I was delighted to get approved to read Mr Nobody by Catherine Steadman as I had heard very good things about the author's previous book.I enjoyed the first half of the book but I felt the plot seemed to unravel in the latter half. I would though like to read from the author as I could see the potential in the writing.

3.5 stars
This was the first book I’ve read by the author and I’ll definitely be reading her others. I liked the writing style and the first half was intriguing and gripping. Then it became rather unbelievable and slightly confusing in places, with some unanswered questions. The ending was also disappointing.

This was a great read, enjoyed it thoroughly, great storyline and loads of twists and turns , highly recommend this book x

Not quite the gripping thriller I thought it would be, but still a very interesting premise and I particularly enjoyed the delve into neuropsychiatric practice offered by the window into the world of Dr Emma Lewis, a promising young consultant. Emma is asked to manage the care of an anonymous man washed up on a beach, with no memory of how he got there, his past or even his own name. However, it turns out something he *does* start to remember is something Emma is very keen to stay hidden. Surprise, surprise, the doctor has been running from a secret past of her own.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Great novel. Really got invested in the lives of the characters. Some tense moments within the novel

This thriller is a real page-turner. An intriguing story about a neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis who is called in to assess a men found on a Norfolk beach with no identity and seemingly no memory of his history. However, Emma has her own personal memories of the location and reasons for keeping her own past secret. Really well written with pace and ingenious twists, building up to an exciting climax.

This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend! I was so glad I got approved for this one!

A man wakes up on a Norfolk beach with a head wound and no memory of who he is. He has no identification and only the  clothes he is wearing. Dr.Emma Lewis, is approached to work with him as media interest grows. Despite Emma’s lack of clinical experience the indications are that Mr Nobody’s condition is bona fide and it seems like a golden opportunity to prove her theories on fugue states. The flip side is that it also means returning to the town that she ran from fourteen years ago as a traumatised teenager and confronting the unhappy memories she left behind. As a teenager her family went into witness protection after an incident and Mr Nobodys situation seems to dredge up a lot of memories. Add the media interest in Mr Nobody to it all and the tension escalates.
I found the start of the book hard to get into but once I got to know more about Emma and her history I became more involved. The tension built throughout the book and came to a head in the latter end of it. This is the first book from Catherine Steadman that I have read but I definitely will read more of her.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mr Nobody is a psychological thriller that contains many twists and turns. Emma is a neuropsychiatrist brought in to try and solve the mystery of a man, found injured in a beach with complete memory loss. Coincidentally, this occurs in the same area Emma was brought up in before a tragedy happened forcing her family to leave and enter the police protection programme. 
I found the book to be well researched, and the detail given regarding how human brains function was intriguing. However, the ending was convoluted and far fetched which I found to be particularly  disappointing after such a good read.

I was also interested to discover that the author Catherine Steadman was none other than Mabel Lane Fox on everyone's favourite period drama "Downton Abbey". MR NOBODY is her second thriller and its premise was so intriguing and unique in its concept I couldn't wait to read it. And I wasn't disappointed.

A man is found on a Norfolk beach on a cold winters day, soaked through to the bone and wearing no shoes. He has no memory of who he is or how he got there. His only clue is a name he had written on his hand and his mantra to "find her" and to "don't f*** it up this time"!

Dr Emma Lewis is a neuropsychiatrist and a leader in her field surrounding memory loss in a busy London hospital. She is chosen by a well-respected and more experienced specialist to take on the case of the man the media are calling "Mr Nobody" to determine whether he is suffering from retrograde amnesia, fugue and is malingering (faking it). There is only one small issue - it will require her to return to her hometown in Norfolk where she and her family escaped under a cloud of suspicion, before being given new identities, 14 years ago. But for Emma, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity as fugue cases are incredibly rare and she may never come across another one.

Early testing suggests the patient is suffering from retrograde amnesia or dissociative fugue. The onset is generally caused by severe trauma to the head, resulting either temporary or even permanent memory loss...or the patient could simply be malingering/faking it.

After careful consideration and talking things over with brother Joe, Emma decided to throw caution to the wind and take the job. After all, what is the likelihood she will be recognised now? 14 years later?

The man the hospital is calling "Matthew", while the media refer to him as Mr Nobody, hasn't spoken a word since he was admitted a week ago. He has latched onto a Jamaican nurse called Rhoda and between them they have formed a type of silent communication. But as soon as Emma walks into Matthew's room, he recognises her. He knows she's the one he's been looking for...only he can't remember why. He just knows it is her.

Then he speaks...just one word..."Marn?"...and Emma feels her past rushing back to haunt her. How could he know that name?

Further testing reveals Matthew genuinely has no recall of anything beyond the week in which he was first discovered on Holkham beach. But there do appear to be some emotional responses even if the memories are not there...he definitely feels something about them. What does this mean?

I found the medical testing under fMRI to be intriguing as Emma seeks to gauge Matthew's responses to memory and his emotional reactions. It was all rather interesting. All throughout, even those the tests revealed he could not faking, the reader is still wondering if he is. Things don't seem to add up and you wonder just how reliable Matthew's narrative is.

The story unfolds primarily through Emma and Matthew's (The Man) perspective with the odd narrative by PC Chris Poole and his irritating parasitic journalist wife Zara. Everyone in the book has issues, they all have a backstory, which is slowly woven throughout.

My biggest niggle with the book was the author's inaccurate portrayal of staffies in the attack on Rhoda. It really irks me that people are so influenced by the media and society's opinion of this wonderfully loving, loyal and affectionate breed, resulting in an inaccurate portrayal. It would be more believable of a smaller more aggressive dog than of a staffy who love people and live to please us. And the way the attack happened - suddenly and unprovoked. That does not happen. And it saddens me greatly to see staffies misunderstood and misrepresented in such a way.

Anyway, that aside, whilst the ending may have been a little far-fetched, MR NOBODY is still a compelling read and had me hooked from the first page right up to the end.

With plenty of twists to keep you entertained, MR NOBODY is definitely an original concept to say the least that weaves two tales from the past and the present, leaving the reader pondering are they in some way related?

It's clever, it's original, it's an enjoyable read. Recommended!

I would like to thank #CatherineSteadman, #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchuster for an ARC of #MrNobody in exchange for an honest review.

For me, this read had a brilliant premise but lacked in execution. Starting with a man being washed up on a beach with no knowledge of who he is or where he is been, with nothing but a word written on his hand. I enjoyed this book as I was reading. I liked the author's voice but found the plot somewhat unrealistic. It is a brilliantly paced unusual mystery and will be even better if you could suspend your beliefs somewhat.

A new book from Catherine Steadman. I really doubted myself whether or not to read this book. to be honest, her first book Something in the Water didn’t impress me at all. It was fine, but that’s all I can tell. I can’t even recall what the book was about. But in the end I decided to give it a shot.
Emma Lewis is  neuropsychiatrist, one of the big names in this field. She lives in London, hiding from her past. She looked for a chance to prove herself and make great discoveries in her field, especially researching people with a fugue. But this condition is so rare, only a bunch of people experienced it and was examined through the last couple of decades. You can imagine her enthusiasm when she has been offered to take over  Mr. Nobody’s case. But who is Mr.Nobody?

A man woke up on the beach shore. Wet, disoriented with no idea who he is, he can’t recall any memories of his own. There is only one thought spinning alone in his mind – he has to find her and she shouldn’t fuck it up this time. Who is he, how he ended up on the beach? So many obscure facts.

As much as our heroine Emma wants to take this case, she is not sure if she wants to go back to the location where the man has been found. Why? Because she has to go back to her home town and to the past she is trying to run from in the past years. The author delayed as much as possible the moment in which she shared with us Emma’s secret. This may work both ways. For somebody, this may be the thing that engaged them with the book and make them keep reading. For others (including me) this secret was quite frustrating because, as it seemed like the Guy from the shore doesn’t remember anything except Emma’s secret.

To be completely honest, Mr. Nobody identity surprised me. So CONGRATULATIONS, Mrs. Steadman! You did a good job surprising me. Unfortunately, the author couldn’t find the right balance in her story. There are moments that kept my interest and made me read faster. There are lots of dead slow moments as well during which I skipped whole paragraphs and still didn’t lose the story thread.

If this slow unfolding of Emma’s secret doesn’t bother you much, this book is an overall enjoyable read. Although I have some mixed feelings about it (same as with Something in the Water), I will recommend this book if you want a light thriller to chill with after a day at work.

On an early morning in January, in the depths of winter, a man washes up on a beach in Norfolk with an unexplained head injury and no recollection of how he ended up there. The only thing he does know is that he needs to find the woman whose name is written on his hand.

The attractive mystery man, in his forties with thick dark hair, brown eyes and a shadow of stubble across his chin, captures the interest and imagination of the local townsfolk. Unfortunately the press also catches wind of the incident and he is branded as Mr Nobody.

Mr Nobody, or Matthew as he’s called by the concerned hospital staff, also grabs the attention of well–renowned neurosurgeon Richard Groves who assigns his case to Dr Emma Lewis, an expert in the field of fugue – a loss of awareness of one’s identity, often coupled with flight from one’s usual environment, associated with certain forms of hysteria and epilepsy.

There’s just one snag, in order for Emma to treat the unknown man, she has to return to the area she grew up in and confront the past she fled from fourteen years ago. Yet, this is the chance she needs to further her career as a neuropsychiatrist and make a name for herself, but she will have to risk her life and her family’s. Subsequently we need to unravel three mysteries – Emma’s past, Mr Nobody’s past and how the two are connected.

Catherine Steadman is known for her role as Mabel Lane Fox in the popular, British series Downton Abbey, but debuted as an author in 2018 with the psychological thriller Something in the water. Both books have a cinematic quality to them, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Mr Nobody, like Something in the water, might end up on television. Steadman’s own involvement in film and her visual style of writing is undoubtedly not coincidental.

She frames scenes and situations in vivid and intricate detail, but this approach does drag out and breaks the speed of the plot, which could potentially lose the readers’s interest. The attention to the visual is immediately evident within the first few pages of the book when the narrator explains what the impact of an accident would be on the human body:

“I hear the thick packed meat sound of our faces connecting with the dark matte-grey plastic of the dashboard and then, instantly whiplashing back into our headrests with blunt force. A cranial impact”

Ironically, I also found the explanatory information on psychiatry and neurology interesting. It adds to the authenticity of the story, but at times it’s taken just a smidge too far. Readers who enjoy a slower pace and more detailed descriptions will savour Steadman’s style of writing. I was just too impatient and wanted to find out everyone’s secrets.

Mr Nobody is full of twists which keeps us stumbling around in the dark for most of the book. Up to the end we wonder about the man’s identity and whether he faking it or if he truly has memory loss. And then there’s his inexplicable knowledge of Emma’s past life. It will leave you will a multitude of questions, but luckily these are neatly wrapped up in the end.

The premise for this novel is so intriguing and mysterious with a unknown man found wandering a beach in Norfolk, apparently with no memory of who he is and how he got there. 
Mr Nobody had me hooked from the very beginning, wondering how this storyline would unfold. I know in reality there have been cases of this sort but the writing felt original and imaginative. Dr Emma Lewis, highly respected in her field, and determined to prove her worth is extremely flattered to be the doctor ‘chosen’ to work with the patient who becomes known as Matthew. She believes she is capable of helping him discover his identity; the only downside being that in order to do so she will need to return to Norfolk, a place she has tried so hard to forget, a place that holds VERY bad memories.
Sound intriguing?? I definitely thought so and found this book hard to put down, so eager was I to discover the secrets Emma desperately needs to keep hidden and who Mr Nobody really is. 
As events unfold you realise Emma’s backstory is quite heartbreaking which made me like her all the more. Clearly an intelligent, driven woman she doesn’t want to let her past control her feelings and ruin this professional opportunity. But the plot thickens with each turn of the page with media attention surrounding Mr Nobody proving a challenge and unwanted intrusion. 
I found the science behind loss of memory fascinating as too the questionable nature of press coverage and the lengths some reporters will go to to bag their scoop.
So far so good! I was thinking that this book would certainly merit a five star review as I felt invested in the outcome but somewhere along the way, perhaps three quarters through, events began to feel rather far fetched as well as slightly confusing. Whilst I admire the author’s capability for creativity, the bounds of incredulity were stretched beyond belief, particularly the end scenes between Emma and Matthew. Having such high hopes it felt like just as you are approaching the finishing line, a clear winner, someone comes out of nowhere to pip you to the post! Maybe I felt a little bit let down and disappointed. The positive side to this statement is that I couldn’t possibly have guessed the path this storyline would go down so I still recommend fellow readers to pick this book up and see what they think. The relationship between Matthew and nurse Rhoda is quite touching as too is the very final scene between Emma and Matthew. I think the setting perfectly adds to the disturbing, creepy nature of this relationship between doctor and patient.
I will also now seek out Catherine’s debut novel as the writing is well paced and engrossing.
My thanks as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED THIS! I was gripped from start to finish, and though it was excellent. Mr Nobody effortlessly uses neurology and psychiatry to weave a complex, twisty thriller which will keep you guessing genuinely from start to finish. 

The thing which intrigued me from the start was the similarities between the Taman Shud man, the Piano Man, and other similar cases of people re-appearing with no identification, memory, or explanation of how they came to be there. This novel is like a 'what if' exploration of elements of the cases which the average citizen won't ordinarily gain access to, told through the eyes of the specialist engaged to solve the mysteries of the fugue state and determine whether he's really lost his memory or whether he's a malingerer. 

This was so so so so good and I would heartily recommend.

If medical-style psychological thrillers give you a buzz, then you must read Mr. Nobody, the latest novel written by Catherine Steadman. Even though, I had yet to read any of this fabulous author's earlier work, I hoped I was going to be in for a treat with this one and it was magnificently good.

When a man with a head injury and no memory appears on Holkham Beach in Norfolk, England in the middle of Winter, people are fascinated by his story. Who is he? Where did he come from? Why can’t he remember anything?

Dr Emma Lewis is a forerunner in her field of memory loss and is chosen to work on a case that will challenge her to determine the diagnosis. The case will require her to return to her hometown in Norfolk, from where she and her family fled fourteen years ago, as well as changing their identities. But Emma knows this job a massive opportunity for her career... 

In Mr. Nobody, bestseller Catherine Steadman explores the peculiarities of the mind in a mesmerising and chilling tale of mystery, harboured secrets and fear. The story is written principally from Emma’s point of view and Mr Nobody, making the story altogether extremely intriguing. Catherine Steadman's characterisation is incredibly impressive, especially as I was allowed an insight into Emma's past and this made an unusual contrast with Mr Nobody whose personal history is unknown. The author explores the psyche of her characters with great conviction, making them credible and plausible.

I particularly liked the author's portrayal of Emma though she displayed tendencies towards recklessness. Each character had a part to play in the story and all of them came across as being good, bad, or both, which made this a believable read. Everyone had different motives and reasons for their actions, thoughts or behaviour. Mr. Nobody brought me no disappointments, capturing my attention from the beginning to the final word. Catherine Steadman created an underlying sense of trepidation that was totally gripping. I appreciated the tautness of the plot, the twists and revelations, and the overall quality of the writing. As the second half opened, my interest never wavered as the story barrelled its way towards a wonderful denouement. I have found another favourite psychological thriller writer in Catherine Steadman and I cannot recommend Mr. Nobody highly enough.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Simon and Schuster UK via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Last year I read Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman and thought that it was a thrilling and engrossing page turner so jumped at the chance to read Mr. Nobody. There are some similarities in the two books; they both feature a female protagonist, there’s a big old mystery and loads of intrigue. In this book our protagonist is Dr.Emma Lewis, a neuropsychiatrist who is asked to work on the case of Mr. Nobody, a man who was found on a beach with no memory of who he is. The thing is, the beach is in her hometown, a place she hasn’t been to since she was a teenager as Something Very Bad happened and she and her family were forced to leave.

Intrigued by the case she decides to return back to the place she ran from 15 years earlier. The unknown man is a curiosity and very quickly the hospital is under siege by the press desperate to find out just who Mr. Nobody is. But is all as it seems? Does this man genuinely not remember anything or is he faking?

There are two mysteries at the core of this book; who is the man and what happened in Emma’s past? These two strands weave around one another with Emma finding herself being challenged both personally and professionally. Matthew, as Mr. Nobody comes to be known, seems to know things about her that he shouldn’t and she becomes increasingly disorientated and off-kilter.

Catherine Steadman pushes her characters to their limits, throwing challenges at them like grenades. For both Emma and Matthew the biggest challenge is that of memory; she is trying to escape hers whilst he is trying to remember his. The dichotomy between past and present was so interesting to read about. Ultimately this is a book which explores memory, it’s reliability and it’s impact upon us.

This is a pretty solid page turner of a thriller. I was intrigued by the premise and Catherine Steadman is so good at dropping little twists here and there which create more and more questions that have to be answered. I did have to suspend belief a little at times especially towards the end of the book but overall it worked. I think I perhaps preferred Something In The Water but still recommend Mr. Nobody for a bit of pure unadulterated escapism.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy. Superbly twisty psychological thriller. A must read!

My thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Mr Nobody’ by Catherine Steadman in exchange for an honest review.

A man is found on a Norfolk beach, dazed and confused, unable to speak and no identification. There is a great deal of interest in him, including from the press, who have dubbed him Mr Nobody. He is being treated in a nearby hospital.

London based neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis is approached to assess the patient. While this is her field of expertise and the opportunity that she’s been waiting for to make her reputation, there is danger in this assignment. Fourteen years ago Emma had left this same small Norfolk town under a cloud and attending this patient could expose her past.

This was an intriguing premise that certainly drew my attention and delivered on it, providing some excellent OMG! moments. It contains a fair amount of information about neurophysiology and the way the brain and memory works alongside a satisfyingly twisty plot that kept me guessing.

As the novel was already published, I obtained its audiobook edition, narrated by the author, to listen alongside reading the eARC. Steadman is an established British actor and proved an excellent narrator.

I now plan to add her debut novel, ‘Something in the Water’, to my TBR list.

Can you trust a person who doesn't remember his own identity?

Norfolk. A man is found on the beach with a head wound. Disoriented, not talking. No identification. As the days go by in the hospital, things don't seem to get any better. Mr Nobody remembers nothing. Or, at least, that's what seems to be the case.

Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis has always been fascinated with a rare human condition, in which the person looses all memories because of psychological trauma. So, when the phone rings and she's asked to take over a rare case of fugue, she can't help but agree. The case of Mr Nobody is now on her.

But as the days go by, Emma will start realizing that the patient knows things about her that he shouldn't. No one in Norfolk knows her real name - at least, no one should. And yet, the mysterious man that doesn't remember his own name seems to recognize her. And that's not the only thing he knows about her.

Mr Nobody is a very carefully constructed psychological thriller with a very unexpected crescendo. Although it's quite slow-paced in the beginning, once it speeds up, it becomes very interesting and really hard to put down.

It's a story filled with secrets for more than one people in this book. And each ones moves the reader closer to a very peculiar and unexpected ending.

Mr Nobody is a must-read for all fans of psychological thrillers. Definitely recommended.