I read quite a large number of mystery/thriller/suspense novels. After a while, the themes and events start to run together in my mind because there are quite a few that have the same general premise. I will always be there for a good missing person story, those capture my attention even when the rest of the plot is lackluster. Never Saw Me Coming definitely piqued my interest as well, because it’s wholly inventive and has such a unique premise.
Never Saw Me Coming is a September 2021 release from Park Row
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.
About the Book
“I’ve never met someone like me, but when I do, eventually, I think it will be like two wolves meeting in the night, sniffing and recognizing a fellow hunter.”
Meet Chloe Sevre. Freshman honor student. Average-seeming, legging-wearing, hot girl next door…and diagnosed psychopath with an IQ of 135. Her hobbies include yogalates, frat parties, and plotting to kill Will Bachman, a childhood friend who grievously wronged her.
Now Chloe and six other students at John Adams College are part of an unusual clinical study that includes smartwatches to track their moods and movements, in exchange for free tuition. The study, led by a renowned psychiatrist, has inadvertently brought together some of the most dangerous minds who feel no guilt or fear. When one of the participants is found murdered, it becomes obvious they’re all in danger. Chloe goes from hunter to prey, and joins forces with two other psychopaths in the program to discover why they’re being targeted – if they could only trust each other.
Wildly entertaining with compelling characters and a vividly conjured campus setting, NEVER SAW ME COMING will keep you up all night, pinned to the page, wondering why you’re rooting for a would-be killer.
My Thoughts:
I gave this book 3.5 stars
Inventive book overall but a little slow.
The premise of this book is great, a program at a university for students who have been diagnosed with or have the signs of psychopathy, the professor in charge wants to see if the diagnosis can be managed like other mental illnesses and help the students to become productive members of society. Each student doesn’t know who else is in the program. They are enticed to join by the offer of a full ride scholarship. The novel mostly focuses on two main characters’ points of view: Chloe and Andre. They both have different reasons for wanting to be in the program, Chloe is out for revenge and Andre has financial motives. Then one person is killed on campus, then another. When Chloe and Andre discover the two victims were also psychopaths, they tentatively join forces to see if they can figure out what is going on.
This novel started out well, and I was fascinated to see what would happen with these students that basically have no conscience and don’t process the world or life in the same way as other people. Yet, what started off strong kind of meandered as the book got going. Chloe is trying to follow her own agenda, which was good because it meant something was happening in the middle. But after the exciting and intriguing setup, the plot just stagnated for a while and there were a lot of jarring POV changes and side stories that went nowhere. The ending was a little bit predictable and I’m very surprised that none of them “saw it coming.” Also, I did expect something a bit darker. These are psychopaths! The plot never goes as dark as it could have with these characters.
Overall this novel is definitely worth reading because it contains a very unique plot. Just don’t give up in the middle when it starts to drag, stick with it for a satisfying conclusion.
About the Author:
Vera Kurian is a psychologist and writer and a longtime resident of Washington DC. She has a doctorate in social psychology, specializing in intergroup relations, political ideology, and quantitative methods. She has studied fiction at Breadloaf, Sewanee, VONA, and attended juried workshops at LitCamp, Colgate, Juniper, and the Marlboro Summer Writing Intensive. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was a semifinalist for the Mark Twain Royal Nonesuch Humor Writing Contest.
