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" NEVER GO BACK delivers a knockout punch." — Robert Dugoni, New York TImes Bestselling Author

"Mefford has captured lightning with his debut espionage thriller." — Steven Konkoly, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

SHATTERED.
BLACKMAILED.
NOW A HIRED GUN...

His idyllic life ravaged and not a second to grieve, Jack Whitfield must rescue a girl half a world away If he ever wants to see his daughter again.

The foreign theater is unlike anything he’s ever experienced. The moat of bad actors too numerous to count—all with motivations that could doom his mission’s objective.

Even worse, the shadowy group he represents operates without a thread of humanity.

With little time and less leverage, Jack traverses a geopolitical mine field while running straight into a den of snakes.

But it’s the venom of one that could thwart the mission and destroy his life forever.

Jack craves vengeance, but he wants his daughter back more.

NEVER GO BACK is an electrifying new thriller that takes readers on a dazzling ride chock full of blistering action, espionage, shocking suspense, international intrigue, breakneck twists, and dynamic characters you can’t get enough of. This stunning first book in the new Jack Whitfield series sets the stage for the most breathtaking spy thriller series out there.

If you’re a fan of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan , Lee Child's Jack Reacher, Robert Dugoni's Charles Jenkins, Brad Thor's Scot Harvath, or Mark Greaney's Gray Man , then Jack Whitfield is the perfect thriller series for you .

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About the author

John W. Mefford

77 books402 followers
Amazon #1 Bestselling Author, #2 bestselling author on Barnes and Noble, and a Readers' Favorite Gold Medal winner.

John W. Mefford has been writing his debut novel since he first entered the work force almost thirty years ago, although he never put words on paper until 2009. Once he started writing, however, he couldn't stop. Many readers ask John from where he gets his ideas. Well, he's a veteran of the corporate rat-race, a former journalist, and he's always been an astute observer of human and social behavior. On top of that, he's really good at embellishing.

A member of International Thriller Writers, John writes novels full of electrifying suspense -- the same types of books he has loved to read since before he could shave.

Learn more about John at www.JohnWMefford.com

Let's connect! Follow John on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JohnWMeffordAuthor

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
Profile Image for Kathi Defranc.
1,182 reviews498 followers
July 19, 2022
A favorite author is back with a bang! John Mefford gives us the start of an exciting new series with 'Never Go Back', introducing us to Jack Whitfield. Jack is a regular man with a wife he adores and a five year old daughter he will do anything for. He returns home after work to find his wife dead and daughter missing, his life is shattered and he must follow instructions from one man if to have any chance of seeing his daughter again! The action proceeds at amazing speed, as Jack enters a world of espionage, dealing with people he knows nothing about while trying to find a girl, her rescue releasing his daughter back to him. There are amazing characters, both good and bad, twists and surprises at every turn, and just Jack, wanting revenge, but wanting his daughter back with him more. Ready to do whatever he can to make that happen!
A rollicking new thriller that grabs you to go with Jack through every incident, holding on tight to help him get his daughter back. I can't wait to see what happens next!!
Profile Image for Kathi Defranc.
1,182 reviews498 followers
July 23, 2022
Life Shatters For A Young Man, With Only Finding His Daughter Keeping Him On The Go

A favorite author is back with a bang! John Medford gives us the start of an exciting new series with 'Never Go Back', introducing us to Jack Whitfield. Jack is a regular guy with a wife he adores and a five year old daughter he will do anything for. He returns home from work to find his wife dead and daughter missing, his life shattered and he must follow instructions from one man if to have any chance of seeing his daughter again! The action proceeds at an amazing pace as Jack enters the world of espionage, which he knows nothing about. He is trying to find a girl, her rescue releasing his daughter, Maddie, back to him. There are surprising characters, both good and bad, twists and shocking moments at every turn, and just plain old Jack, doing his best in unknown situations, wanting revenge but wanting his daughter back with him more. Willing to do whatever he can to make that happen!
A rollicking new thriller that grabs hold of you immediately to go with Jack on a wild journey, holding on tight to help him get his daughter back. I can't wait to see what happens next!!!
Profile Image for Sean Peters  (A Good Thriller).
824 reviews116 followers
July 27, 2024
The day they took Jack’s family…

…his world was turned upside down.

Can he find the girl in time to save his wife and child?

Jack was living a charmed life. A former Olympic track athlete, Jack settled with his family in small-town Tennessee, running his own small CPA firm. A fairy tale.

Until they made him a pawn.

His only chance is to unravel the plot and figure out their next move.

Does Hong Kong hold all the secrets?

As the clock ticks, the shadowy group seems to be pulling the strings in an international puzzle that has heads of state ready to do the unthinkable.

Can Jack afford to wait for a mistake?

Or will he have to create his own solution?

The first Jack Whitfield thriller, because one adventure leads to another, and the surprising twists will keep you guessing until the last page.

A first in the series, first by the author, but found this to be confusing, slow and heavy going, not gripping, in fact I finished the book without knowing !

So only three stars from me, idea good, characters okay.
Profile Image for Toni Osborne.
1,603 reviews52 followers
May 6, 2023
Jack Whitfied Thriller Book# 1

Mr. Mefford updated (rejuvenated) his Jack Whitfield series one that previously included 3 exciting books under the titles: “Never go back”, “Never say Die”, and “Now or Never”. He has included these books as parts in his new book “Barracuda “ along with a fourth part giving us a meaty book of 1000 pages to enjoy. He is still not finish with his protagonist... ”The Enemy Within “coming out later this year. I simply can wait to get a hold of it...

In the four parts, Jack must complete four missions for a shadowy group who controls his every movement. He must operate in foreign lands where he will be forced to manipulate people, blackmail and even kill. He cannot fail his missions the stake is too high...the lives of family and taking down the brokers behind this enigmatic organization.

Even if I read in the past the first three books I still was held captive with the intense suspense that never let go, the fourth parts is even more exciting. We find a narrative that is very visual and descriptive what a nail biting experience following Jack’s every move. His missions have many twists and turns, betrayals, attempts on his life as he faces more than one rough situation.

This is one massive roller coaster ride and a must for anyone enjoying a dynamic (hot) story.

Mr. Mefford you are an ace, thank you.
Profile Image for Toni Osborne.
1,603 reviews52 followers
July 16, 2022
Jack Whitfield series book #1

What a change in style Mr. Mefford gave us with his debut espionage thriller. With its relentless pacing and unexpected twists this action packed drama has definitely aroused my curiosity and interest from the opening page till I flipped the last one. In “Never Go Back” we are taking into the gritty world of industrial espionage and human trafficking.

It has been some time since Mr. Mefford added a book to his collection it was a long pause for us his long-time fans but the wait was well worth it. He has come back better than ever and has giving us one of those exciting hard to put down story. Yes a new character in Jack Whitfield, a man force to rescue a girl half a world away after his idyllic life was shattered and his daughter kidnapped. Jack is off to Macau, China on his mission to find Cai Chen. Now in a foreign theater Jack faces very bad actors even worse, the group he represents operates without any morals. Turned into a spy, Jack new persona talks with a British accent and knows the basic of mission tactics. Following him on his mission we have many twists and turns, betrayals, attempts on his life and more than one rough situation.

For those who like action, lot of suspense a great plot and a bunch of great characters you will be a contented with this one. Mr. Mefford outdid himself in style and flair....

Thank you Mr. Mefford and welcome back.
Profile Image for Gary.
38 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2023
Jack Whitfield, is the action hero in this thrilling In Mefford read. This carries you to several locations across the US, Europe, Asia back to the US, then Europe again several times. Jack's travels were to get his life and daughter back.
Jack has many near death episodes.. Be is consistently hounded by assassins, trying to stop him from completing his missions.
Jack meets several new close friends and has to depend in them many times through his journey. Jack has to stay on the run from almost t the start until the end of this 1000+ pages, almost everyone with another twist or turn.

Of you like a great thriller, I highly recommend the book.
460 reviews2 followers
July 10, 2023
This compilation of four stories featuring Jack Whitfield is an ARC from the author, and, I gotta tell you, is a tense, thrilling ride! Jack finds himself in a very scary bind where he's being forced to do the bidding of some very questionable organization and his motivation is that his wife and daughter are being held captive until he completes his mission. The only problem? Jack's hell doesn't end with the completed mission. Now he has three more missions. AND, as an added motivation, Jack has been injected with a poisoned capsule that will be activated if he fails or tries to remove the capsule.

Jack's missions take him nearly all over the world and place him in seemingly impossible circumstances. But Jack manages to succeed in each mission. But Jack is troubled as to why these things need to be done. That answer will amaze you when you finally get to the end of part four. For me, part four makes the whole composition worth it.
218 reviews3 followers
May 9, 2023
All I can say is Wow! This is the start of a new Series and the author has combined the first four Books into one. The story is incredibly unusual. You are immediately thrown into CPA Jack Whitfield’s terrible family disaster and you have no idea what is happening and why. Jack is submersed in terrorism, human trafficking, cybercrime, and an attempt to start a war between two countries. It is impossible to describe the actions of the characters Jack interacts with without giving away much of the story, so I feel that I am only able to describe the presentation of the start of this Series. Each of the four parts is a Book by itself, and the story “almost” completes a wild adventure within each Book; then you are thrown right into the next Book. Of course the reader has to keep reading and reading since now you’re trapped into the insane undertakings with Jack. Fortunately, at the very end of Book 4 you are able to breathe; the author has given what I feel is an extremely satisfactory conclusion, and the introduction to the next novels in the series. John Mefford is such a talented author. I have read every single one of his series and it has been worth the time. As he noted in the beginning, this book is a re-write of the first books in this new series. When they were presented separately, and I read them, the story was so complex that it was very difficult to put it together. Now that they are all together, you are on a roll and can’t stop. Really looking forward to the next in this series.
493 reviews1 follower
April 15, 2023
Whew! What an unstoppable whirlwind! Incredible. What cruel, formidable enemies! This is one massive, unforgettable roller coaster ride!! I have to take a few minutes to catch my breath!

This has really been amped up from a tricycle to a ducati in just a few seconds. A VERY adventurous undertaking!!!

I received a review copy of this massive tome for an honest review. Charge ahead and be ready for the ride of your life. Highly recommended, especially for those with seat belts in their favorite reading chair!!
3,970 reviews14 followers
May 4, 2023
( Format : e-book )
"Kidnapped "
Don't be deterred by the size of this volume: if you like action packed adventure are in for a wild ride. As a long time fan of Mr.Mefford's books, I was still surprised by the intensity of the writing as Jack battles against the odds for the survival and return of his kidnapped daughter. Not knowing by whom or why he was chosen, he faces near impossible tasks to complete around the world..
It is a must for anyone enjoying high octane super thrillers.
154 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2024
Jack Whitfield was living a charmed life,settled with his family in small-town Tennessee, running his own small CPA firm. Then one day his wife and daughter were kidnapped? He was contacted by someone to find a girl if he ever wanted to see his family again.
So he is off find the girl traveling all around, different countries to get her back to save his family.
Fast moving, and lots of action to keep you reading. Looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for R Moltzon.
118 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2024
In looking at other reviews, I guess I'm an outlier but I found very little to recommend this book. Perhaps it gets good reviews because there is a lot of action but almost all of it is unbelievable. The plot is preposterous and the author employs purple prose throughout to describe the protagonist's internal dialogue, which is not only laughable at times, but a turnoff. I won't be reading any more of Mefford's work.
97 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2023
Simon group has jack jumping through hoops. This book is 4 stories in 1 book. Jack is trying to figure out who is behind Simon but he’s not having much luck. They have him traveling all over to do their bidding. Keeping his family safe has become a project so he called for help. Now if he can just get through the next mission. A good read I think you’ll enjoy it.
Profile Image for Will Decker.
Author 23 books17 followers
July 26, 2024
The writing style didn't really work for me even though there is a good story here. The characters are too convenient to be believable and the ending felt rushed. Somewhere in the middle of the story I had to take a break and read another novel before coming back to finish this one. For a simple thriller, this one will do in a pinch. But Jack Whitfield is definitely not Jack Reacher.
205 reviews
May 12, 2023
WOW! An action, packed thriller! The action Never Stopped! Jack Whitfield was All over the place! Tennessee, Texas, China, Egypt, Poland, Washington DC! This book keeps one moving! If you want a Thriller this is it! I received this book for an honest review and this is it. Read it!
84 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2023
John Mefford has found his calling with the Jack Whitfield thrillers. I have been a member of his ARC group from the beginning and this is his wildest ride ever. I cannot wait to see how Jack Whitfield progresses with his new cloak and dagger group.
138 reviews
June 2, 2023
interesting book

I liked this book and the characters in it. The adventures. Drama and intrigue.
This one drawback was the length of the book. In the end it was well worth the read.
Profile Image for Mary Rowe.
2,622 reviews8 followers
June 3, 2023
what a ride!

Best of the best of the fantastical super-secret-agent genre; less humor than Randy Wayne White’s Doc Ford, and a bit more bloodshed.

I think think the word I want is “potboiler” but my brain is too fried to look it ip.
130 reviews1 follower
July 9, 2023
A good read

A long read, but a good read. It felt as if it was 3 books joined together, maybe it was... The action was nonstop, in Hong Kong, Cairo, Poland, Libya, and elsewhere. And a terrific beginning to what is likely to be a long series.
67 reviews
February 15, 2024
A man will do anything to save his wife and child

Jack defies the odds in his pursuit to find and rescue the girl that his captors of his family wants. Great read and introduction to Jack. Looking forward to the next book.
10 reviews1 follower
July 15, 2024
Awful although the description seems to be for several books rather than just the one I read. Unless the book has been entirely rewritten then I can't understand how anyone can give this a good review.
100 reviews
October 1, 2024
Short story after main should've been start of Barracuda. Story didn't explain how Jack got into the predicament. New characters introduced early made no sense as to belieability.
I won't continue with this character nor author.
Profile Image for Alan   Brown.
73 reviews
November 26, 2024
Heart stopping and heartbreaking

I immediately took a liking to the main character and felt for him as he dealt the weekly insurmountable challenges in the James Bond like tale which for him is more like James Bondage.
28 reviews1 follower
August 12, 2023
Barracuda.

Great story Lots of twists and turns. A little long but I couldn't put it down. Thx. What's the next chapter? Haha
47 reviews2 followers
July 25, 2024
Good Read

Intrigue , mystery and plenty of action. An amateur who is blackmailed into taking on the worst kind of people in order to save his family. A really good read .
697 reviews4 followers
August 16, 2024
I interesting twist

Jack leads a double life, maybe triple. He gets plenty of opportunities to show his stuff and puts down the bad guys.
842 reviews7 followers
November 26, 2024
Entertaining

This book was great to read. I loved the plot twists and turns. It was engaging and I kept wondering what could possibly happen next.
203 reviews6 followers
July 29, 2022
Disappointing

Network's previous series had me hanging on every book. His characters were unique and their antics unpredictable. But his latest foray in thriller/espionage/mystery has proven itself unreadable for me. He thinks he's invented his ultimate hero, Jack Whitfield, but his plot has so many holes in it in the first 10%of the book that I lost interest amd , try as I might, can't seem to regain it.

With no clue about who this guy is, or what life is like, his wife is killed, his daughter kidnapped and he blindly follows I instructions attempting to get her back. No remorse for his wife. No thoughts about how is old life is torn to shreds, he's tattooed up, given a new identity and sent off on some sort of mission but not knowing what's real. People are killed, a beautiful woman who may be a Chinese government agent appears, there's suddenly human trafficking and drugs and that was where I had to stop.

Honestly, it seems as though Medford took a bunch of plotlnes, there them in a blender and not start, all before establishing who his protagonist is. I wasn't up for slogging through all the improbabilities. I may be a lone voice among Mefford's readers, but that's what occurred for me.
84 reviews1 follower
July 6, 2022
Read this new venture by John Mefford as an ARC. It was tough to put down as I kept wanting to see what happens next to our new international hero, Jack Whitfield.
A roller coaster ride that started out with our hero facing the horrific murder of his wife and the kidnapping of his young daughter. Tasked with finding a mystery girl in the far east to save his daughter, Jack runs into one roadblock after another and picks up an unexpected ally along the way. When finding the girl turns out to be not enough for the return of his daughter, Jack is led on a new chase in the hope of getting his daughter back safely.
I can't wait for the next adventure in this series and appreciate the effort that the Author put in to start a whole new genre for him. Highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews

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