The First Time I Saw Him cover art

The First Time I Saw Him

The unputdownable thriller from the bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me - A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The First Time I Saw Him

By: Laura Dave
Narrated by: CJ Wilson, Colin Donnell, Rebecca Lowman, Tessa Albertson
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.06

Buy Now for £12.06

LIMITED TIME OFFER

£0.99/mo for 3 months - terms apply. Offer ends 31 August 2026.

Get ready to be gripped by the edge-of-your seat new mystery thriller and long-awaited follow-up to the bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club pick, The Last Thing He Told Me.

*A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB SELECTION!*
*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*NOW A MAJOR APPLE TV SERIES – The Last Thing He Told Me. Season Two, based on The First Time I Saw Him, out now!*

HE DISAPPEARED. NOW HE’S BACK. AND THEY HAVE TO RUN.

Five years ago, Hannah’s husband Owen vanished without a trace, leaving Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey to piece together a new life from the wreckage.

When Hannah spots Owen at her Los Angeles exhibition – silent, watching – she knows immediately that the danger they once escaped has found them again.

Then comes the message:

‘GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. NOW’

Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up with them, pursued by enemies they cannot see and haunted by questions that have never been answered.

Why has Owen returned? Who is hunting them?

And can they finally uncover the truth before it destroys them all?

'I could not stop flipping the pages' Reese Witherspoon
‘Out of this world… Five stars' Jennifer Garner
'Action-packed and deeply felt… incredible’ Mary Kubica, bestselling author of Local Woman Missing

© Laura Dave 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Amateur Sleuths Family Life Genre Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Exciting
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

A master storyteller
Action-packed and deeply felt, this sequel is every bit as incredible as The Last Thing He Told Me. Clear your schedule because once you pick this book up, you won’t be able to put it down. I loved everything about it
Every single review is just out of this world and I am going to add mine. Five stars
Dave’s ability to chart her characters’ emotional geography—mapping love and loss—and the way she explores their intimate connections help explain her popularity; propulsive pacing doesn’t hurt, either.
[Dave] provides plenty of twists and emphasizes the love that binds her characters together, even the bad ones. How far will they go to keep their families safe?
An essential sequel that ties up loose threads while providing a thrilling ride across continents
Twists and turns will keep readers guessing throughout the novel at how it will all end. The characters’ love and concern for each other show through their thoughts and actions … This sequel is sure to be a hit.
Dave’s writing is clear and sharp as a diamond
[A] heart-pounding sequel … The pacing is brisk from the very first page, with Dave nimbly juggling multiple perspectives and timelines en route to a finale that provides readers with satisfying answers to their questions.
The distinctive mix of mafia saga, love story and globetrotting action thriller is just as beguiling as before
All stars
Most relevant
A wonderful follow up. The writing is so good, such a talent. A very interesting story and brilliant characters. Also well narrated, which it deserved. Rarely does a book leave me feeling moved like this. It will be a while before I can listen to anything else.

Beautifully written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A fantastic read of the 2nd book of this story. I cant recommend this enough. throughly enjoyed both books and this one was not a let down. The story line kept me engrossed in the book and couldn't put it down.

Great read for a 2nd book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a follow up! Loved it! I listened to it in just two days. A great ending for these characters

Amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved both books, worth listening to both, I was not disappointed. Shame there isn’t a book 3!
Brilliant narration

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I didn’t enjoy this. I mistakenly thought it was another in the series but it’s just like a few side chapters and very boring. Doesn’t add to the original story particularly and is just so much of the characters declaring love for Bailey.

Boring don’t bother

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.