Thank you to Brilliance Audio for the ALC and MBC Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of I Came Back for You in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer / Brilliance Audio
Published: March 1, 2026
Summary:
A mother begins to challenge everything she’s been told about her daughter’s murder in a shocking novel of suspense by a New York Times bestselling author.
Ten years after her daughter, Melanie, was murdered, Bree Winter is finally moving on with a new love, a new home, and a new beginning. Then a deathbed confession from the convicted killer throws Bree’s life into a tailspin all over again. He readily confesses to murdering four girls. But not Melanie.
At first, Bree and her ex-husband don’t buy a word of it. Until inconsistencies about the crime emerge. So does the dreadful feeling that the monster who shattered Bree’s family isn’t lying. The only way she can get to the truth is to power through the trauma and return to the town in upstate New York where Melanie’s life came to a brutal end.
Bree will do anything to find justice for her daughter and finish this nightmare forever. Instead, it’s just beginning. Not only could the real killer still be in their midst, but as Bree begins to dig through Melanie’s past, what she discovers calls into question everything she has believed—about the crime and about Melanie herself.
My thoughts:
Kate White is one of my favorite authors and as soon as I see she has a book coming out, it goes on my must-read list. And this latest book is the exact reason why…an emotionally gripping whodunnit that had me fully invested all the way through.
This book starts off slow, but that serves a purpose – to really lay the foundation of the story so that when the explosive ending happens, we are ready for it. And by explosive, I don’t necessarily mean action-fueled, but rather an emotional gut-punch you don’t see coming. Tackling grief, loss and motherhood, this murder mystery is one emotionally fueled story that had me on edge. And what makes the story all the more powerful is just how palpable the grief Bree is experiencing, the emotional tole this is all taking on her – that and the suspense of finding out who really killed her had me unable to put this one down until I reached the end. I was so invested that I wanted justice as much as Bree did!
Audio thoughts:
I loved the audio of this one – Sarah Naughton absolutely brings her A-game to this narration. She infuses just the right amount of emotion, suspense and tension into her voice as needed, and I found myself unable to stop listening until I finished!
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