THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM by Laura Dave

4 stars

This thriller takes up where Dave’s bestseller “The Last Thing He Told Me” leaves off, neatly tying up hanging plot threads and setting forth a pulsing adventure. Owen Hall disappeared five years prior as his life was threatened, leaving behind his artist wife Hannah and teenage daughter Bailey, whispering to Hannah to look after Bailey.

Hannah and Bailey have moved to southern California to be near Bailey’s maternal grandfather Nicholas, who was a former mastermind for the mob and did jail time for the boss. Part of the deal struck by Nicholas is taking the fall was to protect Hannah and Bailey. But when Owen shows up at a new art exhibition by Hannah, warning that both Hannah and Bailey lives are threatened. Fearing this could happen someday, Hannah has contingency plans in place to go on the run with Bailey and into hiding. But each step of the way in a quest for safety, their plans get thwarted. All they can do is follow clues Owen leaves for them – all the way to Paris.

Can they find a way to stay alive and unite with Owen? And if so, can Hannah and Bailey forgive Owen his desertion of them? Can Owen forgive his father-in-law Nicholas for his criminal past and all the dire consequences that flowed from it?  Has Owen been in touch with Nicholas over the past five years in trying to secure the family’s safety from the mob?  Why has Nicholas’ former boss Frank reneged on his promise of safety for Hannah and Bailey? To what length will a parent go to protect children from errors of their own making?

The intense tension keeps ratcheting up, keeping you gripped in what will happen next!

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.