The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

With The First Time I Saw Him, Laura Dave has written her first sequel featuring Hannah Hall from The Last Thing He Told Me from 2021. While readers welcomed the sequel, turns out it is not quite the sequel they expected with the introduction of two new characters who bog down the narrative. {I really did not care for this one}

Five years have passed since Hannah Hall’s husband and her step-daughter Bailey’s father Owen seemed to drop off the face of the earth. They have moved on, settling in the Los Angeles area. Over these years, they have begun a relationship with Bailey’s grandfather Nicholas, once an attorney for a crime syndicate boss.

During the latest exhibition of Hannah’s art, Owen makes an appearance, though neither she nor he acknowledge one another. She learns later that during the encounter, Owen slipped a flash drive into her pocket. A phone call comes the next day that puts Hannah and Bailey on the run for safety.

The action is interrupted repeatedly with narratives of exchanges between Nicholas and the crime boss, detracting from the way Hannah and Bailey have put into action the run-for-safety plan they developed long ago in case this day came. How can they make it to safety? What chance is there for Owen to reunite with his family.

Laura Dave’s books have been chosen by Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club, Indie Next, Book of the Month Club, The Richard and Judy Book Club, Best of Amazon, and Best of Apple Books. Goodreads readers voted The Last Thing He told Me as Mystery & Thriller of the Year for 2021. That book became a series on Apple TV+. Dave lives in California.