Home Before Night

Product Information

Pomare depicts this precarious, uncertain and trying time well, reminding us of the restrictions that were placed on us just a few short years ago. I didn’t see the twist coming at all which I loved, and I also loved the nods to all of his other novels and characters throughout as well. With a few red herrings and unexpected twists, this is one engaging read that you won't want to put down. The lockdown setting was great and added to the claustrophobia, I wonder if we will see many more mid-pandemic novels in the coming years? 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.

This was the most ridiculous book, once’s you finish it you understand why characters are certain ways and it does make sense sense but that doesn’t change the way I felt about the first 80% of the book. In this page-turning thriller, all is not as it seems, and the truth is a lot darker and in many ways more human than we could ever imagine. As another wave of the virus hits, inhabitants of Melbourne are given until 8pm to get to their home. Also - is it just me or is it too soon to be writing books revolving entirely around the covid pandemic?I feel picky for even mentioning it but I’m fairly sure we learn that Samuel is 19, but earlier in the novel there’s reference to him as a 10 year old, naming their (now) 11 year old kitten.

I wasn't sure if the author was shooting for maximum veracity with his depiction of lockdowns and covid, and I did notice that he never actually mentions covid just 'the virus' which I assume is to take some liberties with the facts. 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. divorced mother Lou is waiting on her eighteen year old son Samuel to arrive before the curfew hits otherwise they must stay for the next four weeks where they are, when he doesn’t arrive home and she cannot contact him Lou pushes the panic buttons, does she have a reason to? but what can his mother do - She cant go to the police he secrets will be revealed they will know who she really is. Her ex-husband is dismissive when she phones him, accusing her of being overbearing, among other things, but Lou is certain there is something wrong.

After reading almost all of Pomare's books, I have never been able to work out the twist endings and this novella is no different. Set during the pandemic as Melbourne faced lockdown after lockdown, this tension filled tale will have you flipping pages at breakneck speed to get to the bottom of this compulsive crime mystery. I couldn’t relate to any of this, I’m not a parent, nor do I ever want to be and the main character in the story was a very miserable woman, probably drug addicted, smothering mess of a mother. Purchase from Booktopia* *As an affiliate of Booktopia I may earn a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you.

Set in suburban Victoria during the 2020/2021 covid lockdowns, the story centres around Lou and her son Samuel. But this is another great read from Pomare and the sneak peek at his next book (included in the paperback copy) will whet your appetite for his 2024 release. 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. 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.Twists come out of nowhere and the high drama of the final few chapters is edge-of-the-seat stuff' New Zealand Women's Weekly'A twisty small-town mystery with a protagonist I didn't want to let go' IAN RANKIN'The pay-off is criminally good . If anything, it ends abruptly and was a little on the short side in terms of resolution, but all in all, a satisfying read and a terrific way to finish a weekend of reading. The whole story with Jessica fascinated me and I so wish it had gone down that path and not where it went. P. Pomare book and one I really enjoyed, this one is set in Melbourne during the lockdowns and this is a first for me. At just under 200 pages long, Home Before Night is a fast paced and entertaining read, but also much shorter than I expected, with the paperback padded with a 100 page preview of Pomare’s forthcoming novel, Seventeen Years Later, to be published in 2024.

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. Wherever they are when the curfew begins, they must live for four weeks and stay within five kilometres of. Being such a short length (only 189 pages) means that the tension ramped up quite quickly and had me racing through the pages. Pomare throws out a few red herrings to mislead you along the way, making the big reveal all the more shocking. Pomare also very cleverly ekes out backstory here, giving us clues to past secrets before it all unravels for Lou, her ex-husband and for Samuel.I am a Perth resident so we didn’t face as many lockdowns as Melbourne, but we were cut off from the rest of the country and the world, so Home Before Night was a reminder of this extremely isolating time. It was safe to say I had my seatbelt buckled in tight while reading Home Before Night, I knew that a huge jolt to my system was coming! A story that was first released as an Audible exclusive, this latest Pomare offering is fast paced, incredibly twisted and oh so tense.