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Never Go Back
Barlow Vine just killed a man - his lover's lover. Now he's heading from Spain back to his hometown to escape his actions in the vain hope they won't catch up with him. Never Go Back is a wild ride featuring nurses, strange kids, in Edwardian garb, one blinding headache, and dead-eyed killers who want to use him for their own ends.It's a cold, murderous homecoming - and he'll need the luck of every bastard to survive.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 19, 2019
Barlow Vine is a criminal bastard, surrounded by even more bastards. Barlow wanders from Spain to his old stomping grounds, as if pulled by some masochistic force of nature. The majority of the book is him regretting his rather idiotic decision. However, we are all susceptible to that illogical notion that there might be something there when we know it’s probably a bad idea. We prolong our search pressing onward by the dire need to fulfill our curiosity. This happens a lot to the churlish Barlow, but he does have a sliver of humanity. He is whisked through hell to what I thought was a fairly logical and satisfying conclusion. Note to self: Don’t be friends with total bastards.
All in all, I liked the author’s style. My only complaint is that sometimes in places the pace was a little murky but it wasn’t a complete detractor. Never Go Back is worth your time. Especially if you like watching people suffer or enjoy chillin’ with the bad guys!
All in all, I liked the author’s style. My only complaint is that sometimes in places the pace was a little murky but it wasn’t a complete detractor. Never Go Back is worth your time. Especially if you like watching people suffer or enjoy chillin’ with the bad guys!
November 11, 2019
Never Go Back is a fun, exciting read filled with twists you'll love and characters you'll love to hate. The characters feel like people you know, and the relationships develop (and fall apart) in ways that will have you saying both, "Something like that happened with one of my friends!" and "I hope that never happens with one of my friends." Beech writes in attention-grabbing, visceral prose that will have you reading "just one more paragraph" until the book is done.
If you're a fan of crime, running from the law, and yelling at characters for doing something they really shouldn't be doing, Never Go Back is the book for you.
If you're a fan of crime, running from the law, and yelling at characters for doing something they really shouldn't be doing, Never Go Back is the book for you.
October 21, 2019
Never Go Back is frenetic rather than fast paced.
Barlow Vine sees himself as a defender of the weak - always ready to step up against the bully. He may be well-intentioned, but the trail of bodies (and bedded lovers) suggest a man who lives by a different set of rules.
The writers 1st person narrative is tightly focused on the blow by blow account of Vine's run from Spanish justice, reacquaintance with the city and characters of his past life and the eventual acceptance of who he really is. The plot meanders violently to an interesting twist that sets up an unexpected ending.
Barlow Vine sees himself as a defender of the weak - always ready to step up against the bully. He may be well-intentioned, but the trail of bodies (and bedded lovers) suggest a man who lives by a different set of rules.
The writers 1st person narrative is tightly focused on the blow by blow account of Vine's run from Spanish justice, reacquaintance with the city and characters of his past life and the eventual acceptance of who he really is. The plot meanders violently to an interesting twist that sets up an unexpected ending.
October 21, 2019
The line between good and evil blurs in this fast-paced thriller. I was quickly drawn into the life of Barlow, a passionate man who believes he fights for what is right, as he discovers that the people in his life aren't really what he thought they were. And perhaps he isn’t either.
November 20, 2019
It started out a bit slow, but once it got going I couldn't stop reading. The mystery and thrill of trying to figure out what was going to happen next was fun for me. The ending left me wishing there was more to read. Barlow was a character I could relate to morally, and I believe in my perspective he was well rounded. It was a great read. I highly recommend it!
November 11, 2019
This was a fast-paced action adventure. It kept me on my toes and turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. Very good read!
August 14, 2021
Never Go Back by Jason Beech
Everyone makes mistakes … but some mistakes are bigger than others. Like committing hot-blooded murder in sunny Spain. And since becoming a murdering bastard wasn’t on real estate agent Barlow Vine’s To-Do List when he woke up that morning? Barlow decides to run—and leaves his unexpected nemesis to rot.
Barlow runs far and fast: all the way to his hometown Sheffield, England. That’s where we meet Barlow, who’s feeling rather winded although he took the train. To his credit Barlow hasn’t pissed his pants. But in terms of criminal genius? He’s no Moriarty either. In fact, he’s one of the weirdest murderers you may ever meet (not that we’re claiming to be experts who meet murderers every day).
No doubts about it though: Barlow’s got a few loose screws (and some of those screws were loose before he winds up with a Welcome-to-Sheffield-concussion). After Mr. Vine’s shoes catch fire? He buys a pair of slippers and walks around the city—including the local hospital—with the ill-suited footwear on his knackered feet.
No. Don’t ask how and why his shoes caught fire. We don’t write spoilers! You’ll have to buy and read the book. We will tell you that Sheffield’s a helluva lot colder than Spain … and living on the lam there ain’t easy. Especially when you’re staying in a crumbling shit-hole house in the creepy boondoggles with no heat or electricity. Freezing your nuts off every night will drive anyone nuts—and when your only neighbors are freaks that play and dance to spooky accordion music day-n-night? Yeah, that’ll drive you bat shit, too.
But even cold and sometimes cold-hearted Sheffield can’t damp Mr. Barlow Vine’s hot-blooded temper. And in traditional noir fashion, author Jason Beech fans Barlow’s flames at every turn. Before escaping Sheffield’s mean streets in favor of sunny coastal Nerja, Spain (and an even hotter woman), Barlow survived impoverished childhood and the rough-n-tumble life of English council estates (what we in the USA would call the fucking projects). Once ensconced in fairy tale Nerja? Barlow burned most hometown bridges … and now his friends are few.
Suddenly back in Sheffield, Barlow’s old instincts kick in: he’s quick to use his fists, rocks and snooker stick—or whatever else is handy. Yet besides being soft in his hard concussed-head, Barlow’s also soft at heart. Like Don Quixote, he obsessively attacks windmills in his daily quest to protect weak folks who are getting bullied—or worse. But unlike Quixote’s windmills, the thugs Barlow encounters eagerly fight back—and some of them shoot guns. In his own fashion, Barlow’s got a gun of his own that he keeps cocked and loaded … but like his dumb nose, Barlow sticks and fires his pistol in some highly questionable places—and at highly questionable times. Still, since his days of “straight sex” may soon be over if the Spanish coppers nick him? We can “almost” understand his reasoning.
Barlow tells his own story in Never Go Back. His inner and outer conflicts are fast, bizarre and furious. And his decision-making’s so poor at times that we can easily loose site of the fact that author Jason Beech is doing some serious psychological work in this story. How would killing someone affect you? How would you change? How would you spend your time each day forward?
The title for this book is a double entendre. And ultimately the ending took us by surprise. If you like mysteries with off-beat characters, hardened criminals, a mounting pile of corpses—and the only “happy endings” are sexual in nature? We think you’ll like this book!
Cheers,
Crime Authors Jesse “Heels” Rawlins & Mick Rose
Everyone makes mistakes … but some mistakes are bigger than others. Like committing hot-blooded murder in sunny Spain. And since becoming a murdering bastard wasn’t on real estate agent Barlow Vine’s To-Do List when he woke up that morning? Barlow decides to run—and leaves his unexpected nemesis to rot.
Barlow runs far and fast: all the way to his hometown Sheffield, England. That’s where we meet Barlow, who’s feeling rather winded although he took the train. To his credit Barlow hasn’t pissed his pants. But in terms of criminal genius? He’s no Moriarty either. In fact, he’s one of the weirdest murderers you may ever meet (not that we’re claiming to be experts who meet murderers every day).
No doubts about it though: Barlow’s got a few loose screws (and some of those screws were loose before he winds up with a Welcome-to-Sheffield-concussion). After Mr. Vine’s shoes catch fire? He buys a pair of slippers and walks around the city—including the local hospital—with the ill-suited footwear on his knackered feet.
No. Don’t ask how and why his shoes caught fire. We don’t write spoilers! You’ll have to buy and read the book. We will tell you that Sheffield’s a helluva lot colder than Spain … and living on the lam there ain’t easy. Especially when you’re staying in a crumbling shit-hole house in the creepy boondoggles with no heat or electricity. Freezing your nuts off every night will drive anyone nuts—and when your only neighbors are freaks that play and dance to spooky accordion music day-n-night? Yeah, that’ll drive you bat shit, too.
But even cold and sometimes cold-hearted Sheffield can’t damp Mr. Barlow Vine’s hot-blooded temper. And in traditional noir fashion, author Jason Beech fans Barlow’s flames at every turn. Before escaping Sheffield’s mean streets in favor of sunny coastal Nerja, Spain (and an even hotter woman), Barlow survived impoverished childhood and the rough-n-tumble life of English council estates (what we in the USA would call the fucking projects). Once ensconced in fairy tale Nerja? Barlow burned most hometown bridges … and now his friends are few.
Suddenly back in Sheffield, Barlow’s old instincts kick in: he’s quick to use his fists, rocks and snooker stick—or whatever else is handy. Yet besides being soft in his hard concussed-head, Barlow’s also soft at heart. Like Don Quixote, he obsessively attacks windmills in his daily quest to protect weak folks who are getting bullied—or worse. But unlike Quixote’s windmills, the thugs Barlow encounters eagerly fight back—and some of them shoot guns. In his own fashion, Barlow’s got a gun of his own that he keeps cocked and loaded … but like his dumb nose, Barlow sticks and fires his pistol in some highly questionable places—and at highly questionable times. Still, since his days of “straight sex” may soon be over if the Spanish coppers nick him? We can “almost” understand his reasoning.
Barlow tells his own story in Never Go Back. His inner and outer conflicts are fast, bizarre and furious. And his decision-making’s so poor at times that we can easily loose site of the fact that author Jason Beech is doing some serious psychological work in this story. How would killing someone affect you? How would you change? How would you spend your time each day forward?
The title for this book is a double entendre. And ultimately the ending took us by surprise. If you like mysteries with off-beat characters, hardened criminals, a mounting pile of corpses—and the only “happy endings” are sexual in nature? We think you’ll like this book!
Cheers,
Crime Authors Jesse “Heels” Rawlins & Mick Rose
Read
December 13, 2019You shouldn't go home again
Barlow doesn't know what hit him until it's almost too late. Almost, but not quite. Brit crime fiction at its very best.
Barlow doesn't know what hit him until it's almost too late. Almost, but not quite. Brit crime fiction at its very best.
August 14, 2021
Never Go Back by Jason Beech
Everyone makes mistakes … but some mistakes are bigger than others. Like committing hot-blooded murder in sunny Spain. And since becoming a murdering bastard wasn’t on real estate agent Barlow Vine’s To-Do List when he woke up that morning? Barlow decides to run—and leaves his unexpected nemesis to rot.
Barlow runs far and fast: all the way to his hometown Sheffield, England. That’s where we meet Barlow, who’s feeling rather winded although he took the train. To his credit Barlow hasn’t pissed his pants. But in terms of criminal genius? He’s no Moriarty either. In fact, he’s one of the weirdest murderers you may ever meet (not that we’re claiming to be experts who meet murderers every day).
No doubts about it though: Barlow’s got a few loose screws (and some of those screws were loose before he winds up with a Welcome-to-Sheffield-concussion). After Mr. Vine’s shoes catch fire? He buys a pair of slippers and walks around the city—including the local hospital—with the ill-suited footwear on his knackered feet.
No. Don’t ask how and why his shoes caught fire. We don’t write spoilers! You’ll have to buy and read the book. We will tell you that Sheffield’s a helluva lot colder than Spain … and living on the lam there ain’t easy. Especially when you’re staying in a crumbling shit-hole house in the creepy boondoggles with no heat or electricity. Freezing your nuts off every night will drive anyone nuts—and when your only neighbors are freaks that play and dance to spooky accordion music day-n-night? Yeah, that’ll drive you bat shit, too.
But even cold and sometimes cold-hearted Sheffield can’t damp Mr. Barlow Vine’s hot-blooded temper. And in traditional noir fashion, author Jason Beech fans Barlow’s flames at every turn. Before escaping Sheffield’s mean streets in favor of sunny coastal Nerja, Spain (and an even hotter woman), Barlow survived impoverished childhood and the rough-n-tumble life of English council estates (what we in the USA would call the fucking projects). Once ensconced in fairy tale Nerja? Barlow burned most hometown bridges … and now his friends are few.
Suddenly back in Sheffield, Barlow’s old instincts kick in: he’s quick to use his fists, rocks and snooker stick—or whatever else is handy. Yet besides being soft in his hard concussed-head, Barlow’s also soft at heart. Like Don Quixote, he obsessively attacks windmills in his daily quest to protect weak folks who are getting bullied—or worse. But unlike Quixote’s windmills, the thugs Barlow encounters eagerly fight back—and some of them shoot guns. In his own fashion, Barlow’s got a gun of his own that he keeps cocked and loaded … but like his dumb nose, Barlow sticks and fires his pistol in some highly questionable places—and at highly questionable times. Still, since his days of “straight sex” may soon be over if the Spanish coppers nick him? We can “almost” understand his reasoning.
Barlow tells his own story in Never Go Back. His inner and outer conflicts are fast, bizarre and furious. And his decision-making’s so poor at times that we can easily loose site of the fact that author Jason Beech is doing some serious psychological work in this story. How would killing someone affect you? How would you change? How would you spend your time each day forward?
The title for this book is a double entendre. And ultimately the ending took us by surprise. If you like mysteries with off-beat characters, hardened criminals, a mounting pile of corpses—and the only “happy endings” are sexual in nature? We think you’ll like this book!
Cheers,
Crime Authors Mick Rose & Jesse “Heels” Rawlins
Everyone makes mistakes … but some mistakes are bigger than others. Like committing hot-blooded murder in sunny Spain. And since becoming a murdering bastard wasn’t on real estate agent Barlow Vine’s To-Do List when he woke up that morning? Barlow decides to run—and leaves his unexpected nemesis to rot.
Barlow runs far and fast: all the way to his hometown Sheffield, England. That’s where we meet Barlow, who’s feeling rather winded although he took the train. To his credit Barlow hasn’t pissed his pants. But in terms of criminal genius? He’s no Moriarty either. In fact, he’s one of the weirdest murderers you may ever meet (not that we’re claiming to be experts who meet murderers every day).
No doubts about it though: Barlow’s got a few loose screws (and some of those screws were loose before he winds up with a Welcome-to-Sheffield-concussion). After Mr. Vine’s shoes catch fire? He buys a pair of slippers and walks around the city—including the local hospital—with the ill-suited footwear on his knackered feet.
No. Don’t ask how and why his shoes caught fire. We don’t write spoilers! You’ll have to buy and read the book. We will tell you that Sheffield’s a helluva lot colder than Spain … and living on the lam there ain’t easy. Especially when you’re staying in a crumbling shit-hole house in the creepy boondoggles with no heat or electricity. Freezing your nuts off every night will drive anyone nuts—and when your only neighbors are freaks that play and dance to spooky accordion music day-n-night? Yeah, that’ll drive you bat shit, too.
But even cold and sometimes cold-hearted Sheffield can’t damp Mr. Barlow Vine’s hot-blooded temper. And in traditional noir fashion, author Jason Beech fans Barlow’s flames at every turn. Before escaping Sheffield’s mean streets in favor of sunny coastal Nerja, Spain (and an even hotter woman), Barlow survived impoverished childhood and the rough-n-tumble life of English council estates (what we in the USA would call the fucking projects). Once ensconced in fairy tale Nerja? Barlow burned most hometown bridges … and now his friends are few.
Suddenly back in Sheffield, Barlow’s old instincts kick in: he’s quick to use his fists, rocks and snooker stick—or whatever else is handy. Yet besides being soft in his hard concussed-head, Barlow’s also soft at heart. Like Don Quixote, he obsessively attacks windmills in his daily quest to protect weak folks who are getting bullied—or worse. But unlike Quixote’s windmills, the thugs Barlow encounters eagerly fight back—and some of them shoot guns. In his own fashion, Barlow’s got a gun of his own that he keeps cocked and loaded … but like his dumb nose, Barlow sticks and fires his pistol in some highly questionable places—and at highly questionable times. Still, since his days of “straight sex” may soon be over if the Spanish coppers nick him? We can “almost” understand his reasoning.
Barlow tells his own story in Never Go Back. His inner and outer conflicts are fast, bizarre and furious. And his decision-making’s so poor at times that we can easily loose site of the fact that author Jason Beech is doing some serious psychological work in this story. How would killing someone affect you? How would you change? How would you spend your time each day forward?
The title for this book is a double entendre. And ultimately the ending took us by surprise. If you like mysteries with off-beat characters, hardened criminals, a mounting pile of corpses—and the only “happy endings” are sexual in nature? We think you’ll like this book!
Cheers,
Crime Authors Mick Rose & Jesse “Heels” Rawlins
January 10, 2020
Barlow Vine is on the run from the Spanish police. Returning home to Sheffield, England, Barlow hoped to escape his problems and reconnect with those he had left five years earlier. Instead of being welcomed home, Barlow finds that, with the exception of his friend Alex, he has been largely forgotten by his hometown. What’s more, he had managed to put himself in the cross-hairs of a local crime boss, through his inability to ignore those in need. Barlow finds himself being pulled ever deeper into trouble, and forcing him to become like the very monsters he was trying to stop.
Jason Beech’s Never Go Back is a suspenseful crime-thriller that keeps the reader guessing till the very end. Well written and structured, Beech provides a skillful insight into the mind of a man who is descending into darkness. His setting is dark in gritty, but he gives us glimpses of the bustling college town to remind the reader of societies willing efforts to turn a blind eye. Beech is able to provide what every fan of crime-thrillers are looking for in a story, to keep them guessing as to who the real heroes and villains are. Each time it seems like we have an idea of where the story is going, Beech spins us off in another question, having us question ourselves just as much as Barlow.
Barlow is designed as a haunted and clearly flawed character. This is what keeps the reader’s attention, and is the greatest source of frustration with him. A reoccurring theme of Never Go Back is the idea that Barlow truly believes that he is the good guy, and that his actions are justified in the sense that he feels compelled to help and protect those that cannot help themselves. This self-appointed protector attitude is the fuel that keeps Barlow and the story moving forward, rather than seeking less extreme, or rather, more rational, ways to solve his problems. This theme and that of an apathetic society, seem to become over emphasized at times, but helps to show the mental state of Barlow and creates a type of mile marker for his de-evolution.
Never Go Back is an engaging story that flows nicely, and is easy to read. As someone who likes to make story predictions, Beech was able to keep me doubting myself until the end, which made the process enjoyable and kept me pushing to finish “just one more chapter.” I would recommend Never Go Back to anyone looking for a fast paced and solid crime story. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, largely because I felt that Barlow’s good/bad obsession and the public reactions were repeated too often and I wanted a little more robust explanation at the end of the story. This was only a personal preference, however, which did not take away from the overall enjoyment I had while reading this story, and my desire to see what was going to happen next.
Jason Beech’s Never Go Back is a suspenseful crime-thriller that keeps the reader guessing till the very end. Well written and structured, Beech provides a skillful insight into the mind of a man who is descending into darkness. His setting is dark in gritty, but he gives us glimpses of the bustling college town to remind the reader of societies willing efforts to turn a blind eye. Beech is able to provide what every fan of crime-thrillers are looking for in a story, to keep them guessing as to who the real heroes and villains are. Each time it seems like we have an idea of where the story is going, Beech spins us off in another question, having us question ourselves just as much as Barlow.
Barlow is designed as a haunted and clearly flawed character. This is what keeps the reader’s attention, and is the greatest source of frustration with him. A reoccurring theme of Never Go Back is the idea that Barlow truly believes that he is the good guy, and that his actions are justified in the sense that he feels compelled to help and protect those that cannot help themselves. This self-appointed protector attitude is the fuel that keeps Barlow and the story moving forward, rather than seeking less extreme, or rather, more rational, ways to solve his problems. This theme and that of an apathetic society, seem to become over emphasized at times, but helps to show the mental state of Barlow and creates a type of mile marker for his de-evolution.
Never Go Back is an engaging story that flows nicely, and is easy to read. As someone who likes to make story predictions, Beech was able to keep me doubting myself until the end, which made the process enjoyable and kept me pushing to finish “just one more chapter.” I would recommend Never Go Back to anyone looking for a fast paced and solid crime story. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, largely because I felt that Barlow’s good/bad obsession and the public reactions were repeated too often and I wanted a little more robust explanation at the end of the story. This was only a personal preference, however, which did not take away from the overall enjoyment I had while reading this story, and my desire to see what was going to happen next.
December 3, 2020
I finished this novel a while back and thought I’d already done a review.
I’m a big fan of Jason’s writing. He can take you to a dark place one page and then have you laughing out loud on another.
Helluva story-teller and this is a great piece of BritGritLit that deserves a movie to be made of it.
I’m a big fan of Jason’s writing. He can take you to a dark place one page and then have you laughing out loud on another.
Helluva story-teller and this is a great piece of BritGritLit that deserves a movie to be made of it.
April 29, 2020
For lovers of urban noir and Brit Grit in particular, Jason Beech's Never Go Back delivers an intense story in a big way. Driven by the sting of betrayal, British expat Barlow Vine (points for that name) flees Spain for his hometown in the north of England with blood on his hands and lustful despair in his heart. Before he's even off the train in Sheffield, Barlow is embroiled in an altercation that has far-reaching and disastrous consequences, and he soon finds himself on an anti-hero's journey that at any moment might claim his life. Beech has an almost preternatural insight into his characters' psychology, personalities, and motivations, and combined with his quirky, addictive style, Never Go Back keeps the reader not only turning pages, but sweating bullets along with Barlow. The story ends with a neck-snapping twist that is both surprising and darkly satisfying. Never has "keep your enemies closer" had more prophetic meaning. Recommended!
August 27, 2020
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. And sometimes we think we are good people when actually the opposite is true. These statements populate Jason Beech's Never Go Back, the story of Barlow Vine and what he sets in motion and how he attempts to not only run from it, but maybe himself. A different, but tight, well written read. All told: Fun was had. Go forth. Seek out. Purchase and enjoy. Tell'em another lover of crime fiction sent you.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews