I definitely thought the story was going one way and it went in a totally different direction which caught me by surprise.

CHRISTIAN WHITE'This grabbed me from the opening page and didn't let go' MICHAEL ROBOTHAM'The thrill and fear arrive early in Home Before Night and doesn't leave until the final pages. I sped through this one, enjoying it in the same way I enjoy my guilty pleasure of watching cop dramas.

She’s a heavy drinker, and presents as perhaps a little paranoid, in part troubled by a secret from her past that Pomare teases out. With limited resources and an unhelpful ex-husband Lou does all she can to try to track down her son.

There are lots of different twists in this mystery, thriller, my mind had all different thoughts trying to sort out what was happening, and the ending was not what I expected at all, a short story that I did in one sitting, it is fast paced and has lots happening in, characters that add to the story. The story continues to tell us Samuel's side even when he's gone missing, giving you insight into what is happening to him as he slowly discovers his parents' deepest dark lie. With plenty of doubt cast on the characters combined with a number of possibilities raised for Samuel’s disappearance, the pressure builds to a crescendo in Home Before Night.

But Lou knows she is unable to reach out to the police to help her locate Samuel as it will land her in hot water. Purchase from Booktopia* *As an affiliate of Booktopia I may earn a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. Those readers who are already familiar with Pomare’s work will know that he is a true master when it comes to plot twists, thanks to his well received back catalogue. Pomare does a great job at re-planting readers back into the time of curfews and lockdowns, with brief forays outside to exercise or healthcare and the like.

I have to say I was ambivalent about reading a book set in the pandemic and it did bring me back to that time and my own feelings about being in lockdown. I noted a few authors were doing something similar – releasing audiobooks or even novellas in the form of ebooks. By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. I feel conflicted about the ending as I had to suspend my belief (and not necessarily in a good way). I found the protagonist needy, overbearing and in general unlikeable which might be a ick for some readers, but I don't mind especially if they're interesting and it's a bonus when it all makes so much sense at the end.We move very quickly from uncovering the past to the conclusion so I didn’t feel as if I got to savour the ‘reveal’ and twists on offer. A story that was first released as an Audible exclusive, this latest Pomare offering is fast paced, incredibly twisted and oh so tense. I reckon a lot of people will pass this one over due to the lockdown emphasis and they are gonna miss out on a short and fast listen.