bad guy" was just psychopathic but oh so plausible. Not just from his story but how he drew in others. The main denouement was a bit too implausible 'action man' for me. - all this running around dark forests with odd mixes of tree species and guns. The ending did tie things up neatly but, and I don't quite know why, felt unsatisfactory to a degree. Perhaps that was deliberate and asking for book number 11! Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was just ok for me, I felt a little out my depth as I did not realise it was the 10th in the series unfortunately. I did enjoy it though for what it was and it could be read as a stand alone but I don't feel I got a lot of the past tales. Not a bad book but not something I will be starting at book 1 either.

This was the absolute bomb, I enjoyed this book just so much.
I am a relatively new reader of this author after I requested the previous book in this series without realising it was part of an ongoing series.
I was that impressed with it that when I read the description for this instalment I just had to get my mitts on it.
I actually didn't think anything could surpass my previous experience here but this managed to surpass it and then some, I am super impressed.
There is some previous stuff going on here that maybe it would enhance the whole read if you started at the beginning: but personally, I think there is enough backstory explained here that it's not hard to catch on I managed to easily and I started at book nine myself.
This story focuses on another mystery one that was just so fascinating and is what initially captured my attention and this had so many twists and turns at times I felt absolutely giddy.
Set between Hollywood and the UK and spanning 33 years it was hard to see how the two were actually connected.
But when the cogs start to click into place here and so seamlessly at that, this was just pure genius.
Got to say this was such compelling stuff and a real page-turner of a story.
Loved how everything just slotted together the further you went and I could literally feel a veil metaphorically being lifted from my eyes as this played out.
This was also deeply moving and rather than just being told a story the author has managed here to transport the reader right into the tapestry of the story.
This was a five-star experience all the way and I recommend this series highly.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of No One Home (David Raker #10).

Another fabulous addition to the David Raker series. I really enjoyed this instalment, particularly as the current story is told alongside the story of a female detective in LA from the 1980s. This added real depth you the plot and added to the intrigue.

No One Home is a brilliant book in the fabulous David Raker series .It starts with a whole village disappearing on Halloween and every page is so gripping .There are two stories running through the book Raker's case and a case in LA which happens in the 80,s and is led by a female detective Jo .The plot is so clever ,twisting and turning and quite dark .This is a book that grips from page one and never let's you go pure genius !The ending left me wondering everything seemed to be solved but was there worse to come ?Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

On Halloween night, the residents of Black Gale gather for a dinner party. As the only nine people living there, they've become close friends as well as neighbours.

They eat, drink and laugh. They play games and take photographs. Except those photographs will be the last record of any of them.

By the next morning, the whole village has vanished.

With no bodies, no evidence and no clues, the mystery of what happened at Black Gale remains unsolved two and a half years on. But then the families of the missing turn to investigator David Raker - and their obsession becomes his.

What secrets were the neighbours keeping from their families - and from each other?

Were they really everything they seemed to be?

And is Raker looking for nine missing people - or nine dead bodies? 

This is the first I have read in this series and I did shelve it for a couple of days when I was halfway through because I couldn't get my head round the story, I read another book in between but I was determined to not let it beat me, so I returned to it and I'm glad I did, I couldn't put it down and read the remaining half in a matter of hours! The story is full of intrigue and suspense and I had to find the truth about how nine people can just disappear, without a trace. A great book and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I'd like to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Investigator David Raker, who specialises in finding missing people is a driven, complex man, who seems to make both enemies and friends wherever he goes. Haunted by his past actions and losses, he is always looking over his shoulder. Empathetic, intelligent, and a risk taker, he is the person you want in your corner if you need to find the truth.

Nine people disappeared without a trace two and a half years ago, and now the son of one of the missing people wants Raker to investigate their disappearance. Over thirty years previously in Los Angeles, a female detective is hunting for a murderer, storylines seem unconnected, but as they both progress they converge and the historical illuminates the present.

Both stories are complex, full of details and vividly written characters. There are many similarities between Raker and Jo, both are dedicated, intelligent detectives, who work in hostile environments. The late 1980s setting portrays the lawless ethos and prejudices of the era perfectly, which makes the retro chapters both atmospheric and authentic.

The present-day, chapters are no less absorbing. The Black Gale hamlet is a contemporary ‘Mary Celeste’, nothing seems out of place, but everything is wrong. As the suspense level increases, even the ordinary events Raker witnesses are menacing.

The final chapters are so vivid, as Raker finally realises the truth, but this is not the end, just the beginning of the most intense, adrenaline-fueled action and despair. Even the ending leaves you wondering, it seems that everything is resolved, but then you go back and begin to wonder if the worst is yet to come.

Clever plot twists, complex characters and a pervading air of despair and menace make this thriller one of the best of 2019.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK - Michael Joseph Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I read this book unaware that it was part of a series. I found it worked well as a standalone with just the right amount of info about previous events given. I liked the fact that these two seemingly unrelated stories from different timelines and countries were slowly weaved together to become part of a bigger story. The characters were well written with plenty of depth. The storyline for me while slightly on the far fetched side, was interesting and kept me captivated. The only part that let it down was the very end, it went from far fetched to unbelievable.

Firstly thank you for letting me read this book.

9 villagers from Black Gale have gone missing without a trace, when David Raker is called in to help find out what happened to these families the web is tangled and confusing, why were they taken, where have they gone. The story goes back to 1980’s LA where Jo Kader is looking for a murderer as well. Spanning the years between the 1980’s to present day. A good book but I will now need to go back to the beginning of the series as some of the spin off stories are from previous books in the series.

Wow. What a ride this was. And what a hook. A whole village, abandoned. I was hooked from the start. Haven’t read any of his others but am very excited to now.

I started this book unaware that it was part of a series, let alone number ten! It clearly stands alone as a novel although I now see why some things weren't explained very well and others just alluded to.
The opening draws one in so that it's necessary to continue reading to get to the bottom of this seemingly impossible scenario. I did tire of it somewhat in the second half but kept going as the pull was still strong enough. I did guess the twist shortly before it was revealed but really enjoyed how all the threads came together. I did feel that, after a rambling centre section, the ending was a little rushed. Maybe it seems less so now that I realise there is almost certainly another volume to come. I am intending to investigate the others in the series now.

Absolutely brilliant, No One Home grabbed me from page one and refused to let go until the very end. I haven’t read the previous books but this worked well as a stand alone and I enjoyed it!

Full review to follow.

Tim Weaver is a legend, if you have read 1 of his previous 9 David Raker books then you will know this to be true!
In this, the 10th, Raker returns for his next ‘disappeared people to find’ case, now as say it is 10th in the series and there is some ‘bringing up to speed’ from previous life events and ‘why he is where he is now’ etc, I think reading previous in the series would be beneficial however this can easily be a stand alone
Weaver’s storytelling and ‘in depthness!! ( made up word I think ) of information/research into missing people and everything that surrounds this phenomenon ( for various reasons ) is outstanding and meticulous and a pleasure to read
So, just to be straight! I love this author and his books and his storytelling, its unique, perceptive and exciting
BUT, and I hate writing that but, in this book although all the above stays the same the actual plot, for me, was too far fetched, complicated and unfathomable, it didn’t ring true and although it focuses on the fascinating ‘ 9 neighbours meet for a meal and all disappear’ it just didn’t live up to the expectations I had given it, and thats a shame BUT roll on book 11, this small blip ( and again I stress for me ) wouldn’t even by 1% stop me excitedly starting book 11 when its available
A disappointing 6/10, solely on plot and 3 Stars

No One Home by Tim Weaver

One Halloween night, over two years ago, the four households of the tiny Yorkshire village of Black Gale come together for a party. They’re the best of friends, a tight community of neighbours. But that night all nine of them vanish into thin air, not to be seen again. The trail has gone cold and the police abandoned their search long ago. But the families of the vanished want answers and they take their case to private missing persons investigator David Raker. Raker has his own problems to deal with, and they’re getting very pressing indeed, with the wrong people on his trail. But this could be the diversion he needs, not least because it will allow him to go missing himself for a short while. Nothing, though, could have prepared Raker for what he will discover.

No One Home is the tenth novel in the David Raker series but it’s also, I’m ashamed to say, the first I’ve read. This is one of those series that I’ve had my eye on but haven’t had the time to go back and start from the beginning. I’m one of those readers that waits for a book to come along that will throw me into the series and from that point on, having been hooked, I can go back to the beginning. No One Home is just such a book. I loved the premise – the entire small village disappearing one night, never to be seen again, and at Halloween, too. Irresistible. And so I thoroughly enjoyed the book as a stand alone. It is true, though, that there’s a lot going on in Raker’s life that I couldn’t possibly fully follow. But there was more than enough information for this not to matter too much, although I think that if you’ve read the series in full, you’ll get more from it. Nevertheless, No One Home is a very enjoyable, gripping and twisty thriller in its own right.

The narrative is divided between Raker’s own point of view and that of Jolene Kader, one of the first homicide detectives in LA who was faced with a dead body dissolving in acid back in the 1980s. This is a brilliant storyline that carries on throughout the novel and certainly does a good job of competing with the Raker storyline for our attention. I enjoyed this thread at least as much and particularly liked the way in which Tim Weaver handles the sexism and inequality that Jolene faced every single day. I cared very much for her and looked forward to her sections of the book.

As for the missing neighbours, this is a fantastic story and for much of the novel I could not see how on Earth this could possibly be solved. I felt completely in the dark and could hardly put the book down as I waited to see what would happen next. This is engrossing stuff. It’s a dark book and there’s evil in some of the characters we meet. At times the tension and the oppression of this evil was a little too much. This is one of those books that grips you but you have to put your head up for air every so often. I love that kind of book that immerses the reader so deeply in its world.

There are issues with the ending. I read the proof and it’s possible that some changes will be made to the order of certain sections at the end. This would go some way to solve some of the problems with the structure of the book at this point, although it might not solve my main issue, which is the way in which one character is treated. As a result, No Way Home isn’t a perfect book, although I think its first half does a very good job of approaching that, but it grabbed my attention and I look forward to reading more.

I have just read No One Home by Tim Weaver. Courtesy of Penguin UK – Michael Joseph and Netgalley.

This is Tim Weaver's 10th Novel featuring David Raker, ex journalist who investigates cases of missing people. And this is my 3rd novel I've read featuring David Raker and it does not disappoint. In this novel, David investigates when a small village of 9 people go missing one Halloween. I loved the storyline, it gripped me, it is an unusual storyline and I couldn't put it down. Two years later is when David takes on the mystery and what a mystery it is. A brilliant stand alone novel, David Raker takes you on a nerve racking, tense journey trying to find out what has happened to the missing residents of Black Gale. The ending is taut with it's twists and turns. Shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Dagger. A must read.

#NoOneHome #NetGalley

Tim Weaver now officially holds the record for the book that grabbed me the quickest. It had me on page one and that's a true rarity. The tenth private investigator David Raker instalment takes place around the festival of Halloween which right away creates an ominous, tense atmosphere and this underpins the entirety of the novel. What began as a fun, scary celebration ends in the disappearance of the whole population of the village of Black Gale. Having gotten no closer to the truth about what happened to their relatives a group of families contact Raker, an expert in missing persons, in the hope that he can help.

This is another completely gripping and superbly entertaining addition to Mr Weaver's arsenal and the pace is akin to that of a runaway train with many hidden and unexpected twisty surprises throughout. Although part of a series No One Home works perfectly as a standalone as Weaver furnishes us with enough of the important previous happenings to allow an easy understanding for all, though I would urge you to read the rest should you enjoy this. Raker is a proficient investigator and a dogged pursuer of truth but also knows how to treat people with compassion and feels empathy for his fellow humans making him a very likeable protagonist.

With no wasted words and an explosive, unpredictable and satisfying climax, this is a real page-turner. Roll on book eleven! Many thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Great premise for a solid, reliable thriller.
The sort of book you look forward to starting at the weekend as you just know in advance it's not going to let you down.
Logical, believable, but clever plot twists which I certainly couldn't work out beforehand (How do 9 people disappear?) but that made total sense in the end.
Enjoyed the two timelines too. That really worked and I found myself liking the American Detective.
Will look out for more from Tim Weaver.
Many thanks.

Hectic missing persons investigation.

When I was offered the chance to read a pre publication copy of No One Home I recognised the author, Tim Weaver, but could not remember why. On checking my book log, however I found that I had read the forth David Raker book back in October 2014 and had given it 5 stars (which is rare for me) and not only that I had bought books 1 to 3 on the strength of it, so I must have been impressed! The odd thing is that I have not subsequently read books 1 to 3 probably because with other purchases they had got pushed to the back of my Kindle library!

Suffice to say that I have now read No One Home, which apparently is book 10 in the series. Tim Weaver has certainly not lost his touch and it is a story with so many twists and turns and characters that one can so easily get giddy with it. The story is centred around the overnight disappearance of the entire population of a ‘village’ - I put ‘village’ in inverted commas as this is how it is referred to throughout the book, but in fact it is only a farmhouse and three houses with a total population of nine, which in my book doesn’t really justify the description even of of ‘hamlet’, but this really is the only criticism. The story unfolds in two parts, one being the UK side of the story set in the present day, the other being an apparently unrelated story starting in 1980’s Los Angeles. Eventually, the connection is revealed, of course and the two stories merge.

I won’t reveal anything further about the story, but it is well written and very fast paced. Quite a long book at over 500 pages, but I found myself so gripped by the evolving plot that I hardly noticed, and indeed did not want it to end.

Now that I have finished, however, I do have the opportunity to go to the three books that await me on my Kindle, and then there are five more that I can invest in when I have read those!