No Way Back (A Jack McNeal Thriller Book 1)

Product Information

I think it is a very nice book with an interesting story which I would highly recommend especially if you are interested in the history of England and Australia. Although this book is a diary it is written with a mixture of narrative and dialogue which you wouldn’t usually expect. It would be good if there was a follow up to tell her new life in Australia.

The ins and outs of all the characters were well written and credible, although I started to dislike some of Audrey's friends the more I read. Audrey took chances and enjoyed herself but felt guilty afterwards - why? Her friends didn't feel guilty about what they did!! I really liked the sound of Audrey's new man Daniel until he lost his temper with her and although he wasn't violent, I was worried for her. He kept on buying her designer footwear too, wish I could find a man like him ;) Audrey has a lovely support group of friends and family which hold many keys to this story . The sub-characters themselves experience many trials and tribulations in their own lives. Some of these moments in her friends lives were quite emotive, dealing with serious issues and the author dealt with these concerns in a sensitive manner.

A Note From the Publisher

Wendy and her husband, Dave, had a spat last night and are still not speaking. She is meeting up with her friend, Pam, in a bar to have some drinks and to talk about it. Pam is running late and Wendy starts chatting with Curtis, who is also at the bar. Pam texts that she can't make it after all and Wendy ends up in Curtis' hotel room. Before it goes too far, Wendy stops things and goes into the washroom to freshen up. While she's in there, she sees a man come into Curtis' room and shoot him. To save herself, Wendy shoots the guy and ends up on the run when she is blamed for the murders. Eleven-year-old Mary Wade is the oldest of seven children in a poor family living in London in 1789. Her father is usually away working, leaving her mother to care for the children alone. There is never enough money, and they are often cold and hungry. One day, hoping to help her mother, Mary makes a terrible decision that will change her life forever. With the help of her friend, Mary steals some clothing to sell. The next day, she is caught and arrested. At trial, she is convicted and sentenced to death, all for stealing a few pieces of clothing. These seemingly unrelated protagonists really have a lot more in common than you initially think. And eventually they will band together to take on the bad guys together... Wendy accepts his invitation to go up to his hotel room. Things get hot and heavy. But before any intercourse of any kind actually happens, Wendy snaps to reality and realizes that she can't have sex with this man. She's married and loves her husband. It is about a poor English girl called Mary Wade who makes a mistake and steals some clothes and ends up in the filthiest prison of London where she is awaiting death by hanging. However her sentence is later changed and she is sent in a huge ship to Australia as a prisoner, where she begins a new life.

This novel is about a married woman who recently had an argument with her husband. She goes to a bar and while there she meets a man. She heads up to his room for a one night stand. Before she knows it she is thrust into a conspiracy that has dire consequences for her. This is your basic thriller novel.

Audrey's home in London, where she meets Daniel again, he being the Cypriot developer her parents are working with, and the man whom she met in Cyprus one night where she drunkenly landed in his lap at the restaurant where she was dining with her parents. He was a savior of sorts when he turned in her lost Louboutin, and thinking of her as Cinderella. So when he sees Audrey again at her parents' home, he's smitten all over again and pursues her with intensity. His intensity is intoxicating to Audrey and they begin a whirlwind relationship. But, he's got secrets and when those secrets bite him in the ass, will Audrey stay strong and stand by this man she barely knows? Or will she do something stupid and get herself in trouble? explaining that yes, she was cheating on her husband but She's Not A Floozy (this is always the deciding factor that tips strangers in helping a wanted fugitive accused of double homicide; they start out wary but as soon as she assures them nothing penetrative happened, it was only kissing and heavy petting, it's all peachy (and yes, strangers who are confronted by a wanted fugitive possible murderer care more about the whole cheating situation than the murdering situation)) Audrey has vague recollections of the evening that preceded the hangover—a handsome man, a lost shoe, lots of dancing and drinking…and making a fool of herself. She’s mortified when Daniel, the man who’s lap she fell into, speaks to her as she spends her last day in Cyprus on the beach, telling her he handed her lost shoe to the manager of the restaurant. Wendy now on the run from the cops and feds, has to clear her name. She can do this because she worked as a cop for one year and also went to law school for a bit! I felt there was opportunity to have more books about sub characters as they had interesting things going on too.

There are two protagonists. Lauritzia's story is compelling and heartbreaking, and the only reason I gave this two stars instead of negative one hundred. Unfortunately, her story is only 1/10th of the book. The rest of the story is about Wendy. Finished Book 1 feeling ambivalent as to whether I will continue the series. I hoped the original direction of the book continued because the story depth had a quality that might have made the book a classic worth reading multiple times. However, that didn't happen. Instead, the story seemed to take themes from the litany of favorite movies the author cites as his favorites after the end of the book. Jane tries to set up Mary by stealing Mrs Barnsley’s ring. They never speak again. Sarah has Viola and Mary discovers that she is being used by her supposed friend. I am conflicted if this should be a 3 or 4 star book. I really enjoyed the story, but I did feel it was a bit slow at times. Overall I think a 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ review is appropriate. I am excited to read the next book in the series. The plot is decent and makes relative sense. It involves recent events and takes place in a logical, realistic world.The pieces start falling together at the end as to what's going on and I was happy with the ending for the most part. Not to give anything away, I wasn't buying the possible love connection that was hinted at, though. Really? It had only been four months. Mary is living in poverty where her mum has to do anything she can to just feed and house them. She finds herself stealing an apple to eat and asking how her mums got money when the wages that her dad sent home was very little. Mary says goodbye to England, after Mr Nicole finds her mums bible and tries to return it to her but they have moved on. Mary clings to it. She has some strange experiences on ship, she gets close to Sarah, Jane stops speaking to her, two babies are born and Mrs Barnsley has set herself up well.

I have no feelings for any of the characters. No matter how many bad things happen to them, I am not emotionally connected with them at all. Even though his protagonists are in these really horrible, stressful, devastating situations, I don't feel anxious or worried about them at all. And they don't act like I think people faced with this kind of life-destroying threat would act. I wasn't convinced, and Gross didn't make any of the characters human enough for me to care. It was as if they weren't human beings at all, but rather characters in the SIMS or something. Pretending to have feelings instead of actually having them. Her death seems eerily similar to the suspicious fatality of a young socialite years before. Is the similarity of the two tragic incidents simply a coincidence, or could it be a sign of a murderous orchestrated plot to protect those in the highest echelons of the American government? A treat for fans of DI Helen Grace: an ebook short story from Top Ten Sunday Times bestselling author M. J. Arlidge. What a fascinating story, I could have continued reading from this story I’d of loved to have read the story of her settling in Australia properly. Wow so so interesting and so different.

Retailers:

The first thing you notice about this book is it's beautifully striking cover and excellent printing quality which is what I've come to expect from first class publishers Urbane Publications. Take time to mourn. Take time to remember the good times. Time is indeed a good healer." - J.B. Turner I was intrigued by Audrey, not just because of her name (I went to school with an Audrey in the 1950s), but also because of the wonderful picture on the cover of the book RED SHOES!!! I have always loved red shoes so had to read the story. I wasn't disappointed either. Having read most of Kelly Florentia's previous stories I knew I was in for a great read with this one.