Cover Image: Mr Nobody

Mr Nobody

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I received a free copy to read from Netgalley in order to review.

Here is the blurb

"When a man is found on a Norfolk beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak, interest in him is sparked immediately. From the hospital staff who find themselves inexplicably drawn to him; to international medical experts who are baffled by him; to the national press who call him Mr Nobody; everyone wants answers. Who is this man? And what happened to him?

Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis is asked to assess the patient. This is her field of expertise, this is the chance she’s been waiting for and this case could make her name known across the world. But therein lies the danger. Emma left this same small town in Norfolk fourteen years ago and has taken great pains to cover all traces of her past since then.

But now something – or someone – is calling her back. And the more time she spends with her patient, the more alarmed she becomes.

Has she walked into danger?"

The book takes part over short period of time, days rather than weeks. From the start we are drawn in by hints that Emma has a past which meant her and her family took on new identities which links to the location where Mr Nobody has been found. We are further sucked into the story when Emma has to sign a non disclosure agreement. Who do they think this mysterious man is? At times I began to think that this story would take on a supernatural slant but this was not the case.. Overall the book kept me reading and was ok. I felt slightly let down at the ending and wanted Matthew to be a different character to who he actually turned out to be.

Was this review helpful?

Having recently read and enjoyed this author's previous book I was excited to read this. A brilliantly written, original story, a slow start but was intrigued, it certainly didn't disappoint, fascinating and climatic. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

Thrillers are not typically a genre that I lean towards, however I read Steadman's last book and thoroughly enjoyed it so I was interested to read her second.

I did like this book (a lot) but I read it straight off the back of Steadman's last and I think this hindered my reading experience a little. This plot line was slightly more far-fetched and in some places hard to believe but I did still enjoy the book (and the twists and turns) and would recommend this to anyone that likes a good thriller or who likes Steadman's writing.

This book would make for a brilliant adaptation to screen - TV ideally - as it is full of atmosphere which would translate well.

4/5

Was this review helpful?

Really complex but wholly understandable and with a fascinating insight into some neurological complexities interwoven with secrets and lies.
The propulsion of Emma back to her childhood stomping ground and the scene of events so traumatic that she disappeared and changed her life as a result, for work, opens the door to a whole host of emotional fallout.
Emma is there to examine and work with Mr Nobody- a man who has washed up on the beach with no memory and no ID and some very odd brain functionality.
the tale evolves slowly, unfolding around Emma's expertise, the reasons she was approached for the case, her background story and the interference of the press all keep you reading, wanting more and more.
great characters, great gradual reveals and a great ending...all in all a great read!

Was this review helpful?

Catherine Steadman does it again. Having thoroughly enjoyed Something in the Water, I was very pleased to be approved by NetGalley for a review copy of Mr Nobody and I could not put this one down.
A man wakes up washed up on a Norfolk beach, nothing in his pockets no memory of who he is just the memory that he’d been told by someone he trusted to find a certain woman.
Neuropsychiatrist Emma Lewis is called in to look after the man, dubbed Mr Nobody by the press. But, a woman haunted by her own past, what will she find?
The tension of the mystery is expertly sustained throughout and I really found it unputdownable. My only niggle was the finale’s implausibility, but if you’re willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of a excellent yarn you’ll really enjoy it. A grippingly and superbly told thriller.

Was this review helpful?

This was excellent - just as good as the first one. Deserves to be a bestseller in 2020. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Was this review helpful?

SPOILER ALERT

I liked the premise of this book, with it being billed as "Memento meets Sharp Objects". A story centred around memory loss and amnesia.

Emma Lewis is a doctor specialising in neuroscience. When a man is found on a beach with no memory of who he is or how he came to be there, she is called in to take a look at him and see if he is indeed a real memory loss patient or a faker.

Emma feels an instant connection with "Matthew" as he is temporarily named, and it appears that Matthew knows things about Emma from her past that he couldn't possibly know. Emma has secrets of her own that she doesn't want disclosed at any cost, so against advice and her own better judgment, she stays on as Matthew's doctor, but to what personal cost? Who is this mysterious man, what is his interest in Emma, is she in danger?

This is a well written thriller that, although moves quite slowly, keeps your interest the whole way through. Wanting the answers to all of those elusive questions about Matthew and indeed about Emma's past, keeps you turning the pages. The characters are likable and relateable. However, I was disappointed with the ending as I had something else altogether in my mind as to where the story was headed - more of a "Quantum Leap" style scenario - which it definitely wasn't. The ending, to me, felt a bit rushed and was pretty implausible. I had to try several times to get my head around it but all in all, a good read. 3.5/5.

Mr Nobody is released in Ireland and the UK on 9 January 2020.

Was this review helpful?

Catherine Steadman doesn’t disappoint with her second book. Something in the water was one of my favourite reads in the summer. Mr nobody comes close!
Mr nobody is a man who finds himself on a beach in Norfolk, he can’t remember what his name is or what he’s doing there.
Dr Emma Lewis is asked to go and assess him and take on this medical case. Doing this there are a lot of demons for her to face in going back to Norfolk.
Each chapter leaves you with questions, you want the answers to. Before you know it, you’ve finished the book!
Love that at the end, there are no loose ends, every question you may have has been answered.
This book has you definitely thinking about how the brain and mind works!
One of my new favourite authors.

Was this review helpful?

Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman the story of an unknown man found on the beach who has no memory of how he got there and a doctor sent to treat him that is trying to hide her past.
This is a slow burning story, unfortunately it failed to hold my interest.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A good story, if somewhat far-fetched. I feel that the book was written for the US market though; it is off-putting to read of police officers calling each other "Officer Graceford" and "Officer Poole". Also no British person would refer to a "British accent".

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed Steadman's last book "Something in the Water" and was really looking forward to her next. Unfortunately I found Mr Nobody really disappointing.

It took me a while to get into the book - I started it twice. The plot is interesting enough to keep you reading but after a slow start the second half of the book felt incredibly rushed. The characters were ok but towards the end I was just reading as a means to get to the end.

Whilst I didn't enjoy this book it hasn't put me off Steadman's writing, I look forward to seeing what she shares next.

3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Catherine Steadman for my ARC.

Was this review helpful?

interesting thriller based around memory and memory loss - apt for anyone who loves the psychology within a thriller.

Was this review helpful?

Catherine Steadman knows how to keep you guessing and turning the page into the wee small hours. Mr Nobody, her second book, follows on with a high octane cleverly conceived and told thriller. It kept me guessing throughout.

It increasingly requires a little too much stretching of credibility but overall a thoroughly enjoyable 3.5*.

Review posted on Goodreads and will be added to other sites near release.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for an ARC in consideration of an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I raced through Mr Nobody, desperately keen to find out what had happened in the pasts of Mr Nobody and Emma. A very satisfying and unexpected conclusion with unpredictable twists along the way. As well as creating good characters the author does an excellent job of capturing the wild feel and beauty of North Norfolk. I haven't read Something in the Water but will be rectifying that shortly. Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC and introducing me to a new must read author.

Was this review helpful?

4 - 5 stars.

A man in his forties is found on beautiful Holkham Beach, Norfolk on a winters day, he’s soaked to the skin, he’s freezing cold and has no shoes on. He has no memory of who he is or how he got there - just fleeting thoughts and something written on his hand which he removes. Dr Emma Lewis is in her early 30’s, is a neuropsychologist and she is asked by a more experienced and well known American specialist to investigate. Does Mr Nobody have retrograde amnesia from a brain injury or is it a more rare psychological trauma or fugue? The story is told principally from Emma’s point of view and Mr Nobody. Emma is very conflicted about taking the case because of something in her past which occurred in Norfolk but she decides to overcome her fears of returning to the area in the hope that something good can come out of something bad.

The novel has dual mysteries- who exactly is Mr Nobody (christened Matthew meaning gift from God), what is wrong with him and what lurks in Emma’s past. Do they connect in any way? If so, how and why. This well written story is both intriguing and fascinating, there is tension and excitement which kept my interest throughout. The author keeps tantalising the reader with little snippets of information and I lapped it up!

The setting of Norfolk (Holkham, Holt, Burnham Market etc) adds greatly to the atmosphere, there are some very good scenes especially on the beach. The characters are good and very likeable with the exception of journalist Zara Poole who is career driven and doesn’t think of consequences in the pursuit of a story and making a name for herself. I really like the fascinating science and medical information, for example about fMRI’s, the science of the brain which is so well explained for this science numpty!

Overall, a good read. There are some sections that are maybe a bit over dramatic and I am uncertain whether what happens to Mr Nobody (no spoilers!) is indeed possible but the concept is so original that it doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t. The climax is exciting and probably not achievable for a normal human (ok for a Hollywood stunt person!) but it is so creative that artistic licence wins the day! Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

When a man with no ID, no belongings and no memory gets washed up on the shores of Norfolk, he quickly becomes a TV sensation and police and government are afraid it will become another case of fake amnesia and publicity stunts. In order to be sure, they want the expert on the field to take over the case.

Doctor Emma Lewis is called upon from London to handle the patient who's now been called Mr.Nobody by the press. As curious as Emma is to find out the state of this man, she's also reluctant to return to her hometown which has so many bad memories she wants to avoid. Curiosity takes hold of her and she begins her treatment in Norfolk.

Soon, tension builds between her and the man which is both unusual and dangerous as it has never happened before. Could she find out the truth about this mysterious man before its too late? She has to fight her own demons to get over this peculiar case.

This book is SO much more than a usual thriller. It has so many layers to it that I did not see coming. So many brownie points to the author including the pacey writing, perfectly named chapters (there's even a subtitle for every chapter title!), POVs from Emma and the Man both Brilliantly structured. But more than all these elements, it's the storyline Catherine has chosen to write about, that made me fall deeper! Mental health and care for the unfortunate people who thrive hard to survive in the world. It's really hard to imagine such a state of life and guess we're just lucky to be normal and breathing.

Highly recommended book to expect in 2020. I can see the book ruling the charts in the 2020.

Was this review helpful?

An interesting premise this one. A man washes up on a beach with no memory of who he is or how he came to be there, Enter neuropsychiatrist Emma Lewis who hopes to solve the mystery. However what she doesn't expect is that the man will recognize her and call her by her old name....

The setting of Norfolk and the beach where the man was found was a brilliant one. It conjured up the essence of both the coast and a tired mind - the wind, the sands of time and the unexpected mix of life itself. The mystery for me however was hard to get my head round if you excuse the pun. Amnesia and fugues are not something I understand and even like in novels. They all appear to be handy narrative devices for unbelievable plots. No so much with this one, but still a theme which overtook the original mystery for me. Fun, but far fetched.

Was this review helpful?

When a man washes up on a beach with no memory of who he is or how he came to be there, neuropsychiatrist Emma Lewis is called in to help.

But when the man seems to recognise Emma, and calls her by a name that he couldn't possibly know, Emma has more questions than answers.

With the world watching, Emma must find out who Mr Nobody is before he starts to remember why he's there in the first place. Maybe some memories are better left buried...

I loved the premise of this one, but for me it didn't quite deliver. I struggled to warm to any of the characters, and found the dialogue stilted and unrealistic. The characters used each others' names so much it was actually jarring, and took me out of scenes that should have been dramatic - no-one speaks like that, and I found it so irritating. Once the action gets going, it does pick up the pace nicely, and to give the author her due, she does give a tired trope - amnesia, fugue - an original twist, even if it is a very far fetched one.

I did like the book, and the scene where everything comes to a climax is genuinely thrilling, but there was a lot of detritus weighing this one down - unnecessary and repetitive dialogue being the main issue for me.

An enjoyable enough read, but it's not a book I would necessarily recommend to friends or return to myself.

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Mr Nobody is one hell of a fantastic read!

Beautifully written with a great mystery that left me shocked at the ending. A hell of a ride and I highly recommend picking this one up! Dr Emma was a great character, I fell in love with her and her tragedy. The way the plot moves is exceptional. I haven’t read another like Mr Nobody and it will be making my top books of the year list.
5/5

Was this review helpful?

Mr Nobody by Catherine Steadman
Thanks @netgalley @catsteadman and @simonschusteruk for my arc
Publication date 9th January 2020
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
When a man is found on a beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak the nation goes crazy. Who is this mysterious man? Dr Emma Lewis is called from London to help as she is a specialist in neurological memory loss. Things take a creepy turn for the worse as the mystery man recognises Emma. Or the Emma from the past she has spent years trying to hide.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Ah my new favourite book of the year 😊. This was fantastic! A very intelligent tale, the story unfolding with new twists and suspense. I loved it. Well written and lovable characters. Hands down. The best I’ve read this year xxxxx

Was this review helpful?