No Way Back

by Andrew Gross

No Way Back is a thrilling page-turner from Andrew Gross, the New York Times bestselling author of 15 Seconds and The Blue Zone. One woman is framed for a horrific crime, and desperate to prove her innocence.

A chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends in a shocking murder. Wendy Gould is an average mom--and the only witness. Nanny Lauritzia Velez knows a shocking secret that could prove to be deadly. Both of their lives in danger, this unlikely pair must work together against a network of dangerous men who want nothing more than to see them dead.

A fast-paced, riveting tale with strong, compelling characters, No Way Back is an edge-of-your-seat read with nonstop action and a complex mystery.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

468 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

Howard Andrew Gross was an American author of thriller novels, including four New York Times bestsellers. He is best known for his collaborations with suspense writer James Patterson. Gross's books feature close family bonds, relationships characterized by loss or betrayal, and a large degree of emotional resonance which generally leads to wider crimes and cover-ups. The books have all been published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Reviews

[Sean Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG....WOW .. What a book... Read this 466 page book in three days..

Gripping, tense, action, shocks, twists ... a rollercoaster of a ride... Non stop thriller book.

No Way Back is a thrilling page-turner from Andrew Gross, the New York Times bestselling author of 15 Seconds and The Blue Zone. One woman is framed for a horrific crime, and desperate to prove her innocence.

A chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends in a shocking murder. Wendy Gould is an average mom—and the only witness. Nanny Lauritzia Velez knows a shocking secret that could prove to be deadly. Both of their lives in danger, this unlikely pair must work together against a network of dangerous men who want nothing more than to see them dead.

A fast-paced, riveting tale with strong, compelling characters, No Way Back is an edge-of-your-seat read with nonstop action and a complex mystery.

Superb characters in Wendy Gould and Lauritzia Velez and a compelling, shocking, clever and superbly put together suspenseful story.

This thriller shows you how to write a thriller, great characters, great story and very cleverly bring the stories together, with some really great supporting roles for Harold and Roxanne, and some very nasty baddies.

Cannot say anymore other than " Read this book". Five stars from me.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thriller. Wendy is a suburban mom. She gets in a fight with her husband, and plans to meet up with a girlfriend at the bar for drinks. Her friend doesn't show, and a cute man who's a great piano player starts flirting with her and buying her drinks. She's attracted to him.

Wendy accepts his invitation to go up to his hotel room. Things get hot and heavy. But before any intercourse of any kind actually happens, Wendy snaps to reality and realizes that she can't have sex with this man. She's married and loves her husband.

She says, "Stop." And this mensch of a guy, Curtis, hears and obeys (10 extra points to him). She apologizes, he is frustrated but understands, and she goes into the bathroom to get herself dressed and put together again.

While she is in the bathroom, a man, a Homeland Security Agent, comes in and shoots Curtis to death. Wendy (an ex-cop) shoots the Agent to death. He didn't obey her order to put down his gun OR identify himself. Also, she had just seen him issue an execution that is clearly not on the up-and-up.

So Wendy's on the run...

Our other protagonist is Lauritzia, a Mexican 24-year-old who is being hunted by a Mexican drug cartel. They have systematically killed everyone in her family. She has been hiding out for 2 years being a nanny for a rich white family, but now has been discovered by the cartel again...

These seemingly unrelated protagonists really have a lot more in common than you initially think. And eventually they will band together to take on the bad guys together...
...

This is the second Andrew Gross novel I've read and I have to say this guy is just "meh" for me.

THE GOOD:
- The thriller is thrilling. I mean, there's lots of action, car chases, clandestine meetings, shoot-outs, people holding guns to other people's heads, secret government cover-ups, vendettas, etc. etc.
- The plot is decent and makes relative sense. It involves recent events and takes place in a logical, realistic world.

THE BAD:
- I have no feelings for any of the characters. No matter how many bad things happen to them, I am not emotionally connected with them at all. Even though his protagonists are in these really horrible, stressful, devastating situations, I don't feel anxious or worried about them at all. And they don't act like I think people faced with this kind of life-destroying threat would act. I wasn't convinced, and Gross didn't make any of the characters human enough for me to care. It was as if they weren't human beings at all, but rather characters in the SIMS or something. Pretending to have feelings instead of actually having them.

- The writing. It's not BAD, but it's not compelling. I feel like he's always telling, not showing.

- The slut-shaming. Okay, it's not everyone, it's just the Wendy character. So: Wendy does a bad thing. When angry at her husband, she agrees to go up to the hotel room of a man who picked her up in a bar. They make out and grope. But before sex of any kind happens, she hits the brakes. Wendy spends the rest of the novel beating herself up for doing this, AND letting everyone and his mother beat her up as well. Here are my main paints:

1.) First off, kudos for Curtis for stopping when Wendy asked him to stop. Major points.

2.) Even though what Wendy did was unquestionably wrong, I don't think that as a punishment she deserves what happens to her in this book they try to kill her. They murder her husband. They are hunting her down. All that is a result of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time, not some sort of divine punishment from God for cheating on her husband. Also, I want to make it clear that she immediately goes home and tells her husband everything. She doesn't hide what happened or lie about it. That doesn't make what she did any less bad, but I want it to be clear that cheating on your husband had NOTHING to do with witnessing a murder and then being targeted for death, along with your whole family. Um, no. Even if you think that you're a "slut," for what you did with Curtis, Wendy, nobody deserves what is happening to you. The infidelity is something for you to work through with your family. Not something you deserve to die for, okay?

Wendy just goes around apologizing for "being a slut" to everyone she meets. And I'm like, "They shouldn't care. Get to the part about the killer rogue agents. Stop talking about how you're "such a bad person" and "no one can forgive you, you can never forgive yourself" and all this crap. You have bigger issues to worry about, okay? Like the fact that you and your family are being hunted down and killed. Focus on what's important."

NOT TO MENTION the part where Wendy goes to meet Curtis's mom (Curtis is the guy who got shot after fondling her in a hotel room) and Curtis's mom is all, "Don't expect me to trust you. You're just a hussy who went up to a hotel room with a man whom you just met. And you're married! Shame on you!" I was like, "Um, listen up. Your precious son knew damn well that the woman he'd been hitting on for the last two hours - the one he was preparing to stick his body parts into - was married. HE KNEW SHE WAS MARRIED. So stop giving Wendy all the blame and acting like your son was a little saint. HE WASN'T." But of course, that would be mean to say to a woman who's son was just murdered, so...

Everyone acts like this in the book. Every single person acts as if the fact that Wendy was considering sleeping with a man who was not her husband means that she's also a coldblooded killer with no conscience who murders people that she loves. Ridiculous. One has nothing to do with the other. Even if she was someone who regularly picked up guys in bars and was disloyal to her husband wouldn't mean that she was a violent person or a killer. WTF?

3.) Rape. Does every single book every written have to have rape or rapists in it? I'm just really sick and tired of it. I understand it's an easy way to make a bad guy seem really "bad" but for goodness' sake. It feels to me like every book throws in some rape, rapists, or rape scenes just to ... I don't know... make stuff more dramatic or something. Now, this is more of a personal issue, and not really Gross's fault - although I DO think the rapist scene in here (no spoilers, I won't tell you who or when) was just unnecessary. And disgusting. So disgusting. Blergh. Listen, rape is a really serious issue for me and not one I can just brush off or see as "entertainment value" or something. If in order for a book to seem "adult" and "edgy," it must have some kind of rape in it, then I don't know what I'm going to do.

And that about summarizes my feelings on this book. It's not a bad thriller, but it's not a great book either. I wouldn't bother unless you love this genre and just can't get enough of it.

[Philip · Rating 1 out of 5]

For some reason, No Way Back was recommended by either the Washington Post or (more likely) Costco's magazine -- but make no mistake; this is a bad, bad book. The cover itself should have been a giveaway -- it looks like an L. Ron Hubbard screed, or a Hitchhiker's Guide parody. It is badly plotted (both "twists" are telegraphed early on); it is badly written (see below); and it stars one of the most unsympathetic heroines I've ever read about. She is described as an ex-cop, but never acts in any way like she's had even the slightest law enforcement training; instead she comes across as a whiny soccer mom who repeats her tale of woe to everyone she runs across, so that we have to hear the same story over and over and OVER again.

As to the writing, it's laughably bad. "I think I exhaled so loudly in relief that a person a block away would have turned at the sound." "Those words were like the blade of a knife curling the peel off an orange. Except the orange was in my gut. And it was throbbing." "What began to throb in my mind like some silent alarm was what if the woman was heading back home and upon arriving went to take out the bags -- she was about to get the scare of her life!" Yes, she throbs a lot -- along with a wide range of other, equally poorly described emotions. Her adrenaline rises, the bottom falls out of her stomach, she receives "glowering glares," she "giggles amusingly." And I giggled amusingly too at the unintentional humor which was the only redeeming feature of this truly awful book.

[Darlene Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Patterson, Scotoline,& page turning suspense, you will relish this book. Andrew Cross was one on the writers from Patterson's stable. This novel has the flavor or Patterson's early riveting novels. I was reading a Patterson hardback and this on audio at the same time. The plot of No Way Back outsshined the 12th of Never. The plot grabbed you from the prologue and never let up. A terrific read and I am not easily satisfied. There was only one brief scene that threw me out of the story for a bit> So as not to be a spoiler, I will only say that there was a scene with 3 people 2 guns and a knife and there was way too much dialogue making me wonder why the third did not take charge while the other two were in verbal combat--eventually that happened, but in my mind it took too long to be realistic. Although I remember that I did not like the first book I read by this author, Since reading (or listening to) No Way BAck, I will look into his backlist.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stand alone thriller from author Andrew Gross. This is not my favourite book by this author but it is entertaining all the same. Good characters, fast paced and well written.

Wendy Gould finds herself in an hotel room with a man she barely knows. Following an argument with her husband she meets a man in an hotel bar and completely out of character decides to go to his room. Once in the hotel room she realises her mistake and offers her apologies and starts to get ready to leave. While in the bathroom she hears gun fire and before she leaves there are two dead men, including a U.S. government agent. Wendy is now in fear of her life and falsely accused of murder while the agents partner wants to kill her. She is not only on the run but needs to confront her husband and confess to her part in the evening. A Mexican woman named Lauritzia is also in fear for her life and in time their paths will cross.

Fast paced page turning in this action thrilled read.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Up To The Standard Set By His Other Books

This is my fifth Andrew Gross novel. Unlike in his other novels, the characters in No Way Back failed to connect with me. The hallmarks of an Andrew Gross novel are all present here: an easy writing style, a quick-moving plot and some sort of shocking event that causes the main characters' lives to spin out of control. But, unlike the other books, I found myself to be lukewarm to all of the "good guys" and the sinister plot that held the bad guys together to be forced.

In No Way Back the reader meets Wendy Gould, a married suburbanite who almost has a one night stand with a handsome piano player after she has had a horrible fight with her husband. She stops it before they progress to the actual deed and while she is in the bathroom re-arranging her clothes a stranger enters the room, argues with the piano player, tosses a gun to him and then kills him. Wendy steps out, picks up the gun and then kills the attacker. Then she flees and is framed for both murders.

As the bodies start to pile up, Wendy digs into her case and discovers connections that lead her to a Mexican nanny with a dangerous past.

Nothing about this book was particularly bad, but...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/...

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendy and her husband, Dave, had a spat last night and are still not speaking. She is meeting up with her friend, Pam, in a bar to have some drinks and to talk about it. Pam is running late and Wendy starts chatting with Curtis, who is also at the bar. Pam texts that she can't make it after all and Wendy ends up in Curtis' hotel room. Before it goes too far, Wendy stops things and goes into the washroom to freshen up. While she's in there, she sees a man come into Curtis' room and shoot him. To save herself, Wendy shoots the guy and ends up on the run when she is blamed for the murders.

Lauritzia escaped from Mexico and is working as a nanny for a family she loves and who love her. She is going to school and has dreams of opening her own store one day. But her dreams are shattered with a shooting in the mall and she knows the bullets were meant for her. She wants to run to protect the family but they convince her to stay so they can help her.

Wendy and Lauritzia have to work together so they can both get their lives back.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. I liked the writing style and it sucked me in right away. It's action-packed and never slows down. The chapters are short and snappy which I like.

While I liked Lauritzia, I didn't care much for Wendy. Yes, I was cheering her on but I couldn't warm up to her for some reason. She had the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time that set off the chain of events. Despite not liking one of the main characters, I really enjoyed the book which is a testament to the writing and story. The bad guys are ruthless and cold.

The pieces start falling together at the end as to what's going on and I was happy with the ending for the most part. Not to give anything away, I wasn't buying the possible love connection that was hinted at, though. Really? It had only been four months.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2013/04...

[Barbara ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read The Blue Zone, I thought oh yay another great author to follow. Then I read Eyes Wide Open which was just mediocre and now I've read No Way Back which was terrible. I don't know if it was just the fact that the dust jacket gave the whole plot away or if events were just telegraphed. There was zero suspense, the bad guys weren't a cohesive unit and their actions seemed forced, the story was repetitive and neither main character was likeable. I didn't find anything to like about Wendy Gould. Her persona was forced (ex-cop indeed), her personality was non existent and her morals were questionable even if she did change her mind at the last minute. And Lauritzia Velez went from being a nanny attending college who wants to open her own business to a woman who suddenly can only explain her situation in broken English. Everything seemed cliched and badly done. And if I had to read about Wendy's tale of woe one more time, I think I might have screamed. Wendy repeated this story again and again and again to anyone who would listen. It got to the point that I could have recited those events word for word.

I have a few other Andrew Gross novels on my TBR but it'll be awhile before I can force myself to suffer through another one.

[Judie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wendy Gould, a former police officer, had a major argument with her husband one evening. She made plans to meet a girlfriend at a bar the next evening to talk to her. Long story short: Her friend doesn’t show up, texts her that she can’t make it, and Wendy; for the first time in her life, goes up to the hotel room with a very handsome, talented, nice man. What happens next is not what she, or the reader expects. Wendy witnesses his murder, kills a federal agent, and has to flee to protect herself and her family.
Meanwhile, Lauritzia Velez, a nanny, is also running away from some terrible events. Most of her family have been murdered by a gang, the Los Zetas.
Wendy realizes that in order to clear her name, she must not only find out who the murderer and his associate are but learn their motive. The Mexican drug trade becomes the obvious connection but American officials also seem to be involved.
There was a lot of action and the story kept moving but I found the book irritating in two ways: The author likes to use sentence fragments. Lots of them. On every page. He also repeats things several times as if he doesn’t think the reader can remember all the details from one chapter to the next. I would have quit reading early on but wanted to know how it ended.

[Marilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of best books I have read. There are a variety of interesting characters, deep twists and turns, beautifully described scenery that will places you right into the area of the event, emotions to pull at your heartstrings and an eye opening look into the issues of the Mexican cartels and the US government.

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first discovered Andrew Gross as he co-writes with James Patterson. Following on from those books I picked up his novels ...written by him alone and featuring Ty Hauk (major character crush going on there!). I have since read all of his books that he has written alone and with the exception of one have enjoyed all of them. His last release ’15 Seconds’ was a “hang on to your seat” kind of book and I was hoping his new one would be just as good. Thankfully Mr Gross has come up trumps once again with this newest release of No Way Back.

One thing I would point out (although minor I know) is that some people may mistake this book for his last as the covers are similar at a glance. I know this is minor but can’t help but feel it may make some people skim past it online, thinking they have already read it, which I certainly wouldn’t recommend! Wendy Gould and Laurita Velez are the two main characters in this new book and their worlds will become terrifyingly dangerous as the book starts as a pretty fast paced read from the get go!

Wendy Gould was an average mother, however now she’s the sole witness to the murder she’s being framed for. The first few chapters see Wendy in a hotel bar, and the shocking thing is that it could be any woman out there. Her situation is one that many people could have been in that day, only Wendy (thankfully fictional) was the one that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It takes mere three or four chapters for me to realise that this latest Gross book is no less thrilling than the last.

Lauritzia Velez is a suburban nanny with a tragic past and a terrifying future. After another attempt on her life, she once again leaves everything she loves behind to go on the run. Both women know too much and have no idea just how much their worlds will clash. Both characters drew my attention from the early days and as both women find their worlds becoming more and more dangerous, I found myself reading quicker. Having started this book yesterday morning, I finished it by the time I had to go to sleep. It was a book that was full of threads that have you questioning who is involved and why.

I found myself having to pay close attention in the latter part of the book as there are so many potential characters involved and different threads that are all intertwined. The book held my attention from start to finish and there were plenty of twists turns and surprises that I thoroughly enjoyed each and every page. I almost feel like the more Andrew Gross writes, the better he gets. This is certainly a thriller that has all the right ingredients, and one that will keep you up into the small hours reading. I still await the return of my character crush, with a new book featuring Ty Hauck, but until then am keeping myself occupied with his fantastic stand alone novels. Highly recommended!

[Gloria ~ mzglorybe · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this fast moving thriller, Andrew Gross has us at attention right from the get-go. The prologue sets the scene for what happened four years prior and will ultimately affect both of the women who are the focal points of this story. First Wendy, a former cop, who meets a man in a bar, goes up to his room with him, and is tempted into a sexual encounter that she can't fulfill. She is in the bathroom just before leaving, when she hears someone enter, cracks the door and witnesses the man she was with shot execution style. She's been seen, but she gets away, and now she is the hunted one, as she flees for her life.

Lauritzia is the nanny of two children belonging to a lawyer and his wife, who treat her as their own family. She is shot at in an elevator by a tattooed man she recognizes. She hovers over the children protecting them, as other bodies fall beside her. Knowing her presence has caused the loss of other lives and might cause harm to her employers and their children, she attempts to flee, also running for her life. How these women's lives collide in this fast-paced mystery will have you turning the pages, way longer than you intended.

One minor thing bothered me. When Wendy is concealing her identity by going blonde. She claims even she couldn't recognize herself, but it is not possible for a darker haired woman to become a blonde with a box of store-bought-color. Anyone who has tried it knows this. You need a professional with bleach and foil for those kinds of results. Another thing, Gross also used the sur-name “Bienvienes” for the two DEA agents that were killed in Culiacan. It's phonetically difficult to pronounce, don't know why he picked that. I've never heard of this name, googled it and didn't find a one. Using a more common latin surname, such as Benavidez, Bernal, or some other real name would've seemed more genuine.

I thought it was put together quite well, and had no trouble following the plot lines, unlike one reviewer that seemed confused. I've enjoyed Gross's novels, and definitely recommend this one to lovers of thrillers and mysteries.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendy is abuot to have a one-night stand. At the last moment she decides that she can not go through with it. She is in tbe hotel bathroom when she hears voices arguing. There is another man in the room and he is holding a gun. The next thing, the man that Wendy was about to have sex with is shot and killed. Wendy acting on impluse shots the other man and then takes off running. Wendy goes into hiding trying to figure out a way to clear her name.

Meanwhile in another area, Lauritzia works as a nanny. She and the two children she is caring for are at the mall. A man starts shooting in the mall. Lauritzia reconizes the man and knows he is there for her. She also goes on the run. Wendy and Lauritzia's pathes will intertwine with each other.

Mr. Gross has done it again. He won me over with his latest book, No Way Back. It was action-packed and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was flying through this book like it was crack! I was addicted. The two women, Wendy and Lauritzia are courageous, powerful women. While each was fighting for their life, they were both willing to die fighting for justice and the truth. Mr. Gross wrote that this story is loosely based on the story of Edmond Demiraj. Edmond is an Albanian immigrant, who testified aganist a killer. Edmond's life became endangered. He sought asylum and was denied. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court who granted Edmond asylum in the United States. I can not imagine doing the right thing like testifying and then having the killer slaughter my whole family and then having to be on the run for my life watching my back.

The reason that I really liked Wendy and Lauritzia besides what I already said before is because they were real women. They were not just like characters in a story but they had emotions, they felt, they cried, they had fear. Thus for these reasons I connected emotionally with the two women, which made this book better. I can not wait to read the next book from Mr. Gross.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast paced thriller catches the reader's attention from the start as the action speeds along like a fast moving train. The action details the misfortunes of two women and we see how their paths eventually come together to fight a common adversary.

After an argument with her husband, Wendy goes to a hotel room with a man she just met, before anything happens, she is in the bathroom when someone barges into the room and kills the man she was with. Then, as the man is setting a scene for self defense and planting a gun, Wendy comes out of the bathroom, announces that she is an ex-cop and tries to arrest him. When he aims his weapon at her, she grabs the gun that he would have used to stage his scene and kills him. Then she looks at his i.d. and sees that he is a member of the Homeland Security. She panics and when she runs from the room, his partner is down the hall. The chase begins.

Lauritzia Valez is a nanny with a secret. While with the children under her care, she's spotted by a man who tries to kill her. She and the children escape and we follow the events that led up from her earlier life in Mexico to now.

The heart pounding plot moves from one woman to the other as the story unfolds. Revenge, brave women and appealing characters reveal their story and fight to overcome their situation as the reader is glued to the pages.

I read the story until late at night and recommend it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I'm so glad I realized recently that I hadn't read this book when I went through an Andrew Gross reading marathon back in 2013-14. It was one of the best of his novels, in my opinion. I loved how he started with two seemingly unrelated story lines and brought them together about half-way through. Boom! I kept trying to figure out how they could be related but hadn't guessed. As someone who is fascinated by Mexico and Mexican culture, I always enjoy reading novels that include Mexican characters (even though some of them were definitely not "good guys" in this one).

I found, as usual, a couple of copy-editing misses (seems to be pretty typical in e-books), and one small but glaringly improbable scene in which Wendy, the protagonist, colors her dark hair to blonde in "a few minutes" in a public restroom. It's a minor point, but any woman who knows much about hair coloring could have told Gross that going from dark brown to blonde is a somewhat lengthy process involving bleach and toner and would be tough to do in a public restroom without a shower to rinse everything out, and in "a few minutes". Ha!

Overall, a very enjoyable book with page-turning suspense and a satisfying resolution.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings. Plot was exciting, BUT.. I always like books I can halfway put myself in their shoes. This was was just toooo unbelievable. It was a fast read and did keep your attention. Again, just too out there.

No Way Back is a thrilling page-turner. One woman is framed for a horrific crime, and desperate to prove her innocence. A chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends in a shocking murder. Wendy Gould is an average mom--and the only witness. Nanny Lauritzia Velez knows a shocking secret that could prove to be deadly. Both of their lives in danger, this unlikely pair must work together against a network of dangerous men who want nothing more than to see them dead.

A fast-paced, riveting tale with strong, compelling characters, No Way Back is an edge-of-your-seat read with nonstop action and a complex mystery.

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine going about your day like every other day. Getting up, getting ready for work and expecting to come home to your husband and end your day just like every other one. Only today's going to be different. All those normal days of the same old boring routine will be something you wish you could get back. You'd never complain again. Today will be the day you wished you never got out of bed. The day where all those what if's questions that play in your mind would simply go away. Today is the day where you will spend every single minute trying to stay one step ahead of people who want you dead and there is No Way Back to the life you had before.

In the novel, No Way Back by best selling author Andrew Gross, Wendy Gould, an attractive wife and step mother to David's children from a previous message is sitting in a bar waiting for her friend Pam to show up. It seems that talking things over with your best friend is better than attempting to go home and have yet another argument with your husband. Even if she were to head home, David has late night business meetings in hopes of securing another contract that will add even more money to their already lavish and comfortable lifestyle.

The one thing Wendy doesn't count on is that an attractive man in the bar approaches her during one of her most vulnerable times in her marriage. She loves the attention he provides and when her friend Pam calls to tell her she can't meet her, Wendy makes the mistake of leaving the bar with the man knowing the choice she makes tonight will alter her life forever. When she arrives in his apartment, she suddenly comes to grip with her moral conviction and kindly tells Curtis that she needs to go home before things go any further than simply being in his apartment.

While she freshens up in his bathroom, she overhears voices in the other room and slowly picks out the door expecting to find Curtis on the phone. What she sees is another man sitting across from Curtis telling him to pick up the gun he has placed before him. When Curtis refuses, the man shots him anyway. Wendy knows that she is likely to be next since the man who shot Curtis has obviously heard the water running in the bathroom and knows she is likely to be shot next.

She sees the gun that Curtis refused to pick up lying just within her reach outside the bathroom door and while the other man is distracted she rushes out and picks it up. She informs the man she is an ex-cop and to put his hands up. However, when he draws his weapon on her, she has no other choice but to shoot him. What has just happened? She can't go home? How will she be able to tell David what happened even though nothing happened with Curtis? When she reaches into the pocket of the shooters jacket, she finds an ID that tells her that just has just killed an agent with the Department of Homeland Security which mean that even know she can't even go to the police. What will she do? What would you do?

I received No Way Back by Andrew Gross compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. This one is action packed on every single page. It is a nail biter and a jaw clincher to be certain and I quite literally inhaled this one in a matter of hours. There are some uses of profanity and vulgarity but overall the story is amazing. For those of you that love a bit of adrenaline to go along with your murder mystery, then this one will be one you'll want to pick up. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 simply based on my review scale and have enjoyed the previous Andrew Gross novels I have had the opportunity to review in the past, Eyes Wide Open and 15 Seconds.

[Balthazarinblue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this because it was going cheap on a clearance table. It was on clearance for a reason. Lesson learned.

There are two protagonists. Lauritzia's story is compelling and heartbreaking, and the only reason I gave this two stars instead of negative one hundred. Unfortunately, her story is only 1/10th of the book. The rest of the story is about Wendy.

Wendy cheats on her husband (but doesn't Go All The Way!) with a reporter and in doing so is a witness to the reporter's murder/kills someone in self-defense. Instead of calling 911 right away, she legs it, partly because she thinks the cops will kill her too to cover it all up, but mostly because she doesn't want her husband to know she was (Almost But Not Quite) cheating on him. So of course the first thing she does is go home and confess to him that she Just About cheated on him. Then he gets murdered too and Wendy is framed for it.

Wendy now on the run from the cops and feds, has to clear her name. She can do this because she worked as a cop for one year and also went to law school for a bit!

She shows off her skills by:

- immediately phoning everyone she knows, allowing the people she's on the run from to trace her
- immediately traveling to places she's the tax paying owner of, allowing the people she's on the run from to trace her
- immediately contacting the people most likely to turn her in (the relatives of the people she's accused of killing) to defend herself, allowing the people she's on the run from to trace her

That she survived is a testament to how incompetent the baddies are, because Wendy was going out of her way to make it easy for them.

To clear her name, Wendy has to unravel a complicated conspiracy to runs to the highest levels of the federal government.

She does this by:

- aggressively googling
- recounting her life story to every character she meets
- looking people deeply in the eyes so they can feel how much pain she's in
- explaining that yes, she was cheating on her husband but She's Not A Floozy (this is always the deciding factor that tips strangers in helping a wanted fugitive accused of double homicide; they start out wary but as soon as she assures them nothing penetrative happened, it was only kissing and heavy petting, it's all peachy (and yes, strangers who are confronted by a wanted fugitive possible murderer care more about the whole cheating situation than the murdering situation))

It's a miracle she managed to figure it out! She must have read, like what, ten HuffPost long form articles to put it all together! Truly a modern day Sherlock Holmes. I can see why the police never sniffed it out!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received "No Way Back" by Andrew Gross, as a Goodreads First Reads giveaway winner. This is the story of how one woman made a bad decision that instantly caused a domino affect and it ruined her life, another woman's live has been ruined through no fault of her own and yet another woman through the kindness of her heart, lost her life. These women's lives eventually all come together to create a well written thriller that kept me intrigued from the first few pages. I wanted to stay up all night to find out what happened, but real life forced me to put the book down and actually live my life. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much that I purchased another book by Mr. Gross today. It's a fast rollercoaster ride.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my full review @ http://bit.ly/XhGsqm

My opinion: I have to be honest, having read numerous other Andrew Gross books, I was left kind of cold by this book. I don't think it was as twisted nor as engrossing as some of this author's other "stand alone" works. Now, did the storyline have twists to it? Yes, it did, but not as "twisted" as in some of his other works and I found it very difficult to grasp my attention.

Furthermore, although the author's standard of quality writing is present, I found that it took me about 100 pages to get into the story. After that I was hooked, but for some readers they would have given up on it. If you are one of those readers, push through. Unfortunately, the book ended up losing me in the end again.

[Minty McBunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I really would have never picked this book up or even given it a second look if I hadn't read a plot synopsis before seeing the cover. What awful cover art, looks like bad Star Wars sci-fi.

Which is a shame, because I was pleasantly surprised to find such a great thriller lurking behind the ugly jacket. Really a tensely plotted, well-paced, exciting story, I read it all in one day! The "why" at the end got a little murky, and the character of Wendy was a bit vague, but overall I really enjoyed this book and will be looking to pick up some more of Andrew Gross' novels in future.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not very realistic, still very fun!

[stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story very fast pace. Had me transfixed from page one.
Just when you thought you spotted the plot you haddent and you go on to the end.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Protagonist, Wendy Gould goes from one crisis to another. It’s compelling—I stayed with it. But after awhile it gets a bit unbelievable. This is the first in a series of three. I’m not sure I’ll read the others, but I have enjoyed several of Andrew Gross‘s books. He writes good thrillers.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this. Not the most well written book I ever read, but as a fast paced thriller, it kept me reading and wasn’t overly complicated to follow as some thrillers can be.
I found both Wendy and Lauritiza’s stories interesting.

[Jaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off slowly, otherwise it would have gotten a higher rating. Once Gross tied the two women's storylines together, though, the action picked up and the story became a page turner. The ending was weak, but was probably the most realistic part of the story. Overall, I enjoyed the story and will definitely try other books by this author.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title intimates, Andrew Gross' latest thriller, "No Way Back" (William Morrow 2013) is about those bells we ring that can't be unrung, those self-inflicted wounds that are so venomous, we feel them for the rest of our lives. The most we can hope for is to move on.

This story starts with a simple marital spat, an argument between two people who love each other deeply, but let emotion control them for just a day. Not much time, but in that period, Wendy Gould (the wife) almost sleeps with another man. Almost--she stops herself in time, but can't get out of the hotel room before her potential paramour is murdered and she must kill a Federal agent to save her own life. She flees for home and confides in her husband--the bad and the ugly--but before they can tell her story to the police, he is killed and she must run for her life from a rogue federal agent.

To make it worse, Wendy is framed for her husband's murder and that of the agent. She quickly determines her only salvation is to find out why the man she didn't have an affair with was murdered and why it is so important she not tell what she saw.

This is a fast-paced race through one failed solution after another, as Wendy attempts to unravel clues and extricate herself before she is found by those chasing her. It is fascinating to see how ordinary people handle life-threatening situations. Though Wendy is an ex-cop, she is now a housewife of two adult children. Fighting armed killers and drug lords (part of the second plot line) is not in her daily domestic duties. Early in the book, I was annoyed by the overlapped plot lines. They jumped around in time without clear notice to the reader, but that resolved itself by the halfway mark and I never thought of it again.

For anyone who loves to read problem-solving thrillers, where a jumble of clues must be sorted by a deadline, you will love this book. And, you'll want to go back and pick up his other novels, also. Every one of them is as good as this one.

[Jeannie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you imagine being framed for a horrendous crime you didn't commit? To say the least, I am sure you would feel vulnerable and an overwhelming feeling of dread would go through you. What would you do when trust is broken like a crack in a dam? Would your life start to crumble and wash away? Would you risk everything to prove your innocence?
This jaw-dropping novel encompasses Mexican drug cartels, shady, corrupt people and their evil deeds that are spreading to the good ole USA. Truth is: The Mexican drug cartels are spreading to the United States and they are getting harder and harder for the authorities to stop.
In No Way Back, I liked how the author depicts two strong, but tenderhearted women who find they have to rely on each other if they are to survive and possibly defeat evil, murderous forces. It is definitely a suspense thriller and a page-turner.

Jeannie Walker - Award Winning Author

[C. J. Scurria · Rating 2 out of 5]

A happy family woman ends up in a vulnerable situation. It's one filled with both shame and shock as before she knows it a young man in his hotel room is murdered in front of her. With not even the government to turn to as she finds out the man she later kills in self-defense is from Homeland Security, she has little to no options.

Meanwhile in a seemingly different part of the world a young maid gets caught up in a pouring of violence. But she becomes terrified as she realizes this act is somehow tied to her past. To her it is coming to take her out once and for all.

These two souls end up working together to for one prove her innocence and another to free the last ones of her family before they are the ones killed as a final vendetta.

---

This book overall to me was okay. I thought, without giving spoilers, that it was generally presented in a simplistic style and with its many twists and turns. This was good but nothing earth shattering.

I liked that the writer tied a true event within the story's main plot (again I don't like to give spoilers) but other than that to me there wasn't a whole lot special about it. I am afraid in time I will forget about this story altogether.

But it wasn't bad and liked many parts within so I'm kind of not sure what to say other than that. A good book to read either on a train or if you're a fast reader and travel any place you'll get a good dose of thrills.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I was expecting a completely different book than the one I got. I could not put this book down! No Way Back is an excellent, well written mystery that kept me captivated until the end. Part of the story is told by Wendy, while the rest of the story follows the other characters. I actually liked the switch in points of view. I thought it worked very well here. Also, it wasn't clear how all of the parts of the story were going to fit together, but the author did a nice job of weaving them into a story that made sense.

If there was ever a story that would make you not want to cheat on your spouse, this one is it. When Wendy makes the mistake of going up to a stranger's room for a one night stand, she ends up smack in the middle of a HUGE conspiracy. That one mistake costs her everything she holds dear. What follows is a race against time to clear her name and to try to figure out what exactly is going on. I liked Wendy. I felt really badly for her and found she was a character I could root for.

I don't want to say too much on the plot, because it would ruin the story. There are a few twists that are better left to be revealed as you read. I think this book would make a great movie! Andrew Gross is a new to me author. I look forward to reading more from him!