This was good, dark, scary, not quite what I expected, but very well written and a really good storyline. I hope to read more by this author.

In 1976 a young girl is forced into a killing spree by her boyfriend. Now the story is brought back alive in a modern day podcast, and the producer wants to use the daughter of that young girl. This leads to twists and turns, until the surprising ending.

A very original premise and one that works very well. There is a lot going on but the dual timeline works and isn't confusing.

In 1976, 15-year-old April Cooper and her boyfriend, Gabriel Leroy go on the run after a killing spree. In the present day, website columnist Robin Diamond is contacted by podcaster Quentin Garrison who thinks that Robin's mum might have a link to the killings. This leads to Robin researching the Cooper/LeRoy murders herself, but what will she discover?

Never Look Back moved between the present and 1976, and was mostly narrated by Quentin and Robin. Past events unfolded through a chilling number of journal-style letters written by April Cooper. The flow of the story was perfect, and April's letters made for a chilling read whilst allowing the reader a good insight into a complex character and her relationship with Gabriel LeRoy. I wasn’t convinced of April's truthfulness though I was invested in her story. Alison Gaylin has created characters who are compelling, and I loved this absorbing, addictive tale of psychological suspense. Each twist kept me filled with doubt and I guessed and wavered over everything right up to the surprising finale. A tension-filled, entertaining read with plenty of unsettling darkness that kept me on edge and jittery. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley at my request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

What a great book. An original idea, well written, with engaging characters. First book I have read by this author and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orion Books and Alison Gaylin for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed the way the book was cleverly written using two timelines.

In 1976, 15 year old April Cooper is given an assignment at school to write a letter to her future self which would be posted out to her by her teacher in the year 2000. She decides to write a letter to her future daughter. The letter was never handed in as Alice never went back to school.

On her way home she hears gunshots coming from her home and finds her boyfriend, Gabriel, has shot and killed her stepfather because he did not want them going out together. But where is her little sister? She is forced by her boyfriend to hold the gun and fire another shot at her stepfather therefore having her prints on the gun. Gabriel says he has her sister somewhere safe and she has to go with him or she will never find her. And so they both go on the run, and carry out further murders. April continues to write letters to her future daughter explaining what is happening during her time on the run.

Fast forward to the current day. Quentin is a podcaster who is working on a podcast he will call ‘Closure’. He is looking for the truth to the story about April and Gabriel. Gabriel died in a fire alongside a family, his body was identified, and there was a girl’s body next to him, presumed to be that of April. But was it or is April Cooper still alive? Why did she stand by and allow Gabriel to murder so many innocent people that day at the petrol station?

This was a very well written book which kept me turning the pages to find out what did happen to Alice. Devoured over just 2 days.

Thanks to Orion Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mesmerising, compelling and utterly addictive. Wow. Well, what can I say? Firstly, the intriguing blurb certainly lived up to its promise. This is one of those books that you simply cannot put down. So, prepare to put aside the annoying chores of everyday life and put yourself in the hands of the masterful storytelling of A.L. Gaylin. 'Never Look Back' is the aptly named title of the book, and for the main protagonists of this story, it is, with hindsight, advice they may well wish they had taken to heart. Of course, we wouldn't have this unmissable story, and what a story it is! In 'Never Look Back', past and present are inextricably intertwined on a fatal collision course, bringing to light secrets long buried. The secrets are crimes; crimes that were the bloody product of serial killers, April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy. This was the 1970s, however, and April Cooper and Gabriel Roy are long dead. Well, maybe not.... This is the question that initially preoccupies Quentin Garrison, a podcaster, with his own, personal association, to the evil perpetrated by Cooper and LeRoy. Garrison has had a tip. A tip that means April Cooper could still be alive. April has been tenuously identified as the mother of website columnist, Robin Diamond. Robin strenuously denies the claim, understandably, until events take a sinister turn.... You would think that the rest of the story would run along the predicable lines of whether or not April Copper is still alive, and living an ordinary, almost banal existence. You would be correct, to a certain extent. There is far more to this thrilling thriller than meets the eye, however. Gaylin's fertile imagination takes us places where the reader could not begin to guess. The sense of.... well darkness and tension, are almost palpable. The unease grows with each twist and turn of this impeccably constructed narrative, until the final, shocking denouement. This story is more than an exploration of the dark soul of a killer from the comfort of one's armchair, however. Far more, indeed. This intelligently written thriller reminds us that the consequences of evil never truly lives in the past, and they often explode in unexpected ways. This is the story of secrets and lies exposed. A story weaved by a master of her craft. I turned each page with bated breath as the tension was ratcheted up to an unbearable degree. The payoff was immense. One of my top 10 thrillers of the year so far. A.L. Gaylin is my new auto-buy author. Absolutely compelling stuff.

''Life is full of coincidences, honey... We try and put them all together and we hope they'll add up to make something meaningful. But the sad truth is, they hardly ever do. They're just coincidences, that's all. Stupid, pointless coincidences.''

40 years ago, young lovers April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy began a shocking murder spree that culminated in their deaths. So why is a true crime podcast host telling Robin that her mother might be one of history's most brutal serial killers? Robin has always been close to her family, but this shocking phone call changes everything. Could he be right? Does Robin know her mother at all? And what really happened all those years ago?

I desperately wanted to love this one. I'm not personally a fan of podcasts, but I always enjoy reading about them (weird, I know), and the idea behind this book is wild - imagine receiving a phone call telling you your mum might be a serial killer in hiding!? Sadly though, it just didn't live up to it's own hype.

Ok, so I'll start with the positives:

1. I loved the letters written by April Cooper during the time of the murder. They were essentially diary entries, and gave you a really fascinating insight into the reality of her experience and the choices she makes
2. I felt like the bare bones of the book had great potential - getting a phone call out of the blue that your mother could be a serial killer in hiding? That had the makings of a great book, and so there’s an extra point for being unique
3. The initial sections written by Quentin (the very start of the book) really set everything up well, and I loved his voice - it was very distinctive and well formatted

Now, for the negatives:

1. The narrative structure ended up being far too jumbled for me. At first, the alternative POVs seemed quite methodical, but by the end the jumping around was just confusing
2. The pacing of the novel itself just felt a bit off. There were times where it was quite thrilling and fast paced, but they were few and far between, with the reality being that most of the book was a long hard slog. There were also sections that were quite hard to follow (for example, the reveal of what has actually been going on with Robin’s husband - that whole section was just confusing)
3. Following on from that, there was just too much thrown at the plot. You have the podcast, and Quentin’s family history, and then Robin and her family, along with her marriage and it’s problems, and then the dangers of online trolling, and then the me too movement gets thrown in to show how relevant the book is, then there’s the the mental illnesses and addiction and damage done by the foster care system. And don’t even get me started on how everyone is related, which is impossible to keep track of due to multiple characters having multiple identities. It was just too much for me.
4. The twists that get thrown in at the end were all a bit too predictable to really make up for how long it took to get there. Plus, the red herring twist that comes first was just completely unbelievable, and as soon as it happened it basically shone a light on what the real ending was. No subtlety at all.

All in all, it’s sadly not one that I would recommend. The synopsis promised a red hot thriller, but the reality was lukewarm at best. 3 stars for the fact that it had a good story at the heart of it and I didn’t bail out before the end, but I can't give more than that.

Boy oh boy, how this one snuck up on me! I became so immersed in this story, so obsessed with the characters, this is a ten-hour audiobook and I flew through it in a few days. I am so very late to the Alison Gaylin party, but believe me, I’m here to stay!

The thirties had Bonnie and Clyde, the seventies had April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy. Depicted in the press as bloodthirsty, gone down in history as the Inland Empire Killers, THE criminal couple of the seventies, April and Gabriel are more than a little infamous. But what do we really know about them? The letters written by April to her future daughter at the age of 15 are completely at odds with how she’s portrayed: a coldblooded killer with a murderous gleam in her eyes. After having read a few of April’s letters I couldn’t help but wonder: what if that gleam was not a sign of murder on the mind, but merely the glint of unshed tears?

Quentin blames April Cooper for his own crappy childhood. When his mum Kate was 14, her little sister was one of April and Gabriel’s victims. Afterwards, Kate’s mother committed suicide and her father never recovered from his loss, and his misery was passed down the family tree. Quentin grew up with an addict for a mother and is very bitter about it indeed. When his husband and his co-producer suggest he create a podcast about the Inland Empire Killers, Quentin dives into the past, and discovers that, although her body was found in a fire decades ago, April might not be dead after all.

Quentin’s investigations lead him to columnist Robin in New York City. Robin is not in a very good place right now, trolled for an article she wrote and at odds with her husband, but there are two people she has always been able to count on: her parents. And then Quentin shows up and drops the April Cooper bombshell on her, telling her that he thinks her mum might be the infamous April Cooper. Could it be that the kind, loving woman she has known all her life is actually a stone-cold killer? She knows her mother! Of course she does! Doesn’t she? Then tragedy strikes and it’s unsure whether Robin will ever be able to know for sure whether there’s any truth to Quentin’s allegations.

All the mystery and suspense and tension and questions did my head in! I needed to know the truth about April, why she did what she did and if she was in fact still alive, and if so: was she Robin’s mother or someone else entirely, and if she was still alive, then who perished in the fire? I needed to know what happened to Robin’s parents, who would want to hurt them, and why? And what was going on with Quentin? Good grief, if I’d listened to Never Look Back on Audible I would have sped up the narration like you wouldn’t believe, just to find out the answers to all my questions more quickly! The app I got this audiobook on didn’t allow me to do that, so I started listening at all hours of the day.

Signing up for this tour, I was vaguely hoping for a Scott King / Six Stories type of format, but that is not what this is. With the exception of the prologue, in which Quentin introduces himself and the topic of his podcast, it’s not formatted as a podcast, it’s a behind the scenes, a making of. Who to talk to, what questions to ask, which leads to follow, and along the way something happens, something magical, the line between fiction and reality blurs and you’re sucked into the story, believing it, living it.

Never Look Back has a dual narration with Jorjeana Marie narrating the female voices (mostly April’s letters and Robin’s POV) and James Fouhey narrating mostly Quentin and the odd male supporting character. Marie tweaks her voice to accommodate various female and male voices, Fouhey does not. I usually prefer some voice tweaking, but in this case I didn’t mind the simple narration, it was always clear who was speaking in conversations, and there was enough intonation and emotion to keep it entertaining.

Never Look Back is a clever, insidious, shocking thriller that I won’t easily forget. It’s a crazy roller coaster that kept me in doubt until the very end. Even when the pool of suspects was getting very VERY narrow, I still couldn’t make up my mind one way or the other. If you’re into audiobooks, then do pick this one up on Audible or any other audiobook provider, if you’re not, then go for the eBook or print version, this is a story that must be read, in whatever format! Highly recommended!

A.L. Gaylin has done it again! Never Look Back is an outstanding thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Quentin Garrison is a true crime podcast producer investigating a series of murders committed in the seventies by a teen couple, April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy. Website columnist Robin Diamond is contacted out of the blue by Quentin who seems to think Robin's own mother is connected to the murders. This cannot be true! But as Robin researches further, she begins to wonder.

This is a strong thriller with a fast-paced plot. The writing is solid and addictive. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy mystery/thrillers. Be sure to check out Never Look Back today!

Never Look Back certainly grabbed my attention.

Wow, I’m left reeling at the storyline. It’s one of those ones where if I even start typing out what I liked I’m going to spoil the story so I won’t but you need to read this!

It’s ironic how I’ve never listened to a podcast in my entire life, but I am drawn to thrillers where podcasts are at the center of the story. It’s probably because I don’t have the patience to listen to them. I don’t even use audiobooks, I prefer to read it. However, I find fascinating how in books the starting of a podcast triggers a series of events that make for a thrilling read.

In Never Look Back, the story begins in 1976 when a fifteen-year-old girl is writing a letter to her future child. Throughout the novel, we read more of these letters and they are both moving and suspenseful. We jump forward to forty years later. In California, Quentin, a young man in his twenties, has started a podcast, Closure, to help families find, as its name say, closure after a tragedy. Quentin has his own personal reasons to start this podcast because he hopes to find out the truth on a murder case that ruined his family. In New York, journalist Robin his facing backlash following an article she published, she thinks her husband is cheating on her, and she is now receiving calls from Quentin revealing her that her mother, the person she trusts most in the word, may be one half of a teenage couple who went on a killing spree back in the 1970s.

I was on the edge of my seat from the first page. The author knows how to take the reader by surprise. When you think you have figure it out… BAAM, you find out you don’t. The twists and the revelations just keep coming and the more I neared the end, the more I couldn’t put it down.

The characters are multi-layered and well-constructed and their stories are heart-breaking: broken families, traumatizing childhoods… And the tension? It’s always high, never a moment of calm.

Never Look Back is a dark and addictive novel about murder, families, and secrets that will make you hold your breath from the first to the last page. Brilliant!!!

Never Look Back. What amazing advice. In everyday situations Never looking back will allow you to brush off moments you wished you could have done something different. Some regret that plagued your mind. Is it healthy to never look back? How can we be expected to reassess our actions, learn valuable lessons and grasp the good with both hands.

A.L Gaylin injects the eerie, spine-chilling meaning. She sets the wheels in motion and can they be stopped? Once something is rolling along, gaining speed, what can be done to stop it? Can it? It just gathers momentum, like a bat of hell. Gravity is on its side and you are just an insignificant being standing in its way…it’s going to hit you if you dare stop it.

Never Look Back is the kind of thriller that I LOVE. The title sets the scene. The author knows how to upset your equilibrium. Icy cold dread sneakily slivers into your heart and leaves you with an eerie dread swimming through your veins. A historic killing spree. An intriguing connection and a need for closure.

A terrible childhood that has the links to a repulsive killing spree in the 1970’s. Quentin lingers and over analyses his childhood. Can he use his profession to finally move forward and let go of the past? Now a successful podcast producer, it is suggested to him that he takes his life forward in a productive way and focus the programme on the spate of murders. Could it finally bring him the closure that he so desperately needs? Quentin agrees but receives a phone call that could potentially rock his world and put his podcast on the line.

The narrative was slick and razor sharp. The fear being injected into the books every word was hauntingly eerie. The author always left you feeling the urgency in her words. I needed to get to the next chapter…I needed to find out just what was going on behind the scenes. I had my Nikes on and laced up – it was a race against time. No matter how hard I ran, I was faced with the roadblocks of lies, unreliable narrators and secrets.

Never Look Back demonstrates the real and frightening effect that our pasts and childhood can play in our adult life. We can be as resilient as we want but eventually our pasts will present themselves as an unmoveable object if we don’t tackle the pain they cause.

The author takes us down a path untraveled, with plenty of potholes, dark corners and noises with no apparent origin. We learn about Robin Diamond. She is an illustrious movie reviewer. She’s brash, in your face and never scared of telling you what she thinks. Despite this she has the same insecurities as the rest of us. Worried about her husband and what he gets up to. Constantly texting on his phone. Working late…just what is he playing at? Things start to hit the fan when she receives an unexpected phone call from Quentin.

It’s such an interesting premise. As the child just what information regarding our parents to we have a given right to know? They are their own person and we all need our secrets, right? I’m a big believer in the fact that you will never receive full closure. Life is all about what you make it. Traumatic events\past mistakes do mould us, but we can fight back and change, if we really want to.

Never Look Back is a slow burn of a psychological Thriller. The author really knows how to sucker punch you into submission.

A unique storyline & highly enjoyable read I couldn’t put it down. Well written & full of twists & turns would recommend this to anyone.

An excellent book that I very much enjoyed. Strong characters and a fascinating storyline make for an exciting read. Highly recommended.

True crime podcast producer Quentin Garrison, is investigating a series of murders in the 1970s committed by teens Gabriel LeRoy and April Cooper. The victims included members of his own family. For Robin Diamond, a columnist, the podcast produces some startling evidence. When Quentin contacts her about it, and starts asking questions about April Cooper and tying her to Robin’s own mother, Robin isn’t convinced by his story, but the more she delves into the murders, the more she can’t help wondering.

Never Look Back moves between the present and 1976, mostly narrated by Quentin and Robin, past events unfold through a chilling number of journal style letters written by April Cooper. Using a dual time line to convey a story can sometimes confuse a story, or even worse make a story feel stilted, but that’s not the case here, as the two flow perfectly, enhancing the story rather than hindering. April Cooper’s letters made for a chilling read, but they give the reader an insight into a complex character and her relationship with partner in crime and murder Gabriel LeRoy. I wasn’t convinced April was being completely truthful, she appears to point the blame at Gabriel for everything that’s happened, but reading her letters I felt she was cold-hearted and calculating, and as much to blame as her boyfriend.


The author has created characters who are compelling, you can’t help but become invested in their story’s. Most of them are seriously damaged, or at least flawed! I chiefly felt for Gabrielle whose grief and anger is visible throughout his investigation. Considering the subject matter I expected gory crime scenes, but these never materialised and I’m grateful for that (a first for me as I’m not averse to some gore!) as this book is very much about the mystery surrounding April. One thing I wasn’t expecting to find in this book were the powerful emotional scenes that explore the anger and guilt that fester for those that are left behind. This book reminded me of Bonnie & Clyde, I’m not sure if that’s what the author intended but it worked for me. Never Look Back has it all Lies and betrayal, painful secrets and events, Murder, and oodles of mystery. Highly recommended

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog

When Robin Diamond is contacted by Quentin Garrison, host of a true crime podcast, she assumes it's a work matter. But Quentin is actually investigating a series of brutal, senseless murders that took place in the seventies - and he thinks Robin's mother may have been one of the killers.

At first, Robin dismisses his claims as laughable. But when she starts digging, she begins to turn up inconsistencies in her mother's past. Why are there no photos of her mother as a child? And why won't her parents talk about April Cooper, one half of the notorious Inland Empire Killers?

When Robin's parents are attacked and left for dead, it becomes clear that there is more to the story than her parents are admitting. But just who is her mother, really? And who wants her dead?

This is a well-written and complex story, alternately narrated by Quentin and Robin, and interspersed with letters from the then 15-year old April Cooper. The twists and turns are cleverly plotted, and several of the revelations blindsided me completely. I loved seeing the difference between April's version of events and the media's version, and the author did a brilliant job of showing that there are at least two sides to every story.

This is the first novel I've read from this author but it certainly won't be the last.

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

Life has so many unexpected connections & consequences that we don’t really know about and could never really predict. Secrets & lies surround Quentin and Robin’s family history and now they are about to come crashing down on them in ways that they could never have imagined.

This mystery has the perfect rhythm at its core. Gaylin piques our curiosity with the tantalising drip-drip of the letters from the 1970’s wrapped around the kinetic enfolding events of the investigation for a podcast in the present day. You will be completely absorbed in the characters and the twists & turns of their discoveries.

It was very addictive!

This was a fast-paced and thrilling read with so many twists and turns. I liked how the narrative was told from three different viewpoints and it was always clear who was taking when as their narratives voices were all very different. I'd definitely read another from this author if it was like this.

In 1976 April Cooper and Gabriel Allen Le Roy go on a horrifying killing spree which starts with April’s stepfather. Another of their victims is the four year old daughter of Reg Starkey at a petrol station. Shortly after this the couple are thought to have died in a fire in which many others also perished. In the present day Quentin Garrish, an investigative journalist looks into their crimes and begins by interviewing Reg. Quentin is not convinced that April is dead and in the course of his research he contacts Robin Diamond, a New York based film columnist about her mother and the case begins to get very personal for both Quentin and Robin. How are they connected? As their knowledge grows it’s clear that danger is all around them. The story is written in the form of letters from April to her future daughter who she calls Aurora Grace and from the perspectives of Quentin and Robin.

This is a well written and intriguing story which unravels in an organic way and which makes you ask questions constantly. Some revelations almost sock you between the eyes! Quentin investigation is fascinating and he meets some credible witnesses such as April’s former teacher (a terrific character!) and we learn more about April’s personality. I like the way the blame for the killings keeps shifting from April to Gabriel and you see that a lot of what April says is very contradictory. There are some likeable characters such as Quentin and his partner Dean, some are obviously not and some are downright crazy. There are so many twists and turns in this dramatic and gripping novel that at times you become a bit breathless! There is plenty of suspense and tension. Once the truth is revealed its probably not at all unexpected as all the clues are there.

Despite the many positives I think the first two thirds are the most gripping. The final section is a bit protracted in my opinion and by this point the letters from April to Aurora Grace become a bit irrelevant.

Overall though, it is a very good book. I like the way it is written and I definitely want to read more books by Alison Gaylin.