I loved this book! I'm not usually a big reader, and despite always wanting to read... I generally get bogged down and lose interest early on. Not with this. I was hooked immediately and invested in all of the characters! Loved it

4.5 rounded up Saint Thérèse, Caribbean. It’s the last day of Luke and Rose Millers’ honeymoon and as he treads the white sand he appreciates normality will arrive all too soon. He’s so relaxed and he’s seen an improvement in Rose in the first few days as she rarely feels safe. However, he also reflects that over the last couple of days something is off kilter, she appears desolate, further thought brings the realisation that she’s actually terrified. He returns to the hotel to talk to her and she says she can’t go home. He’s dead. Who is dead? What’s worse apparently the body is in their London apartment. Luke turns to Mickey Sheils for help, she promises she will despite never expecting to hear from him again. Has Mickey promised the impossible? The story is told in the present day in Saint Thérèse and in several timelines in London and Donegal, Ireland which flows well. Let’s establish from the start that I love Jo Spain’s novels! As per usual she effortlessly pulls me into the storyline which starts with several wows as the desperate tension is palpable almost immediately. The terror of Rose and the shock that Luke feels at the situation they find themselves in makes for compelling and immersive reading in a plot that’s constantly on the move. I really like the multilayered way the author chooses to tell this story as she makes you feel the dread and trepidation, to wince at some of the madness of decisions but also to feel sympathy and understanding. It’s edgy, twitchy, characters are spooked and vulnerable, on more than one occasion in great danger and clearly not processing rationally. The tension builds to holding your breath levels and thankfully the release with some backtracking to add to your understanding or perhaps not!! On more than one occasion you are left in suspense until the next bombshell drops. The unpredictable plot is clever as it keeps you guessing often wrongly (!), the pace is spot on and of course as this is Jo Spain, there are some excellent jaw dropper twists and I might, just might, have uttered the odd naughty in shock! There are secrets in abundance with situations you don’t see coming some of which end disastrously. The characterisation is excellent, you realise some are not entirely what they seem so your feelings fluctuate which is very enjoyable. You are full of questions about what some of them are up to which is very intriguing. I love Mickey, she’s someone you would want on your side and she sure goes an extra mile. Others are stand up guys like Detective Marcel Alleyne in Saint Thérèse who is immensely likeable and fair whilst others are devious, vicious and evil. Overall, this novel takes you on a journey of unforeseen causes and outcomes with the ending dovetailing the plot strands well. There’s everything from love and courage to fear and violence, from humiliation to tragedy and everything in between. It’s another winner for me as it keeps me glued to the pages and often perched on the edge of my seat. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars rounded up. For one week, everything in Luke Miller's life is perfect. Surprised with a belated honeymoon by his wife, rose, He's had seven days with her in a Caribbean paradise. It's more than he ever thought he'd deserve. But as they pack their bags, Rose breaks down. confessing that on the day they left London, a violent man from her past tracked her down and broke into their home. He wasn't expecting her to fight back. And in her terror, Rose killed him. Now there's a dead body in Luke's apartment and only one person he can think to turn to. What a cleverly crafted plot this book has. This is one dark and twisted read. Just when you think you have it all worked out, off in a different direction we go. This story goes between the Caribbean, Donegal and London and it's told over different timelines. Its action packed but easy to follow. With strong. well-rounded characters, Mickey was definitely my favourite. This is an addictive book to read. You'll hear yourself saying just one more chapter, but one chapter won't be enough. I would like to thank #NetGalley #QuercusBooks and the author #JoSpain for my ARC of #Don'tLookBack in exchange for an honest review.

Luke and Rose Miller have a whirlwind romance and decide to get married, but they never planned a honeymoon. So, Wife Rose decides to surprise Luke with a holiday to the Caribbean Island of Saint Therese. They enjoy their holiday on the beautiful island with it white sandy beaches and the last day Rose has a confession that she can’t go home to her apartment as she killed someone and left there body in the apartment. Luke is shocked but he is so much in love with Rose that he will do anything for her. But before they leave their own life behind, he needs something from his safe. So, he asks his old friend Mikey to grab something from the safe. Mikey helps women from abusive relationships escape from their partners and helps them set up new lives. The pair have history but will help him. But when she gets there, she is shocked to find no body. Did Rose really kill Kevin or was he just injured and he is now gone? Don’t look back by Jo Spain is the first book from the author that I have read, and it won’t be my last. I really enjoyed this well-paced thriller, with lots of twists and turns. I found this to be a unique, cleverly written tale about one couple that each of them have secrets to hide and other seeking revenge on them, which doesn’t come clear to the very end. I was engrossed so much in this book I read this in a day. This is and great read. 5 stars from me.

“The day we left. Before I collected you from work. I killed somebody… There’s a dead body in our apartment.” Don’t Look Back is the sixth stand-alone novel by Irish author, Jo Spain. Towards the end of a surprise week on a Caribbean Island with his wife of just three months, Luke Miller discovers the reason for her reluctance to return to London. What do you do when your wife has accidentally killed a man and his body is lying in your apartment in a different country? Luke loves Rose Gillespie and will do anything to keep her safe. Truly, anything at all. If that means abandoning his life and going into hiding with Rose, that’s what he will do. So he contacts the one person he knows he can trust, Mickey Shiels. Their history means that she has every right to refuse to help. But Rose was once an abused wife, and that’s Mickey’s speciality. Much more can’t be revealed without spoilers. Suffice it to say that each time the reader feels they have a handle on things, Spain throws in another wrinkle, another twist, another surprise that will keep the reader fully engaged all the way to the last page. The narratives from multiple perspectives fill in the events that lead to this intriguing situation, and its aftermath. Spain’s characters are interesting and mostly appealing for all their very human flaws. Their dialogue and actions are credible, not requiring much suspension of disbelief. It doesn’t hurt that parts of this tightly plotted tale are blackly funny. Set aside a day: once you start this, you won’t want to put it down. Gripping crime fiction. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Quercus.