What do you think?
Rate this book
Don't Go Back
A captivating thriller about a woman whose past suddenly catches up with her.
When Beth receives news that a once-close friend has died, after years away she reluctantly returns to the seaside town where she grew up.
Beth becomes increasingly unsettled as she attends the funeral, encounters people from her past, and visits her teenage haunts.
She is forced to take herself back to the awful summer when she left for good. Yet it is not just memories that are resurfacing, but simmering resentments.
Someone else hasn’t quite so readily put their past behind them, and unwittingly Beth will become the key to their catharsis.
As she puts two and two together, the question is: whatever possessed her to return?
Don't Go Back is a truly nail-biting read that will appeal to fans of Claire McGowan, Vanessa Garbin, Teresa Driscoll, Linwood Barclay and Anna Willett.
This is the best book you’ll read all year!
When Beth receives news that a once-close friend has died, after years away she reluctantly returns to the seaside town where she grew up.
Beth becomes increasingly unsettled as she attends the funeral, encounters people from her past, and visits her teenage haunts.
She is forced to take herself back to the awful summer when she left for good. Yet it is not just memories that are resurfacing, but simmering resentments.
Someone else hasn’t quite so readily put their past behind them, and unwittingly Beth will become the key to their catharsis.
As she puts two and two together, the question is: whatever possessed her to return?
Don't Go Back is a truly nail-biting read that will appeal to fans of Claire McGowan, Vanessa Garbin, Teresa Driscoll, Linwood Barclay and Anna Willett.
This is the best book you’ll read all year!
- GenresThriller
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2022
285 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Mark West
67 books173 followersMark West was born in Northamptonshire in 1969. Writing stories since the age of eight, he discovered the small press in 1999 and since then, he’s published more than 90 stories in various publications around the world.
The Book Folks published his debut mainstream thriller DON’T GO BACK in February 2022. It was followed by WATCHING OVER YOU, THE HUNTER'S QUARRY, STILL WATERS RUN, A KILLER AMONGST US and WE WERE SEEN. His latest, TO SEE TOO MUCH, was published in November 2024. He is currently working on his next thriller novel.
His other works include:
Collections: “Strange Tales” (2003) and “Things We Leave Behind” (2017)
Horror Novels: “In The Rain With The Dead” (2005) and “Conjure” (2009)
Horror Chapbooks/Novelettes: “The Mill” (2011), “What Gets Left Behind” (2012), “The Goblin Glass” (2019) and “Mr Stix” (2019)
Horror Novellas: The Lost Film” (2015), “The Factory” (2016) and “The Exercise” (2021).
Dark Thriller Novellas: “Drive” (2014) and “Polly” (2017)
“Anatomy Of Death” (2013) was a Hersham Horror Books anthology edited by West.
Mark lives in Rothwell, with his wife Alison and their son, Matthew, where he is currently working on a new novel. He can be contacted via his website at www.markwest.org.uk
The Book Folks published his debut mainstream thriller DON’T GO BACK in February 2022. It was followed by WATCHING OVER YOU, THE HUNTER'S QUARRY, STILL WATERS RUN, A KILLER AMONGST US and WE WERE SEEN. His latest, TO SEE TOO MUCH, was published in November 2024. He is currently working on his next thriller novel.
His other works include:
Collections: “Strange Tales” (2003) and “Things We Leave Behind” (2017)
Horror Novels: “In The Rain With The Dead” (2005) and “Conjure” (2009)
Horror Chapbooks/Novelettes: “The Mill” (2011), “What Gets Left Behind” (2012), “The Goblin Glass” (2019) and “Mr Stix” (2019)
Horror Novellas: The Lost Film” (2015), “The Factory” (2016) and “The Exercise” (2021).
Dark Thriller Novellas: “Drive” (2014) and “Polly” (2017)
“Anatomy Of Death” (2013) was a Hersham Horror Books anthology edited by West.
Mark lives in Rothwell, with his wife Alison and their son, Matthew, where he is currently working on a new novel. He can be contacted via his website at www.markwest.org.uk
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 8, 2024
Y’all. This is a really good psychological thriller. Told in dual timelines, this alternates between a current thriller timeline, and the chilling past timeline. This starts off with a heck of a hook that drops a pit in your stomach. It never fully goes away and the sense of unease just grows. You question what happened 15 years ago, and how that is affecting the current situation, and what danger our main character might be in. Overall, a good read.
Beth left her hometown 15 years ago for uni and never looked back. She cut ties with everyone, but recently just reconnected with her old best friend. They were planning a get together in London, but she passed away. Police say “misadventure,” others are saying she jumped. The prologue tells us what really happens, and the longer Beth is in town the more paranoid she gets. Things aren’t adding up, and considering what happened 15 years ago, she might be next.
Thank you to The Book Folks for the copy, all thoughts are my own.
Beth left her hometown 15 years ago for uni and never looked back. She cut ties with everyone, but recently just reconnected with her old best friend. They were planning a get together in London, but she passed away. Police say “misadventure,” others are saying she jumped. The prologue tells us what really happens, and the longer Beth is in town the more paranoid she gets. Things aren’t adding up, and considering what happened 15 years ago, she might be next.
Thank you to The Book Folks for the copy, all thoughts are my own.
February 21, 2022
From the chilling prologue all the way through to the nerve-shredding finale this first thriller from the pen of Mark West keeps you gripped in a page-turning master class of suspense. Rooted in a very British seaside town, West doesn’t shy from showing the grim realities that the tourists are sheltered from on their day at the pier, arcades and beaches. The characters are brilliantly realised and the writer’s ear for dialogue is brilliantly showcased. One particular scene. set at a funeral, is a splendid depiction of the quintessential British awkwardness of this sort of event. West’s horror background seeps through several times and adds a brilliantly unsettling aspect to many scenes in this top-notch thriller. I really can’t recommend it highly enough and can’t wait for the next of his thrillers.
March 5, 2022
The sudden death of Kate Marshall prompts old schoolfriend Beth Parker to face a difficult return to Seagrave, the coastal town in which they grew up. Since she departed for university, Beth has moved on. Now married and trying for a baby, her life has eventually recovered from the darkness that blighted the group of friends fifteen years ago. But the funeral proves to be difficult, and revisiting her old haunts only exacerbates the feelings of unease and the memories that she has tried so hard to suppress...
Mark West is one of those authors whose writing has a deeply cinematic feel. There's a lovely pacing to the prose, with nicely balanced chapter lengths and an engaging plot. Whilst West's previous output has been mainly in the horror genre, Don't Go Back works both as a mystery and as a suspense thriller, with the storyline broken into two distinct timelines - the 'here and now' as Beth returns to Seagrave, and flashbacks from fifteen year previously, where West hints at something catastrophic happening to the group of friends, Beth, Jenny, Kate and Wendy. Slowly the events that led up to the event are revealed, with a couple of nice twists and unexpected character developments.
The town of Seagrave feels real. I loved its pier, the beach, the arcades and cafes. The author does a good job of plonking us directly into the action from the start, and the characterisation of the central group of girls is realistic and believable. As the plot develops, there is a terrifying inevitability to the darkness that is slowly encroaching upon Beth and her husband Nick. It's one of those novels that you fly through, partly because the plot is brisk and the writing fast-paced, but also because the story demands your attention. You want to find out what happens to these characters. In addition you want to find what happened to them fifteen years ago. It really is a cracking read and I have no hesitation in recommending this superb novel for fans of suspense and edge-of-your-seat thrillers.
Mark West is one of those authors whose writing has a deeply cinematic feel. There's a lovely pacing to the prose, with nicely balanced chapter lengths and an engaging plot. Whilst West's previous output has been mainly in the horror genre, Don't Go Back works both as a mystery and as a suspense thriller, with the storyline broken into two distinct timelines - the 'here and now' as Beth returns to Seagrave, and flashbacks from fifteen year previously, where West hints at something catastrophic happening to the group of friends, Beth, Jenny, Kate and Wendy. Slowly the events that led up to the event are revealed, with a couple of nice twists and unexpected character developments.
The town of Seagrave feels real. I loved its pier, the beach, the arcades and cafes. The author does a good job of plonking us directly into the action from the start, and the characterisation of the central group of girls is realistic and believable. As the plot develops, there is a terrifying inevitability to the darkness that is slowly encroaching upon Beth and her husband Nick. It's one of those novels that you fly through, partly because the plot is brisk and the writing fast-paced, but also because the story demands your attention. You want to find out what happens to these characters. In addition you want to find what happened to them fifteen years ago. It really is a cracking read and I have no hesitation in recommending this superb novel for fans of suspense and edge-of-your-seat thrillers.
February 21, 2022
Get yourself comfy and put your favourite snacks and a bottle of something good within reach before you start reading this book. It's quite long, and I promise you won't want to be going anywhere for a while.
Enter the strange world of Beth, a woman who has put the tumultous summer after she left school behind her, and is living for all intents and purposes a normal life. That's until out of the blue she hears an old friend has passed away.
With some trepidation she returns to the seaside town she called home so many years ago for the funeral. Thus begins a rocky descent into shady repressed memories of a time when, with the misplaced confidence of youth, she and her friends kicked a hornets' nest. It ended in tragedy back then, but danger is still buzzing in the air and with her well-meaning but not very streetwise boyfriend in tow, she is walking right back into it.
A riveting immersive read. Five stars!
Enter the strange world of Beth, a woman who has put the tumultous summer after she left school behind her, and is living for all intents and purposes a normal life. That's until out of the blue she hears an old friend has passed away.
With some trepidation she returns to the seaside town she called home so many years ago for the funeral. Thus begins a rocky descent into shady repressed memories of a time when, with the misplaced confidence of youth, she and her friends kicked a hornets' nest. It ended in tragedy back then, but danger is still buzzing in the air and with her well-meaning but not very streetwise boyfriend in tow, she is walking right back into it.
A riveting immersive read. Five stars!
December 17, 2024
Told via dual timelines, this thriller was a compelling read.
15 years previously - Beth, Kate, and Jenny. Three teenage girls, best friends, are just entering their final summer together before going their different ways off to university. Wanting to make it a summer to remember, they rebel, sow some wild oats, take risks they wouldn't ordinarily take, and get mixed up with a rough bunch whom they meet at the local funfair. By summer's end, Jenny will be dead, and Kate and Beth's friendship will dissolve...
Present day - Beth receives word that her old friend Kate has died. A wife and mother, Kate was only thirty-three years old. She travels back to Seagrave, the town where she grew up, for the first time since that fateful summer fifteen years previously, to attend Kate's funeral service. Nick, Beth's husband, accompanies her and springs a surprise. He has booked a hotel room for them in Seagrave. Beth is appalled as she doesn't want to stay in the town any longer than is necessary. Nick doesn't understand - for Beth never told him about what transpired that summer. Eaten up with guilt about the summer, and about never telling Nick, Beth leaves the hotel for a walk.
"There were stains that couldn't be washed away, a taint from the version of you that didn't exist anymore."
People from her past resurface, and Beth's world takes a turn towards the nightmarish. When she doesn't return to the hotel, Nick in turn goes out to try and find her...
Set in a seaside town that has seen better days, this novel was highly atmospheric. I liked Beth's character, and Nick's, and was eager for them to get through their increasingly dire ordeals.
A revenge thriller, this book had a distinctly 'noir' feel and included quite a lot of graphically violent scenes. The reader has an ominous feeling of unease while turning the pages. This was a fast-paced, 'edge-of-your-seat' thriller whose action takes place over the course of a single day. I believe it might well be appreciated by male readers than by women readers, but nevertheless, a cracking thriller.
15 years previously - Beth, Kate, and Jenny. Three teenage girls, best friends, are just entering their final summer together before going their different ways off to university. Wanting to make it a summer to remember, they rebel, sow some wild oats, take risks they wouldn't ordinarily take, and get mixed up with a rough bunch whom they meet at the local funfair. By summer's end, Jenny will be dead, and Kate and Beth's friendship will dissolve...
Present day - Beth receives word that her old friend Kate has died. A wife and mother, Kate was only thirty-three years old. She travels back to Seagrave, the town where she grew up, for the first time since that fateful summer fifteen years previously, to attend Kate's funeral service. Nick, Beth's husband, accompanies her and springs a surprise. He has booked a hotel room for them in Seagrave. Beth is appalled as she doesn't want to stay in the town any longer than is necessary. Nick doesn't understand - for Beth never told him about what transpired that summer. Eaten up with guilt about the summer, and about never telling Nick, Beth leaves the hotel for a walk.
"There were stains that couldn't be washed away, a taint from the version of you that didn't exist anymore."
People from her past resurface, and Beth's world takes a turn towards the nightmarish. When she doesn't return to the hotel, Nick in turn goes out to try and find her...
Set in a seaside town that has seen better days, this novel was highly atmospheric. I liked Beth's character, and Nick's, and was eager for them to get through their increasingly dire ordeals.
A revenge thriller, this book had a distinctly 'noir' feel and included quite a lot of graphically violent scenes. The reader has an ominous feeling of unease while turning the pages. This was a fast-paced, 'edge-of-your-seat' thriller whose action takes place over the course of a single day. I believe it might well be appreciated by male readers than by women readers, but nevertheless, a cracking thriller.
February 28, 2022
Don't Go Back by Mark West
This book was as described. It was absolutely gripping. I read a lot of psychological thrillers and this is the best story line that I have read in a long time. I simply could not put it down. I desperately needed to know what happened next in the past and in the present.
This book was as described. It was absolutely gripping. I read a lot of psychological thrillers and this is the best story line that I have read in a long time. I simply could not put it down. I desperately needed to know what happened next in the past and in the present.
March 20, 2022
Don’t Go Back is the newest release by British author Mark West. It’s a fast paced psychological thriller, which grabs the reader by the throat and refuses to let go.
Set over two timelines the story follows our protagonist Beth Parker as she returns to her childhood home of Seagrave, a quintessential British seaside town, following the sudden death of her childhood friend Kate.
Beth hasn’t seen Kate since that summer, the summer before she left for university when she thought she’d left Seagrave behind her for good. Now married and trying for a baby, Beth wants nothing more that to put her past behind her and forget about that terrible summer, but there is someone from her past that is keen to remind her that there is a good reason you don’t go back.
Mark West has found a perfect balance between plot and character in Don’t Go Back. I tend to be a bit squeamish with thrillers, as I dislike graphic torture scenes and gratuitous violence for no reason but the sake of it; but this is something that Mark has not had to rely on in his writing. His ability to ramp up the suspense and terror is never overshadowed by schlock tactics; and a simple turn of phrase by a character can chill your blood, as your mind fills in, in advance just what horror is about to unfold.
With well-rounded characters Mark makes you feel real compassion for them, whilst at the same time loathing them. With a story that is so frighteningly realistic, you can’t help but feel empathy for his characters.
An ideal holiday read, I can see Don’t Go Back being this years must buy blockbuster.
Set over two timelines the story follows our protagonist Beth Parker as she returns to her childhood home of Seagrave, a quintessential British seaside town, following the sudden death of her childhood friend Kate.
Beth hasn’t seen Kate since that summer, the summer before she left for university when she thought she’d left Seagrave behind her for good. Now married and trying for a baby, Beth wants nothing more that to put her past behind her and forget about that terrible summer, but there is someone from her past that is keen to remind her that there is a good reason you don’t go back.
Mark West has found a perfect balance between plot and character in Don’t Go Back. I tend to be a bit squeamish with thrillers, as I dislike graphic torture scenes and gratuitous violence for no reason but the sake of it; but this is something that Mark has not had to rely on in his writing. His ability to ramp up the suspense and terror is never overshadowed by schlock tactics; and a simple turn of phrase by a character can chill your blood, as your mind fills in, in advance just what horror is about to unfold.
With well-rounded characters Mark makes you feel real compassion for them, whilst at the same time loathing them. With a story that is so frighteningly realistic, you can’t help but feel empathy for his characters.
An ideal holiday read, I can see Don’t Go Back being this years must buy blockbuster.
July 23, 2024
An intriguing read in the beginning, but the short chapters (which also alternated timelines) was often jarring and made it harder to latch onto the cliffhangers that led from one to the next. It also became exceptionally action-heavy in the latter half, which I had a hard time vibing with.
March 8, 2022
I'm going to be honest; I've read a lot of commercial thrillers and many of them are poorly written and rely on a "shocking plot twist" which you can see coming a mile off.
Don't Go Back! was refreshingly different; a really well written novel about a group of young women with a secret. The opening chapter is genuinely disturbing (in a good way!) and the story builds with believable characters and locations.
I'm going to say this, and it seems weird when you're talking about a thriller where it's supposed to be Action! Action! Action! but one of the things I loved most about "Don't Go Back!" was the way it captured a sense of time and place so perfectly. I felt I could easily find my way to The Empire Pier from The Winter Gardens and stop at the fair for a quick spin on the waltzers.
It felt like my childhood, even though I didn't live in a seaside town, and that made the story believable and the characters real people. And believable characters made the tension so much more real. I really did care what happened to Beth.
I feel like I could spend hours talking about why this book is so great and still only scratch the surface.
But why bother wasting your time reading this review when it is but a pale imitation of the real thing? Why not grab "Don't Go Back" and find out for yourself?
Don't Go Back! was refreshingly different; a really well written novel about a group of young women with a secret. The opening chapter is genuinely disturbing (in a good way!) and the story builds with believable characters and locations.
I'm going to say this, and it seems weird when you're talking about a thriller where it's supposed to be Action! Action! Action! but one of the things I loved most about "Don't Go Back!" was the way it captured a sense of time and place so perfectly. I felt I could easily find my way to The Empire Pier from The Winter Gardens and stop at the fair for a quick spin on the waltzers.
It felt like my childhood, even though I didn't live in a seaside town, and that made the story believable and the characters real people. And believable characters made the tension so much more real. I really did care what happened to Beth.
I feel like I could spend hours talking about why this book is so great and still only scratch the surface.
But why bother wasting your time reading this review when it is but a pale imitation of the real thing? Why not grab "Don't Go Back" and find out for yourself?
March 1, 2022
Page turner from the start!
When a book starts like this, you know you better buckle up for the ride! This book had my heart racing and tears flowing within the first few chapters. I felt for so many characters and wanted revenge for the others. One character in particular made my stomach churn. Page turner from the start and I loved it!
When a book starts like this, you know you better buckle up for the ride! This book had my heart racing and tears flowing within the first few chapters. I felt for so many characters and wanted revenge for the others. One character in particular made my stomach churn. Page turner from the start and I loved it!
April 27, 2022
Intriguing
This is the story of friendships and the decisions that we make as teenagers and how they affect our adult lives. There are enough twists and turns to keep one interested.
This is the story of friendships and the decisions that we make as teenagers and how they affect our adult lives. There are enough twists and turns to keep one interested.
July 24, 2024
Beth had no intentions of ever returning to the seaside town of her youth after one horrific summer that she has tried to repress ever since she left. However, after 15 years, a teenage friend gets back in touch before suddenly dying in strange circumstances, and Beth feels the need to return and say her farewell. A mistake she quickly begins to regret. As soon as she arrives, the atmosphere becomes oppressive and eerie with strange youths on BMX bikes, causing havoc and a blonde ponytailed girl following from the shadows. It seems that someone else hasn't forgotten that ill-fated summer of 15years ago either, and Beth is in their sights. The thriller is one of three standalones based in the seaside town of Seagrave that has been released as part of the Seaside Psychological boxset this June 2024. The perfect thrillers to take to the seaside this summer! #dontgoback #markwest #thebookfolks
April 3, 2022
Psychological thriller. When Beth hears about the death of her childhood friend, Kate, she returns to the seaside town she escaped from 15 years ago and has to face the events that took place that last summer before university. Those events are revealed gradually in a dual time line.
This story is fast paced but what makes this book are the descriptions of the characters. You really get under the skin of why they behave as they do. The grittiness of the seaside town is revealed as well as Beth shows it to her husband. Another reviewer said that it was too English for an American, but that is part of the spell woven by Mark.
I believe that Mark has previously written horror and the reason that I gave 4 stars was because some of the violence was a bit too grisly for me. That is my personal taste though.
This story is fast paced but what makes this book are the descriptions of the characters. You really get under the skin of why they behave as they do. The grittiness of the seaside town is revealed as well as Beth shows it to her husband. Another reviewer said that it was too English for an American, but that is part of the spell woven by Mark.
I believe that Mark has previously written horror and the reason that I gave 4 stars was because some of the violence was a bit too grisly for me. That is my personal taste though.
September 21, 2024
This book was really hitting for me in the first half. I tore through the pages. Every chapter ended with a cliff hanger that made me want to read the next. I read a large chunk in one sitting. But for me the second half of last 1/3 was a bit too much for me. It’s graphic and action heavy. A lot of violence.
March 13, 2022
What a thrilling read! From the chilling prologue to the gripping end, my heart raced almost the entire time.
Mark West has done a fantastic job with this story. The characters are well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed the seaside setting.
Dark and filled with suspense and a multitude of surprises, DON’T GO BACK is a must read for all thriller fans
Mark West has done a fantastic job with this story. The characters are well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed the seaside setting.
Dark and filled with suspense and a multitude of surprises, DON’T GO BACK is a must read for all thriller fans
September 28, 2022
Gripping and quite dark!
March 10, 2022
Stunning
What a great story! Mesmerizing and will keep you reading and interested until the surprise ending. What a great author, cannot wait to read another one!
What a great story! Mesmerizing and will keep you reading and interested until the surprise ending. What a great author, cannot wait to read another one!
March 17, 2022
If you're a fan of psychological thrillers, then this strong debut into the genre from Mark West should tick all your boxes! It grabs you from the very beginning and holds you throughout with a tightly paced, accessible narrative and beautifully realised characters. And speaking as someone who himself grew up in a seaside town, it resonated with me completely! There is, of necessity, a heck of a lot of backstory to get over, as it concerns an event in the past that has affected the lives of every one of the main characters, but this is deftly handled by the use of a dual timeline, drip-feeding us the information we need as the ripple effect from the past inexorably impacts the present day. The author has a background in writing horror, and he uses this to great effect as the story races towards its climax. In parts genuinely warm and affectionate, there is always a seriously unnerving undercurrent, a skilfully conjured atmosphere of dark foreboding just waiting to strike. I couldn't help feeling as I eagerly turned the pages that this has 'Netflix thriller series' written all over it!
March 19, 2022
Mark West is a fantastic writer. In ‘Don’t Go Back’, he may have delivered his best tale to date.
All the typical hallmarks of West’s writing are there - the extremely relatable characters, their pulse-quickening predicaments, an all-too familiar location (the feel of the seaside location, and the memories that are evoked, is one that many of us will know). But the real magic is derived from West’s deft handling of the dual timelines. It may have been problematic in less experienced hands - in West’s, it is assembled to the quality of the finest Swiss watch.
All of this amounts to a captivating and sublime read that will have you caught in its iron-clad grip - from the remarkably jarring first chapter to its nail-biting end. Mark West is a tremendous thriller writer who knows how and when to turn the screws. And I can’t recommend ‘Don’t Go Back’ to fans of the genre enough. You will not be disappointed.
All the typical hallmarks of West’s writing are there - the extremely relatable characters, their pulse-quickening predicaments, an all-too familiar location (the feel of the seaside location, and the memories that are evoked, is one that many of us will know). But the real magic is derived from West’s deft handling of the dual timelines. It may have been problematic in less experienced hands - in West’s, it is assembled to the quality of the finest Swiss watch.
All of this amounts to a captivating and sublime read that will have you caught in its iron-clad grip - from the remarkably jarring first chapter to its nail-biting end. Mark West is a tremendous thriller writer who knows how and when to turn the screws. And I can’t recommend ‘Don’t Go Back’ to fans of the genre enough. You will not be disappointed.
July 11, 2022
Review to follow
Read
April 24, 2022I’ve read a number of Mark’s books before and each one seems to slightly top the one that came before it. I have always respected how he challenges himself to try new things and doesn’t allow himself into much of a rinse and repeat cycle that some authors are guilty of.
One of the aspects of the book I really liked was the set pieces of the story and how the town oozes so much character and life. He did a fantastic job crafting a dynamic environment that almost functions as a character unto itself, something I think is crucial for these types of stories.
If I had any criticism it would probably be that at times I had a little trouble keeping all the characters straight in my head but that could be entirely my fault. Otherwise, I felt like he did a good job establishing an intriguing level of tension between the characters, does a good job maintaining narrative flow in two storylines that exist in the present and the past and the overall narrative arc comes together pretty effectively.
One of the aspects of the book I really liked was the set pieces of the story and how the town oozes so much character and life. He did a fantastic job crafting a dynamic environment that almost functions as a character unto itself, something I think is crucial for these types of stories.
If I had any criticism it would probably be that at times I had a little trouble keeping all the characters straight in my head but that could be entirely my fault. Otherwise, I felt like he did a good job establishing an intriguing level of tension between the characters, does a good job maintaining narrative flow in two storylines that exist in the present and the past and the overall narrative arc comes together pretty effectively.
April 23, 2022
Pacey, off-season seaside psychological thriller
The seaside can be a strange place to be if you're not a tourist.
Beth, Kate, and Jenny came of age in Seagrave and were tantalizingly close to all escaping the weirdly suppressive place, weighted as they were by familial expectations; just trying to enjoy one last rebellious summer hanging around with Kate's new hot roughneck boyfriend and his shady associates.
West does an excellent job of depicting this trio of naive teenage friends on the cusp of young adulthood and university and the tensions in their friendship that cause them to get sucked into the predicaments that blight not just that summer, but their lives after.
A pacey thriller, with a great sense of place and interesting characters. A future Netflix series?
The seaside can be a strange place to be if you're not a tourist.
Beth, Kate, and Jenny came of age in Seagrave and were tantalizingly close to all escaping the weirdly suppressive place, weighted as they were by familial expectations; just trying to enjoy one last rebellious summer hanging around with Kate's new hot roughneck boyfriend and his shady associates.
West does an excellent job of depicting this trio of naive teenage friends on the cusp of young adulthood and university and the tensions in their friendship that cause them to get sucked into the predicaments that blight not just that summer, but their lives after.
A pacey thriller, with a great sense of place and interesting characters. A future Netflix series?
July 23, 2024
If you're looking for a dark and addicting crime thriller to read this summer l'd highly recommend picking up DON'T GO BACK. A traumatic and twisted past comes back to haunt the MC when she returns to her beachside home town for the funeral of a childhood friend.
The book has an atmospheric slow burn feel as past and present timelines set the scene, but the intensity crescendos to shocking heights as pieces of the puzzle come together. I was anxious the entire time I was reading, wishing people made different decisions but understanding why they didn't. There's a truly frightening antagonist and a surprising character arc that delighted me. I love West's ability to capture nuances of the human psyche in adults and teens, creating a vivid and creepy experience for the reader. This is an excellent thriller.
Thank you The Book Folks for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
The book has an atmospheric slow burn feel as past and present timelines set the scene, but the intensity crescendos to shocking heights as pieces of the puzzle come together. I was anxious the entire time I was reading, wishing people made different decisions but understanding why they didn't. There's a truly frightening antagonist and a surprising character arc that delighted me. I love West's ability to capture nuances of the human psyche in adults and teens, creating a vivid and creepy experience for the reader. This is an excellent thriller.
Thank you The Book Folks for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
April 20, 2022
An entertaining read.
Entertaining, and interesting to read a third person past tense thriller for a change. I really hope the song title at the end of chapter 10 was there on purpose!
Entertaining, and interesting to read a third person past tense thriller for a change. I really hope the song title at the end of chapter 10 was there on purpose!
July 22, 2024
This psychological thriller is full of suspense, action, and revenge!
The prologue sets the stage for a captivating story! This one demonstrates how the decisions you make can impact your life.
I really enjoyed the dual timelines and the atmospheric setting.
The one thing is I do wish there had been an epilogue.
A pretty quick and enjoyable read!🖤
Thank you @the_book_folks and @dudes_dad for this #gifted copy!🫶🏼
The prologue sets the stage for a captivating story! This one demonstrates how the decisions you make can impact your life.
I really enjoyed the dual timelines and the atmospheric setting.
The one thing is I do wish there had been an epilogue.
A pretty quick and enjoyable read!🖤
Thank you @the_book_folks and @dudes_dad for this #gifted copy!🫶🏼
March 21, 2022
When Beth has to go back to the seaside town she grew up in, she has to face her demons. Teenage mistakes and regrets come back to haunt her in this ‘then’ and ‘now’ tale of revenge.
Maybe a bit long-winded, but a well told story which will shock and surprise.
Maybe a bit long-winded, but a well told story which will shock and surprise.
June 9, 2022
I quite enjoyed this although the protagonist did seem a bit ott and just too bad to be realistic and the heroine walked gullibly into so many obvious traps that she became annoying. It also really infuriated me that she didn’t tell her husband anything that was going on when he became involved but then I suppose that’s a common theme in a lot of suspense novels.
August 9, 2022
A spell binding thriller where her past catches up with her.
March 10, 2022
Absolutely brilliant thriller. Get it now and clear your schedule as you won’t want to put it down. Great setting, character development and an intriguing plot. Highly recommended.
March 7, 2023
exceptional
I couldn’t put this down. Usually it takes a lot to impress me but this did. Give it a go you won’t be sorry
I couldn’t put this down. Usually it takes a lot to impress me but this did. Give it a go you won’t be sorry
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews