You Can Never Go Back follows a private investigator in the aftermath of a blackout and an explosion who investigates a family betrayal while the ghosts of a previous traumatic case resurface. Why did you open the book with a storm, a blackout, and a mysterious explosion?

I wanted to suggest there were other things in play and not necessarily just the idea that Joe was having some sort of breakdown over what had happened in Blackpool. I was toying with the idea of some supernatural shift in the cosmos, but decided the mere hint of it was enough.

Joe Parrott is clearly still haunted by his previous case. How did you want that emotional weight to shape this story?

I wanted to demonstrate how Hero had affected all of them in different ways. Joe is a flawed and vulnerable man, and I wanted readers to feel his helplessness. He doesn’t have all the answers.

The book often resists easy judgments about who the villain is. Why was moral ambiguity important in this story?

Moral ambiguity is always important. It was in Hero, and in other books of mine. It fosters critical thinking and curiosity. Nothing is black and white. Teal life decisions rarely have a simple “right” answer.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

I haven’t decided what to do with Joe and Aisha. I have started another unrelated story, which won’t be out for another year. I’m slowly creating my characters.

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