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David Raker #4
Never Coming Back
A bestseller in the UK, this gripping thriller of a family that vanishes into thin air is Tim Weaver’s American debut
Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie’s house to find the front door unlocked, dinner on the table, and the family nowhere to be found—Carrie, her husband, and two daughters have disappeared. When the police turn up no leads, Emily turns to her former boyfriend David Raker, a missing persons investigator, to track the family down. As Raker pursues the case, he discovers evidence of a sinister cover-up, decades in the making and with a long trail of bodies behind it.
Tim Weaver’s thrillers have been hugely popular in the UK, and now Never Coming Back will introduce his beloved character David Raker to American audiences. Set in Las Vegas and a small fishing village in England, the novel is a smart, fast-paced thriller sure to keep readers guessing until the very end.
Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie’s house to find the front door unlocked, dinner on the table, and the family nowhere to be found—Carrie, her husband, and two daughters have disappeared. When the police turn up no leads, Emily turns to her former boyfriend David Raker, a missing persons investigator, to track the family down. As Raker pursues the case, he discovers evidence of a sinister cover-up, decades in the making and with a long trail of bodies behind it.
Tim Weaver’s thrillers have been hugely popular in the UK, and now Never Coming Back will introduce his beloved character David Raker to American audiences. Set in Las Vegas and a small fishing village in England, the novel is a smart, fast-paced thriller sure to keep readers guessing until the very end.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 2013
245 people are currently reading
4187 people want to read
About the author
Tim Weaver
57 books1,626 followersTim Weaver is the Sunday Times Top 3 bestselling author of the David Raker missing persons series, the standalone thriller, Missing Pieces, and the novella collection, The Shadow at the Door. His novels have been selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club four times, and his work has been nominated for a National Book Award and the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. He is currently developing an original TV drama with the team behind Line of Duty. He lives near Bath in the UK. Find out more about Tim and his writing at www.timweaverbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 622 reviews
March 20, 2020
This is the 4th book in the David Raker series by author Tim Weaver. The character David Raker is known for finding missing people.
In this novel we have a missing family, Paul Ling,his wife Carrie and their two daughters. Carrie's sister Emily contacts David Raker who she was once involved with and asks him to try where the police have failed. The families home was left deserted with the meal still cooking and no sign of any violence. Raker pursues the case and he discovers evidence of a sinister cover-up, decades in the making and with a long trail of bodies behind it.
I love this series and have not read them in order which hasn't really spoilt my enjoyment but this one didn't quite hook me. I still enjoyed it, love the writing style, the characters and the well crafted plot but something seemed to be missing for me.
Not to be put off though I have a couple more of this series to catch up on and I am genuinely looking forward to them.
In this novel we have a missing family, Paul Ling,his wife Carrie and their two daughters. Carrie's sister Emily contacts David Raker who she was once involved with and asks him to try where the police have failed. The families home was left deserted with the meal still cooking and no sign of any violence. Raker pursues the case and he discovers evidence of a sinister cover-up, decades in the making and with a long trail of bodies behind it.
I love this series and have not read them in order which hasn't really spoilt my enjoyment but this one didn't quite hook me. I still enjoyed it, love the writing style, the characters and the well crafted plot but something seemed to be missing for me.
Not to be put off though I have a couple more of this series to catch up on and I am genuinely looking forward to them.
January 18, 2016
Wow.
Even the cover of this book is moody and atmospheric. In fact, it really sets the tone for this dark thriller.
This is a series that I'd say you kind of have to read in order. I've read the first David Raker and then jumped to the fourth and I've definitely missed out on a killer story in between. And since the bookshop just doesn't seem to stock the second and third books I've gone and ordered them.
That being said, you can read these books out of order - the important details of previous events are recounted so that you understand what's happened and how the various characters are affected and how it changes them.
This book is vicious and dark and pretty scary, but also pretty heart warming. When the main character is trying to find all of these missing people, it's difficult for a book not to pull on your heart strings. But this one? Oooh my. I actually almost cried at the end. It was such a shock, almost overwhelming.
I love love LOVE this series. It's so dark and gritty and violent and shocking and even though that's usually not my cup of tea I just have to read on. Time Weaver's writing is addictive.
I received a copy of this for free via Goodreads First Reads.
Even the cover of this book is moody and atmospheric. In fact, it really sets the tone for this dark thriller.
This is a series that I'd say you kind of have to read in order. I've read the first David Raker and then jumped to the fourth and I've definitely missed out on a killer story in between. And since the bookshop just doesn't seem to stock the second and third books I've gone and ordered them.
That being said, you can read these books out of order - the important details of previous events are recounted so that you understand what's happened and how the various characters are affected and how it changes them.
This book is vicious and dark and pretty scary, but also pretty heart warming. When the main character is trying to find all of these missing people, it's difficult for a book not to pull on your heart strings. But this one? Oooh my. I actually almost cried at the end. It was such a shock, almost overwhelming.
I love love LOVE this series. It's so dark and gritty and violent and shocking and even though that's usually not my cup of tea I just have to read on. Time Weaver's writing is addictive.
I received a copy of this for free via Goodreads First Reads.
December 9, 2014
For a thriller, this novel is short on thrills, I must say. Its pacing is too slow for the genre, leaving the reader bored through exposition passages that do little to enhance the story.
The main character is a generic investigator. It would have been easy to swap him with any other detective from any other mystery novel, which is not something that should happen. He didn’t seem particularly interesting in any way and neither did the characters surrounding him, except perhaps Cornell, the antagonist. He brings a bit of life to the pages, but it’s not enough to keep readers interested.
The story would have benefitted from a better editor. It is too long, with a lot of exposition that we really don’t need. The twist-ending drags on for too many pages, giving us enough time to either figure it out first or grow too bored to care.
All in all, this is not one I would recommend for lovers of thrillers and mysteries.
The main character is a generic investigator. It would have been easy to swap him with any other detective from any other mystery novel, which is not something that should happen. He didn’t seem particularly interesting in any way and neither did the characters surrounding him, except perhaps Cornell, the antagonist. He brings a bit of life to the pages, but it’s not enough to keep readers interested.
The story would have benefitted from a better editor. It is too long, with a lot of exposition that we really don’t need. The twist-ending drags on for too many pages, giving us enough time to either figure it out first or grow too bored to care.
All in all, this is not one I would recommend for lovers of thrillers and mysteries.
December 24, 2024
“Never Coming Back” (book 4 of David Raker series), by Tim Weaver
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My 4th book my this author in one month.
Why?
Because I do like his writing, even if not that thrilling.
I do think he writes well, but the storytelling on this one was not as good as the previous books.
The development was really slow, which made this book feel too long; and when there was some action, it was fast and gory.
The revelation (the reason for the killings), although surprising, was disappointing and I didn’t think it was that original.
I thought that something was missing in the story (especially the thrill).
If the other books lacked balance, this one lacked clarity.
Perhaps there were too many characters. None stood out for me and I didn’t really care for anything. I honestly didn’t feel engaged.
Anyways, I really enjoyed the first 3 books in this series (#3 being my favourite) and I’m still looking forward to reading the next instalment.
ebook (Kobo): 384 pages (default), 132k words
audiobook narrated by David Bauckham: 14.5 hours (normal speed), unabridged
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My 4th book my this author in one month.
Why?
Because I do like his writing, even if not that thrilling.
I do think he writes well, but the storytelling on this one was not as good as the previous books.
The development was really slow, which made this book feel too long; and when there was some action, it was fast and gory.
The revelation (the reason for the killings), although surprising, was disappointing and I didn’t think it was that original.
I thought that something was missing in the story (especially the thrill).
If the other books lacked balance, this one lacked clarity.
Perhaps there were too many characters. None stood out for me and I didn’t really care for anything. I honestly didn’t feel engaged.
Anyways, I really enjoyed the first 3 books in this series (#3 being my favourite) and I’m still looking forward to reading the next instalment.
ebook (Kobo): 384 pages (default), 132k words
audiobook narrated by David Bauckham: 14.5 hours (normal speed), unabridged
September 3, 2013
This is the first Tim Weaver book that I have read but not my first thriller – however, this is poles apart from any other thriller that I’ve ever read – this book is in the top tier of a whole league of its own - this, people, is a THRILLER!!! It should come with an advisory notice on the front cover warning potential readers of the effects on their daily routines if they open this book – of the unanswered telephone calls, the unnoticed text messages, the unwashed dishes, families being left to fend for themselves at mealtimes… all because you will not be able to put this book down!
The tenacious and quick-witted investigator of missing people, David Raker, is the central character of this book. The story, set in both Devon and Las Vegas, revolves around the complete disappearance without trace of Paul and Carrie Ling, and their two daughters. The fact that they literally drop right off the radar is the intriguing hook that grabs the reader right from the very start, before long the plot deeply immerses you inside the mystery and drama as it unfolds and it won’t let you up for air! This well written story never relinquishes its tension or its complexity until the very last full stop – its plot, violent at times, is extremely convoluted and with multiple twists at the end but never loses its credibility or believability. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it!!
Pick this book up – you won’t regret it! Story telling at its very best!
The tenacious and quick-witted investigator of missing people, David Raker, is the central character of this book. The story, set in both Devon and Las Vegas, revolves around the complete disappearance without trace of Paul and Carrie Ling, and their two daughters. The fact that they literally drop right off the radar is the intriguing hook that grabs the reader right from the very start, before long the plot deeply immerses you inside the mystery and drama as it unfolds and it won’t let you up for air! This well written story never relinquishes its tension or its complexity until the very last full stop – its plot, violent at times, is extremely convoluted and with multiple twists at the end but never loses its credibility or believability. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it!!
Pick this book up – you won’t regret it! Story telling at its very best!
August 21, 2013
This is one of several novels featuring the character David Raker, which I didn’t realise before I read the book, and you know what? it doesn’t make one bit of difference, the book is a complete stand alone read.
I’ve read a lot of crime novels and thought I had this sussed out from the beginning, but I was wrong. It has a great and unusual plot line, with so many twists and turns that I actually found myself gasping out loud, always a good sign! The timeline jumps back and forth over a few years, but that seems to be a feature of most books these days, once I had it fixed in my mind it was fine.
My only criticism would be the character Healy – he just didn’t seem to fit in, and I wasn’t sure of his purpose in the book, was it as some sort of sidekick? Or could it be that he featured in the prior novels more fully?
I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a couple of days, reading way too late into the evening, but I had to know what was going to happen next.
I look forward to reading more by this author and adding him to my “must read” list.
I’ve read a lot of crime novels and thought I had this sussed out from the beginning, but I was wrong. It has a great and unusual plot line, with so many twists and turns that I actually found myself gasping out loud, always a good sign! The timeline jumps back and forth over a few years, but that seems to be a feature of most books these days, once I had it fixed in my mind it was fine.
My only criticism would be the character Healy – he just didn’t seem to fit in, and I wasn’t sure of his purpose in the book, was it as some sort of sidekick? Or could it be that he featured in the prior novels more fully?
I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a couple of days, reading way too late into the evening, but I had to know what was going to happen next.
I look forward to reading more by this author and adding him to my “must read” list.
June 18, 2017
Remind me not to read any more of this series - it's not for me. The previous two books I had read by the same author, also featuring David Raker, had decent plots but an execution which occasionally crossed over into the unbelievable. This was a step too far in that direction.
Despite much of the writing being pretty decent, a good pace with the set-up of the story, the Devon and Las Vegas settings well-rendered, it all just fell apart for me with respect to how utterly unbelievable the action taking up much of the second half of the book was. The central character's immortality, rushing around blindly plucking insights out of his arse just in time to repeatedly save his own life (which, considering the high body count, went against the law of averages/probability), a series of twists and co-incidences that beggared belief, long scenes where bad guys explained exactly what was happening with their evil plans in great detail before dying, and some motivations associated with distant 20th Century history that just made no f*cking sense whatsoever.. well it made for a pretty put-downable book which I forced myself to read the majority of, just to get it over and done with.
Despite much of the writing being pretty decent, a good pace with the set-up of the story, the Devon and Las Vegas settings well-rendered, it all just fell apart for me with respect to how utterly unbelievable the action taking up much of the second half of the book was. The central character's immortality, rushing around blindly plucking insights out of his arse just in time to repeatedly save his own life (which, considering the high body count, went against the law of averages/probability), a series of twists and co-incidences that beggared belief, long scenes where bad guys explained exactly what was happening with their evil plans in great detail before dying, and some motivations associated with distant 20th Century history that just made no f*cking sense whatsoever.. well it made for a pretty put-downable book which I forced myself to read the majority of, just to get it over and done with.
October 23, 2020
4 kitaptır devam eden Raker'ın 'Ben tek siz hepiniz' olayı biraz bıktırmaya başladı beni açıkçası. Bir de bu kitapta akla yatmayan şeyler de vardı bana göre. Mesela isimsiz ihbar telefonuyla her şeyden sıyrılması. İngiliz polisi ve CSI yı bu kadar mı beceriksiz 🤔 Ancak yine de kurgu ve karakterler bunlar dışında iyi ve anlatım da akıcı olunca heyecanla okundu bitti. Seriye devam yani.
August 28, 2013
The précis of this novel about a retired Police Detective investigating a missing family for a female friend set out an interesting story to come, but between jumping from past to present and first person to third person, it proved difficult to settle into a smooth read, requiring too much adjustment of reading style and not inconsiderable thought process to weave the progress of the story into a coherent path.
Over-elaborate descriptions of simple tasks, flowery language and too much information made for a rough, overcomplicated narrative and I found myself having to stop, reassess and occasionally even backtrack in order to put events into order. This proved not the best way to try and follow what should have been a gripping investigative thriller where the plot, twists and turns slowly unravelled to reveal the real story.
The characters were quite believable but had too much background information clouding their current places in the story. There was far too much incidental detail throughout, and I found myself skimming through weather details, descriptions of houses and areas, graphic geographic detail, and non-relevant personal information of characters to try and keep the pace of the unfolding story alive.
As the plot unwound, the narrative fell to first person only, which tended to make the previous third person storyline irrelevant, and eventually the main character became just too perfect in his role, escaping from impossible situations whilst seamlessly knitting together a very convoluted plot far too easily, resulting in an improbably happy ending.
Over-elaborate descriptions of simple tasks, flowery language and too much information made for a rough, overcomplicated narrative and I found myself having to stop, reassess and occasionally even backtrack in order to put events into order. This proved not the best way to try and follow what should have been a gripping investigative thriller where the plot, twists and turns slowly unravelled to reveal the real story.
The characters were quite believable but had too much background information clouding their current places in the story. There was far too much incidental detail throughout, and I found myself skimming through weather details, descriptions of houses and areas, graphic geographic detail, and non-relevant personal information of characters to try and keep the pace of the unfolding story alive.
As the plot unwound, the narrative fell to first person only, which tended to make the previous third person storyline irrelevant, and eventually the main character became just too perfect in his role, escaping from impossible situations whilst seamlessly knitting together a very convoluted plot far too easily, resulting in an improbably happy ending.
May 8, 2017
A good police-detective about a family that suddenly en totally dissappears. Raker wants to find them and is so confronted with the necessary amount of violence and shooting. But the searching aspect is prevalent. A good book with enough suspension and twists to make it interesting.
August 12, 2015
The only reason this book gets two stars instead of one is that it did manage to hold my interest enough to finish it. Though that was largely in hopes that it would redeem itself, since I'd read some glowing reviews (it didn't).
My dislike of this book may be more the publisher's fault than the author's. This is #4 in the series but the first published in the US. Maybe if I'd started with #1 I would have been drawn in and cared about the main characters at the start of this book. Maybe if I'd known their backstories, their actions would have made sense. Instead I was instantly alienated by their whiny and stupid behavior. The characters are unlikable and one-dimensional. The plot is cliche-ridden and predictable. Worst of all, this is one of those mysteries where if characters would just talk to each other, ask and answer the obvious questions, the whole thing would be resolved way quicker with way fewer deaths. NOT recommended.
My dislike of this book may be more the publisher's fault than the author's. This is #4 in the series but the first published in the US. Maybe if I'd started with #1 I would have been drawn in and cared about the main characters at the start of this book. Maybe if I'd known their backstories, their actions would have made sense. Instead I was instantly alienated by their whiny and stupid behavior. The characters are unlikable and one-dimensional. The plot is cliche-ridden and predictable. Worst of all, this is one of those mysteries where if characters would just talk to each other, ask and answer the obvious questions, the whole thing would be resolved way quicker with way fewer deaths. NOT recommended.
August 17, 2013
Thank you kindly to the author, publisher and Netgalley.
Well, I have been waiting for this one – Tim Weaver’s series about Missing Persons Investigator David Raker is one of the best series out there at the moment – and considering the plethora of great crime fiction currently available that is saying something. But its nothing less than the truth.
In this instalment, David is recovering from his previous case and is living a quiet life in rural Devon. When an old friend of his asks him to investigate the disappearance of an entire family David is drawn once more into the world of the missing. As he digs deeper what he finds is disturbing and dangerous…
The novels are tagged as “David Raker Thrillers” but I always feel that “David Raker Mystery” would be more appropriate – the mystery element, as always, reigned supreme. Thats not to say they are NOT thrilling, they very much are – the action sequences are indeed edge of the seat stuff, especially as Mr Weaver makes no promises about the safety of any of his characters – yet still for me, the intricate plot weaving and attention to detail within those plots are very much what make these novels as good as they are.
I do adore David Raker for his tenacity. What he does is more than a job to him, its a calling. Despite the dangerous path many of his cases take he won’t give them up. Not even for love. The “I am who they have” attitude to those he tries to find is what drives him…when everyone else has given up on ever finding you, David Raker will not. If I were to have a missing loved one I would hope that someone like him were around. His character has evolved over the series beautifully – you could almost call him an Anti hero. If the law fails he will do whatever it takes to succeed – in this novel again he’s treading on toes, getting in the way and generally causing problems, for himself as much as anyone – but he’ll do what it takes. Sometimes at a huge cost…
Another terrific side of these books is the villains are always extremely villainous but somehow terribly realistic – you could easily imagine them out there in the world – you won’t find anyone twirling a moustache here, the bad guys are truly bad in a very entertaining and often horrific way.
You will be intrigued from the outset – The Marie Celeste style disappearance will immediately have you wondering…and thats it, you are hooked. And probably won’t stop reading until the end.
In the case of the Raker books I would highly recommend that you read them from the start, in order. Its not that you couldnt pick any one of them up and be perfectly happy, I just feel that Raker himself is a character who develops in such a way that you will miss out on the nuances if you havent been with him from the start. Which would be “Chasing The Dead”.
Happy Reading Folks!
Well, I have been waiting for this one – Tim Weaver’s series about Missing Persons Investigator David Raker is one of the best series out there at the moment – and considering the plethora of great crime fiction currently available that is saying something. But its nothing less than the truth.
In this instalment, David is recovering from his previous case and is living a quiet life in rural Devon. When an old friend of his asks him to investigate the disappearance of an entire family David is drawn once more into the world of the missing. As he digs deeper what he finds is disturbing and dangerous…
The novels are tagged as “David Raker Thrillers” but I always feel that “David Raker Mystery” would be more appropriate – the mystery element, as always, reigned supreme. Thats not to say they are NOT thrilling, they very much are – the action sequences are indeed edge of the seat stuff, especially as Mr Weaver makes no promises about the safety of any of his characters – yet still for me, the intricate plot weaving and attention to detail within those plots are very much what make these novels as good as they are.
I do adore David Raker for his tenacity. What he does is more than a job to him, its a calling. Despite the dangerous path many of his cases take he won’t give them up. Not even for love. The “I am who they have” attitude to those he tries to find is what drives him…when everyone else has given up on ever finding you, David Raker will not. If I were to have a missing loved one I would hope that someone like him were around. His character has evolved over the series beautifully – you could almost call him an Anti hero. If the law fails he will do whatever it takes to succeed – in this novel again he’s treading on toes, getting in the way and generally causing problems, for himself as much as anyone – but he’ll do what it takes. Sometimes at a huge cost…
Another terrific side of these books is the villains are always extremely villainous but somehow terribly realistic – you could easily imagine them out there in the world – you won’t find anyone twirling a moustache here, the bad guys are truly bad in a very entertaining and often horrific way.
You will be intrigued from the outset – The Marie Celeste style disappearance will immediately have you wondering…and thats it, you are hooked. And probably won’t stop reading until the end.
In the case of the Raker books I would highly recommend that you read them from the start, in order. Its not that you couldnt pick any one of them up and be perfectly happy, I just feel that Raker himself is a character who develops in such a way that you will miss out on the nuances if you havent been with him from the start. Which would be “Chasing The Dead”.
Happy Reading Folks!
October 13, 2014
Never Coming Back is the fourth David Raker novel, but many seem to have read this as a standalone. It is perfectly fine to do such a thing, however I would recommend reading the past books as this book follows on from a case which had an important impact upon David and his lifestyle choices. Moreover, if you do read the past books when you get to this one you will give a little cheer to know that things are going to continue to progress despite past events. Of course, to say much more would be to tell you what happened in the past books when you should just go and read them yourself (or read this one and find out through references what happened in book three which changed things for David).
As the fourth book in the series, we see David working outside of London on a case. In fact, this one even goes on to have a global scale – but now I’m just getting ahead of myself. Having moved out of London, David Raker is making a life for himself away from past events, having moved back to the town he was born in with his friend – or more accurately just his acquaintance – Colm. Upon moving back, David has not been taking on any more cases but then an old school friend comes to see him wanting help in finding her missing family. Being David, he sees it as his duty to help her out. Sure enough, David is soon dealing with secrets and cover-ups which span generations and across continents, leaving the male much deeper than he would have ever liked to have been. It certainly is another interesting story filled with twists and turns.
Furthermore, it’s not just David’s story that progresses, but also that of Colm. Whilst I was unsure how I felt about his story it was certainly interesting to see where things went with him, especially with the events which have unfolded for him in the past couple of books. He’s just one of those characters that you need to know the story of if only so it doesn’t nag at the bag of your mind.
Overall, it was another great read. Not as good as Vanished, but still on par with Chasing the Dead and The Dead Tracks.
As the fourth book in the series, we see David working outside of London on a case. In fact, this one even goes on to have a global scale – but now I’m just getting ahead of myself. Having moved out of London, David Raker is making a life for himself away from past events, having moved back to the town he was born in with his friend – or more accurately just his acquaintance – Colm. Upon moving back, David has not been taking on any more cases but then an old school friend comes to see him wanting help in finding her missing family. Being David, he sees it as his duty to help her out. Sure enough, David is soon dealing with secrets and cover-ups which span generations and across continents, leaving the male much deeper than he would have ever liked to have been. It certainly is another interesting story filled with twists and turns.
Furthermore, it’s not just David’s story that progresses, but also that of Colm. Whilst I was unsure how I felt about his story it was certainly interesting to see where things went with him, especially with the events which have unfolded for him in the past couple of books. He’s just one of those characters that you need to know the story of if only so it doesn’t nag at the bag of your mind.
Overall, it was another great read. Not as good as Vanished, but still on par with Chasing the Dead and The Dead Tracks.
August 5, 2017
Bir aile evi olmanın tüm işaretleri vardı. Fakat aile üyelerinin hiçbiri ortada yoktu.' David Raker serisinin dördüncü kitabı olan bu kitapta, David artık sadece bir kişiyi değil dört kişilik bir ailenin kaybolmasını araştırıyor. İngiltere'nin küçük bir kasabasından Las Vegas' a kadar uzanan bir macerada siz de David'e katılın 🤔
Gerçekten şahane bir kitap daha. Hiç tahmin edemiyorsunuz nerden nereye ama o kadar da mantıklı ve güzel ilerliyor ki. Bu kitapta şaşıracağınız şahane gizemler var, hem David'le hem de olayla ilgili.
Eğer Tim Weaver'ı okumadıysanız hiç, bence bir an önce başlayın pişman olmayacaksınız 👍
5/5
Kitapla kalıın 😊
Gerçekten şahane bir kitap daha. Hiç tahmin edemiyorsunuz nerden nereye ama o kadar da mantıklı ve güzel ilerliyor ki. Bu kitapta şaşıracağınız şahane gizemler var, hem David'le hem de olayla ilgili.
Eğer Tim Weaver'ı okumadıysanız hiç, bence bir an önce başlayın pişman olmayacaksınız 👍
5/5
Kitapla kalıın 😊
February 1, 2019
The first half is very slow while the second half is a runaway train. I believe it would help if you read the first 3 books before hand. I was confused with a few of the characters and their shared history together. However, it all came together nicely at the end.
September 9, 2013
What a fantastic read. I’m a great fan of the mystery / thriller genre, but have never come across Tim Weaver before. A big thank you to real Readers. This is his fourth book, each featuring David Raker, a journalist who specialises in finding people who have disappeared. This time he is looking for a family of four at the behest of the girl friend of his teens. The family left their house the year before leaving a Marie Celeste situation behind them and the police have drawn a blank. What David Raker uncovers are frightening situations and very dangerous people, everything stemming from a historical and totally evil event of over sixty years before. Interspersed through the book are flash back chapters, clearly denoted by italic print. The first is nineteen months previously, gradually working forward to five months before the current action and they give some clues as to what might really be happening. I’m not a fan of the retrospective method of story telling, but in this case it works. The action in the present day is situated in Devon, around the Start Bay area and to a much lesser extent in Las Vegas.
To learn that the author is himself a journalist is no surprise. He has a way with words which adds so much more to the suspense and thrill. He has an ability to paint a background in words that sends a shiver down the spine before the action even begins, e g when talking about the abandoned village of Miln Cross, “windows like the eyes of a skull, doorways like widening jaws, black and hermetic”. In view of what is subsequently found in the village this description proves to be so apt. There are four pages describing a deserted, decaying farm house in the middle of Dartmoor in the mist and rain. “The whole house was dying slowly and painfully, as if it were a real living thing”. This could be equally applicable to the person existing within it. For almost a complete chapter the reader is walked around the outside, then the inside. By the end I knew that I could smell it, feel it. A lesser writer would have dealt with the scene in a few lines. The very first lines of the book are a description of the sun setting over the desert around Las Vegas. “ The sky bleached yellow, like an old bruise”. Nothing pleasant or romantic about that. This wordsmith gives so much more to his writing than that of most thriller, action writers.
It’s normal to have a dramatic backdrop for the showdown between the hero and the villain in a thriller, but Tim Weaver’s choice of place this time is in a class of its own. He takes the menace and horror of the setting to a new level. And the reader barely has time to recover from this when the shock revelations and secrets continue right to the end. I finished reading with the same sense of loss that you should always feel on the completion of a really good book. But at least I have the three previous novels to catch up on. If you enjoy a well written, well plotted mystery thriller with action and a strong sense of place this edge of your seat page turner is for you.
To learn that the author is himself a journalist is no surprise. He has a way with words which adds so much more to the suspense and thrill. He has an ability to paint a background in words that sends a shiver down the spine before the action even begins, e g when talking about the abandoned village of Miln Cross, “windows like the eyes of a skull, doorways like widening jaws, black and hermetic”. In view of what is subsequently found in the village this description proves to be so apt. There are four pages describing a deserted, decaying farm house in the middle of Dartmoor in the mist and rain. “The whole house was dying slowly and painfully, as if it were a real living thing”. This could be equally applicable to the person existing within it. For almost a complete chapter the reader is walked around the outside, then the inside. By the end I knew that I could smell it, feel it. A lesser writer would have dealt with the scene in a few lines. The very first lines of the book are a description of the sun setting over the desert around Las Vegas. “ The sky bleached yellow, like an old bruise”. Nothing pleasant or romantic about that. This wordsmith gives so much more to his writing than that of most thriller, action writers.
It’s normal to have a dramatic backdrop for the showdown between the hero and the villain in a thriller, but Tim Weaver’s choice of place this time is in a class of its own. He takes the menace and horror of the setting to a new level. And the reader barely has time to recover from this when the shock revelations and secrets continue right to the end. I finished reading with the same sense of loss that you should always feel on the completion of a really good book. But at least I have the three previous novels to catch up on. If you enjoy a well written, well plotted mystery thriller with action and a strong sense of place this edge of your seat page turner is for you.
August 8, 2013
I was given this book by Lovereading to review an arc http://www.lovereading.co.uk/
this is an honest review.
I found it quite heavy going in parts but the overall book was very good.
Emily Kane's family disappeared from their house, when Emily arrives is just looked like they had just stepped out. The dinner was cooking but her sister and her husband and two little girls were not there.The police had no clues so she turned to an old friend David Raker who is a missing persons expert. The plot is centred on a photograph that Emily's family stumbled on and the extents someone would go to have it destroyed.There are many false leads and even when the mystery is finally ended, there is another twist which I was not expecting. It is well worth a read as it is well written,a little bit intricate through the middle but worth it to get the final picture.
this is an honest review.
I found it quite heavy going in parts but the overall book was very good.
Emily Kane's family disappeared from their house, when Emily arrives is just looked like they had just stepped out. The dinner was cooking but her sister and her husband and two little girls were not there.The police had no clues so she turned to an old friend David Raker who is a missing persons expert. The plot is centred on a photograph that Emily's family stumbled on and the extents someone would go to have it destroyed.There are many false leads and even when the mystery is finally ended, there is another twist which I was not expecting. It is well worth a read as it is well written,a little bit intricate through the middle but worth it to get the final picture.
December 23, 2019
"Liz", I said softly. [...]
A short silence, then she said, "So, how have you been?"
"Fine. I'm getting there slowly."
"Physically?"
"Physically, I feel fine." The first of the lies: I wasn't grounded by the injury, but I could feel it most days. A dull ache. A sharp pain. If I told her exactly how I was feeling, it returned us to the point at which we'd parted: my job, its risks, the people I tried to find, and how she failed to understand the reasons why. From her side there was no failure to understand anything. After all, what was there to understand about a job that ended up with me on an operating table? To her, to most people, it was insane: a job full of uncalculated risk. To me, it was everything that mattered.
"Are you coming back?" she asked finally.
"I don't know, Liz."
Silence. "I miss you."
"I know."
"Do you miss me?"
"Yes," I said, and I did. That wasn't a lie. [...]
"Why do you have to do it?" she said. There was less emotion in her voice now, and more resolve. "Why would you want to do a job that leads you to such dark places?"
"I have a responsibility."
"To who?"
"To the people I'm finding."
"A responsibility?"
"They don't have anyone else."
~~an image of Hallsands, a village on the English shore that was lost to the sea. Weave based his descriptions of Miln Cross on this village.
Emily Kane doesn't know what to do. She arrived at her close sister's house one evening, for a visit. But when she walked into the house no one was there. Food was cooking away on the stove. Toys were left where they had been played with. The dog was wandering around the house. Milk was spilled all over the kitchen floor. But no one from the Ling family was there. Not her sister, her husband, or her two nieces. So Emily contacted the police, but they hit a brick wall within a few weeks, with no leads that led anywhere, and no phone tips that panned out. Wracked with worry and grief, Emily turned to a childhood acquaintance--David Raker. He's known for finding those who can't be found.
True to form, David tackles the case with a single minded focus that borders on obsession. Then a body washes up on the rocky shore of their small village, and the same detective, Rocastle, who worked the Ling family disappearance also showed up to solve this case. He doesn't appreciate David treading, none too lightly, on his turf. And it looks as if this case is much larger than a simple missing family in England. There are far reaching ties, and David will have his work cut out for him to find out why the Ling's are gone. And are they never coming back? Read to find out!
My two cents: I fell hard for Never Coming Back . I don't say this lightly--this is a Damn. Good. Thriller. There are books with a great plot, and then there are books with great storytelling. Weaver has given us that rare blend of both. I was literally scared while reading sections. I stayed up way too late at night. And at the end, I cried. Raker is not a perfect protagonist. He has flaws, inner demons, and dances into the grey no man's land between right and wrong when desperate times call for desperate measures. But as another reviewer stated, if I ever had a loved one go missing, I'd want Raker finding them. I *highly* recommend this atmospheric, tense, British thriller. Given 5 stars or a rating of "Perfect". It's part of the cream of the crop for my 2019 books.
Other favorite quotes: "Raker was right," he muttered.
The words were so big, such a stark realization, that for a fraction of a second there seemed an odd kind of silence in the phone booth: no rain, no wind, no waves from the beach. And then, the next second, all the noise seemed to come at once, like water breaking through a bough.
Healy squeezed the handset tight, knuckles blanched, teeth clenched--and then he smashed it against the windows of the phone booth, over and over.
Thirty seconds later, there was no glass left in it.
And all he could feel was the rain.
~~Sometimes, when so much of a life was laid bare, you felt you had to cling on to small secrets in order to retain something of the person you loved. They weren't Emily's secrets, but she was their keeper now.
~~The walls were decaying, blackened by damp, moisture running in trails from the coving; the cabinets were uneven, sinking in on themselves, rotting from the inside out. The whole house was dying, slowly and painfully, as if it were a real, living thing.
~~But the smile was just a lie, a piece of tracing paper I could see right through; and as he stood there, he tilted his head and looked at me, eyes darting from one point of my body to the next, like a butcher sizing up a carcass.
~~As I got to the first of the houses, the whine of the wind seemed to fade away into a gentle whisper, a strange, disconcerting sound like voices--deep within the roots of the buildings--talking to one another. There was a sudden stillness to the village, its street protected from the breeze coming in off the water, even from the sound of the sea itself: there was no roar from the waves anymore, just a soft slosh as they grabbed and shoved at the plateau the village rose out from. When I paused for a moment at the open window of the first building, it hit home: Miln Cross was a graveyard, its hushed silence the same as every place I'd ever been to where people had been taken before they were ready. In those places there was always a residue, a feeling that echoed through it.
A short silence, then she said, "So, how have you been?"
"Fine. I'm getting there slowly."
"Physically?"
"Physically, I feel fine." The first of the lies: I wasn't grounded by the injury, but I could feel it most days. A dull ache. A sharp pain. If I told her exactly how I was feeling, it returned us to the point at which we'd parted: my job, its risks, the people I tried to find, and how she failed to understand the reasons why. From her side there was no failure to understand anything. After all, what was there to understand about a job that ended up with me on an operating table? To her, to most people, it was insane: a job full of uncalculated risk. To me, it was everything that mattered.
"Are you coming back?" she asked finally.
"I don't know, Liz."
Silence. "I miss you."
"I know."
"Do you miss me?"
"Yes," I said, and I did. That wasn't a lie. [...]
"Why do you have to do it?" she said. There was less emotion in her voice now, and more resolve. "Why would you want to do a job that leads you to such dark places?"
"I have a responsibility."
"To who?"
"To the people I'm finding."
"A responsibility?"
"They don't have anyone else."
~~an image of Hallsands, a village on the English shore that was lost to the sea. Weave based his descriptions of Miln Cross on this village.
Emily Kane doesn't know what to do. She arrived at her close sister's house one evening, for a visit. But when she walked into the house no one was there. Food was cooking away on the stove. Toys were left where they had been played with. The dog was wandering around the house. Milk was spilled all over the kitchen floor. But no one from the Ling family was there. Not her sister, her husband, or her two nieces. So Emily contacted the police, but they hit a brick wall within a few weeks, with no leads that led anywhere, and no phone tips that panned out. Wracked with worry and grief, Emily turned to a childhood acquaintance--David Raker. He's known for finding those who can't be found.
True to form, David tackles the case with a single minded focus that borders on obsession. Then a body washes up on the rocky shore of their small village, and the same detective, Rocastle, who worked the Ling family disappearance also showed up to solve this case. He doesn't appreciate David treading, none too lightly, on his turf. And it looks as if this case is much larger than a simple missing family in England. There are far reaching ties, and David will have his work cut out for him to find out why the Ling's are gone. And are they never coming back? Read to find out!
My two cents: I fell hard for Never Coming Back . I don't say this lightly--this is a Damn. Good. Thriller. There are books with a great plot, and then there are books with great storytelling. Weaver has given us that rare blend of both. I was literally scared while reading sections. I stayed up way too late at night. And at the end, I cried. Raker is not a perfect protagonist. He has flaws, inner demons, and dances into the grey no man's land between right and wrong when desperate times call for desperate measures. But as another reviewer stated, if I ever had a loved one go missing, I'd want Raker finding them. I *highly* recommend this atmospheric, tense, British thriller. Given 5 stars or a rating of "Perfect". It's part of the cream of the crop for my 2019 books.
Other favorite quotes: "Raker was right," he muttered.
The words were so big, such a stark realization, that for a fraction of a second there seemed an odd kind of silence in the phone booth: no rain, no wind, no waves from the beach. And then, the next second, all the noise seemed to come at once, like water breaking through a bough.
Healy squeezed the handset tight, knuckles blanched, teeth clenched--and then he smashed it against the windows of the phone booth, over and over.
Thirty seconds later, there was no glass left in it.
And all he could feel was the rain.
~~Sometimes, when so much of a life was laid bare, you felt you had to cling on to small secrets in order to retain something of the person you loved. They weren't Emily's secrets, but she was their keeper now.
~~The walls were decaying, blackened by damp, moisture running in trails from the coving; the cabinets were uneven, sinking in on themselves, rotting from the inside out. The whole house was dying, slowly and painfully, as if it were a real, living thing.
~~But the smile was just a lie, a piece of tracing paper I could see right through; and as he stood there, he tilted his head and looked at me, eyes darting from one point of my body to the next, like a butcher sizing up a carcass.
~~As I got to the first of the houses, the whine of the wind seemed to fade away into a gentle whisper, a strange, disconcerting sound like voices--deep within the roots of the buildings--talking to one another. There was a sudden stillness to the village, its street protected from the breeze coming in off the water, even from the sound of the sea itself: there was no roar from the waves anymore, just a soft slosh as they grabbed and shoved at the plateau the village rose out from. When I paused for a moment at the open window of the first building, it hit home: Miln Cross was a graveyard, its hushed silence the same as every place I'd ever been to where people had been taken before they were ready. In those places there was always a residue, a feeling that echoed through it.
December 8, 2013
Started off very promising but drifted too much away from what could have been a good story and went with a daft plot about 94 year-old Nazis.
February 16, 2018
This is the first time I've read a Tim Weaver book, with this being #4 in a series. At one point I felt I did miss out on events that took place in previous books, but enough was mentioned that filled in some of the gaps. I did find it a challenge with frequent jumps back in time to x # of months prior to the initial event, that kicked off the story.
But about half way through the book, the paced picked up as the complex relationships and alliances and corruptions began infiltrating the action around the private investigator's "job". Twists and turns abounded. Who was killed? Who was behind the disappearances? Who could anyone trust? Those questions and many other issues didn't become known until the last few pages of the book.
Am planning to read from this point on, in the David Raker series. If later books are as action packed as this one, I'm sure I'll once again not be disappointed.
But about half way through the book, the paced picked up as the complex relationships and alliances and corruptions began infiltrating the action around the private investigator's "job". Twists and turns abounded. Who was killed? Who was behind the disappearances? Who could anyone trust? Those questions and many other issues didn't become known until the last few pages of the book.
Am planning to read from this point on, in the David Raker series. If later books are as action packed as this one, I'm sure I'll once again not be disappointed.
February 3, 2025
Omg this book!!! I would’ve finished it in one sitting if I didn’t have to adult ffs.
This was incredible, it had mystery and clues to follow along. It was emotional and I love how the story connects to David in some ways. I really have zero complaints about this book, it was elite.
This was incredible, it had mystery and clues to follow along. It was emotional and I love how the story connects to David in some ways. I really have zero complaints about this book, it was elite.
October 2, 2025
"Ohne jede Hoffnung" von Tim Weaver handelt von einem Privatdetektiv, der sich eigentlich im Ruhestand befindet, dann aber von einer alten Bekannten gebeten wird, sich dem Fall einer verschwundenen Familie anzunehmen. Zeitgleich wird eine Leiche am Strand seines Heimatortes angespült. Wie das zusammenhängt und was das alles mit Las Vegas zu tun hat, findet man Stück für Stück in kleinen Brocken heraus und auch wenn der Anfang vielleicht etwas zäh und überfordernd sein kann, weil die Erzählperspektiven oft wechseln, bleibt das Buch ab dem ersten Drittel durchgehend spannend. Allerdings würde ich es nicht als Thriller bezeichnen sondern eher als Krimi mit ein paar brutalen Passagen.
Dennoch ist es eine absolute Leseempfehlung, wenn man sich mal wieder danach sehnt, mitzuraten und ein Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen zu können!!
Dennoch ist es eine absolute Leseempfehlung, wenn man sich mal wieder danach sehnt, mitzuraten und ein Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen zu können!!
April 18, 2020
A wonderfully plotted,fast paced,twisty,red herringed story that kept me guessing. Highly recommended.
August 14, 2013
Having left London after a near-fatal stabbing, private investigator David Raker is recuperating at his dad’s old cottage, located in a costal town in Devon, when he is asked by a former girlfriend to investigate the disappearance of her sister Carrie, Carrie’s husband Paul and their two daughters. The whole family vanished without a trace, leaving their house as if they were about to return at any moment. With the police being no help, having given up their own investigation after the case kept leading to a dead ends, and busy with a body that has washed up on beach, it’s up to Raker to find out just what happened to this family.
Never Coming Back, the fourth David Raker novel from Tim Weaver, has a slow start, and I did feel at disadvantage for not having read the previous three novels featuring this character. This feeling soon lessened once Raker begins to unfurl the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Ling's. This is when Never Coming Back became a real page turner, and I was devouring pages to discover where the story would head next. There were plenty of moments of uncertainty, Weaver making you think that you know what's about to happen and then completely taking the plot in another direction. I thought that the pacing was brilliant, and a good balance between explanation and action. Also the two completely different settings of Las Vegas and Devon made for an interesting dichotomy and varied reading. While there are some clichés (and I am never a fan of seeing the book title in the body of the novel itself) I thought that Never Coming Back was a solid crime story, something that would be a great holiday read, and I am excited to read more of Tim Weaver's work.
Never Coming Back, the fourth David Raker novel from Tim Weaver, has a slow start, and I did feel at disadvantage for not having read the previous three novels featuring this character. This feeling soon lessened once Raker begins to unfurl the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Ling's. This is when Never Coming Back became a real page turner, and I was devouring pages to discover where the story would head next. There were plenty of moments of uncertainty, Weaver making you think that you know what's about to happen and then completely taking the plot in another direction. I thought that the pacing was brilliant, and a good balance between explanation and action. Also the two completely different settings of Las Vegas and Devon made for an interesting dichotomy and varied reading. While there are some clichés (and I am never a fan of seeing the book title in the body of the novel itself) I thought that Never Coming Back was a solid crime story, something that would be a great holiday read, and I am excited to read more of Tim Weaver's work.
September 29, 2013
I had never read a Tim Weaver book before and after reading this I will certainly be reading more of them. This is so well written, the plot is very complicated with lots of twists at the end but it stays credibility all the way through and although violent at times I never felt it was just for the sake of it.
The story is about the disappearance of a family and takes you from Devon to Las Vegas. Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie's house to find the front door unlocked, and no one home. Dinner is cooking, the television is on, and milk is leaking from a bottle on the floor in front of an open fridge but the family has gone. The disappearance is so well written that it is as if they have dropped of the edge of the world. David Raker, a private investigator who specialises in missing persons and a family friend (with many demons of his own), takes on the case to track down the family. Although I found the story took a little while to get going and the changes in location and times a little frustrating, it was so worth it and after a very short time I was totally gripped and unable to put it down. Make sure you have several hours to spare when you sit down to read this.
You won’t regret picking this book up – the tension is superbly written and some of the violence chilling but all in all story telling at its very best!
The story is about the disappearance of a family and takes you from Devon to Las Vegas. Emily Kane arrives at her sister Carrie's house to find the front door unlocked, and no one home. Dinner is cooking, the television is on, and milk is leaking from a bottle on the floor in front of an open fridge but the family has gone. The disappearance is so well written that it is as if they have dropped of the edge of the world. David Raker, a private investigator who specialises in missing persons and a family friend (with many demons of his own), takes on the case to track down the family. Although I found the story took a little while to get going and the changes in location and times a little frustrating, it was so worth it and after a very short time I was totally gripped and unable to put it down. Make sure you have several hours to spare when you sit down to read this.
You won’t regret picking this book up – the tension is superbly written and some of the violence chilling but all in all story telling at its very best!
May 23, 2014
This started out like honey dripping out of a hive sweet and slow but you know underneath somewhere there's a danger lurking. There are two things this book tells you 1)Be very careful of looking a gift horse in the mouth there might be great consequences of the gift you might not want to bear. And 2)Keep your friends close but keep your enemy's closer because they might be one and the same. This was a very gripping read I wanted to finish it in one sitting gobbling it up but my body said otherwise so instead this book stayed with me in my thoughts and dreams. This also came with a slight happy ending if you can call it that but I'll take it. Very well written and would read another from this author! Thank you for a great read! This was a First Reads giveway to me.
November 30, 2013
This is my first Tim weaver book I have read. I didn't know this was in a series but I needn't have worried as you can read this as a story on its own. This book as so many twists and turns that you wouldn't expect. I wont tell you the story coz i wont spoil it for you. you just have to read it yourself. It was a very enjoyable read and will be making sure I read the rest of the books in the series.
November 26, 2023
I usually love the books from this series but this was really difficult to read. It felt longer than it needed to be and the story was very complicated with a lot of characters! I got bored half way through but kept reading to find out what happened at the end
March 1, 2024
Po zakończeniu poprzedniego tomu przyznam, że spodziewałam się jednak więcej. A wyszło tak, że na początku w ogóle nie wiedziałam o co chodzi i nie mogłam się w tej książce odnaleźć. Całość ogólnie okay, ale wymęczył mnie ten tom i strasznie się dłużył. Zmiana lokalizacji też nie zadziałała na korzyść i trochę się czułam, jakbyśmy zaczynali od zera i nie bardzo wiem, jak mam się z tym czuć.
July 25, 2023
408.sayfaya kadar gayet iyiydik sonra Turk filmi moduna gecti yazar.
3,5stars diyorum.
3,5stars diyorum.
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