No Going Back

February 24, 2020
A complicated backstory weighs down Canadian author Kamal’s tiresome third Nora Watts novel (after 2018’s It All Falls Down). Nora’s 17-year-old daughter, Bonnie, believes she’s being followed. Meanwhile, Nora learns that, unbeknownst to her, she barely escaped being killed during her recent stay in Detroit. Nora puts the two incidents together and concludes that her arch nemesis, Dao, a man of great wealth with criminal contacts, is out to get her; her only hope is to get to him first. She’s aided by her loyal friends and her uncanny knack of knowing when people are lying to her. Kamal recaps the first two books in an effort to explain why Nora and Bonnie are being targeted, but the frequent pauses for exposition stop the narrative flow. That the troubled Nora has relatability issues—she prefers the company of her dog to that of most people—is another minus. Those who value humor or wit in their mysteries will have to look elsewhere. Agent: Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Agency.

Bahni Turpin's experience and skill as a narrator shine in her capable delivery of this international story of gangs and police. We follow Nora Watts from Canada to Asia as she makes a mad dash for survival. Turpin sets a steady pace, which helps us keep track of the ever-changing scenes, and her pitch and tone allow us to experience Nora's escalating turmoil. She creates mounting suspense as Nora stays one step ahead of the dangerous gang that is trying to harm her daughter. Fans will find much to admire in this expertly delivered thriller set against a multinational background. M.R. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2020
A very bad man has painted a target on Nora Watts' back, and she vows to find him before he finds her...and her daughter, Bonnie. Nora, who has a talent for finding people, missing or otherwise, is back in Vancouver after the events of It All Falls Down (2018), in which she investigated her father's death in Detroit. She hopes to get to know 17-year-old Bonnie, whom she gave up for adoption, and she's also anxious to be reunited with her beloved dog, Whisper. But where Nora goes, trouble usually follows. An ex-soldier named Dao has put a bounty on her head and has no qualms about using Bonnie to get to her. After all, she killed his lover and his previous employer two years ago. Nora plans to take on this threat herself, but despite her best efforts to keep everyone she knows from getting too close, she's got a few allies who don't plan on letting her tackle this alone. PI and ex-cop (and Nora's former lover and AA sponsor) Jon Brazuca joins the search no matter how much Nora tries to shake him, and he realizes that he's still carrying a torch for her. Brazuca has a few extra tools at his disposal, namely the resources made available by the security firm that employs him as well as billionaire former client Bernard Lam, who has his own motives for pursuing Dao. The few breadcrumbs they find lead Nora, Brazuca, and Lam to Indonesia, where they hatch a plot to snare Dao. Nora has a suspicion she might be the bait, but she's not about to let him get to Bonnie. In Kamal's third book to feature Nora, the author hints at the possibility of brighter days ahead for her complicated heroine, if only Nora can stop the man who harbors a deep hatred of her and who won't stop until she's dead. It's worth noting that Kamal has never been one for overly neat endings. Don't expect her to start now. Fans of Elizabeth Hand's Cass Neary and Kristen Lepionka's Roxane Weary will especially find a lot to like. A dynamic addition to a consistently thrilling series.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2020
Recovering alcoholic Nora Watts returns in the third novel (following It All Falls Down, 2018) in Kamal's series. Nora is again compelled to atone for past wrongs, and to try to create future happiness, by saving Bonnie, the daughter she gave up for adoption years before. Though Bonnie is only dimly aware of the danger she's in, a far-too-capable underworld figure called Dao seeks to harm her. While Nora is well aware of the peril facing her family, she's unclear on why Dao won't recede into her past. But she wastes no time in putting all of her surveillance and subterfuge tricks to work. The book quickly hits top gear, with Nora alternately leaning on friends and associates and braving danger alone to fight for Bonnie, not to mention to save herself. Some of the male characters aren't greatly distinguished from each other here, but the action is the draw, and it doesn't let up. Fans of thrillers starring strong women will enjoy this Vancouver-set story of love facing down evil.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)