Never Came Home (D.I. Siv Drummond #2) by Gretta Mulrooney

Never Came Home (D.I. Siv Drummond #2) Reviews

• 
  Louise Wilson

  DI Siv Drummond #2
  
  Six years ago, Lyn Dimas went missing. She had left her nine year old son home alone while she went to the shop. Her daughter was at her school prom.
  
  Now: builders have found the mummified corpse tied to the back of the fridge in a derelict building. DI Siv Drummond is called in to investigate.
  
  This book will keep you guessing through to the end. Sir is still mourninh the death of her husband. As she investigates this case, she soon discovers that a lot of secrets and lies were told during the original investigation. The story starts slowly, setting the scene. It picks up it's pace in the second half. The family is dysfunctional. There is plenty of people with motivrs. Although this is the second book in the series it cwn be rewd as a standalone.
  
  I would like to thank #NetGalley, #JoffeBooks and the author #GretaMulrooney for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  8stitches 9lives

  Never Came Home is the second instalment in the Detective Inspector Siv Drummond series, set in the picture-postcard fictional Sussex market town of Berminster. It isn't necessary to have read the first in the series before diving into this as enough backstory is given to get new readers up to speed. DI Drummond and her partner, Sergeant Ali Carlin, are called to the scene of a dilapidated warehouse at Orford End that was about to be demolished when contractors Ivor Bass and Grant Haddon discover a partially mummified body hung on the back of an old fridge freezer. After identification, they realise they have the cold case of Lyn Dimas on their hands, a woman who disappeared six years ago after leaving the house to walk to the local shops intending to be back at the family home swiftly then was never seen again. The case was investigated at the time when she was reported missing but after tireless work, they found that there were no more solid leads for them to chase and the case went cold. This turns a possible suicide, which is what the police thought could be the case given her husband had just left her for another man, into a full-blown murder investigation. Can they finally solve this case and get justice for Lyn?
  
  This is a riveting and gritty police procedural with enough mystery, intrigue and interesting developments to keep you rapidly turning the pages. It is certainly in the same vein as Mulrooney’s other books with writing that just flows beautifully and a plot that is well constructed and thought out. This is a tough case, like most cold cases, as people have short memories making it difficult to gain any accurate detail due to the passage of time but dogged investigator Siv isn't about to give up now. However, not only does she have innocent lapses in memory to deal with but barefaced lies from witnesses too. Siv is a young widow who has transferred and moved to the small coastal town from London’s Metropolitan Police for a fresh start and I thought the rest of the cast was just as engaging and relatable as she was. The procedural and investigative aspects of the story are lent credence by the fact that Mulrooney seems to have researched these areas thoroughly. Soon secrets and lies are being unravelled and with a few superb twists and a shocking conclusion, this is a highly entertaining read. Many thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC.
• 
  Linda Strong

  Detective Siv Drummond and her team are charged with investigating a body found in an abandoned building. She has been tied to the back of a refrigerator.
  
  The victim is identified as Lyn Dimas ... a mother who went out one evening and never returned ... six years ago.
  
  Immediately, the team starts looking at her family, friends and what she finds is that everyone questioned is either lying or has secrets they are not willing to share. Her ex-husband, a new husband, old boyfriends, even her own daughter are all suspects.
  
  This is second in this series and is easily read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend starting with the first book. Siv is a unique character. She's left her life in London following the death of her husband and moved back to her small hometown. She has to work twice as hard as her male team members to be accepted.
  
  It's well written with an elaborate plot filled with deftly drawn characters. Personal lives of the characters blend well with the professional. The story grabbed me at the very beginning and kept me intrigued until the surprising conclusion.
  
  Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotion / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
  
• 
  Jen

  This is the 2nd book in a series but can be read as a standalone. It centers around the murder of a local mom named Lyn who had disappeared 6 years prior. Lyn had a complicated relationship with her kids and her ex and it was rumored that she might have killed herself, but detective Siv and her colleagues determine that she was murdered and spend the book untangling the details in order to solve the case.
  
  I had some trouble getting into this one- it was slow moving for me and there were a lot of characters- I found myself having to take a step back to remember who was who and how they were connected. When the villain was revealed, it was a surprise and was a pretty good twist, though.
  
  Overall, this is a decent police procedural but just moved at a slow clip for me. I didn't have any trouble with the British slang, as some other reviewers have mentioned, but the pace made it difficult for me to engage. I'd give this 2.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Books 'n' All Promotions

  It is the night of his sister Lily's prom the house is full of excited girls and smells of make up and perfume. Their mother, Lyn, is desperately trying to be one of the girls while Adam tries to amuse himself. Then the Limo arrives and with a lot of noise and camera clicks the girls are gone and it is just Adam and Lyn. Then Lyn pops out and Adam is left alone for a little while, except it isn't a little while because she Never Came Home.
  
  The story then moves forward several years. Adam is a young man living in the same house with his Dad and Monty. Lily is married with a home of her own and life has moved on but the loss of his mother has affected Adam badly. Then her body is found tied to a fridge in a derelict building. What happened that night when she disappeared? How did she get there? Who wanted her dead?
  
  Detective Siv Drummond is charged with finding the answers to all these questions but here is the rub: the detective in charge of the original investigation is the 'golden boy' in her boss' eyes. Can Siv succeed where he failed given this is a cold case? With the powers that be expecting failure Siv is even more determined to crack this case but she reckoned without all the lies and secrets.
  
  This is a very intriguing story and the reader is pulled in to the story as the lies and events of all those years ago are uncovered and the secrets revealed. However, the ending was one I really did not see coming. Absolutely brilliant.
  
  The characters develop well over the course of the book. I didn't like any of them (except the detective team) but that seemed to add to the story because any of them could have been the killer and that added to the suspense. Loved the way the author developed Adam from a young boy into a boy-man which worked perfectly given all Adam had experienced growing up and made the whole story very realistic.
  
  The personal lives of the team bring a personal side to the story and Mutsi!!! Well what a unique character I await bemused to see what happens next with the mother/daughter relationship.
  
  A very enjoyable read. Thank you to Joffe Books and the author for the advance digital copy. This is my unbiased review.
• 
  LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!"

  My thanks to Joffe Books, Greta Mulrooney and Netgalley. This was an engrossing tale. It was all kinds of messed up! I think my issue is that it was so convoluted and gone on to sideways! Fortunately, 2 character's kept me wanting more. Siv and Ali. I need these people. Not going to lie, this book had me scratching my head. Twists are great. But, come on! This final one was just nonsense.
• 
  Erica Nicole

  This was quite a slow read for me. I had to wade through the book (yes, wade) for many days due to a lack of very apparent action in almost half of the book. But the writing style is genuinely good, the plot was just underdeveloped and the transition slow in my opinion.
  
  The characters were developed very greatly. I love Siv and Ali. The author really put thought into how these characters came about, their backstory, their characteristics and personalities.
  
  This book let us understand the dynamics of family ties what with ample examples, primarily the relationship between Siv and Mutsi, along with the Dimas family. This along with family love. The Patrick-Noah tandem made me teary-eyed and realize so many things involving certain people in my life.
  
  This is a puzzle, one perfect for thriller/mystery fans especially because the author has opened so many endgame possibilities! It literally pained me thinking about who is who and which is which! Agatha Christie fans, you might want to give this a try.
  
  Full of twists and turns, you will be amazed at how intricately Never Came Home was crafted: it will make the clogs of your brain whirr about very, very restlessly.
• 
  Tharanga

  This is the second book of the DI Siv Drummond series. This story is based on a cold case mystery about a woman who has disappeared, six years ago and founded in an abandoned building about to be demolished. Her body was partially mummified and tie up to the back of an old fridge freezer. The body turned out to be a mother called 'Lyn' who has two children, with a troublesome marriage, reported as a missing person back at the time ruled out as a possible suicide.
  
  upon finding the body, Detective Siv Drummond and the team immediately have been called and assigned to the case to solve the case. Six years ago the case turns into a potential suicide case, which is what the police thought could be the case given her dysfunctional family full of lies and secrets. Or could it be murder? Can they finally solve the case and get justice for Lyn? can Siv discover the story behind the mummified body?
  
  This is my first reading from this author, and it was very interesting reading. The whole story is based on typical criminal investigation and police procedural. I love how the author builds the characters and turn and twist the plot. I could not see the ending and the story will keep you guessing through to the end. When I came to the last plot twist, it was a surprise and was pretty good though.
  On the other hand, the pace was slow-moving for me and there were a lot of characters. I found myself turning pages back and forth to remember who was and how they were connected. Also, I felt the side stories of Siv’s colleagues were unnecessary and make the main story complex and gone on sideways.
  
  Overall, this is 3. 5 Star reading for me and I really enjoy the story and the characters Detective Siv and Ali. I'm recommending this book to anyone interested in reading a good detective/Crime solve/Mystery book and looking forward to reading more books from this author.
  
  Thank you to Joffe Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Lori

  The blurb for this one didn’t grab me, but since I’m usually open to testing out murder mysteries and crime novels I gave NEVER CAME HOME a go. Boy, was this a hidden gem! Complicated plot lines and a mix of characters you love and hate, a tightly knit investigation team, and lots of family drama pack this novel! And, I have found myself a new crime series!
  
  If you enjoy crime/police procedurals or are a fan of Tempe Brennan and Manon Bradshaw, this one’s for you. Lyn Dimas went to the store one night, leaving her 9-year-old son Adam home alone. She never returned. Six years later, her desiccated body is found in an abandoned building being prepped for demolition. Detective Siv Drummond and her team are called in to reopen this cold case and find out how Lyn ended up here. Through their questioning, we meet Lyn’s bratty daughter, bigoted father in law, “too good to be true” son in law, and “out of the closet” husband. We also get some insight to Siv’s own challenges at home, from her recently deceased husband to her neglectful self-absorbed mother.
  
  I loved how this book kept me guessing but didn’t just focus on the case. Siv, Ali, and Patrick became more human as you learn about their own life struggles and personalities. As the book was wrapping up, the team took a few leaps to find the killer and close the case. After all the drawn-out investigation throughout the book, it was a bit disappointing some assumptions were made to solve it. After the killer was identified, the book abruptly ended which also was a bit disappointing. It’s like the author got tired and wanted to wrap it up! In the end, I enjoyed it. Siv and her team are characters you will want to hang out with again in the future! This is part 2 in the series, so I will definitely be reading part 1.
  
  Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advanced copy to review. NEVER CAME HOME is available now on Amazon.
  
• 
  Wendy

  “Never Came Home” an intriguing murder mystery opens when Detective Siv Drummond and her partner Sergeant Ali Carlin, are called to a dilapidated warehouse that’s about to be torn down. There they are faced with the partly mummified body of Lyn Dumas tied to the back grill of a fridge-freezer. Missing for six years, she disappeared from her home on the night of her daughter’s prom, leaving her son at home for a quick trip to the shops. With no motive and few clues, Siv and Ali begin their investigation with family and friends, unlocking family secrets and lies.
  
  Set in a fictional Sussex town this enthralling and well-developed plot intertwines police procedure in probing a baffling mystery while integrating the personal ups and downs in the officers’ lives like Siv’s mother Mutsi’s lack of maternal affection and her unconventional lifestyle, as well as DCI Patrick Hill’s troubles with his handicapped brother Noah. Intensity and suspense heat up with a gay husband; a secret affair; and Lyn’s complaint against a former colleague. With twists and turns that keep you glued to every page, the plot quickly and smoothly flows to a shocking ending.
  
  Among the characters adding excitement to this compelling thriller is Detective Siv Drummond who’s haunted by her past and heavily work-oriented after the accidental death of her husband. She often seems distant and blunt but has a sharp mind and keen deductive reasoning skills. Her partner the overweight Ali Carlin is kind, empathetic and shrewd as the two delve into the life of forty-three year old Lyn Dimas who had low self-esteem but image conscience after her husband’s confession that he was gay. Among Lyn’s family members is stocky, fragile, shy and angry son Adam Dimas; her daughter the spoiled, shallow and upset daughter Lily Aston; and her attractive son-in-law the homophobic, dense, arrogant, and cocky Pearce Aston.
  
  I enjoyed “ Never Came Home” a page-turner I couldn’t put down until finished.
• 
  Pat Simpson

  This is the second book in the series featuring DI Siv Drummond. I hadn’t read the first one but this read well as a stand-alone. Siv, who recently lost her husband in a tragic accident and is still grieving, has left her high profile post with the London Met and has returned home to the seaside town of Berminster. The book opens in 2013 with the disappearance of a young mother Lyn Dumas. Her 18 year old daughter was attending her school prom and she had left her 9 year old son Adam at home while she went to the shop, but she never returned. Fast forward six years and Siv and her team are called out to investigate the finding of a mummified body of a young woman in a derelict building and she is soon identified as Lyn Dimas. The family were torn apart when Lyn and husband separated, so he became a suspect alongside family, friends and colleagues, all seem to have strong alibis but as the team start to unravel all the lies that surround Lynn’s murder family secrets re revealed. This is a good detective story with plenty of twists and turns and an unexpected ending. A recommended read.
  Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
• 
  JJ

  This is the first DI Drummond book I’ve read. Maybe getting book one would have been an idea but I didn’t really feel I’d missed much. Most authors will work in a quick back story.
  The first chapter sets out the Dimas family of lonely mum Lyn, petulant self-obsessed daughter Lily and younger son. Lily is off to the school prom with her friends (acolytes). Mum leaves her son alone to nip to the shop and never returns.
  The story gives us a disturbed family broken since dad, Theo, came out as gay and moved in with his boyfriend. Wife Lyn, furious about the perceived deception, spread vicious rumours about Theo. Theo’s dad disowned him and sided with Lyn. He also spoilt Lily something rotten.
  A mummified body is found tied to the back of a fridge (seriously how would you manage that) in a derelict building about to be demolished for housing. It’s no spoiler to say it is mum Lyn.
  DI Siv Drummond, living in some strange wagon-type thing in the woods is on the case with her team Ali and Patrick. Siv has been fairly recently widowed, her mum, who she does not get on with, has reappeared and moved into a flat in town. Siv doesn’t get on with her chief who wanted his protege for her job. Patrick is a carer to his older brother who suffered a stroke. Ali is a diabetic who loves sugary things. So apart from the dysfunctional Dimas family the police team are not much better.
  It was an interesting story, well-fleshed out characters even if no one really comes out of it smiling.
• 
  Marion

  When workmen move in to clear a derelict building the last thing they expect to find is a mummified corpse tied to the back of an old fridge.
  Detective Siv Drummond and her team are called in to investigate.
  They identify the body as one Lyn Dimas who disappeared six years earlier when she nipped out for groceries, leaving her young son Adam alone in the house.
  Finding her body reopens the old missing person case, only now its murder!
  As the inquiry progresses Siv is drawn into the dysfunctional Dimas family`s history, sorting through the alibis of the possible suspects and recognizing the truths among the lies is not an easy task.
  Will Siv and her team discover why Lyn was killed and by whom before anyone else gets hurt?
  This one held my interest all the way through, although only the second in the series Siv and her team are becoming firm favourites with me. I`m looking forward to reading more books featuring them.
  Thanks to Joffe Books for sending me this as an ARC in return for my honest review.
• 
  Sveva

  This is the second book of the DI Siv Drummond series, but it was my first Gretta Mulrooney book I've read.
  
  The story follows the investigation of a cold case murder after builders find a mummified corpse tied to the back of a fridge in a derelict building. It is the body of Lyn Dimas who went missing years before. She had left her nine-year-old son home alone and her daughter was at a school prom.
  This was quite a slow read for me. I did enjoy the characters but I found the pace of the investigation was too slow for me.
  If you like a police/investigation focused thriller, this is the book for you!
  
  Thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Christine Rennie

  With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
  Never Came Home by Gretta Mulrooney is the second book in the Detective Inspector Siv Drummond series. It is a very accomplished police thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the end. The three members of the police team are being better known and developed and have their own personalities and idiosyncrasies. The storyline was very clever and the seaside setting helped with the police team being so small.
  Recommended.
• 
  Tracey

  Never Came Home
  
  DI Siv Drummond has a cold case to deal with when the body of a woman who disappeared six years previously is found. Can Siv and her team find the murderer after so.long? Or will they get away with their crime?
  Another thoroughly enjoyable book by Gretta Mulroney. The regular characters are stronger than ever and the new ones come alive on the page.
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Eirlys

  A good read
  
  I enjoyed this book and learning more about Siv and her background. She led a team of detectives, who were good foils for her own nature. I liked the way that the red herrings had the team being wrong footed at times. Siv is a great character. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.