All Regan wanted for her birthday was to have brunch with her husband John and a couples massage. What she got instead was a stunning lake house paid for in cash and in her name. There was a reason for this. Suddenly brunch wasn't so important. However, her happiness was short-lived when John vanished and the FBI showed up at their home with a warrant. John, a financial advisor, had been running a Ponzi scheme as well as being associated with a known criminal. In addition, he has been living under an assumed identity. Regan had long ago accepted that John had shared nothing about his past with her. She didn't like it but felt that his devotion to her and their children outweighed his secrecy. Now, Regan had serious decisions to make as she had to protect her children and herself. She needed a plan. Would it involve what she had now learned from her missing husband's activities?
THE DAY HE NEVER CAME HOME, by Andrew DeYoung, is a domestic psychological thriller that brings two very complex characters to life. Their backgrounds couldn't be more different, but the ultimate results were similar. John believed he had much to overcome and that he was lacking. Falling in love with Regan awakened feelings in him. After a lifetime of being made to feel she was a disappointment by her mother, John's adoration and desire to make her happy was a welcome balm for Regan. As more and more is revealed about John's past and his actions the tension in the narrative grows. Regan finds herself in precarious situations and she makes decisions she never dreamed she would ever have to make. THE DAY HE NEVER CAME HOME is well-plotted and engrossing. There are twists and turns and surprising secrets are revealed. What I found most compelling about this character-driven story is the depth to which the characters were developed. Highly recommended.
THE DAY HE NEVER CAME HOME is well plotted and engrossing. There are twists and turns and surprising secrets are revealed. What I found most compelling about this character driven story is the depth to which the characters were developed. Highly recommended.
Regan Peters knows her husband John wants to give her and their children a good life. The long hours he puts in as a financial advisor prove his dedication, and despite how mysterious he is about his past, that's been enough for her to get through the hard days. Until the FBI shows up at their door, and Regan learns that her husband has been running a Ponzi scheme, is mixed up with dangerous criminals, and has been living under an assumed identity all these years. Everything she thought she knew about her life has been a lie.
That includes the present John gifted her the day before he disappeared—a lake house, bought with cash, and put in her name only. With her life falling apart, Regan must make a split-second decision: does she tell the FBI about the house? Or does she buy some time to forge her own path to saving herself? But one compromise inevitably leads to another, and one dangerous secret builds on the next.
When her lies of omission to the FBI agents begin to raise questions, Regan becomes inextricably embroiled in John's crimes, the true extent of which are just beginning to be revealed. Now that her comfortable life is clearly over, Regan is learning she is capable of far more than she ever imagined. She will do anything to protect herself, her children, and their future. Anything.
To protect her family, one mother's lie of omission leads to another in this twisty, suspenseful domestic thriller, perfect for fans of Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me.