ŷ������

If you’ve ever been in love…lost a parent…or just feared losing one��The Night We Lost Him will hit you hard. More poignant family drama with a mystery edge than thriller, it was both deeply thought-provoking with a side of super slow burn suspense. Much of this was down to the two deftly interwoven timelines that took me across fifty years and two touching love stories that had this non-romance reader utterly flying through the pages. Together they told the tale of siblings reconciling the life their father once led through his long-buried secrets and deftly obscured lies.

The epitome of a character-driven novel, I was quickly swept up by all those involved. After all, I could feel the deep-seated pain that both siblings struggled with alongside their inherent dysfunctional family dynamic. The most striking piece of all, though, was Nora’s impressive character arc. It was as though I followed along on her trek through her grief until what can only be described as a soul-satisfying conclusion—both for her and for me.

I mustn’t forget the immersive mystery riding shotgun, however. With two first-class twists—neither of which I guessed—I was kept off balance while I also reveled in the slowly unwinding tale. Less of a whodunnit than I was expecting, it nevertheless created a driving desire to learn the whos, the whats, and the whys. And, boy, was I stunned when they were each finally revealed. The mystery, though, definitely took a backseat to the family drama and romance. Despite that, however, it was still an utter home run.

With Gilmore Girls-esque dialogue flow, and picture perfect settings, this nuanced tale came alive on the page. And while the suspense level was noticeably lower than in The Last Thing He Told Me, it still managed to keep me equally spellbound. After all, at just under 300 pages, I inhaled it in just a single sitting. Be prepared, though, to need a box of tissues nearby. Both soul-stirring and powerful, it was a leveler for sure. Rating of 4.5 stars.

SYNOPSIS:

Liam Noone was many things to many people. To the public, he was an exacting, self-made hotel magnate fleeing his past. To his three ex-wives, he was a loving albeit distant family man who kept his finances flush and his families carefully separated. To Nora, he was a father who often loved her from afar - notably a cliffside cottage perched on the California coast from which he fell to his death.   

The authorities rule the death accidental, but Nora and her estranged brother Sam have other ideas. As Nora and Sam form an uneasy alliance to unravel the mystery, they start putting together the pieces of their father's past—and uncover a family secret that changes everything.

Thank you to Laura Dave and Simon & Schuster/Marysue Rucci Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: September 17, 2024

Trigger warning: death of a parent