Enjoying this book? Help it get discovered by casting your vote!

Must read 🏆

This novel depicts a woman with no power and a criminal past who has to take aggressive measures to escape her mobster family.

Synopsis

A spy with a criminal past. A dark family secret. Freedom at the cost of betrayal.

To escape her mobster family, Toni fakes her own death, but before she can start anew in Mexico City, she’s pulled into a world of spies and deadly secrets. Her new life crumbles when she discovers her boss is keeping secrets of his own.

When word gets around that Toni’s brother is on his way to Mexico, she fears the worst - he wants to hunt her down. Cornered and with nowhere to turn, Toni must decide: will she run once more, or will she risk her life for a chance of freedom?

‘Shortlist & Honourable mention at the Black Spring Crime Fiction Prize 2020’

In No Such Things as Goodbye, Spiljak tells the story of a woman wanting freedom. She's an intentionally lost woman trying to find a moral code. Antonia, also known as Toni, is presumed dead and in hiding. She keeps calm and helps an injured stranger but loses her money in the deed. So she doesn't have any unique skills until she meets Carl. He makes it hard for her to earn his trust. There are no romantic expectations. He is placed as a father figure in the story. And when they team up she has to use her spy powers for good.


I found it easy to sympathize with Antonia. Even though she was involved in criminal activities it was a matter of survival. The author's choice to thrust Toni into the same life was a good idea. It's the overall theme that remains eternal. Giving us this satisfying line:

I thought leaving my life and family behind would help me make a fresh start, except each new step only proved I could never shed my skin or be someone else.


Karmen Spikja never let Toni/Tara get comfortable. And the best part for me was when she met Purrito. I gush for kittens and that scene completed the transformation. She had to protect someone other than herself. Dare I say she had something to live for. Everything was in the right place. Like when you scroll and read

He wasn't keen to cuddle but tolerated my outburst of affection all the same.


No parts became stale as the book progressed. No such Thing As Goodbye succeeds on every level - story, characters, dialogue. Karmen Spiljak offers thriller/crime/suspense and a cute kitty to expose corruption.


Readers who are fond of the secret mission will travel along as she finds her place in Mexico. Dying to know if it goes wrong. That's what the author achieved with this novel. Enjoy the thrills.

Reviewed by

I am a reader of a few genres but I have a particular fondness for the psychological thriller. I am comfortable reading about dark topics. I usually find my next read from random online discoveries. I usually rotate between reading a few books.

Synopsis

A spy with a criminal past. A dark family secret. Freedom at the cost of betrayal.

To escape her mobster family, Toni fakes her own death, but before she can start anew in Mexico City, she’s pulled into a world of spies and deadly secrets. Her new life crumbles when she discovers her boss is keeping secrets of his own.

When word gets around that Toni’s brother is on his way to Mexico, she fears the worst - he wants to hunt her down. Cornered and with nowhere to turn, Toni must decide: will she run once more, or will she risk her life for a chance of freedom?

‘Shortlist & Honourable mention at the Black Spring Crime Fiction Prize 2020’

Tomorrow, I’ll be dead.

Four floors below, the tarmac on Zócalo Square buzzed with life. Tiny dots strolled around the touts who tried their best to outshout the off-key street organ. There lay a promise of anonymity, the luxury of instant freedom. All I had to do was merge with the crowd, but I stuck to my hotel room, as if it offered more than a bed, free coffee and tiny bottles of shampoo.

Is this really the only way out?

Part of me wanted to abandon the plan, go back home and do what Jimmy asked, but I’d come too far to give up. Betrayal didn’t come cheap, especially not within the family. If Jimmy found out what had happened, he’d track me down. Nino would help him, no doubt, like an obedient little brother. My name and picture would blast the news until the message would sink in. There’s only one way out for a Morretti.

That’s why I had to shed my old skin. Changing my appearance was the easy part. New clothes, a different haircut, a new name. What about the rest? Could I change what’s beneath my skin? The things I’d done? Who I’d become? The closer I came to breaking away, the stronger the tug in my gut.

Once a Morretti, always a Morretti.

I emptied the miniature shower gel into the bathtub and opened the tap. Bending my knees, I buried my face in the foam bubbles, a warm liquid hug that smelled of honey-dipped cereal. The water twirled around my legs, reminding me of the endless canals that snake through my hometown. I’d miss Amsterdam, my beloved Mokum, but Mexico City had a lot to offer, too. A blank page, for starters. When I walked the streets, no heads turned, no words were exchanged under the breath, no prying eyes searched for a different, better version of me.

The memory of home made me scrub my skin so hard my fingernails left long, reddish marks on my arms and legs. I submerged my face and surrendered to the warmth. The water didn’t care about my name or Jimmy’s drug business. I soaked in comfort until the water turned tepid and my fingers wrinkled like wet paper. 

Once out of the bathtub, I wrapped myself in a towel and took out my make-up kit. I’d done this often enough, so my movements became effortless. The thrill of putting on my secret armour hasn’t diminished. With each new layer, I blot out a part of the old me, mould it into something else, someone else.

First, I put in the lenses, a dull brown, the colour of mud. Blue would have been nicer, but too memorable. Next, I hid my eyebrows under a thick layer of powder. I worked my pencil to change their shape and enlarge the space between my eyes. 

I slipped plumper into my mouth, a piece of silicone that makes my jaw appear wider. Then, I dabbed cosmetic glue over my chin and jaw and stuck on a curl of my hair in its natural colour, a mousy brown. I cut it to size and repeated it, till it all came together in a simple stubble beard, the ‘carefree’ kind, popular among hipsters.

For the final touch, I put on a Panama hat I’d bought at the market. A young guy’s face blinked back at me from the mirror. I had to make an effort not to smile. It’s the first give-away, when you’re pretending to be a man.

‘Hello there,’ I said, lowering my voice. ‘Will you keep my secret?’

No activity yet

No updates yet.

Come back later to check for updates.

Comments

Write a comment...

Be the first to leave a comment!

Share your thoughts with the community

About the author

Karmen Špiljak is a Slovenian-Belgian author of suspense, horror and speculative fiction. Her short story collections have won awards and her story 'Three Roses' has been licensed and produced by LeVar Burton Reads Podcast. She lives in Belgrade and works as a book coach & a developmental editor. view profile

Published on July 01, 2022

70000 words

Contains mild explicit content ⚠️

Genre:Thriller & Suspense

Reviewed by

Review this book

Share your thoughts with other readers now.