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Never Seen Again
Jodie Martindale and her boyfriend were kidnapped a decade ago.
Her boyfriend was found dead the next week.
Jodie was never seen again.
Journalist David Kelman, once a hotshot but now washed up, illegally comes into possession of Jodie's brother's old phone.
And on that phone is an unheard voicemail from two years ago.
The voice is unmistakeably that of Jodie Martindale.
The message begins an obsession for Kelman - which takes him down a rabbit hole of lies, to a dark and deadly truth...
Her boyfriend was found dead the next week.
Jodie was never seen again.
Journalist David Kelman, once a hotshot but now washed up, illegally comes into possession of Jodie's brother's old phone.
And on that phone is an unheard voicemail from two years ago.
The voice is unmistakeably that of Jodie Martindale.
The message begins an obsession for Kelman - which takes him down a rabbit hole of lies, to a dark and deadly truth...
470 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2022
56 people are currently reading
488 people want to read
About the author
Paul Finch
206 books472 followersPaul Finch is a former cop and journalist, now full-time writer. Having originally written for the television series THE BILL plus children's animation and DOCTOR WHO audio dramas, he went on to write horror, but is now best known for his crime / thriller fiction.
He won the British Fantasy Award twice and the International Horror Guild Award, but since then has written two parallel series of hard-hitting crime novels, the Heck and the Lucy Clayburn novels, of which three titles have become best-sellers.
Paul lives in Wigan, Lancashire, UK with his wife and children.
He won the British Fantasy Award twice and the International Horror Guild Award, but since then has written two parallel series of hard-hitting crime novels, the Heck and the Lucy Clayburn novels, of which three titles have become best-sellers.
Paul lives in Wigan, Lancashire, UK with his wife and children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
March 3, 2022
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Jodie Martindale and her boyfriend were kidnapped a decade ago. Her boyfriend was found dead the next week. Jodie was never seen again. Journalist David Kelman, once a hotshot but now washed up, illegally comes into the possession of Jodie's brothers old phone. And on that phone is an unheard voicemail from two years ago. The voice is unmistakeably that of Jodie Martindale.
The plotline has been cleverly crafted, it's complex and fast paced. The characters are well developed and believable. The twist kept coming so it was hard to predict what would happen next. I do like reading about cold cases and how they eventually get resolved after so many years have passed. This book had me constantly on the edge of my seat. I like the authors writing style, he manages to grab your attention from the first few chapter. I think this is the best book that I've read by Paul Finch.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #OrionPublishingGroup and the author #PaulFinch for my ARC of #NeverSeenAgain in exchange for an honest review.
Jodie Martindale and her boyfriend were kidnapped a decade ago. Her boyfriend was found dead the next week. Jodie was never seen again. Journalist David Kelman, once a hotshot but now washed up, illegally comes into the possession of Jodie's brothers old phone. And on that phone is an unheard voicemail from two years ago. The voice is unmistakeably that of Jodie Martindale.
The plotline has been cleverly crafted, it's complex and fast paced. The characters are well developed and believable. The twist kept coming so it was hard to predict what would happen next. I do like reading about cold cases and how they eventually get resolved after so many years have passed. This book had me constantly on the edge of my seat. I like the authors writing style, he manages to grab your attention from the first few chapter. I think this is the best book that I've read by Paul Finch.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #OrionPublishingGroup and the author #PaulFinch for my ARC of #NeverSeenAgain in exchange for an honest review.
June 14, 2023
it would have been less ridiculous if every scene/dialogue were cut by half.
March 18, 2022
Since his part in a botched investigation 10 years ago, thanks to his exclusive with the victim's traumatised brother after which kidnap victim Jodie Martindale has never been seen again, David Kelman is a journalist/photographer making his living from catching celebrities in compromising situations. That changes when he hears that Freddie, Jodie's brother, committed suicide & Kelman decides to pay his respects. In a stroke of luck, Freddie's last notes on the case & his dead mobile phone come into his possession, & after charging the phone, Kelman is shocked to hear a message from a voice identifying herself as Jodie dated two weeks ago. Kelman is determined to find out what happened to Freddie & if Jodie is still alive.
The pace starts off slow but gradually builds into a taut high stakes ending. Kelman is not a likeable main character at first, but as the story progresses the reader gradually warms to him & his former colleagues, Anushka & Norm. You have to suspend your disbelief at bit that three comparative amateurs could stumble upon the machinations behind a highly organised kidnapping, but it is a gripping read.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Orion Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
The pace starts off slow but gradually builds into a taut high stakes ending. Kelman is not a likeable main character at first, but as the story progresses the reader gradually warms to him & his former colleagues, Anushka & Norm. You have to suspend your disbelief at bit that three comparative amateurs could stumble upon the machinations behind a highly organised kidnapping, but it is a gripping read.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Orion Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
July 24, 2022
Thrilling
December 21, 2021
Another excellent thriller from the dark mind of Paul Finch, an excellent and divisive main protagonist and a cleverly twisty mystery.
A cold case, a missing woman and one ex journalist searches for redemption in this pacy and addictive story.
Really loved it. Can highly recommend along with this authors other novels.
A cold case, a missing woman and one ex journalist searches for redemption in this pacy and addictive story.
Really loved it. Can highly recommend along with this authors other novels.
April 3, 2022
Slow
Having read many of Paul Finch’s books and enjoyed them I found this disappointingly slow and at times boring.
It did liven up a little towards the end but overall a poor effort.
Having read many of Paul Finch’s books and enjoyed them I found this disappointingly slow and at times boring.
It did liven up a little towards the end but overall a poor effort.
December 5, 2023
Honestly struggled to keep reading this book…….. beginning of boom started off well, storyline sounded like it was going to be great and gripping….. but it was extremely boring. Really wanted to give up on this one
April 1, 2022
Although some parts of the book develop a little slowly, there is no questioning the complexity of the plot and the rollercoaster of a journey that Finch takes you on with this novel. It's mysterious, unpredictable, pacy and packed full of twists.
April 5, 2022
If you like your crime fiction to be stuffed to the gills with action, then this latest adrenaline-charged thriller from Paul Finch will set your blood fizzing. It’s a barnstormer of a read: intricate, pacey, and crackling with tension. A page-turner par excellence.
Front and center is has-been hack, David Kelman, once an investigative journalist, now reduced to writing cheap, sensationalist exposés. Ten years ago, David did a bad thing. In his eagerness to get a scoop on a local kidnapping, he crossed a line and blew open the police investigation. His actions resulted in the murder of one of the victims and the disappearance of the other: heiress Jodie Martindale.
When the Martindales once again hit the headlines, this time with the apparent suicide of Jodie’s younger brother, Freddie, David’s curiosity is rekindled. And when some of Freddie’s possessions — including a mobile phone with a two-week old voicemail from Jodie — ‘accidentally’ fall into his hands, David immediately seizes the opportunity to grab the scoop of a lifetime.
What can I say but fasten your seatbelts and hold onto your hollyhocks! This is one heart-stopping, thrill of a ride. After the initial exposition, the pace and twists are relentless, and Finch’s mastery of the narrative so compelling, it’s like watching all the action play out in front of your eyes.
But, this is so much more than a brilliantly executed, plot-driven, action-packed thriller. Let’s just talk for a minute about David Kelman, who initially comes across as a sad, embittered, and not very likable figure. His seeming lack of remorse for his role in the events of 10 years ago and possibly even in Freddie’s suicide is hard to stomach.
As his investigation progresses, however, a new figure emerges: a man who finally owns up to his failings and wants to atone for past mistakes, to be a better person. I loved this transformation and ended up not just rooting for David — who’s street-savvy, fearless and funny — but really, really liking him. Together with his two sidekicks — former colleagues Anushka and Norm — they make a brilliant team.
Please let Paul Finch already be working on a new case for the Essex Enquirer gang. I want more. And soon!
Front and center is has-been hack, David Kelman, once an investigative journalist, now reduced to writing cheap, sensationalist exposés. Ten years ago, David did a bad thing. In his eagerness to get a scoop on a local kidnapping, he crossed a line and blew open the police investigation. His actions resulted in the murder of one of the victims and the disappearance of the other: heiress Jodie Martindale.
When the Martindales once again hit the headlines, this time with the apparent suicide of Jodie’s younger brother, Freddie, David’s curiosity is rekindled. And when some of Freddie’s possessions — including a mobile phone with a two-week old voicemail from Jodie — ‘accidentally’ fall into his hands, David immediately seizes the opportunity to grab the scoop of a lifetime.
What can I say but fasten your seatbelts and hold onto your hollyhocks! This is one heart-stopping, thrill of a ride. After the initial exposition, the pace and twists are relentless, and Finch’s mastery of the narrative so compelling, it’s like watching all the action play out in front of your eyes.
But, this is so much more than a brilliantly executed, plot-driven, action-packed thriller. Let’s just talk for a minute about David Kelman, who initially comes across as a sad, embittered, and not very likable figure. His seeming lack of remorse for his role in the events of 10 years ago and possibly even in Freddie’s suicide is hard to stomach.
As his investigation progresses, however, a new figure emerges: a man who finally owns up to his failings and wants to atone for past mistakes, to be a better person. I loved this transformation and ended up not just rooting for David — who’s street-savvy, fearless and funny — but really, really liking him. Together with his two sidekicks — former colleagues Anushka and Norm — they make a brilliant team.
Please let Paul Finch already be working on a new case for the Essex Enquirer gang. I want more. And soon!
March 19, 2022
Never Seen Again – A Finch Classic
Never Seen Again, is the latest thriller from Paul Finch, who writes some of the best Crime Fiction in Britain today. This is no police procedural this is a standalone thriller based in Essex, with some great characterisation, a great pace and bad guys that are easy to hate.
David Kelman has burnt more bridges than he can remember and today has given up on serious journalism, not that anyone would want to employ him. But then he was the master of his own downfall, six years prior when he interviewed the traumatised Freddie Martindale who had witnessed the kidnapping of his sister Jodie and was shot at in the process as he tried to escape.
Six years later Kelman attends the funeral of Freddie Martindale who has supposedly committed suicide. As Kelman tries to find out what happened to Freddie he brings trouble to his door. At the same time, he re-establishes the Essex Enquirer with two former colleagues. This is their first investigation.
David with his former colleagues, Nushka and Norm, their careers both impacted by what David did six years previous find themselves drawn into his world once again. Which brings them face to face with a world they had hoped did not exist. What they bring to the investigation is a moral compass to Kelman’s impulsivity and jumping into things with both feet.
There are intense moments in all Finch thrillers, and this certainly has its breathless moments, where you just cannot see Kelman surviving. There are plenty of twist turns that will keep you guessing as to how it will end. It would be easy to continue but that would mean giving the plot away and this is a book well worth reading.
I can highly recommend this book.
Never Seen Again, is the latest thriller from Paul Finch, who writes some of the best Crime Fiction in Britain today. This is no police procedural this is a standalone thriller based in Essex, with some great characterisation, a great pace and bad guys that are easy to hate.
David Kelman has burnt more bridges than he can remember and today has given up on serious journalism, not that anyone would want to employ him. But then he was the master of his own downfall, six years prior when he interviewed the traumatised Freddie Martindale who had witnessed the kidnapping of his sister Jodie and was shot at in the process as he tried to escape.
Six years later Kelman attends the funeral of Freddie Martindale who has supposedly committed suicide. As Kelman tries to find out what happened to Freddie he brings trouble to his door. At the same time, he re-establishes the Essex Enquirer with two former colleagues. This is their first investigation.
David with his former colleagues, Nushka and Norm, their careers both impacted by what David did six years previous find themselves drawn into his world once again. Which brings them face to face with a world they had hoped did not exist. What they bring to the investigation is a moral compass to Kelman’s impulsivity and jumping into things with both feet.
There are intense moments in all Finch thrillers, and this certainly has its breathless moments, where you just cannot see Kelman surviving. There are plenty of twist turns that will keep you guessing as to how it will end. It would be easy to continue but that would mean giving the plot away and this is a book well worth reading.
I can highly recommend this book.
March 7, 2022
I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of Never Seen Again, a stand-alone thriller featuring journalist David Kerman, set in Essex.
Six years ago heiress Jodie Martindale and her financé, Rick Tamworth were kidnapped. Rick was found dead a week later, Jodie has never been seen since. Journalist David Kelman made a terrible mistake when covering the story, a mistake that everyone claims led to Rob’s death. Now he is a washed up muckraker, who uncovers new evidence and is determined to investigate.
I have mixed feelings about Never Seen Again, although they are not about the novel and are all about me. It is so tense that I had to keep putting it down for a breather. Despite not getting a good run at the novel I view this as a sign of the author’s powerful writing and his ability to pull the reader in to David’s story and to identify with him, despite his lack of ethics and decidedly dodgy investigative methods. He should be sleazy but somehow isn’t, a lack of cynicism and a sense of crusading, perhaps?
The novel is a real rollercoaster with one heart stopping moment after another. David and his two journalist colleagues, Anushka Chawla and Norman Harrington, seem to lurch from one dangerous situation to the next and it’s all based on breadcrumbs of information and guesswork. It’s probably not very realistic, but it’s exciting and stress inducing. To make matters worse (or better, depending on your point of view) neither the reader nor the intrepid investigators have any idea of who or what was behind Jodie’s disappearance. Mystery, excitement and a relatively satisfactory conclusion, what more could a reader ask for?
The novel is mostly told from David Kelman’s point of view in the third person with Anushka and Norman contributing when they have their solo adventures. In the first half the novel also switches between the past and the present before settling into the present in the second half. This works well as it gives events an immediacy that a simple recounting could not manage, especially as the author excels at character fear.
Never Seen Again will not win prizes for realism, but it is a great thriller that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Six years ago heiress Jodie Martindale and her financé, Rick Tamworth were kidnapped. Rick was found dead a week later, Jodie has never been seen since. Journalist David Kelman made a terrible mistake when covering the story, a mistake that everyone claims led to Rob’s death. Now he is a washed up muckraker, who uncovers new evidence and is determined to investigate.
I have mixed feelings about Never Seen Again, although they are not about the novel and are all about me. It is so tense that I had to keep putting it down for a breather. Despite not getting a good run at the novel I view this as a sign of the author’s powerful writing and his ability to pull the reader in to David’s story and to identify with him, despite his lack of ethics and decidedly dodgy investigative methods. He should be sleazy but somehow isn’t, a lack of cynicism and a sense of crusading, perhaps?
The novel is a real rollercoaster with one heart stopping moment after another. David and his two journalist colleagues, Anushka Chawla and Norman Harrington, seem to lurch from one dangerous situation to the next and it’s all based on breadcrumbs of information and guesswork. It’s probably not very realistic, but it’s exciting and stress inducing. To make matters worse (or better, depending on your point of view) neither the reader nor the intrepid investigators have any idea of who or what was behind Jodie’s disappearance. Mystery, excitement and a relatively satisfactory conclusion, what more could a reader ask for?
The novel is mostly told from David Kelman’s point of view in the third person with Anushka and Norman contributing when they have their solo adventures. In the first half the novel also switches between the past and the present before settling into the present in the second half. This works well as it gives events an immediacy that a simple recounting could not manage, especially as the author excels at character fear.
Never Seen Again will not win prizes for realism, but it is a great thriller that I have no hesitation in recommending.
March 15, 2022
Six years ago, Jodi and her fiance Rick went to the cinema to see the latest Batman. Along with Jodi's young brother, him having been dumped on them. On the way home, they park up and send Freddie off to get chips. He hasn't gone far when he hears a scream and returns immediately back to see his Jodi and Rick being taken away... Then Rick is found dead, Jodi remains missing...
Back in the present and journalist David Kelman is on his uppers. A mistake from his past still haunts him. But, circumstances allow him a small chance to make amends. He worked on the original story of Jodi's kidnap and has never got over the part he played and their devastating consequences. Long story short, he comes into the possession of a piece of evidence. Something so shocking and revealing that it threatens to blow the cold case out of the water. Something that, if he investigated it, could finally help him make amends for his past and find some peace...
So, he calls on a couple of old friends to help... Calls on and persuades, that is. He's still a bit poison chalice... But can they get to the bottom of things and find the truth of what really happened to Jodi six years ago...?
Wowsers. This plot took me all round the houses and back again. As it also did with the characters! In a month of any day, I really didn't see it all ending up there! No way... although I did spot one thing early but I'd really put that down to a luck guess rather than based on any substantial facts.
The plot is intriguing and interconnected and so very well executed. Pacing is good, a little slow initially but then there is a lot of foundation to be built up before it can all be torn down as the truth is finally exposed. Characters are well drawn and all play their parts well.
And in David and his two associates, Nushka and Norm, we have an eclectic bunch of, well, misfits I guess. All with something different to bring to the table and their little team gels nicely. So much so that I really don't want this to be the last we see of them. Maybe even this could be the start of a new series...? Maybe... I'd like to hope so.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Back in the present and journalist David Kelman is on his uppers. A mistake from his past still haunts him. But, circumstances allow him a small chance to make amends. He worked on the original story of Jodi's kidnap and has never got over the part he played and their devastating consequences. Long story short, he comes into the possession of a piece of evidence. Something so shocking and revealing that it threatens to blow the cold case out of the water. Something that, if he investigated it, could finally help him make amends for his past and find some peace...
So, he calls on a couple of old friends to help... Calls on and persuades, that is. He's still a bit poison chalice... But can they get to the bottom of things and find the truth of what really happened to Jodi six years ago...?
Wowsers. This plot took me all round the houses and back again. As it also did with the characters! In a month of any day, I really didn't see it all ending up there! No way... although I did spot one thing early but I'd really put that down to a luck guess rather than based on any substantial facts.
The plot is intriguing and interconnected and so very well executed. Pacing is good, a little slow initially but then there is a lot of foundation to be built up before it can all be torn down as the truth is finally exposed. Characters are well drawn and all play their parts well.
And in David and his two associates, Nushka and Norm, we have an eclectic bunch of, well, misfits I guess. All with something different to bring to the table and their little team gels nicely. So much so that I really don't want this to be the last we see of them. Maybe even this could be the start of a new series...? Maybe... I'd like to hope so.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
March 17, 2022
Wow, this was a fast paced rollercoaster of a read involving a violent kidnapping being investigated by a renegade reporter who blames himself for causing the death of one of the victims.
Jodie and her boyfriend are kidnapped from their car and the only witness is her 13 year old brother
Freddie. The police begin their investigations and David Kelman, a local Essex crime reporter, decides to cover the story. He manages to find out a fair bit of information but not in a strictly legal way and when Jodie’s boyfriend is found dead and Jodie disappears, Kelman and everyone else including the newspaper blame the article he wrote for revealing too much.
6 years later and Jodie is still missing believed dead when David gains access to a phone call which seems to be from her leading him to restart his investigations. He manages to rope in two old colleagues, Norm and Anushka, and as their enquiries continue, they realise they have managed to involve themselves with some very dangerous people.
I really loved journalists David, Anushka and Norm- they made a great team. In fact I hope they might return in a future novel! I’d definitely be up for reading more about them.
The book was extremely well plotted, holding my attention from the very first page and I certainly didn’t guess the outcome. The main focus was whether Jodie could be found alive and returned to her family or whether the phone call was some sort of hoax.? The tension ratchets up as David begins to get closer to the truth and at one point I wasn’t very sure if any of the reporters would make it out alive.
This was a great read, thoroughly entertaining! The author certainly knows how to write a compelling crime novel. Definitely a five star read and highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion for my review copy.
Jodie and her boyfriend are kidnapped from their car and the only witness is her 13 year old brother
Freddie. The police begin their investigations and David Kelman, a local Essex crime reporter, decides to cover the story. He manages to find out a fair bit of information but not in a strictly legal way and when Jodie’s boyfriend is found dead and Jodie disappears, Kelman and everyone else including the newspaper blame the article he wrote for revealing too much.
6 years later and Jodie is still missing believed dead when David gains access to a phone call which seems to be from her leading him to restart his investigations. He manages to rope in two old colleagues, Norm and Anushka, and as their enquiries continue, they realise they have managed to involve themselves with some very dangerous people.
I really loved journalists David, Anushka and Norm- they made a great team. In fact I hope they might return in a future novel! I’d definitely be up for reading more about them.
The book was extremely well plotted, holding my attention from the very first page and I certainly didn’t guess the outcome. The main focus was whether Jodie could be found alive and returned to her family or whether the phone call was some sort of hoax.? The tension ratchets up as David begins to get closer to the truth and at one point I wasn’t very sure if any of the reporters would make it out alive.
This was a great read, thoroughly entertaining! The author certainly knows how to write a compelling crime novel. Definitely a five star read and highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion for my review copy.
July 6, 2022
David Kelman was once the hero of local journalism until he pushed that bit too far and one of two kidnap victims pays with their life and his career when bottom up. Six years later, and riddled with guilt when a staggering clue from that case lands in his lap. Jodie Martindale, the second kidnap victim is still alive; a captive and begging for help. Kelman enlists the help of colleagues from his old post with The Essex Enquirer and sets about finding her, uncovering a web of trafficking, police corruption and organised crime linked to the most influential high fliers in the city.
Like all good books Never Seen Again begins with a quiet question and ends with a bang as we follow Kelman's steps through a body strewn trail of intrigue and menace.
Kelman not that likeable in theory. He is a bottom dwelling journo who will do anything for a scoop, but as the plot unfolds his nature changes, or at least becomes more apparent.
Kelman is on a one man crusade for truth and failed to envisage collateral damage from his actions; which included the careers of his fellow newshounds. Anushka is now a supermarket checkout girl while Norm has taken enforced retirement to write his memoirs. Kelman persuades both to join him in his search for Jodie and for justice.
The clues are all there, seeded throughout with consummate skill. The tension rises inexorably as each complex layer is pulled away to expose another, and each one darker than the next, until the book reaches an inevitably high octane end. The violence in Never Seen Again is never gratuitous, nor dwelt on, and always with a logic that leads to the ending with a meticulous eye on detail that can't be faulted.
Highly recommended!
Like all good books Never Seen Again begins with a quiet question and ends with a bang as we follow Kelman's steps through a body strewn trail of intrigue and menace.
Kelman not that likeable in theory. He is a bottom dwelling journo who will do anything for a scoop, but as the plot unfolds his nature changes, or at least becomes more apparent.
Kelman is on a one man crusade for truth and failed to envisage collateral damage from his actions; which included the careers of his fellow newshounds. Anushka is now a supermarket checkout girl while Norm has taken enforced retirement to write his memoirs. Kelman persuades both to join him in his search for Jodie and for justice.
The clues are all there, seeded throughout with consummate skill. The tension rises inexorably as each complex layer is pulled away to expose another, and each one darker than the next, until the book reaches an inevitably high octane end. The violence in Never Seen Again is never gratuitous, nor dwelt on, and always with a logic that leads to the ending with a meticulous eye on detail that can't be faulted.
Highly recommended!
June 15, 2022
The story starts with an explosive opening when kidnappers/killers attack the Martindale family. The outcome leaves far more questions than answers. Then the story starts in real time six years later and surrounds the troubled character that is the journalist David Kelman. I loved this character; to have true depth, a character needs flaws, and the balance for me is having those flaws but not in a way that makes you stop liking the character. Paul Finch does this with such ease and I know how hard that is to achieve. Subsequently, I would follow Kelman anywhere.
He is wracked with guilt about the consequences that his previously unethical journalistic approaches have caused. He is determined to find out what truly happened that fateful night six years ago, but not just from a scoop angle; he wants to uncover the truth. Something very dark is going on in Essex.
He is ably assisted by Anushka and Norm, and the more they uncover, the greater the danger they face. The criminals behind what is really going on are backed by corrupt officials and psychopathic mercenaries. Unable to trust the police, Kelman and his band of three have only their own guile to support them.
The story comes to an explosive denouement which will keep you transfixed to the last page. A 5-star highly recommended read from one of our best storytellers.
He is wracked with guilt about the consequences that his previously unethical journalistic approaches have caused. He is determined to find out what truly happened that fateful night six years ago, but not just from a scoop angle; he wants to uncover the truth. Something very dark is going on in Essex.
He is ably assisted by Anushka and Norm, and the more they uncover, the greater the danger they face. The criminals behind what is really going on are backed by corrupt officials and psychopathic mercenaries. Unable to trust the police, Kelman and his band of three have only their own guile to support them.
The story comes to an explosive denouement which will keep you transfixed to the last page. A 5-star highly recommended read from one of our best storytellers.
October 5, 2022
I bought this book as it was in a 3 for £6 deal at The Works, I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect, but it sounded like a good read.
When I began reading it took me a while to get into, the main issue for me personally being that it is written in third person, which I’ve never liked as I get confused about who is who and I struggle connecting to the story and characters. However, I stuck it out because it sounded really interesting.
I found it slow at first, but this again could just have been due to the writing style I wasn’t used to, but once it’s kicked in, I was obsessed!
From beginning, well a few chapters in, till the very end, it was unexpected twist after unexpected twist that worked really well with the story. I felt like I was also an investigator and could feel exactly what the characters were experiencing as different events happened.
The personalities of each character really shown as I read on and the story was completely gripping!
I definitely recommend this book!
I only gave it 4 stars because of my own preference of it being written in first person rather than third, which like I said slowed down my understanding of what was happening and who people were. Other than that, it would have been 5 stars for me.
When I began reading it took me a while to get into, the main issue for me personally being that it is written in third person, which I’ve never liked as I get confused about who is who and I struggle connecting to the story and characters. However, I stuck it out because it sounded really interesting.
I found it slow at first, but this again could just have been due to the writing style I wasn’t used to, but once it’s kicked in, I was obsessed!
From beginning, well a few chapters in, till the very end, it was unexpected twist after unexpected twist that worked really well with the story. I felt like I was also an investigator and could feel exactly what the characters were experiencing as different events happened.
The personalities of each character really shown as I read on and the story was completely gripping!
I definitely recommend this book!
I only gave it 4 stars because of my own preference of it being written in first person rather than third, which like I said slowed down my understanding of what was happening and who people were. Other than that, it would have been 5 stars for me.
March 6, 2022
I do love a Paul Finch book. Always guaranteed to entertain and be packed with mystery, tension and unforgettable characters. Never Seen Again did not disappoint, ticking all of those boxes and more. The book centres around journalist David Kelman, a man who had a pretty dramatic fall from grace when his unethical approach to getting a scoop led to a very tragic escalation of an already tense situation. Mistakes were made, and the consequences were deadly. Six years on and David gets the chance to right that wrong, even if it is too late for some, and solve the one mystery that has plagued his career and his conscience - was this really a kidnapping gone wrong and what really happened to Jodie Martindale ... ?
From the very beginning of this book you get a sense of where this book is leading. It may feel pedestrian, especially in those first few pages, but knowing this is a Paul Finch story, it's almost impossible to settle or feel at ease. I was drawn in straight away, if only because I wanted to know what the catch was going to be. It's crime fiction - there is always going to be a catch. And boy was there. Poor Freddie Martindale. Who'd have thought playing gooseberry on your sister's date night would take such a drastic turn. I love how the author manages to turn that quiet opening completely on its head by the end of the chapter, with pulse pounding tension and a real undercurrent of fear permeating each page. It races to a shocking conclusion, really leaving you on the edge of your seat. And that's just the prologue ...
David Kelman is a pretty complex character. I couldn't help liking him, even though there are many aspects of his character that are less than desirable. In many ways he is the worst of the tabloid ghouls, and certainly his most recent career is based on scandal and gossip, ruining the lives of others in order to earn a crust. Yet there is something about him that draws you in. That feeling that, in spite of all he's done, he really does have a conscience and wants to do the right thing by the Martindale family, even if it is a touch too little too late. But he's also a determined reporter who has gotten the whiff of an unbelievable story, and is going to follow the lead no matter how dangerous it proves to be. And believe me it gets hairy.
Alongside David you have his former colleagues, Nushka and Norm, their careers both impacted by what David did all those years ago and yet finding themselves drawn into his world once again. They act as a kind of moral compass and sanity check to David's more impetuous and impulsive nature, even if they don't always manage to keep him under control. The three of them make a brilliant team, with a brilliant blend of banter and journalistic instinct filling each scene they are in. In spite of themselves, David manages to relay a story so packed with intrigue that they cannot resist getting involved, Nushka perhaps a little more readily than Norm ...
The story is paced perfectly, the underlying mystery so carefully threaded throughout the book that it kept me completely engrossed in the story. It's one of those one more chapter kinds of reads that just keeps you powering onward, the tension slowly building up again after that break neck speed ending to the prologue. There are times when we dip back into the past, get shown David's fall from grace and how he managed to derail his and his colleagues careers, but it is the here and now that really captures the inquiring mind. There is a constant sense of threat, as well as a real point of conflict between David and, not only the Martindale family, but the police as well. Brokering scandal was not David's only legacy as a journalist, and he has many enemies in many places, some more obvious than others.
As this is a Paul Finch novel, you are safe to expect some quite intense moments, scenes where the threat is high and the action full on. This is most definitely the case this time around, and from just beyond the halfway point the pace, the tension, and the action, really picks up. It can get quite intense, and with few allies, its set to get pretty hairy for David and his friends. It's violent, but not gratuitously so, but if you've read any of the author's other work then you know not to expect the bad guys to simply hold their hands out and say 'it's a fair cop, Gov'. These are the scenes where the characters may surprise you, and the ones that had me smiling the most. The reasons I love reading books by this author.
Fast paced, full of mystery, action and brilliantly plotted intensity, it's another winner for me. Definitely recommended.
From the very beginning of this book you get a sense of where this book is leading. It may feel pedestrian, especially in those first few pages, but knowing this is a Paul Finch story, it's almost impossible to settle or feel at ease. I was drawn in straight away, if only because I wanted to know what the catch was going to be. It's crime fiction - there is always going to be a catch. And boy was there. Poor Freddie Martindale. Who'd have thought playing gooseberry on your sister's date night would take such a drastic turn. I love how the author manages to turn that quiet opening completely on its head by the end of the chapter, with pulse pounding tension and a real undercurrent of fear permeating each page. It races to a shocking conclusion, really leaving you on the edge of your seat. And that's just the prologue ...
David Kelman is a pretty complex character. I couldn't help liking him, even though there are many aspects of his character that are less than desirable. In many ways he is the worst of the tabloid ghouls, and certainly his most recent career is based on scandal and gossip, ruining the lives of others in order to earn a crust. Yet there is something about him that draws you in. That feeling that, in spite of all he's done, he really does have a conscience and wants to do the right thing by the Martindale family, even if it is a touch too little too late. But he's also a determined reporter who has gotten the whiff of an unbelievable story, and is going to follow the lead no matter how dangerous it proves to be. And believe me it gets hairy.
Alongside David you have his former colleagues, Nushka and Norm, their careers both impacted by what David did all those years ago and yet finding themselves drawn into his world once again. They act as a kind of moral compass and sanity check to David's more impetuous and impulsive nature, even if they don't always manage to keep him under control. The three of them make a brilliant team, with a brilliant blend of banter and journalistic instinct filling each scene they are in. In spite of themselves, David manages to relay a story so packed with intrigue that they cannot resist getting involved, Nushka perhaps a little more readily than Norm ...
The story is paced perfectly, the underlying mystery so carefully threaded throughout the book that it kept me completely engrossed in the story. It's one of those one more chapter kinds of reads that just keeps you powering onward, the tension slowly building up again after that break neck speed ending to the prologue. There are times when we dip back into the past, get shown David's fall from grace and how he managed to derail his and his colleagues careers, but it is the here and now that really captures the inquiring mind. There is a constant sense of threat, as well as a real point of conflict between David and, not only the Martindale family, but the police as well. Brokering scandal was not David's only legacy as a journalist, and he has many enemies in many places, some more obvious than others.
As this is a Paul Finch novel, you are safe to expect some quite intense moments, scenes where the threat is high and the action full on. This is most definitely the case this time around, and from just beyond the halfway point the pace, the tension, and the action, really picks up. It can get quite intense, and with few allies, its set to get pretty hairy for David and his friends. It's violent, but not gratuitously so, but if you've read any of the author's other work then you know not to expect the bad guys to simply hold their hands out and say 'it's a fair cop, Gov'. These are the scenes where the characters may surprise you, and the ones that had me smiling the most. The reasons I love reading books by this author.
Fast paced, full of mystery, action and brilliantly plotted intensity, it's another winner for me. Definitely recommended.
March 13, 2022
Reading Stuff 'n' Things
I admit to being a fan of Mr Finch's work, having read and thoroughly enjoyed a few of his previous works and Never Seen Again is yet another one to add to the collection.
Here we have a twisty and dark thriller with a plot that is complex which although develops quite slowly, it ramps up and quickly becomes a rollercoaster of a ride with lots of tension and action.
The characters are excellent and well developed. The main character, David, is a journalist who starts off with few scruples and, as a consequence, I found he isn't a particularly likeable person ... at the start at least; he does grow on you as the story progresses. He and his sidekicks, Anushka and Norm, make a great team and I wonder if there is more to come from them? I certainly hope so.
Overall, a great read and I my thanks must go to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
I admit to being a fan of Mr Finch's work, having read and thoroughly enjoyed a few of his previous works and Never Seen Again is yet another one to add to the collection.
Here we have a twisty and dark thriller with a plot that is complex which although develops quite slowly, it ramps up and quickly becomes a rollercoaster of a ride with lots of tension and action.
The characters are excellent and well developed. The main character, David, is a journalist who starts off with few scruples and, as a consequence, I found he isn't a particularly likeable person ... at the start at least; he does grow on you as the story progresses. He and his sidekicks, Anushka and Norm, make a great team and I wonder if there is more to come from them? I certainly hope so.
Overall, a great read and I my thanks must go to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
March 17, 2022
I was immediately grabbed by the prologue to this story. The book starts when Jodie and Rick get abducted. This was such an intense and gripping start to the book and I found I wanted to keep reading right from the start.
I found the plot to be intricate, fast paced and hard to predict. I had to concentrate to keep track of the plot at times! The characters were well written. I liked the central character David Kelman despite his past mistakes as a tabloid journalist he was doing his best to rectify his past mistakes. He flits from one perilous situation to another as he tries to solve the mystery of Jodie's disappearance, making for some very tense reading!
I really couldn't predict where this story would end but I was willing Jodie to be discovered and for David and his team to uncover the truth. Who was responsible for the abductions and why? Just as you think they've solved the case and are safe something else happens!
I haven't read any other books by this author but I'll definitely look out for them in the future.
I found the plot to be intricate, fast paced and hard to predict. I had to concentrate to keep track of the plot at times! The characters were well written. I liked the central character David Kelman despite his past mistakes as a tabloid journalist he was doing his best to rectify his past mistakes. He flits from one perilous situation to another as he tries to solve the mystery of Jodie's disappearance, making for some very tense reading!
I really couldn't predict where this story would end but I was willing Jodie to be discovered and for David and his team to uncover the truth. Who was responsible for the abductions and why? Just as you think they've solved the case and are safe something else happens!
I haven't read any other books by this author but I'll definitely look out for them in the future.
November 16, 2022
After listening to the author at an event at the Theakston Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate earlier this year Never Seen Again quickly became an addition to my ever-increasing TBR pile. With the advice that I would love the book and with a bit of shuffling around I managed to push it to the top and I have to say that the recommendations were spot on.
The book opens with the kidnapping of Jodie Martindale and her partner and the only witness her younger brother Freddie getting shot. Journalist David Kelman is determined to get the best story he can and uses dubious methods to get what he wants. Unfortunately for him rather than enhancing his career it more or less ends it. Years later Freddie who has been unable to forget the events in the past dies in an apparent suicide and David Kelman is determined to get to the truth and try and make up for his previous actions.
David Kelman is certainly an interesting person. You can see that he really believes he can solve the mystery behind the kidnapping and Freddie’s death and give peace to the family but there are also character traits that keep surfacing that show the David of the past, the one who will do anything for the story and try to justify his actions in the process. What is evident is that his past actions had an impact on those who he used to work with, and they are both no longer in the journalistic profession. It is his former friends and colleagues that he has the most work to do in order to show that he has changed and also get them to help with the investigations.
The Martingale family don’t seem that keen for the case to be reopened or for David to once again be poking around in their family business and I can’t say I blame them especially with his past behaviour, but they may also hold the key to some of the events. It would also seem that there are others that would prefer the kidnapping to stay in the past and unsolved and the more David digs the more he and his friends find themselves in danger.
There are so many twist and turns in this book that you often wonder if Kelman will ever get the truth he is so desperate to find and what a truth it is. This is one of those books that will keep you gripped to the end. If like me you have never read one of Paul Finch’s books before then this stand alone is a good place to start, I know I am now a fan.
The book opens with the kidnapping of Jodie Martindale and her partner and the only witness her younger brother Freddie getting shot. Journalist David Kelman is determined to get the best story he can and uses dubious methods to get what he wants. Unfortunately for him rather than enhancing his career it more or less ends it. Years later Freddie who has been unable to forget the events in the past dies in an apparent suicide and David Kelman is determined to get to the truth and try and make up for his previous actions.
David Kelman is certainly an interesting person. You can see that he really believes he can solve the mystery behind the kidnapping and Freddie’s death and give peace to the family but there are also character traits that keep surfacing that show the David of the past, the one who will do anything for the story and try to justify his actions in the process. What is evident is that his past actions had an impact on those who he used to work with, and they are both no longer in the journalistic profession. It is his former friends and colleagues that he has the most work to do in order to show that he has changed and also get them to help with the investigations.
The Martingale family don’t seem that keen for the case to be reopened or for David to once again be poking around in their family business and I can’t say I blame them especially with his past behaviour, but they may also hold the key to some of the events. It would also seem that there are others that would prefer the kidnapping to stay in the past and unsolved and the more David digs the more he and his friends find themselves in danger.
There are so many twist and turns in this book that you often wonder if Kelman will ever get the truth he is so desperate to find and what a truth it is. This is one of those books that will keep you gripped to the end. If like me you have never read one of Paul Finch’s books before then this stand alone is a good place to start, I know I am now a fan.
November 26, 2025
Story of how an unscrupulous reporter tries to rebuild his career by finding a missing abduction victim at the centre of his earlier downfall. There are plenty of twists and turns and a suitably convoluted plot. There is also the usual requirement to suspend disbelief. I liked the development of the three journalist characters, Kelman, Anushka & Norm, and the crescendo of action and thrills at the end. I didn't like the uneven pacing and struggled not to skim through some very slow and dull sections between the action and was frustrated that many of characters were very thinly sketched out that they lacked resonance and credibility. The book was ok, it was probably a 2.5, but I rounded it up to 3 because there were some interesting characters and parts of the suspense and action were done well.
April 29, 2023
I had great hopes for this book when I started reading it, thinking I had finally stumbled across a good author who could write thrillers. Unfortunately, this was short lived and quickly became trashy - especially nearing the end, where the revelations of the conspiracy of various players in this unrealistic attempt at uncovering the sinister underhand actions of a syndicate of powerful people unfurled.
The language was ‘tired’ as if the author had written the same thing over and over again, and was bored by it himself. Stumbling good guys fought the bad guys in staged performances, peppered with playground ‘taunts.’ Nothing about the writing rang true and felt like I’d just read a book written by a child who watched too many action movies.
The language was ‘tired’ as if the author had written the same thing over and over again, and was bored by it himself. Stumbling good guys fought the bad guys in staged performances, peppered with playground ‘taunts.’ Nothing about the writing rang true and felt like I’d just read a book written by a child who watched too many action movies.
August 17, 2022
Now this one is a mixed bag for me.
I've previously read and really enjoyed a few of Paul Finch's previous books but this one just didn't quite hot the mark for me. I think it just didn't have the same pace as previous novels which is what I was expecting. This felt alot slower than the usual fast pace the author gives.
Don't get me wrong it was still a book packed with suspense, tension and twists which meant I had to keep going to get the answers I was craving. The whole storyline was a rollercoaster.
The characters were well developed, interesting and believable which is always a massive bonus.
3*
Thanks to netgalley and Orion Publishing for the ARC.
I've previously read and really enjoyed a few of Paul Finch's previous books but this one just didn't quite hot the mark for me. I think it just didn't have the same pace as previous novels which is what I was expecting. This felt alot slower than the usual fast pace the author gives.
Don't get me wrong it was still a book packed with suspense, tension and twists which meant I had to keep going to get the answers I was craving. The whole storyline was a rollercoaster.
The characters were well developed, interesting and believable which is always a massive bonus.
3*
Thanks to netgalley and Orion Publishing for the ARC.
March 30, 2024
A storyline that resembles those of Harlan Coben. Two people are abducted. A journalist interviews a kid who was with them, an interview that will scar that kid for life and destroy the journalist career.
Ten years later………..
Sounds like Coben, doesn’t it?
Well, ten years later there are new clues and the mystery goes from there.
Finch is a good writer but cannot outdo Coben. Coben stories are hard to believe but he writes in such a way that it makes it easy for the reader to suspend logic.
Finch is not that calibre. However, it is a fast read, character are believable and the story…..well, not as much, but enough.
I enjoyed it anyway.
Ten years later………..
Sounds like Coben, doesn’t it?
Well, ten years later there are new clues and the mystery goes from there.
Finch is a good writer but cannot outdo Coben. Coben stories are hard to believe but he writes in such a way that it makes it easy for the reader to suspend logic.
Finch is not that calibre. However, it is a fast read, character are believable and the story…..well, not as much, but enough.
I enjoyed it anyway.
June 21, 2022
An excellent thriller with an interesting set of characters, a complex and multi layered plot and an explosive ending.
Former crime reporter David Kelman is haunted by a story that went wrong, when a kidnapped young woman disappears. But could she still be alive years later? He finds evidence that leads to a series of unexpected events and ultimately to a search for the truth of a much larger plot.
The pace is strong, with occasional pauses as the investigation stalls before taking off again. It works well, and the ending is action filled. This one keeps out thinking right to the end.
Former crime reporter David Kelman is haunted by a story that went wrong, when a kidnapped young woman disappears. But could she still be alive years later? He finds evidence that leads to a series of unexpected events and ultimately to a search for the truth of a much larger plot.
The pace is strong, with occasional pauses as the investigation stalls before taking off again. It works well, and the ending is action filled. This one keeps out thinking right to the end.
January 14, 2023
As with all Paul Finch novels, this was an enjoyable, fast-paced mystery thriller with a big dose of (sometimes implausible) action thrown in for good measure. However, there were some bizarre choices in character descriptions. For instance on character who was repeatedly described as “a beautiful black woman” for no reason other than to differentiate her from the other non-black characters (whose race was not mentioned apart from one Indian character). Not sure the reason for this but it was very jarring.
November 30, 2025
Another absolute belter, of course!
This is another absolute belter, of course - it's by Paul Finch, innit? - with three disgraced reporters digging back into the case that sank their careers six years earlier and unearthing serious cruelty and depravity along the way - and putting themselves in the firing line of some truly malevolent villains. A gripping mystery and a brutal thriller. Would love to see the Essex Examiner crew again sometime. Five stars.
This is another absolute belter, of course - it's by Paul Finch, innit? - with three disgraced reporters digging back into the case that sank their careers six years earlier and unearthing serious cruelty and depravity along the way - and putting themselves in the firing line of some truly malevolent villains. A gripping mystery and a brutal thriller. Would love to see the Essex Examiner crew again sometime. Five stars.
February 27, 2022
OH MY GOSH without a doubt one of the best thrillers that I have read this year. It was gripping and compelling with an engaging storyline and explosive characters that were so well developed. The plot had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, it was mysterious and unpredictable with twists that had me gasping out loud and not knowing what to believe. I loved it.
March 17, 2022
Never Seen Again by Paul Finch was an excellent book from start to finish especially as I was hooked and could not put it done. This book had great twists and turns throughout and was a great page turner. I loved it and I highly recommend this book.
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Orion Publishing Group for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Orion Publishing Group for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.
February 17, 2022
In typical Paul Finch style this is another brilliant read! A clever concept with engaging characters and a complex plot set at breakneck speed. It's highly overdramatic, adrenaline feuled and with a smidgen of humour. A perfect, escapist read.
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