Nora has been feeling lost since the death of her father a month previously. When her younger half brother Sam turns up and asks her to help him investigate the death she's torn. She's never been close with her siblings and now seems a strange time to start. However she finds herself on a flight to California and the cliff top home her father loved, which is now hers. Did Liam fall or was he pushed? We follow Liam's story from high school to his death meeting more characters along the way. The twist was not at all what I was expecting. An interesting story of life and family. #netgalley #thenightwelosthim

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave

Nora is an architect who lives with her boyfriend who works as a chef. Nora’s way of designing a house focuses entirely on the well-being of the people who live there and lately she’d been considering a way of re—designing her father’s home, that was until his recent sudden death. The official version is he fell from the cliffs at his cottage on the pacific coast. This was the place he felt most at home and it was only a small cottage that he’d kept in its original state unlike the mega mansions that surrounded him. He always wanted it to remain the same as when he first saw it. Nora can’t believe he would have fallen. He knew every inch of that property, including the grounds. The alternative is even more unthinkable, she can’t imagine her father ever committing suicide. Her misgivings have stayed running around in her head until her brother Sam starts asking questions and begs her to help him look into it. Nora has always been responsible and inclined to put work before everything else, but something tells her to drop everything and go with Sam.

Their father Liam has had a chequered past when it comes to relationships, in fact Nora and Sam have different mothers. In between his children’s search we delve into the past and a relationship it seems nobody knew about. Here we read about his history with a woman called Cody that reaches back into his teens. It begins as a friendship but becomes so much more. They’re clearly in love, but the time never seems quite right. I felt that Cody was elusive, always ready with a ream of excuses about why it wasn’t right including the fact they’re ok as they are and don’t need a piece of paper to legitimise how they feel. However, for Liam it clearly does matter, he just wants to live in the open with the woman he loves. Liam has kept all of his other relationships very separate, including his children so not only are Nora and Sam discovering the truth about their father, they’re discovering each other. Nora also has complication in her own relationships, unsure about boyfriend Jack and still in contact with her ex.

I would describe this as a family drama rather than thriller because it doesn’t have those fast paced twists and turns we might expect. I found myself more intrigued by the romance aspect of who Liam’s secret woman was rather than how he died or who killed him. I was also interested in Nora and Sam and their developing relationship as they haven’t spent this much time together before. The effect of their quest on Nora and how she grows emotionally through the novel is the other well written part. Their journey works on her in a similar way to a counselling process, she sees her family members in a different light and becomes much more self-aware. I love people’s emotional lives and how the way they’ve been parented effects them. For their father Liam to have married Nora and Sam’s mothers, all the while loving someone else, must have the way he related to his wives and children. Why not be together? Or are they a couple who have endured simply because their relationship is full of captured moments and interludes? Ordinary life and the mundane day to day routine can bleed the romance from a relationship. Staying the course is what a commitment like marriage is about, accepting there will be bad times along the way. Did Cody know that Liam wasn’t able to sustain a long term relationship? Or was this inability to stay with one woman because he was in love with Cody? There were slower sections where I wasn’t as engaged with the story but it was these psychological insights and character development kept me reading, plus the ending was satisfying when it came.

I love how I can get completely lost in a Laura Dave thriller without feeling super stressed, I was just desperate to turn the pages.

The Night We Lost Him was about disconnected siblings and the loss of their beloved father. The key protagonists were Nora and Sam, two estranged siblings who began to suspect their father's death was not straight forward. Liam, their father, wasn't exactly husband of the year but he was a caring dad.

Through regular but brief flashbacks from Liam's early adulthood, a story of connection to a woman was revealed but it took until the last 10% of the story for me to really piece this together. When the big reveal came, I had to go back and reread a few pages, thinking I'd misunderstood but all while suspecting that Dave was twisting me all up... she was.

I romped through this story of relationships and I enjoyed the lower thriller stakes it brought. Somehow, it was also full of emotion. The length of the story was just right. I'll always pick this author's books, they deliver that shorter thrilling ride.

Thank you to Century Books for the eARC.

Great read, I will be looking out for this author in the future. It is more of a slow paced mystery than I am used to but for those who love a slow burn this will be perfect.

This book was hard to get into at first then it became a book about family and the death of a father the stories of the children and his they go about looking into his death I would have preferred a more suspenseful thriller but I will try another of this author books but this one really wasn’t for me

I loved this book it was such a great read. Things the first from this author and I’ll be reading more in future.

Laura Dave’s The Night We Lost Him is a masterful blend of suspense and emotional depth. With her signature compelling prose, Dave weaves a gripping story about love, loss, and the secrets that bind us. The characters feel authentic, and the twists kept me hooked until the very end. It’s a thought-provoking and addictive read that will linger with you long after the final page. A must-read for fans of domestic thrillers with heart!

This dual timeline family drama centres around the mystery of Nora’s fathers sudden death.
The plot and pacing hit the mark for me, but it felt like reading a script for a more wholesome version of Succession than an engaging mystery.

I felt as though there was so much potential for a setting to be so prominent that it’s almost a character, it felt that we were halfway there with her fathers cottage, but it didn’t quite get there for me. There wasn’t enough description or build up in atmosphere to give any of the settings real presence in my mind.
A lot of it fell quite flat for me, I found myself getting confused between the large cast of family members and friends as I couldn’t quite picture them all.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the publishers for issuing me with a free Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting idea for a storyline.

Nora Noone and her stepbrother Sam Noone have never been close, that is, until their father dies under mysterious circumstances at his home on the edge of a cliff situated in Central California Coast.

Sam is convinced that their father was murdered. The police have written off his death as a fall. Yet the siblings know how careful their father was about getting too close to the edge of the cliff.

They agree to travel to California to see if they can allay their fears of murder. This journey to try to uncover the reason of their father’s death is going to open boxes of secrets about Liam Samuel Noone’s life that they and their other siblings were unaware of.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Laura Dave has given us a storyline that makes us, the readers, concentrate on how Nora and Sam tackle the puzzle of his death. How fractured family relationships can be overcome and how grief can take us to places we never expected to experience.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book from NetGalley to review.

I was late to the Laura Dave train last time, and I’m so happy I wasn’t this time. Her writing is just SO enjoyable, and the twisty turns she takes always takes me by surprise and she keeps me enthralled in the pages and not wanting to put it down

Family drama and mystery all rolled in to one.

Promising story at first involving a hotel businessman who suddenly dies falling off a cliff at his holiday home.

Suspicions mount with Sam and half sister Nora trying to solve the death/accident.

Bit slow at first and no real excitement for me. Possibly because I don't really like the timeline scenario.

Not quite a 4 I am afraid., but thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the chance to read and review..

Liam Noone is a rich property developer dies in mysterious circumstances. Married three times. A daughter with first wife, two boys from his second and a girl from his third marriage. The official verdict is that it was due to him having fallen. Nora receives a visit from her half brother Sam. Sam is convinced that it wasn’t an accident. And so begins an intriguing story of their search for the truth. A truth that no one seems to want to discuss. The storyline slowly reveals the story of Liam and the secrets that he never wanted to reveal to his family. This kept me inter3st from start to finish. A satisfying tale of complicate£ family relationships, love and loyalty.

This is not an easy book to review. It is very well written, with the premise of Sam and Norah, half- siblings, trying to find out how their father died and what his state of mind was at the time. Their family history is extremely complicated and convoluted, their father having married three times, and having several offspring. Some of his children work in his highly successful company, some do not.
The writing style is very much ‘stream of consciousness’ when describing every scene, and every character’s thoughts, and the constant introspection became very wearing for this reader.
Norah and Sam chase around various family places in USA as they pursue their quest, but with much more enthusiasm than I had as I read about it. In the end, they did discover the ‘mystery’ surrounding their father’s death, and the reasons behind it. However for me, it was an anti- climax. Norah’s doubts and soul- searching about her possible future with her soul- mate Jack, her fiancé, were just irritating. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars from me.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

This is the first book iv read by Laura and I really enjoyed it. I like a duel timeline and the mystery of Cory and also Liam’s fall had me gripped all the way through. There was also the subplots of Nora’s and Sam’s relationships as well as their investigation. All equaled to a really good read and I would recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early copy.

A fascinating deep dive into a web of secrets that will keep readers guessing until the final page.

The mysteries at the heart of this novel are spellbinding, as Dave skillfully scatters breadcrumbs throughout the story. What initially seems like an unrelated series of events and relationships begins to come together in unexpected and satisfying ways. Each revelation adds to the growing tension and intrigue. The unravelling of the father’s mysterious past, intertwined with the shadows of his business dealings and personal relationships, forms the backbone of this gripping narrative.

The dynamic between Nora and her half-brother Sam adds a layer of emotional resonance. Their uneasy partnership is both clumsy and heartfelt, as they navigate their shared grief and fractured lives while unearthing truths about their father—and themselves. The other relationships are beautiful and heart-touching, and speak to a community filled with love and hope.

Dave’s storytelling is sharp, her pacing flawless, and the eventual twists and turns are so skillful.

Immediately this book drew me in to the drama and mystery, I had to keep reading as I was desperate to find out the truth!

The Night We Lost Him is part gentle mystery, part family drama, an unexpected and thoroughly immersive read.

The pacing is steady throughout, and relationships and secrets slowly unfold, building to the final reveal. The writing was descriptive and engaging, making for a highly compelling story. I loved the characters of Nora and Sam, as they learned more about their father and reflected on their own relationships.

A great read for anyone looking for mystery, complex family dynamics, and secrets taken to the grave.

Thank you Random House UK for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Nora has lost both her mother and father. Her half brother suspects that the death of their father is not what it seems. What evolves is a complex family web with nothing being as it seems. Really enjoyed this and would recommend

A good mystery to while away the long winter night. Two half sibling try to discover if their dads death was an accident or murder. Told in two different timeliness this book will grip you till the end. Good characters and well plotted. Thanks to Random house and Netgalley for this review ARC.

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave
I give this book 3.75 stars

A tragic accident or murder?
Nora and her half-brother Sam steam up to uncover the truth of what really happened that night.
But their relationship is about to be tested to the limit as they start to question how well either of them really knew their elusive father.
Unravelling his mysterious past takes them back to a world they knew nothing about and that other people would far rather stay buried...

I enjoyed this book and the mystery involved in the storyline, some romance,lots of secrets and family dynamics to delve into.There is a past present timeline narrative which I always love but I found this a little confusing at times as there’s a lot of characters to keep track of. It wasn’t quite the page turner I’d hoped for after reading The Last Thing He Told Me. I found this to be more of a family drama than a thriller. But with that in mind l liked the main characters Nora and Sam and I was kept guessing throughout.
With thanks to Netgalley, Laura Dave and Random House UK, Cornerstone | Century for my chance to read and review this book.