Never Say Die

by Meredith Doench

Genres: Crime, LGBT, Lesbian, Thriller

264 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2026

About the author

Meredith Doench is the author of the Luce Hansen LGBTQ Thriller series. These crime novels follow the work of Special Agent Luce Hansen of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation who specializes in tracking serial killers. Crossed, the first in the series, won Silver in the 2015 IndieFab Awards in the mystery genre. In 2017, Crossed was awarded the Mary Dasher Award for fiction from the College English Association of Ohio. The second novel, Forsaken Trust, was published in 2017 followed by Deadeye in 2019. All were mystery/thriller Goldie Award finalists in their respective years from Golden Crown Literary Society. Whereabouts Unknown, Doench’s fourth thriller and stand-alone novel, was published in 2022.

Doench’s works of short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in literary journals such as Hayden’s Ferry Review, Women’s Studies Quarterly, and The Tahoma Literary Review. She was one of the founding associate prose editors of the literary journal Camera Obscura: Journal of Literature and Photography and currently serves on the board of Mystery Writers of America, Midwest Chapter. She is a senior lecturer of creative writing, literature, and composition at the University of Dayton in Ohio.

Learn more about Meredith at www.meredithdoench.com

Reviews

[JulesGP]

I was up all night trying to finish this book. Even though I sort of knew what was going to happen, I needed the closure. I’ve had the Luce Hansen series on my tbr forever so I was glad I was able to read this standalone book as an introduction to the author.

Detective Rory Scott has lived in the same small town in Ohio her whole life. Everybody knows the town’s business so it’s an absolute shock when a local six year old girl goes missing and a murdered teenager’s body is discovered around the same time. Worst of all, both events eerily mirror incidents that occurred back when Rory was in college. She and her family were so affected back then that Rory committed her pathway to law enforcement. Now in present time, each moment seems tense. The terrible question is which of their long time friends or family members is a child murderer. Besides Rory’s pov and some of the other characters, the author also tells the story from the point of view of a victim which really put a knot in my stomach. The terror, the hopelessness, and the guilt are awful but a necessary part of the story. Although Rory and her girlfriend, Cade, have nice moments, the book is focused on the mystery. I thought the ending was satisfying but I hope the author continues Rory’s story as she and Cade move on to Chicago. There are still unresolved issues from the past that left me wondering. I subtract half a star for some of the miscommunication. It frustrates me when characters do dumb things and then miss the obvious. But overall, I liked the writing, Rory and Cade, and the suspense. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc. I am leaving a review voluntarily.

[Fran Sappharc]

A tight start to a police procedural that is set in a small town with many questions laid out at the start.
Really tense reading.
I can honestly say I could not put this book down! It is not a whodunnit, or even a why dunnit, but it is a compelling, tense read. There were a couple of slight mmmmm, not sure that was explained bits but not enough for me, to stop me rounding this police procedural up to 5. When I say I couldn’t put it down, I don’t mean I couldn’t sleep for wondering, thinking what would happen next or how the writer might finish things or what the next plot bump might be. I mean I had to keep reading to SEE what actually happened. So tense.

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian)]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. There were some times were i felt it was a little slow, but for the most part, it kept me interested. I really wanted to know who kidnapped the kids. We know the gender of the kidnapper due to having the kids’ POV, but that’s all we really know. It definitely leaves you guessing.

I definitely didn’t see who it was coming. It’s funny that basically Frankie was the one to solve the mystery. I loved the POV we got to see of the kids. It was interesting to see how they lived in captivity.

I would’ve liked a little more in terms of Rory and her mom. It seemed like their relationship was just magically fixed. Seeing as they hadn’t talked in six years, there had to be more to the reunion. I wish we could’ve seen that or had a little bit more of an explanation.

Overall, it kept me on my toes and while this isn’t a genre I usually read I give it four stars.

[Kaye]

(3.5 Stars). The blurb sums this up well. Detective Rory Scott was in college when a girl named Savannah was kidnapped from her hometown. It inspired her to seek a career in law enforcement. Another child is abducted and at the same time a teen girl's body is found. Are the cases tied together? The police and community are actively searching for the new missing child. But Felicity, the mother of Savannah may be the key to finding the girls, if Rory can put the pieces together.

Rory is in a solid relationship with supportive girlfriend Cade so romance is not part of this story. I thought it would be a procedural story but Rory is relegated to the sidelines a bit by the commanding officer. I am not usually a fan of children in danger. But the chapters from the POV of the missing girls were interesting. By the end I cared for Felicity and her drive to find her daughter and liked Rory risking herself to bring the case to a close.

I’ve only read one other novel by the author and I enjoy police investigation mysteries. I was intrigued at the reasons for the missing kids and how all the pieces come together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the eARC and I am leaving an honest review.

[Claire]

Absolute page turner, could not put it down until the case was solved, the tension does not let up from the terrifying opening, to an ending that will have you holding your breath. The skill of the writer is creating enough depth that you can understand and empathise with all of them. I really liked the main Detective Rory and the relationship with her partner Cade, a chef, how they are committed to each other and their dream of moving to Chicago to find LGBT community that is missing in their small town. I also enjoyed Frankie's determination to find her daughter and the relationship she has with her horse Buxley and her two labs, who take care of her just as much as she takes care of them.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[bookster]

4.5

[MisaReadsSapphic]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing us with an ARC.

The idea of this book seemed very interesting. The body of a teen if found in connection with the abduction of a child, a crime almost identical to one that happened six years ago. Frankie, the mother of Savannah who was the child abducted six years ago, has always believed that Savannah is still alive and has been privately investigated her disappearance ever since. When the new abduction/murder happens Frankie confides in Rory, a local detective, who begins to investigate the connection between the two cases despite orders from her boss.

Unfortunately the execution fell a bit flat for me. The story shifts from past and present, sometimes very rapidly, which can get confusing. I also felt that some revelations were laid out too plainly.

Overall the book was fine, I was interested enough to finish the book but I’m happy to move on from it.

[Britin Frazey]

Usually, I’m great at predicting the end of mysteries/thrillers. Not this one, but once it came together, it made so much sense! This book was constantly on my mind, even when I was busy reading books for class or with other work, and I never wanted to put it down.

After the second time that a six-year-old goes missing on the same night as a teen’s body is recovered, the police department finally starts to lock in to find the abductor/killer.

The mother of a child who disappeared years ago teams up with a detective who’s also the stepdaughter of the primary suspect of the cold case. Both women have different personal reasons for seeking their answers, and such compelling characters, especially when they come together as a dynamic detective duo.

The characters overall are such a strong point of this novel. I cared about and understood them, and they were all complex, realistic, and unique. The plot is so well done, there was never a dull moment in this novel. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries/thrillers, though advise everyone to tread carefully, as this story gets a bit dark. All of it is handled appropriately by the narrative, in my opinion, and it was always handled with care by the writing itself; this is to say, I encourage people to give it a try.

Anyway, I absolutely loved this book, and can’t wait to read more by this author!

[Jamie R.]

I love a good suspense thriller and this book delivers. The story was well written and drew me in from the prologue.
Rory is the detective investigating a missing girl and Jane Doe found dead at the scene. Frankie is a mom whose daughter disappeared 6 years prior. She has never given up hope that her daughter is alive and has continued searching for her. Many detectives have written Rory off as a grieving mom that is having Mental Health issues. When Frankie finally gets to talk to Rory, she finds someone willing to listen.

This story is intriguing and well unpacked. I appreciated the way the author naturally wove in a sapphic relationship that was part of the story without taking focus from the main storyline. Well done. I will be looking for more by this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bold Strokes Books for the arc.

[Carol Hutchinson]

Dark gripping thriller!

Rory becomes lead investigator on a case similar to one her mother’s partner was accused of being involved in years ago when she was in college. Teaming up with the missing girl’s mother, Rory is desperate to figure this all out before another teenager dies any more girls go missing.

I was hooked right from the beginning with this one. You could really feel how personal it was for Rory and she was so desperate to stop it from ever happening again, but it really showed how cases like this one with missing children are so much harder, especially when the media are involved. It is difficult to share too much about the story without giving spoilers away, but it was cleverly centred around personal tragedy and how that can affect someone’s mental state and wellbeing. It also very sensitively explored all the dark themes with a care for showing how actions have consequences but stories are not always as straight as they seem. It wasn’t just the person responsible for the disappearances who was affected, it was everyone from the victims, to the mothers, to the people involved like Rory.

She worked tirelessly and often with limited support because of following procedure and practice but I had every faith in her determination. I also admired the strength of Savannah and her mother for not giving up on finding her. Years of heartache and fear on both of them had taken its toll, but her mother never gave up on her being alive and finding her, and Savannah knew something wasn’t right about her life but had struggled with what she could do.

A real thrilling but deeply emotional read that had me on a rollercoaster of emotions from start to end. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves crime thrillers with an edge and lots of sentiment and heart from the people involved in getting to the bottom of the case, no matter how tough things get.

[Phyllis]

Wow, just wow

It’s 2:30 in the morning and I just finished this book. Intense story that kept me guessing. Really enjoyed reading it.

[Josiah Dapper]

Started and finished this book in less than a day. Meredith Doench continues to write fantastic mysteries with characters you really feel for (or really hate!). It has been sitting in my TBR for a month because I just didn’t have time to sit down and read. I am so glad I did today!

[Maria]

I am an avid lover of crime novels, so this book fits the bill for sure, and I had high hopes when I started reading. My main love is however to follow a smart detective solving an unsolvable crime and in this book Detective Rory Scott is a MC that does not deliver much regarding crime solving, she is kind of just married to a woman and thus somewhat puts this book in the sapphic category, very strange to me. Instead, it is Frankie, a mother of one of the abducted girls, Savannah, and even though six years have passed never has stopped trying to find her daughter. She contacts Rory for help but not much out of that, it is more Frankie against the world.

The story itself is however intriguing with disappearing girls for many years and then several of them are found dead years after the abduction. The best part of the book is easily to follow the POV of Savannah/Indie captured by the horrible Amma. Amma always has two girls in captivity and when the oldest child gets older, she kills her and then replaces her with a new six-year-old. To get the inside view on what it is like for Savannah to live captured, lose her big captivity sister being killed and then getting her replaced with a six-year-old is quite horrid to read. It is just a matter of time before also Savannah also will be killed so she must figure out a way to get out of there.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley and leave an honest review voluntarily.

[Autumn Aria]

Well this was..........I don't know if it's amusing or terrible. In the story the perpetrators are more or less identified. With a minor surprise. It was still satisfying to see how the evil doers were finally vanquished.

The funny part was that the police hardly did anything, totally useless, no investigations nothing at all - just managed search parties for two days and then a vigil. Instead the civilians did everything. Apparently the case solved itself through a series of flukes, bunglings, coincidences with motherly and sisterly interventions.

Even Rory, one of the many main characters, didn't do much. Too afraid of her bosses to take things into her own hands, and even more useless in emergency situations which makes her extremely unimpressive and unlikeable.

I loved the children best. They had, even under dire circumstances managed to make things bearable. And also there are some unresolved issues to the story. I suspect this will be a series, probably.

This wasn't the best but it was sufficiently entertaining. I enjoyed Doench's Luce Hansen series a lot more.

A free ARC was granted to me by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Book.

[Sue Plant]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a pattern emerges when a young girl goes missing someone elses body turn up dead....

so when savannah goes missing and her mom starts looking for her nobody expected the dead body she would find.... but as the search for savannah went on more eyes turned to the mom and then the gossip started and all goodwill ended for her.....

rory was to young to be on the police force when savannah went missing but she was to young when the police came knocking at her door for her stepfather... asking questions about savannah

but now she is lead detective and they have a missing girl and a dead body.... history repeating itself.... rory hopes the dead body isnt that of savannah ...only time will tell

but she knows history has a way of repeating itself and she hopes that savannahs mom is ready for the backlash

what she doesnt expect is savannahs mother wanting to help her with the investigation

its not a bad read.... and kept me reading as i wanted to know who the perp was....

[Shannon Luchies]

Rory, a local cop, finds herself working a missing person's case and body dump. Weirdly like a case six years ago, which her Mom and step father were suspects in.

Frankie's daughter vanished six years ago, and she's never given up the search. Now, another child has been grabbed and she's sure it's connected. However, the police aren't willing to listen.

Rory has a girlfriend, Cade, works as a local chef, and they have a solid relationship.

Frankie brings Rory to her house, showing her the basement full of evidence she's gathered. Including on Rory's family, which does not please her.

As we follow the investigation we also see bits on the kidnappers and kids. The woman holding them is crazy, but clever.

Frankie is kidnapped, but escapes, and the cops finally figure out where they are. Confrontation, fire, guns and wrap up.

3.5 out of 5. The ending felt a bit too random for my tastes.

[Anne]

There’s a lot going on in this book and lots of it happens at a breathless pace. You need to keep reading because you need to know what’s going to happen next.

Rory is a detective with a slightly independent attitude which doesn’t always gel with her superiors but she is determined, honest, and hardworking. Her partner Cade has had some bad news and this gives Rory a dilemma. Throw in a tough case involving kidnapped children and perhaps a link to Rory’s own mother, from whom she’s estranged.

This gives a small flavour of the angst and jeopardy plotted deep into this narrative. The author sets it all up perfectly and manages to knit it all together into a satisfying and pleasing ending.

I like Ms Doench as a writer. Her characters, plots, and settings are credible and well developed and you do need to turn over just a few more pages before stopping.

I’m already looking forward to her next book.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

[Kayley Kovar]

Never Say Die by Meredith Doench was originally recommended to me by a close friend. However, as a dyslexic reader, I have never found much joy in reading novels, and I took a long break from reading in general. I was a little skeptical that this newer novel would satisfy my drive to return to reading, but I can definitely say it opened doors for me again. Never Say Die reminded me of how much I enjoyed sitting back and feeling attached to a novel. Between the intriguing mystery, which, without spoilers, definitely fooled me by the end, the incredible relationship between Rory and Cade, and the pace of the novel being just right, I recommend this novel to anyone who wants to see a crime unfold, supported by a loving partner. The unique perspective of (this is me trying not to spoil anything) the chapter's main characters shifting created an insight that helped me grow closer to the characters, even if they were trapped in an alternate world.
5 stars, no complaints:)

[Aleana]

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.


Rory is a detective who when she was in college her stepfather was convicted of missing six year old she cut ties with her mother because of this. Rory has built a life for herself with her girlfriend Cade but when she gets a called of a missing of a child and unidentified body of a teen and thinks it’s not a coincidence. She becomes the lead but then gets pull from it and decides to team up with Savannah mother who never stop looking for her. This was good mystery with a tense ending I like that Rory was already in relationship and got to know them together and apart and support they give each other.

[Dr E]

A decent thriller that has you guessing about whodunnit. It’s creepy and menacing in all the right places. Believable exploration of the psychological effects of child abuse. The mother and the horse were the best characters. The police didn’t fair as well in terms of how long they spent catching the perpetrator, but also they were kind of light weight. I would have liked more substance to all of them, especially Rory, the lead officer. She has a complicated backstory, but it wasn’t really solid enough to care about her. Maybe it’s early days and more books are planned so the author was aiming for enigmatic. It’s a good crime book.

[Red Dragon]

This book was a little like a steam train - a little slow out of the station but once it had build up a head of steam there was no stopping it!!
An unsolved case of a missing child- Savannah and the death of a missing teenager 6 years previously is the premise of the story but we also read about the impact on not only Frankie - Savannah’s mother but also Rory - now a police detective. If that’s not enough it happens all over again!
A book worth with a few twists and turns - well worth a read.
Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

[Christina]

Another excellent book from Meredith Doench! The novel centers on a disturbing series of kidnappings in which young girls disappear for years, only for some of them to be discovered dead long after their abductions. The most compelling part of the story follows Indie, who is held captive by Amma, but any more information about that would be considered a spoiler. The motherhood theme is strong here, and Doench's depiction of Frankie, a dedicated and determined mother, is spot on. Gripping and engaging, Never Say Die should be your next read.

[Jessica Strawser]

NEVER SAY DIE was the perfect summer read, set during a 4th of July celebration when a child goes missing—only to converge with an eerily similar disappearance six years before... and six years before that... and six years before that. Meredith Doench hooked me from the beginning with the chilling way she rendered any parent's worst nightmare, and took us through multiple intersecting investigations with our hearts in our throats as we shifted from one unsettling point of view to the next. Don't miss this one!

[Shannon bagnall]

I’m torn about this one. I really wanted to enjoy it but it fell short for me.

The plot idea was interesting, a police officer in a sapphic relationship searching for a missing child. However, some parts dragged on. I’d have preferred more backstory on the missing kids as it hinted at more but we never discovered it.

Overall, it was a good read, despite some pacing issues.

* full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*

[Sloan Stryker]

Six year old girls kidnapped right under their family’s noses, 1 2 3 just how many are there?
And what do they have in common. These are the questions Det Scott is asking after the most recent kidnapping. She’s not giving up and is taking a look at a file a distraught mother has put together.

This is a fast moving story with an intense ending. I highly recommend this. I thought it was riveting

[Meghan]

First book by this author and I'm not sure what to think about this one. Six year olds kidnapped right under parent's noses is a scary prospect and why it keeps happening. Det is a police officer trying to find the missing kids, but a lot of it dragged and I wanted more backstory which we didn't get. Pacing was an issue and details were lacking.

Not a bad story, just not a great one. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Curtis Ippolito]

A fantastic mystery! I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be thoughtful, suspenseful, and well-paced. Det. Rory Scott is a great character and Meredith Doench does an excellent job of bringing her to life, along with all the characters. The story is told from both sides of the investigation, as well including points of views of the victims, to make the story a well-rounded, authentic, and compelling read.
Highly recommend!

[Jenn]

4.25 stars!

[Cathy Pegau]

An edge-of-your-seat suspense with smart characters and a gripping plot!