I was a big fan of The Last Thing He Told Me (both book and TV show!) and was excited to read this latest offering from Laura Dave. The Night We Lost Him is another beautifully written slow burn mystery about family secrets that will keep you turning the pages. I enjoyed the past and present telling of the story and the evocative setting. Recommended!

I found this a very slow going book and had guessed the end within the first couple of chapters. While I really liked the plot, a lot of nothing happened in the middle.

Estranged siblings Nora and Sam are reunited when their self-made property-tycoon father dies suddenly. The Night We Lost Him sees them work together to find out the truth, as the present runs parallel alongside a decades-old love story.

I found this book full of characters making questionable decisions that give the story a sense of suspicion, with the actions of the more ‘innocent’ characters undermining their own integrity.

I liked Nora and Sam’s relationship and enjoyed seeing it develop. I wasn’t completely convinced by the romantic relationships in the book and found the ‘will they, won’t they?’ trope a bit repetitive and frustrating. Overall, a solid thriller. I liked the flow of the book and thought the different timelines worked well to build the story. Plus extra points for the twist at the end that hid in plain sight.

Firstly i did not think of this as a love story nor a thriller but it really developed relationships that were all mixed up. I did find that it was a read that I had to keep on with as I wanted to know whether Liam had commited suicide or if he was murdered.It took me a while to follow all the characters and the time lines which set the scenes so well but were not easy to always follow. Having lived in Californi for nearly 10 years a long time ago it gave me lots of lovely memories of the scenery that was being described but to some people the descriptions could be too much. The plot was really good and I enjoyed tthe book a lot. The story has a love story base but the mixed up family relationships hide quite a bit of that which is why the background chapters are so good in setting the scenes and the characters. The twit at the end was just a wonderful ending and all my attempts to discover the ending were totally wrong. A well written book

Liam Noone, hotel magnate, fell from a cliff and died. Police say accident but his kids suspect foul-play; so this is a murder-mystery? Or, perhaps not! Fifty-one years ago, Liam Noone, college bound student, fell in love with Cory McCarthy and they loved each other until her recent death; so this is a love story? Or, perhaps, not!
Liam fell from the cliff on the edge of his property in California. He had owned this land for forty years and was totally familiar with it, so it is hard to believe that he would have fallen by accident. The body was found simultaneously by a couple walking their dog and by a passing jogger. No attempt seems to have been made to trace the latter. Liam’s daughter, Nora, and her half-brother, Sam, investigate his death, uncovering many facts of which they had had no inkling. Liam had been married three times, and Nora was his first born, with his first wife, while Sam was one of the twins born to his second wife. He had no children with his third wife. None of these wives was Cory.
The story of the investigation is told by Nora, with intercalated episodes describing the relationship between Liam and Cory. It is very well written, heavy on emotion and philosophical about love in its many forms. For a murder-mystery reader, it feels too much like a romantic, family history; and probably vice versa. I think the plot of the murder is flawed from the start, but, allowing for that, there is quite an interesting twist. I think the plot of the romance is hard to believe. It’s a good, if a bit slow paced, read, for anyone with time to kill and not very analytical.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I am so unsure of this book. It took me quite a while to get into it and really I don't think I enjoyed much of it bar the last 20%. It felt very slow and uninteresting at points which was a shame as the concept sounded very good. There were also soooo many characters and I didn't care for any of them. I couldn't find Cory and Liam's story to be romantic at all like ??? He was doing all that whilst being married and having kids with other women ??? I know its meant to be one that got away vibes but I didn't enjoy it at all.

Nora was also mildly irritating throughout. My least favourite thing was the parts in which she unnecessarily describes her architectural projects which literally give nothing to the story. Maybe its just me being unfamiliar with the locations she was describing but I found it very unrelatable and really took away from the main plot of the story.

Speaking of plot, it did feel a bit repetitive at times with the characters constantly going back and forth, hitting dead ends, having inspirational conversations with each other that ultimately just ended depressingly every time. Even the flashback scenes were repetitive, not really revealing much about how things have changed over the years (because... they hadn't. Liam was constantly getting remarried, Cory was always responding with the same humour, neither of them ever questioning what was going on with their relationship without tensions rising). I did find the pace picking up towards the end of the book though as the final discoveries were made.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy the authors writing style or the characters so much within this book - however, I did like the plot to an extent when it was actually focused on finding out what happened to Liam and not pointless side missions.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for this arc <3

**All opinions are my own !!**

Out of the blue, Nora's stepbrother, Sam, unexpectedly arrives at a house Nora, who is an architect, is considering renovating with a client, who happens to be Sam's fiancée. It becomes evident that this encounter was planned to allow Sam to speak with Nora in person. Sam firmly believes that their father's death a few weeks before, was not an accident and persuades Nora to accompany him to their father's vacation cottage, Windbreak, situated on the cliffside at Loon Point. This location held a unique and profound importance for their father. It served as a sacred haven, a place of refuge. Here, he sought solitude, a sanctuary where he could simply be himself.

There are some concerns regarding the investigation into Liam's unfortunate passing. It appears that the police may be accepting the circumstances at face value without conducting a thorough investigation. One individual who discovered the body has not provided a statement, and this omission has not been addressed.
Soon, Nora begins questioning her father's death as well. There are simply too many inconsistencies that do not add up, such as his missing cellphone.

Could his death be related to his past, and how well did they truly understand and know their father?

"If you are looking for answers you cant find, you need to change the question."

Another excellent book by Laura Dave that truly encourages introspection on life and the decisions we make.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

In this new novel from Laura Dave, Nora and Sam, estranged siblings, join forces to investigate suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of their father. I found this very readable with some good red herrings. The characters were reasonably interesting too. I felt I couldn't get to grips with the impossible romance at the centre of the story - as in why they couldn't actually be together. And I suppose generally the back story was a little underdeveloped. Nevertheless an enjoyable read by an interesting writer.

This is a slow-burn thriller, in which a woman, Nora, and her estranged half brother, Sam, try to find out what has happened to their father, who has died in a fall from a cliff at his favourite ocean retreat.
We know someone pushed him, because it’s in the prologue, but it takes much of the book to find out about the dad’s secrets and what led to his death.
Alongside this murder mystery we see a better understanding developing between the siblings, and we also learn why their father has never fully committed to anyone, except perhaps one person. I found the concept behind this secret a difficult one to grasp, and although the book suggests it’s a great love story, I found myself a bit annoyed with both protagonists. That being said, this is a beautifully written book, and shows good emotional development of the characters, and it ends in a very hopeful fashion.
An enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley for the reading opportunity.

This is a novel about grief, family secrets, a brother and sister, with a mystery attached. It was set between the past and the present, was character driven but apart from Nora, I just failed to empathise with any of the characters. The pace was slow throughout, it failed to keep my interest but the twist at the end was the saving grace in the novel for me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This was a mystery book but in some ways it was more of a family story about two half siblings struggling to cope with the loss of their father.
When hotel magnate, Liam, is found at the bottom of a cliff near his Californian coastal retreat, the local police close the case as an unfortunate accident.
His daughter, Nora, is already grieving the loss of her mother, his ex wife and Liam’s death just adds to her sadness.
When Sam, her brother appears unexpectedly, claiming their father was pushed, Nora is not keen to get involved but in the end agrees to help.
This is more a study of grief and lost love rather than a proper mystery. The characters were well developed, particularly Nora, who narrates a lot of the story.
There is some resolution at the end but I confess I could barely remember the person involved who had played little part in the plot.
I would say that this is a reasonably enjoyable read, if somewhat slow moving. It did hold my attention and I was still invested enough to read to the end to see how it panned out.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

I did enjoy this book - it wasn't as gripping as others books I've read and I didn't find myself unable to put it down but I do enjoy a 'hidden secrets' and 'unlocking the past' type of vibe.
I really liked the mix of timelines and the flashback sequences as well and learning more about the past and how it helped solve the mystery.

Overall I did enjoy this book and did want to finish it to see how it all ended - I do think it was a satisfying ending and an enjoyable read.

I struggled with this book more than usual. The plot is very slow paced and it wasn't really a thriller as I was expecting. I found my thoughts drifting a lot. That's just my personal opinion. I am sure it will be to many others tastes. I am still awarding three stars as it is very well written. The storyline just wasn't for me and I didn't remain engaged.

Secrets always come out, even when you do not know there are any secrets. This is a great story and will keep you turning those pages all night. Another best-selling author who you need to get on your reading list.

Laura Dave's latest mystery is more of slow burn family drama that drew me in with its focus on the complicated life of the recently deceased Liam Noone, the power behind well known global resorts and hotels, with a cliff side Californian cottage, Windbreak, the place where he fell and lost his life, his death ruled accidental. But did people really know him? His career was successful, he had 3 ex-wives, 3 children from his marriages. Liam was close to Nora through time, but his eldest daughter felt something had changed in him in recent months. When she meets her half brother, Sam, whom she did not really know, he is convinced that their father's fall was not accidental, that he had in fact been pushed, she is reluctant to give credence to his beliefs.

However, as she flies from New York to California, Nora's stance begins to shift as they begin to delve beneath the surface of the hotel magnate Liam's life and death, there are twists and turns, only to find themselves uncovering a surprising secret he had kept for 51 years The narrative moves from the past, viewed from Liam's perspective, to the present. This is a story of love and romance, an emotional quagmire of emotions, conflict, dysfunctional families, sibling relationships, a Nora and Sam with their own challenges and issues, heartbreak and grief.

Whilst this was not as good as Dave's previous novel, The Last Thing He Told Me, I still found this a well written, thought provoking, and engaging read, about what it is to be human, and with developments in characters that kept me immersed in the story. However, some fans and readers may well be disappointed because this is sold as a thriller, which is not really the case, I myself was surprised by the true nature of the book, but found it fine after I had settled into it. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Maybe my expectations were too high and this might be one of the reasons I didn't enjoy the book as much as I expected it. It is very slow paced for a mystery and I couldn't warm to the characters at all.

Excellent read. Well written, a good storyline and a plot that was intriguing until the end. What else do you need in a good story. Yes It’’s a family drama surrounding a suspicious death which in my opinion classes it as thriller..

I loved Nora’s character and I really enjoyed this book. It took me a little while to get into but overall I really enjoyed it and found it to be an easy read.

Thank you NetGalley for this EARC.

After Nora and Sam’s father dies in an accident at his house, they become suspicious that there was foul play, leading them to delve into their father’s life. After speaking to their other brother, uncle, company employees, house staff, forensic pathologists, etc., they try to piece together what their father had been hiding and what led him to be on the cliff at Windbreak that night, and whom, if anyone, was with him. The police say it was an accident, but Nora and Sam believe otherwise and won’t stop until they have their answers.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book a great mystery/family drama. I loved the alternating between the two timelines of up to 50 years ago and present time; it gives you a good look at the whole picture and a deep insight into Liam’s life. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Nora and Sam as they develop their relationship, which was quite estranged before their father’s death. Great paced book, glad it wasn’t too rushed and every revelation was timed to perfection!

Personally this book was not my cup of tea. The initial concern was the incredibly slow pace of the story.I was expecting at some point the pace would pick up, nope it continued the same till the end. It didn't give me a feel of thriller, it was kind of family drama and romance. I thank Net galley for eARC copy.