Review by Booklist Review
Dave's sequel to The Last Thing He Told Me (2021) takes place immediately after the events of the previous book; that book's epilogue serves as the prologue here. It has been five years since Hannah Hall's husband, Owen, went missing. Under threat from a vicious crime organization that had killed his first wife, Owen had to disappear. Hannah, though, made a deal with Owen's father-in-law, Nicholas, who was a past member of the organization. The family would not target Hannah and her stepdaughter, Bailey, as long as Nicholas was alive. Now, Owen is back but undercover, and Nicholas has died. Hannah and Bailey are once again on the run. Hannah must draw on the connections she's made, finding support in her community to ensure Bailey's safety. She must also summon the bravery that helped her escape the family's clutches so long ago. While not as twisty as the previous novel, this book dives deeper into Hannah's character and the grit she needs to survive. Readers can use what they learned from the first book, a best-seller, to jump right in.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dave's heart-pounding sequel to The Last Thing He Told Me picks up five years after artist Hannah Hall's husband, Owen, disappeared and left her to care for his surly teenage daughter, Bailey, in Southern California. In the interim, Hannah and Bailey have forged a close relationship, and worked toward repairing Bailey's connection with her maternal grandfather, Nicholas, whose involvement with a crime syndicate sent Owen on the run. The women's stability is disrupted when Owen reappears at one of Hannah's art exhibitions and slips a message into her pocket warning her that she and Bailey are in danger. For reasons Hannah doesn't understand, a deal brokering their safety has fallen through, and the women are forced to flee. Meanwhile, chapters following Nicholas and Owen reveal that the men have spent the last five years working to orchestrate an elaborate compromise with Nicholas's former colleagues that guarantees their family's permanent freedom. The pacing is brisk from the very first page, with Dave nimbly juggling multiple perspectives and timelines en route to a finale that provides readers with satisfying answers to their questions. The result is a solid suspense novel with plenty of appeal for Dave fans and newcomers alike. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Dave's latest takes place five years after the events of The Last Thing He Told Me, in which Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter Bailey had to run for their lives after Hannah's husband Owen disappeared. They've now settled into a new life, with Bailey a recent college graduate and Hannah a successful artist. They even both have a good relationship with Hannah's grandfather, whom they have grown to love and trust. Then unexpected events cause Hannah and Bailey to flee once again for their safety. Twists and turns will keep readers guessing throughout the novel at how it will all end. Chapters jump back and forth between past and present, but with smooth transitions that flow with the story. The characters' love and concern for each other show through their thoughts and actions, and even minor characters show their loyalty by keeping long-ago promises. VERDICT This sequel is sure to be a hit, with fans of the first novel or its Apple TV+ series adaptation lining up to read it. A definite buy for most collections.--Margaret Puentes
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this sequel toThe Last Thing He Told Me (2021), Hannah Hall may be reunited with her missing husband--that is, if they can make a deal with the crime syndicate trying to kill him. Beginning with a repeat of the last scene fromThe Last Thing He Told Me, the novel opens five years after Owen left, and Hannah and her stepdaughter, Bailey, learned of his secret life. After all this time, Owen brushes past the two at an L.A. design fair where Hannah is exhibiting. Later, Hannah discovers that Owen has slipped a flash drive into her pocket with encoded messages in the form of family photos, and the next day, suspicious men are lurking outside her house. Much has changed in the ensuing years--mob lawyer Nicholas Bell, Bailey's maternal grandfather and the threatening presence of the first novel, has become the person Hannah and Bailey most deeply trust. Mother and daughter have also developed impressive black ops skills that enable them to stay one step ahead of the organization--Nicholas' former clients--that's trying to kill Owen through them. When they discover Nicholas has died and his protection has lapsed, Hannah and Bailey run, using the secret cars, cash, and safe houses they pre-arranged just for this possibility. There's plenty of suspense as the two women race up the California coast and jet to Paris, all based on the clues Owen has left for them. Equally satisfying are the flashbacks of Nicholas and his conflicted friendship with mob boss Frank Pointe, and of Owen's last five years spent making surprising alliances and hatching the plot that is finally coming to fruition, as Hannah and Bailey make it to France, where Owen will be reunited with his family--or die trying. An essential sequel that ties up loose threads while providing a thrilling ride across continents. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
