Britin Frazey

This is the first book I’ve made and posted a TikTok review about, so check that out after you’re done reading here. Or, if you came from there, hello and welcome to my website! The written review provides me the chance to get more of my thoughts out, since TikToks are ideally short and sweet, but I have a lot of thoughts about this story! So, without further adieu, let’s get into it.

For the entirety of 2025, I was the “Media Coordinator Intern” for the Midwest chapter of Mystery Writers of America. I ran the Instagram account for this chapter, creating posts with book recommendations and writerly content, such as a place to share word counts and updates. It was a really great opportunity that I’m so thankful my favorite professor offered to me, and it truly was a very educational experience for me in making media. I’ve put the skills I learned to so many good uses already!

Through this position, I also had the opportunity to meet Meredith Doench online. Eventually, she asked me for help with creating a few images for her social media and website. So, I created a few cover reveal options for her to choose between.

I requested that she pay me with a “free” copy of the book so I could read it. (Bonus: she gave me another book, too! Stay tuned for when I read that one soon!) I didn’t tell her that I planned on creating content for my personal channels about it, mainly because I have next to no followers. Of course, I reviewed the story on GoodReads, as I always do. I did give that review more thought than many others, since I was invested in the story, and also because I wasn’t sure if I’d have time to make a blog post before the story started turning a wee bit fuzzy in my head.

Well, that has NOT happened. It’s still turning around up there, in just as much detail as the day I finished reading the story, which says a lot about the writing and narrative. The review I wrote immediately after finishing this novel can be found by clicking this link.

I stand by everything I wrote in that review, though I always find something I wish I’d written differently, or just in more detail, whenever I read my GoodReads reviews back. Also, I don’t feel like I gushed enough about how brilliant the story was, because I was still processing it.

I’m not going to get into any heavy spoilers, because I want everyone to buy this book and uncover the mystery for themselves. However, I will say just enough to hopefully get you more intrigued, because I really want more people to read this book!

The trigger warnings for this story include child abduction, child abuse and neglect, murder, and violence. In my opinion, these were all handled very well by the writing. I’ve read books where the gravity of these situations is not adequately handled, but this novel is not an example of that. Additionally, when I chatted with the author about it, she stressed the importance of handling it with care, emphasizing that the story is dark. Personally, from the conversations we had, I had honestly grown to expect far worse than what I ended up reading; I truly want to appreciate Meredith Doench for caring to warn her potential readers, so that no one is caught off-guard.

So, what’s it about? I’m so glad you asked. Never Say Die follows two main characters. Frankie Armitage, the single mother of Savannah Armitage, who went missing from her choir concert dress rehearsal six years ago right before the Fourth of July, when she was six years old. Savannah’s case has since turned cold. Detective Rory Scott was the stepdaughter of one of the main suspects for Savannah’s abduction, which has since caused her to stop speaking to her mother, but she has since become a key figure in the Pattersburg Police Department.

In the modern day, right before the Fourth of July again, another girl, Maxine Greenwood, goes missing under very similar circumstances. When each girl vanishes, their mothers go running and looking for them, but instead happen across a partially buried body of an eighteen-year-old girl. The Pattersburg Police Department instantly thinks these cases could be connected, and decides to reopen Savannah’s case, and press Max’s with full force. Another detail about Max: she has severe asthma, and will die without her medications.

Rory has her loving girlfriend, Cade, but she misses her mom. In an attempt to get to the bottom of the case, and determine whether her stepfather is truly behind these disappeances, Rory teams up with Frankie in a bit of a renegade move to find the missing girls. Frankie has been doing her own investigations since her daughter disappeared, developing theories and making connections the police never did. Frankie and Rory are an incredibly strong detective duo, and I loved their dynamic.

Soon, readers also meet a twelve-year-old girl called Indigo, who is processing her trauma as she continues to live through more of it. She was abducted when she was six years old, and forced to abandon her real name. Indigo had a big sister figure, Isha, who was there to support her, until very recently, when their captor killed Isha. Their captor forces the girls to call her “Amma,” which means mother, and treats the girls poorly (in case that’s not obvious enough from the murder).

Amma brings in a new girl, who tells Indigo her name is Max, but Indigo explains that she has to go by Ivy, now. These sections of the novel are some of the most gut-wrenching to read, but they are so important to the story. Amma does not act alone: “The Watcher” is a man who sits outside Amma’s house while she’s at work and makes sure the girls behave. He also pays Frankie regular visits to intimidate her from continuing her investigation.

Together, Rory and Frankie are able to put together that the abductor looks for six-year-old girls, keeps them, then kills them when they turn eighteen, replacing them with a younger girl. Indigo is now forced into the big sister role, which is especially traumatic after what happened to Isha so suddenly. There is so much tension for readers, knowing that Rory and Frankie are so close, yet still can’t be sure who’s behind it all.

I tried my best to crack this case alongside them, but I was continually thrown off, suspecting the wrong people for good reason, falling into the trap the town did six years ago when Savannah disappeared. Some suspected Frankie, though readers know this was a waste of time on the police’s part. As things heat up, and time ticks away on the clock before Max will need her next dosage of medication, readers are put on the edge of their seats.

The characters are all incredibly fleshed out and realistic. Everyone has their own motivations, secrets, and reasons, and all of them are incredibly clear through the writing.

After the reveal, which I’m certain you won’t see coming, there are just the right amount of questions left on the table. Like the police, readers will never all the specific details behind Amma and The Watcher’s crimes, in a way that’s realistic and a bit haunting, even several weeks after finishing this story. I wouldn’t change anything about this, it adds to the thrill and mystery that’s so strongly baked into the narrative.

The only aspect of the story that I wanted to see more of was Cade’s character, but since Doench’s other novels seem to be series that follow one detective across multiple cases, I’m hopeful that there will be more of Rory and Cade in future novels. The reason I wanted more is because she was such a strong character, and her relationship with Rory was so sweet, but they were never together for much longer than a few pages at a time. This made sense, because much more romance would have slowed this story down, so this isn’t a genuine complaint, it’s just my personal truth. I love sapphic romance, so I was bound to be interested in this plotline and want more. This being said, if anyone feels inclined to write fan fiction between this pairing, I encourage you to do so, and to SEND IT TO ME. Or, Meredith, if you’re reading this (first of all, hi, and thanks again for the book!), and if you have any scenes of Rory and Cade that didn’t make it to the final novel, I would absolutely eat them up.

The Lesbian Talk Show Podcast recommends this novel to fans of James Patterson and Sue Grafton. To me, it also read similarly, in terms of prose and pacing, to the only Dennis Lehane novel I’ve ever read, The Drop, and reminded me very much of 2013’s The Conjuring film, mainly due to the dark themes that come up between mother and child.

I gave this book five stars, and it is genuinely one of my favorites that I’ve read, especially this year. I honestly could go on about it for a lot longer, but I don’t want to spoilt it, because it’s THAT GOOD. Please, someone read this book so I have someone to talk about it with!

Honestly, I can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to have a personal connection to this book and this author. I’m already planning out when I’ll read my next Meredith Doench novel, which is going to be Forsaken Trust. Stay tuned for that book review, which won’t be coming for a while, because my “To Be Read” list is long and it is STACKED, but I’m definitely looking forward to this one already.

You can find Never Say Die as an ebook, audio book, or purchase the paperback at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. So, what are you waiting for? Go do it! In addition to being an amazing author, she is such a kind soul, so please support her!