Never Let Go

by Lori Duffy Foster

Most people have nightmares while they sleep. Carla Murphy awakens to find herself living one. Carla is excited when her best friend asks her to lunch and tells her to bring the baby. Rachel dislikes children and had been distant throughout Carla’s pregnancy. But Carla should have known that people don’t change that quickly. Lunch was a ruse. Carla emerges from a drug-induced slumber sealed in a room in Rachel’s basement with her son gone. Her best friend is no friend. She is obsessed with Carla’s husband and will kill them both if she doesn’t get what she wants. Carla has no choice. She must help Rachel, her confidant since childhood, seduce her husband or they all die, and her baby will be lost to her forever.

Genres: Thriller

Paperback

First published December 20, 2022

About the author

A former crime reporter, Lori Duffy Foster was born and raised in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, where a piece of her heart remains. Her previous novels include NEVER LET GO, a thriller, and the Lisa Jamison Mystery Series. Her books have been nominees or finalists for Agatha, Silver Falchion and Shamus awards. Lori is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, The Historical Novel Society, International Thriller Writers, The Finger Lakes Authors & Readers Experience and Pennwriters. After several moves about the country with her family, Lori now lives and writes in the hills of Northern Pennsylvania. Look out for two new novels in 2026 and 2027 from Speaking Volumes LLC, SPRING MELT, an historical courtroom drama, and NO STRANGER HERE, a thriller.

Reviews

[Spiritedbookishbabe]

Wow!!! This book was amazing!!! I read 20 chapters in one night!!! I couldn’t put it down. I was hooked from the very beginning. I had to know what was going to happen next!!

Nick and Carla were married and had a baby they named Christopher. Carla went to see her friend Rachel for lunch with her son. Rachel had come up with a plan to steal Carla’s husband but she had to make Carla disappear first. Rachel drugged Carla and kept her locked in a room in her basement.

Rachel then took Carla and nicks baby and searched for someone in the black market to adopt Christopher. The couple was an older couple in their fifty’s and had to rejected because of their age. They took the baby and cared for him for months

I give the book 5 stars. It was amazing!!

[Mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The faceless voice that boomed from a speaker mounted high in a corner was once welcome and familiar to Carla. It was a whisper of conspiracy in the dark when they were ten years old and sneaking downstairs late at night for ice cream. It was a call from a cafeteria table, giving her direction and a sense of belonging on the first day of junior high. It was the harmony as they sang with their playlists on the drive to the movie theatre on a Saturday night. But this voice had changed. This voice was thick with confidence, control, and loathing. It was terrifying. Carla didn't know this Rachel."

After meeting up with her best friend, new mum Carla, wakes up in a sealed room. She's been drugged, she knows she's trapped, but worst of all her son is missing. Carla is desperate to get out and find her som, but Rachel has other plans.
As a parent, this was a tough read. Especially as my youngest is only a month older than the baby in this book. It made me hug him a little tighter.
I really enjoyed this whole story, even if it did leave my heart in my throat. My only issue was that alongside the main story, is another story about a teenage boy who had disappeared years ago. It didn't really have much of an impact on the rest of the story and it felt like there was no good reason for it to be there.
Other than that, this was a great book and I look forward to seeing more from this author.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was intense! The author is a former crime reporter and you can tell from her writing, she knows her stuff. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time from beginning to end. If you’re looking for an actually thrilling thriller pick this up!

Carla wakes up to something out of a nightmare. She finds herself trapped in the basement of her so-called best friend Rachel’s house and her son Christopher is nowhere to be found. Rachel is obsessed with Carla’s husband and manipulates Carla by withholding food, water, etc in order to learn how to snag her husband. Carla is appalled however if she ever wants to see her family again, she must play along.

Never Let Go is available December 20,2022.

Thank you to netgalley and levelbestbooks for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Jamie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC.
At first I wasn't sure about this. It seemed silly, like a reality TV show, but then I noticed I was completely sucked in. I was reading during a meeting, at stop lights while driving home, while cooking dinner, and while trying to put my kids to bed. It was out of control. So, clearly I loved it.
I absolutely loved the information about adoption and human trafficking. It was clearly well researched and it gives you tons to think about.

[scl.ashx · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars

First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley, the author - Lori Duffy Foster, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for the advance review copy, and giving me the opportunity to enjoy this spectacular psychological thriller!

The book starts with our main character - Carla, waking up surprised, and finding herself as a captive of none other than her own best friend - Rachel, and her baby Christopher missing. If Carla wants to free herself, and get her baby back, she needs to help Rachel get Carla's husband Nick, or else everyone dies. My first thought about the book was that it'll be a phenomenal one, considering that it's a debut thriller by a former crime reporter, and the author did not fail to serve the banger!

I was thoroughly impressed with Carla's portrayal as a smart, strong, and composed character under pressure, and Rachel's lunacy that made her a detestable villain. The author's writing style kept me captivated, and the progression of the plot, the development of all the characters, and their relationships were excellently executed.

My only concern with the book was the subplot, as I felt that Leland's story was rushed and did not seamlessly blend with the main narrative. Both the stories couldn't intertwine together, and the main culprit was also predictable. All I want to say is that if this subplot was rather given in bits and pieces in this one, and was made into another book, I would have definitely loved it.

But all in all, I loved this one and would definitely recommend it to the people who like a fast paced, gripping thriller, with relatable characters and seamless writing.

[David (on hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has all the makings to be an absolute banger of a book. We have Carla Murphy who one day takes herself and son to lunch with Rachel: her forever bestie and wakes up realizing her bestie isn’t all that great. In fact she wakes up from a drug induced slumber locked in a strange room with her son gone. Turns out her bestie is in love with Carla’s husband and is going to have him or EVERYONE dies.

I’m pretty sure Rachel is off the Christmas Card list after this one.

This part of the story was absolutely great. Rachel is just batshit crazy which is stuff I will never get tired of reading about. This part of the story is handled very well and is a pleasure to read.

Now about that other half of the book…… LOL. This is where it gets sketchy. There are roughly three plotlines to this book. One critical to the main plotline and one that absolutely really doesn’t need to be there. Which really makes the flow of the book uneven. Then you have some really wordy prose, some confusing/disjointed narrative, and add some absolutely stupid decisions by the main characters. Like stuff literally nobody would do and I think it just kills the overall vibe of this book.

Overall the book is average. If you strip this one down and just work with your main storyline that you started with I really think this one would be a excellent one. Or if you just like reading long, windy sentence structures then you could get into it. I just really never did.

[Jennifer Holloway Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really pulled me in as a reader and I was drawn to the story. The taut suspense between the two women kept the plot rolling along. I felt there was definitely some fumbling when it came to the police involvement and this was a bit distracting. I would have really liked to see more action surrounding the particulars as this would have been an interesting case to work. I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author. She has a strong voice and provides well written characters, Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

[Miss W Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Let Go by Lori Duffy Foster is an INCREDIBLE psychological thriller.

This is a suspense thriller that I could not put down.

Carla Murphy was a great character. Well written, complex, and complicated.

Carla wakes up in a drug-induced sleep in her friend's basement. From there, I couldn't stop turning the pages.

This was such an incredible twisty thriller that I absolutely LOVED.

Well written with multi-layered characters.

I have read other books from this author, and I highly recommend checking out her other works.

[Star Gater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Level Best Books for accepting my request to read and review Never Let Go.

Author: Lori Duffy Foster
Published: 12/20/22
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) -- Mystery & Thrillers -- Women's Fiction

Initially, I thought this was going to follow a typical trope storyline. I was pleasantly surprised. The female main character was clever and Foster stayed consistent through the end. I appreciated that, as well there was no profanity to the best of my knowledge.

There really are two stories, and I didn't expect that either. I don't want to spoil, so I can only speak generally. Foster did well with human emotions as well as reactions. She wrote the main character's story seamlessly. In my defense, I wasn't counting pages waiting for the ending. If I had, I might have noticed there was a necessary angle to finish (the last third of the book).

Of note, there was a law enforcement character with a family, and I liked his storyline as well.

This was a nice, lazy day read. I gave 3.5 stars, but didn't round up; it is clever storytelling. I look forward to more from the author.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carla is unexpectedly drugged by her "best friend" and finds herself locked in a room in Rachel's basement. Her son is also missing. Rachel is obsessed with Carla's husband and will kill them both if she doesn't get what she wants. Carla agrees to help her, hoping she will see her son and husband again.

The first half of the book with Carla locked in the basement, kept me on the edge of my seat. Wondering if she would get out alive, how the people on the outside would deal with her disappearance. Without giving away the plot, the second half of the book took a turn and started to drag a bit. Also the secondary story line of finding a dead body, at a construction site, from a 20 year old disappearance seemed kind of pointless in the grand scheme of this story. I wasn't quite sure of the point of adding that in.

Thank You Net Galley for this advanced e-galley. 3 1/2 stars

[Stormi Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Let Go
By: Lori Duffy Foster

5 Stars

I am so glad for this netgalley advanced review copy of NEVER LET GO. It was a crazy ride from page one. Carla and her son Christopher are missing. Did she leave? Was she abducted? Finding her and the baby is all that matters to her husband, Nick. The truth will be one that no one ever saw coming.

This book is an awesome wild ride. It was action-packed. From page one, I was hooked. It was written well and had an awesome set of characters. I have read many mysteries and thrillers, and this one really had it all. The danger, the emotions, the story, and the drama were all portrayed in an awesome way that keeps you reading till the last page. It's definitely a book I'll be telling friends about.

[Deity World · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it a very dark and poignant story after reading the previous trilogy I knew it would enjoy this book

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very kindly gifted this book by the Author Lori.
My unbiased review:

Four stars = Great!

“What do you think you’re doing?”
“The accusation echoed off the concrete walls that caged her in the small, rectangular room. The water had been so soothing she’d nearly forgotten where she was. How could she do that? ”

When I read this on the first page I knew I was in for quite a story. From the first chapter the tone of this book is set. Rachel who is seemingly Carlas best friend has kidnapped her. All because of one man, Nick. Oh Rachel.. *eye roll*

A good thriller and a real page turner.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Lori Duffy Foster for an advanced copy of this book . Rachel, Carla, Nick, and Sawyer are the main characters in this novel. Rachel and Carla are best friends and after Carla has a baby with Nick Rachel decides to kidnap her. Rachel has a crush on Nick since they were in high school together. Rachel invited Carla and her six month old son Christopher to her place to eat dinner and catch up. Rachel drugs her and takes Christopher and sells him to child traffickers. Rachel locks Carla up in her basement because she is obsessed with her husband Nick. Sawyer is the officer in charge of the case and knew Rachel, Carla, and Nick from high school. Sawyer begins to notice that his wife Hannah has been acting weird since Carla and Christopher disappeared. Rachel visits Nick after she kidnaps Carla in order to seduce him with Carla’s help. Sawyer finds the body of Leland, a boy who disappeared when they were in high school and one night when he looks through old yearbooks he recognizes Rachel’s handwriting and realizes that she is responsible for kidnapping Carla and Christopher. Carla is found alive after Nick goes to Rachel’s house and Rachel is killed after falling while trying to kill Carla. Then Carla travels to Arizona to find Christopher after Rachel told her where he was before she died. Child traffickers kidnap her from her hotel and they find Christopher alive and safe. Nick stays at home in Maplewood and discovers that Hannah killed Leland after he got her pregnant and she wanted a abortion and he fell and died from falling on a rock. The two families move from their hometown to different places in order to leave the memories that they wish to forget.

[Margie Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was an incredible story and a fantastic read by author Lori Duffy Foster! I had decided I was going to do nothing but just sit and read all day and Never Let Go was the perfect book to do just that. It was my first time reading this author and this storyline grabbed my attention right from the start and it held my interest and kept me reading all day until I finished the book. That doesn’t usually happen for me. One thing that really appealed to me was the stories location. It mentions Syracuse and the Destiny USA Mall which are very close to where I live and to read about places you actually know of tends to make the story seem all the more real. In the beginning, Carla, a young wife and mother, is kidnapped by her childhood best friend. She has her locked away in a small cubicle of a room with no knowledge of where or what she has done with her infant son. The anticipation I felt while reading this had me on the edge of my seat wishing I could read faster. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. I was so engrossed in this book and I can’t recommend it enough. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc to read and review. I’m giving this a 5 star rating even though I believe it’s deserving of much more and I look forward to reading more by this author in the near future!

[Kori Potenzone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need you to stop what you are doing and give this book a round of applause.

I get it, you didn't read it yet, but you will....

Never Let Go, needs to be on everyone's reading list.

This is a book jam packed with deceit and psychological twists that will have you gripping your chest and holding your breath. If you think the author "wont go there" you are mistaken. Foster WILL go there, all while leaving your jaw on the floor.

From the first chapter I knew I was in for a doozy. Stories about women and friendship always pack a different kind of punch. Maybe its the realism. This is the story of Carla and Rachel.

These characters will have you questioning just about everything. If you think you have it all figured out, I promise you, you don't.

The major plot twist will have you thinking about this book long after concluding and will have every reading group buzzing.

If this book doesn't scream LIFETIME movie, I don't know what does.

Buy the book, you wont regret it.

[Chenita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never Let Go starts off immediately after new mom Carla meeting her bestie since childhood Rachel for lunch with her newborn Christopher. Carla passes out during lunch and awakes in a locked room and Christopher missing. Rachel tells Carla she sold Christopher on the black market, and she intends to keep her hostage while she makes Carla’s husband Nick fall in love with her. Where is Christopher? How will Carla get out of this situation? Detective Sawyer is the lead on this case and is trying to put the pieces together before time runs out.
There is also a subplot of a cold case Detective Sawyer is working of a murdered teenager who so happened to have attended the same high school as those involved in the current case. The author did a great job of showing how class/human trafficking/privilege ties into people’s lives when they are making decisions about their lives.
This was a 4* read! Thank you to Level Best Books, IBPA, and NetGalley for the EArc and the chance to review it!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Let go .
By Lori Duffy Foster.


Psychological thriller..Definitely well written
This one will keep you up late In the night.
More than one crime has taken place In this
Small town. A missing woman. Her child.
And a cold case. Over a decade..


Waking up in a basement, but not knowing how you got there, at first then Terror sets in. Life as you know it is over.your baby is gone. Your husband is gone. But That voice on the speaker. Telling you what to do.. that voice you know. It's just the beginning..

There's a cold, case in this story that Weaves within the story. The killer is someone you would never think... Sometimes people aren't always who you think they are.. Lies go on for years.

This book was so Intense and hard as could be to lay down. But oh so Good. This has Been one of my very favorite Books this year. Thank you Lori Duffy Foster.
Fabulous Read right here.. I would give this book 8 stars if allowed...

[Catbytheseareads ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carla wakes up in a nightmare. She finds herself trapped in a bathroom in the basement of her best friend Rachel’s house and her son Christopher is nowhere to be found.

Rachel is obsessed with Nick, Carla’s husband, so she manipulates Carla by withholding food and water, in order to learn how to seduce Nick.

We see the supermom strength of Carla, but I will admit a bit of it was somewhat unbelievable with so many close calls. Don’t get me wrong I love a good kick-butt woman but I did have to say “come on”.

This book had so many twists, turns, mystery and action-packed suspense, never a dull moment. It was so good I stayed up all night to finish it in one sitting.

Thank you so much to NetGalley the publisher and Author for my free kindle read in exchange for my honest review, I loved it.

[Patricia McAlexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Let Go is a psychological thriller that reminded me in some ways of Gone Girl (a missing wife) and The Woman in the Window (a woman with mental problems). It deals with three inter-related crimes in a small New York town of Maplewood Falls, just south of the Finger Lakes: one involving an ingeniously evil once-best-friend, one related to current news stories about missing babies, and a third about a long-unsolved disappearance of a teen. The heroine, Carla, is amazingly plucky, resolved, in spite of often nightmarish circumstances, never to “let go” when her baby disappears. The novel keeps the reader reading as quickly as possible to see what happens to Carla, her husband Nick, their baby--and more. Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy.

[Brenda Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carla is betrayed by her oldest and most trusted friend. Rachel drugs her, placing Carla in a secret Rachel constructed.
Her baby, Christopher, is sold.
And her husband, Nick, is the real target. Rachel has been obsessed with him for years - harboring hatred for Carla, the best friend who married Rachel's obsession.
And this is just the start of the novel.
Rachel insists Carla give secrets to seduce Nick; Carla desperately searches for a plan to gain freedom; Nick just wants his wife and son to return - pushing the police to take their disappearances seriously, knowing Cara did not run away.
Loved it!

[Ali Tappe · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️

It’s been awhile since I read such an intense, gripping, fast-paced book!! The author pulled me in within the first few pages and I was hooked!! The details in here were chilling. It’s a parents worst nightmare. It also tells the story of how hard a parent will fight to find and rescue their child.

To be honest, I didn’t love the subplot. I felt like it didn’t add a whole lot to the book itself. It was also a bit predictable at “who done it” if you paid close enough attention.

I am so excited for this book to be published! Highly recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller!

Thanks NetGalley and IBPA!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lori Duffy Foster shows us just how far a Mother will go to get her baby back in her newest book, Never Let Go.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat. It had a good mix of suspense as well as heartache for a missing child and the relationships that will forever be changed because of it.

The plot was plenty enough to entertain me so I don’t feel the subplot added anything to the story. For me, it just didn’t fit. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the many perspectives we were given and felt that switching them up added to the suspense.

This one is a page turner and I suggest adding it to your TBR!

I received a free advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sue Loncaric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you imagine one day having a happy marriage and enjoying your baby then the next day your life is turned upside down? I was given an Advanced Reader Copy of 'Never Let Go' by Lori Duffy Foster and it certainly had me from the first page. This book covers social and relationship issues such as illegal adoption, how or if relationships survive traumatic experiences and also how far you would go for someone you love. There were twists and turns which kept my attention and I felt a range of emotions. I would definitely recommend 'Never Let Go' for those who enjoy a good psychological thriller.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Level Best Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for the copy of Never Let Go. The writing never resonated with me and didn’t really flow. Some things were repeated, everyone had an inner dialogue that we had to read about even though it never really rang true, and there was too much description. I loved the primary story, which was engaging and complex. There was also a secondary story, but it was disappointing because it could have been the basis for its own book but just felt out of place in this one. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

[Rebecca Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if your best friend for years turns out not to be your best friend at all, actually she's your worst enemy! This occurred in Never Let Go by Lori Duffy Foster. This happened to Emily when she went to lunch with Rachel, her presumably best friend. Rachel kidnapped her and placed her in a room in a basement, keeping her there for months. OMG, what a story a former crime reporter and author weaves! Well worth reading this first standalone novel by Lori Duffy Foster! Thanks to Netgalley and the author for this ARC which releases on December 20, 2022!

[Patricia Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do when your wife and child are missing? Nick is finding out that answer. They’ve disappeared and most people believe she left him.
Carla has been kidnapped and just wants to be back with her son and husband. She is doing all that she can to get back home and stay alive.
I liked the characters in the book, felt like it was pretty slow in places. Overall, it was a good book with suspense building.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this one.

[Janaya Kabamba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg this one was absolutely insane! In the best possible way lol. It got so dark so quickly and was just so captivating. It really does go from 0 to 100 and then just drag you though the rest of the book. Such a page turned and will keep you hooked. A must read

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Never Let Go" is a page turner that will have you hooked from page 1. It's intense, emotional, gripping and unexpected to say the least. I couldn't put this book down and when I did, I thought about it all the time! It's a definite must read!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow,Lori Duffy Foster, really knows how to pull you into a story. Your best friend turns out to be your biggest nightmare! Your life was great. Loving husband ,a new baby, and your best friend turns your life into a nightmare. Don't want to give away any spoilers just read it!