A Faulkner Family Thriller Series

She’s fought against the darkness her whole life—but now she will discover what happens when that very darkness fights back in this thrilling follow-up to Christopher Swann’s Never Go Home and Never Turn Back, perfect for fans of Michael Farris Smith and Brian Panowich.

For as long as she could remember, Susannah Faulkner knew that even though she lived a dangerous and violent life, she would try her best to do some good in the world. She’s hunted down evil men before, but the one man that puts fear into her heart, the one man who could destroy everything she loves, is the one man she cannot track down. And worst of all…she doesn’t know what will happen when she finds him. Or if he finds her first.

     Finn, an ex-soldier who served alongside Susannah’s  father in  Iraq, left Suzie with a simple choice a year ago: she could watch her family die one by one, or  she could pursue him in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The stubborn and skillful Suzie knows just how dangerous he is and how far he will go to complete his vengeance. And so the hunt begins.

     Her journey takes her across the United States, from the mountains of Arizona to the river bluffs  of Missouri to the streets of Atlanta. Along the way, she contends with both new and old friends and foes: the vulnerable Brooke, determined to escape her own nightmare; her brother Ethan and his new girlfriend, a reminder of a different and more peaceful life; her uncle Gavin and his connections to the criminal underworld; the street-smart Ajax, a shadowy ally of convenience; and an FBI agent who could be friend, foe, or potential lover.

     Suzie’s instincts have gotten her this far—but will they be enough against her evil equal?

She’s a weapon forged in the fires of her past—but this time, the flames could consume her in Critically acclaimed Southern mystery novelist Christopher Swann’s followup to Never Turn Back, perfect for fans of Linwood Barclay and David Swinson.

Orphaned at age ten by a violent home invasion, Susannah Faulkner grew up wild, her stubbornness the only thing harder than her heart. Since then, she’s used her skills to put a boot in the faces of those who deserve it. She knows she’s wired wrong and living a dangerous and violent life, but she’s determined to wring something decent from the world before she leaves it.

Then she gets word her brother Ethan needs her help and returns home to Atlanta. But in the airport, she finds her Uncle Gavin suffering a heart attack. Before he is rushed to the hospital, Gavin whispers a single word to Suzie: Peaches. She’s determined to uncover the meaning behind the cryptic message, but Ethan is also deep in trouble. An ex-soldier and ex-con named Finn appeared on his doorstep with a disturbing story: fifteen years earlier, Finn served with their father in Iraq, where they stole millions in cash. Now the money is missing, and Finn wants his share—or else.

A gang war threatens to explode on Atlanta’s streets. Uncle Gavin clings to life in the hospital. Finn is bent on finding his missing millions. And now, Suzie will be tested as never before in a crucible of violence where all that she holds dear is on the line. 

ONE OF AMAZON’S BEST BOOKS OF OCTOBER 2020!
FINALIST, 2020 GEORGIA AUTHOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS
 
Linwood Barclay meets Michael Farris Smith in this Southern domestic thriller about family, vengeance, and atonement, from critically acclaimed Southern mystery novelist Christopher Swann.

The bonds of family never truly let go.

In fact, its grip only tightens the further you try to run: crushing and crippling.

Ethan Faulkner is a precocious child with a brilliant but troublesome sister, a war vet for a father, and a weary mother trying to manage their family. One night a young woman rings their doorbell, desperate to hide from two men who are pursuing her, when one of the two barges in after her. The struggle leaves both of Ethan’s parents dead.

Years later, Ethan has a successful teaching career and a budding relationship with a coworker. But he hasn’t quite followed through on his promise to his dying father–to take care of his sister. Susannah is not an easy person to keep tabs on, is a handful even when the tabs are kept, and quite frankly, Ethan wants her to suffer for preventing him from getting to his dad before he died all those years ago.

It was a long time ago and Ethan tries to put all of it behind him. But that’s easier said than done. When news of a brutal murder breaks with evidence pointing to Ethan as the prime suspect, all the painful memories of his past come rushing to meet him. Lyrically conveyed with emotion and nuance, Never Turn Back is a powerful story about family, vengeance, and how some actions echo through the years with irreparable consequences.