Emily Smith’s impressive debut YOU ALWAYS COME BACK is a stunner. July Weaver is a character you will not easily forget as she returns to her dysfunctional family home nine years after her sister’s death and the conviction of her father for a series of murders in Pacific Lake. Now another woman has gone missing. Is it a copycat or is the real killer still out there?
July Weaver has built a successful songwriting career for herself in Nashville, far away from her childhood home. When she receives a call from her brother Mark asking her to return home, she is reluctant but agrees after he reminds her of a promise she made to her oldest brother, Auggie. July’s younger brother, Deck, has attempted suicide and Auggie wants the family together. The Weaver children include July, Auggie, Mark, Deck, April, and their deceased sister, May. Their mother, Kathy, is still alive, but heavily medicated and suffering from mental illness. July’s father, Harry, is in jail. It’s up to the two oldest children, Auggie and July, to keep their younger siblings from self-destructing. July reluctantly agrees to return, only to find herself back in the complicated mess of family dysfunction, old secrets, jealousy, and violence. As each day passes, July doesn’t know who to trust or what really happened that fateful summer nine years ago when her whole world came crashing down. Will she learn the truth, or will the Pacific Lake Killer make her his next victim?
YOU ALWAYS COME BACK is an addictive and mesmerizing novel. Author Emily Smith writes a character study in dysfunctional family dynamics, with tough and tenacious July Weaver leading the pack. July doesn’t always make the best decisions and can be impulsive, but she is never boring, and her family calls her “livewire.” The mystery surrounding the death of her sister May is well-written, with red herrings peppered throughout and revelations that stun. July’s attack and the hunting cabin bring real horror to the story and misconceptions and misinterpretations cause July to reexamine her original perception of events, leaving readers to ponder if we ever really know someone. The story flows quickly with interesting characters, good pacing, effective dialogue, and action. There is never a dull moment, and the suspense continues to build until the harrowing high-stakes ending. YOU ALWAYS COME BACK is an excellent debut and I look forward to reading more books by this author.
In the vein of Kathleen Barber and Julia Heaberlin comes an electrifying debut suspense that pits the inhabitants of a small town against each other.
Nine years ago, July Weaver’s little sister was one of the first victims of the Pacific Lake Killer, a serial killer in Georgia. When other girls began to disappear and were found dead, it was July’s testimony that put her own father into prison for the crimes. After the sentencing, she fled to Nashville to focus on her music career and to try to forget the horrible past. But when her brother tries to kill himself, July is forced to come back home and reunite with her four remaining siblings.
What she isn’t expecting is to uncover new evidence that makes her question everything that happened to her sister nine years ago. Is it possible that July blamed the wrong person? Is it possible that the Pacific Lake Killer is still out there? As the linchpin to the case against her father—and the reason the Pacific Lake Killer case is closed—July knows it isn’t long before the killer will set their eyes back on her.
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