Tag: Linwood Barclay

Parting Shot Linwood Barclay Returns to Promise Falls – Yeah!

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Parting Shot - Linwood Barclay

Parting Shot may be billed as the fourth book connected to the Promise Falls trilogy, but it also serves as a thrilling standalone that fans of Linwood Barclay—and newcomers—will enjoy.

The Story

This book weaves two storylines through the streets of Promise Falls, both tied together by the steady hands of two familiar characters: Detective Barry Duckworth and Private Investigator Cal Weaver.

Detective Duckworth is on the case of a young man who wakes up in an alley—bruised, battered, and with a disturbing tattoo etched into his back. The mystery: who did this to him, and what message were they trying to send?

Meanwhile, Cal Weaver is hired to protect a teenage boy whose past mistakes have made him a national pariah. After a drunken joyride ended in a young woman’s death, the teen escaped conviction by arguing that a lifetime of coddling left him unable to understand right from wrong. The press nicknamed him “The Big Baby,” and now, he’s a target—especially for those lurking on the vigilante justice site Just Desserts.

You know these two plotlines will collide—but as always, Barclay keeps you guessing until the very end.

Bottom Line: Parting Shot is Worth the Ride

Parting Shot is a strong addition to the Promise Falls universe, and it shines thanks to Barclay’s signature blend of suspense, character depth, and plot twists. While it can be read on its own, you’ll get a richer experience if you start at the beginning of the trilogy—and even better, go back to where it all began:

Duckworth features throughout the entire Promise Falls trilogy, and by the time you reach Parting Shot, these characters feel like old friends.

So grab a copy of Parting Shot, settle in, and let Linwood Barclay pull you into the darkness—and the heart—of Promise Falls

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Linwood Barclay

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay is a New York Times bestselling author and a master of the “suburban thriller.” Born in the United States but raised in Canada, he spent three decades as a journalist and popular columnist for the Toronto Star before turning to fiction full-time.

He is best known for his ability to take ordinary, relatable people and throw them into terrifying, high-stakes situations. Since his breakout hit No Time for Goodbye in 2007, he has published over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Promise Falls trilogy. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha.

Originally Published Feb 2018 Revised and Updated Feb 2026

The Twenty Three – Book #3 – The Promise Falls Trilogy – Linwood Barclay

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The Twenty Three - Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay  – The Promise Falls Trilogy

One of m favorite author over the last several years has been Linwood Barclay. His books are always very interesting and they are very character driven. Most times the story revolves around one main character who is thrust into an extraordinary situation.

While Barclay’s book are considered stand alone thrillers Barclay has brought back characters for a second go-around. No Safe House was the second installment in the story of Terry Archer and his family. No Safe House picks up the story of the Archer family seven years after the events recounted inNo Time for Goodbye

Broken Promise - Linwood Barclay

Promise Falls Trilogy – Broken Promise – Book #1

Barclay’s most recent project has been a trilogy featuring the happenings in Promise Falls, NY.

The trilogy began with the novel Broken Promise. InBroken Promise David Harwood and his son Ethan return to their hometown of Promise Falls.David and Ethan were two of the central characters in Barclay’s page-turner   Never Look Away. Soon after David’s return he finds himself in the midst of a family scandal. His cousin Marla, had recently had a miscarriage but now she is taking care of a new infant.

Marla says that an angel brought the baby to her. The next day the baby’s mother is found dead and her blood is discovered on Marla’s door! Guess who the main suspect in the murder case is!

Anyway  as David is trying to figure out, how Marla ended up with the baby,and if Marla is innocent or guilty, other things are happening in Promise Falls. Twenty Three dead squirrels are found strung up in the park, Two mannequins are found in car 23 of the ferris wheel at the town,s closed amusement park. While a co-ed a the local college is attacked by a young man wearing a hooded sweatshirt with you guessed it the number 23 on it!! What’s going on??

Far From True - Linwood Barclay

Far From True Book #2

Book two of the trilogyFar From True brought more questions and tragedy to Promise Falls.Things take off on the wrong foot.At the last show at the Promise Falls Drive-in, an explosion causes the giant screen to come crashing down on the customers. Cal Weaver is a resident of Promise Fall, first introduced to readers in Barclay’s A Tap on the Window.  In Far From True, Cal is hired by the daughter of two of the victims to find out what happened!

Another storyline twisting its way through Far From True concerns David Harwood again. This time David battles with the in-laws of his girlfriend Samantha Worthington. Samantha’s husband is in prison and his parents are trying to take her son away from her. Their first attempt was legal the second physical!

The events surrounding the number 23 continue to occur around Promise Falls. The question arises was the collapse of the drive-in a terrorist attack or is it associated with the 23 events? More 23 events do occur that involve a bus!!

The Twenty Three - Linwood Barclay

The Twenty Three – Book #3  – (Book 46 of 2016)

 

The Twenty Three is the third book in the trilogy and its a good one! On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 23rd the town of Promise Falls wakes up to a full blown catastrophe. Hundreds of people are heading to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. Dozens are dying.. It quickly appears that the cause may be the water supply. But who would benefit from the poisoning of the town?

Two other stories flow though The Twenty Three. The first revolves around the murders that have occurred in Promise Falls. The murders started with Olivia Fisher. The next  victim  was Rosemary Gaynor. In The Twenty Three  the victim is a Thackery College co-ed. All three of the women  were killed by a stab wound across their stomach.The fatal wound in all of the cases was shaped like a smile. Since the second murder, Detective Barry Duckworth has insisted that there is a connection between the murders. Certainly now the murders appear to be connected. But, are these murders also associated with the twenty-three occurrences?

The second story involves  David Harwood and Samantha. Samantha and her son are missing and Samantha’s husband has escaped from prison. David is frantic to find them and make sure they are okay!

Bottom Line :

I give The Twenty Three 4 to 5 stars

Too many people died in The Twenty Three to make this a pleasant visit to Promise Falls.

But the story was interesting and exciting. I enjoy the residents of Promise Falls. From the ex-mayor Randy Findley, who sees every event as a campaign opportunity to Detective Barry Duckworth , who never met a donut he didn’t like!

These books form a trilogy! Reading them in order is the best way to enjoy them!

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Linwood Barclay

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay is a New York Times bestselling author and a master of the “suburban thriller.” Born in the United States but raised in Canada, he spent three decades as a journalist and popular columnist for the Toronto Star before turning to fiction full-time.

He is best known for his ability to take ordinary, relatable people and throw them into terrifying, high-stakes situations. Since his breakout hit No Time for Goodbye in 2007, he has published over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Promise Falls trilogy. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha.

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Far From True – Linwood Barclay

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Far From True – Linwood Barclay (Promise Fall #2)

(Book 16 of 2016)

Far From True is the second book in the Promise Falls trilogy from Linwood Barclay and once again Barclay has hit it out of the park! The book picks up where its predecessor Broken Promise leaves off, only  now there’s more upheaval in the quiet town of Promise Falls, leaving Detective Barry Duckworth with his hands full! The new trouble starts when a bomb goes off  on the closing night of the Constellation Drive-In and its big screen comes tumbling down and wreaks havoc on the town. Two of the people killed are Adam and Mariam Chalmers.The couple were crushed in Adam’s prized Jaguar when said screen came tumbling down.

The next morning, Private Investigator Cal Weaver receives a call from Adam’s daughter. Someone had broken into her parents house, She hires Weaver to investigate the break-in. When he discovers a secret room in the basement used for sex parties, complete with cameras to record the action, he figures someone may have taken some incriminating DVDs from the home. But who and why is the question??

Meanwhile Barry Duckworth is still trying to figure out who killed two Promise Falls women three years apart. First Olivia Fisher three years prior, and most recently Rosemary Grayson who along with her husband were central figures in Broken Promise. Both women were killed in a similarly brutal manner.

As if all of the above is not enough, another Promise Falls resident Samantha Worthington has her own problems. Her in-laws have been attempting to take her nine-year old son Carl away from her, any way they can, legal or illegal! In Broken Promise she was photographed in a compromising position, which her in-laws have tried to us to have her give up Carl. Now they are in Promise Falls to apologize??

I could probably add  more telling you about the disgraced ex-mayor who wants to run for reelection and his campaign manager, who by the way was the other person photographed in that compromising picture, or that several incidents in the town including the drive-in explosion have revolved around the number 23, but let’s just say that there’s a lot going on in this sleepy little town. Which is probably the reason that Barclay has needed three books to tell the tale!

But wait the tales of many of the residents of Promise Falls didn’t start with Broken Promise, they started back in Too Close to Home when readers met Derek Cutter and his family. Then readers met David  Harwood and his son Ethan in Never Look Away and although he wasn’t living in Promise Falls at the time, they met former Promise Falls police officer now private investigator Cal Weaver in A Tap on the Window. Each of these Promise Falls residents have played pivotal roles in these last two books.

I can’t think of any other authors who have taken characters from several stand-alone books and blended them into a series like this Promise Falls series. I for one can’t wait until November when the final book of the trilogy will be released!

Bottom Line – Linwood Barclay is a master of telling stories about common people facing extraordinary problems whether it’s a missing child (Never Look Away) or trying to discover why your son committed suicide (A Tap on the Window)  Now Barclay has now returned to his roots and made a series from his Promise Falls characters. I say return to his roots, because his first four books were a series, featuring the original common man facing extraordinary circumstances – Zack Walker! For me Far From True is one of Linwood Barclay’s best books, like C.J. Box he just keeps getting better and better!!

The New York Times Book Review writes…..

“Some days, all you really want is for someone to tell you a wicked good story. Linwood Barclay answers the reader’s perpetual prayer”

I for one say thank you Linwood Barclay!!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Novels of Linwood Barclay

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Broken Promise – Linwood Barclay

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Broken Promise – Linwood Barclay (Promise Falls #1)

 

In Broken Promise, the latest from Linwood Barclay, the author returns to the town of Promise Falls, New York and pens another terrific thriller. Promise Falls was the setting for two of Barclay’s previous books, Never Look Away and Too Close to Home. Many familiar character populate Broken Promise including: Police Detective Barry Duckworth, Landscaper Eddie Cutter and his son Derek and the main protagonist David Harwood. Harwood and his family wife Jan and son Ethan were the main characters in Never Look Away. Broken Promise picks up David’s life several years after Never Look Back,  David and Ethan have returned to Promise Falls where David has returned to his former job as a reporter for the town newspaper, only to have the newspaper shut down on his first day of work! His only option is to move back in with mom and dad! One day his mom asks David to look in on his cousin Marla. Marla is having a hard time after losing a baby about ten months prior.When David arrives at Marla’s he notices a spot of blood on the front door and Marla is caring for a ten-month old baby, that she says an “Angel” delivered to her door!

When the mother of the baby is found brutally murdered, Marla becomes the prime suspect! Soon David is asked to find out anything he can to help prove that Marla is innocent. But as David digs deeper, solving the crime may rip his family apart!!

Typically, in a Linwood Barclay’s book one ordinary person is put in an extraordinary situation and that happens in Broken Promise as David sets out to discover how Marla ended up with the baby and who really killed the baby’s mother.But along with the mystery surrounding Marla and the murder there are other extraordinary events happening in Promise Falls; including the slaughter of 23 squirrels, attacks on the local college campus and a message painted on mannequins placed on the ferris wheel of an abandoned amusement park. All these events seem to indicate that maybe Promise Falls is a broken town!

At Goodreads Broken Promise is labeled as (Promise Falls #1) and certainly there were enough questions to be answered at the  end of Broken Promise to provided a storyline for Promise Falls #2 Far From True, which will be released in March of 2016. I have enjoyed all of Barclay’s standalone books, but there is something special about a book series and I am certainly looking forward to spending more time with the residents of Promise Falls!! I have a pretty good idea of who may be responsible for several of the happenings, but as for the killer, I haven’t a clue!! I can’t wait until March!!

Bottom-Line: Broken Promise is a four and a half star book! I can certainly be enjoyed without reading the two other books mentioned, but each of those books were outstanding reads and certainly stand on their own!! So check them all out!!!!

Book 40 of 2015

No Safe House – Linwood Barclay

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No Safe House - Linwood Barclay

 

The first Linwood Barclay books I read were his Zack Walker mystery books, and I loved them! After I fnished the third book and was ready to move on, I discovered that Mr. Barclay had left that series, and moved on to write stand alone thrillers.

The first one was No Time to Say Goodbye and it was great! Since then I have read and enjoyed all of his books.  The latest is No Safe House\. In No Safe House, Barclay treats his readers to further adventures of the Archer family,  the main characters in No Time to Say Goodbye!

No Safe House – The Story

In the prologue an elderly couple is brutally slain in the Archer’s hometown of Mitford, Connecticut by a sadistic duo, who are in search of something or someone…..

When we meet the Archer family, daughter Grace is now fourteen and as she moves into adolescence, she is rebelling, One night during an argument with her mother, Grace is seriously burned. Her mother, Cynthia decides that she needs time away from the family and moves out, leaving husband Terry and Grace on their own. Then disaster strikes, when Grace foolishly follows her date Stuart Koch, into a strange house. Grace ends up with a gun in her had, Stuart hears someone else in the house.  Shots are fired.  Were they from Grace’s gun?, Where’s Stuart? Did Grace shoot him?. Someone rushes past Grace! Stricken with panic Grace leaves the house, calls for help to a friend and her father.

Soon the Archers are thrown into the middle of a mess, because not only were shots fired, but valuables were stolen from the house, valuables that didn’t belong to the homeowner, but rather to a career criminal Vincent Fleming, who is also Stuart’s father’s boss!  This isn’t the Archer;s first encounter with Vince. Years ago,  Vincent helped the Archer’s with their problems.  His help saved the Archer’sbut left him needing a urine bag after being shot. Needless to say he is not a friend of the Archer’s. Through the rest of the book the Archer’s mainly Terry  try to unravel the mystery of what happened that night, to keep Grace safe and their family together!! What about those killers – what are they looking for? Their killing spree and search continues right up until the climax of the book.

My Thoughts

As in all of Barclay’s books the pace of the action is swift, and the pages keep flying by. This book lacked a little of the tension that I have encountered in other works by Barclay, but the whole story isn’t resolved until the closing pages of the book which makes for damn good reading!!

One of the complaints about the book was that other readers didn’t really like the characters. I don’t have a problem with the characters. For example Terry is resolute in finding the answers that will save his daughter and he goes well outside his comfort level to do such and while Vincent is a thug, he is also a father, all be it a stepfather, who will also do anything for his daughter!

Bottom Line

it was another great read from Barclay, a little less thrilling than past works, but the over all it was a good story. In the words of the New York Times Book Review…..

“Some days, all you really want is for someone to tell you a wicked-good story. Linwood Barclay answers the reader’s perpetual prayer.”

Amen to that!!

Linwood Barclay

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay continues to be a prolific author, releasing new, critically acclaimed thrillers annually. Known for his high-octane plots and relatable characters, his recent work has solidified his status as a master of contemporary suspense.

Visit Linwood Barclay Page

 

 

If You Like Standalone Mystery/Thrillers ……

You might also enjoy:

Charlie Donlea
Charlie Donlea
Michael Koryta
Michael Koryta
Riley Sager
Riley Sager
  • Charlie Donlea — tightly plotted thrillers often built around cold cases, missing persons, and strong female leads, with twists that keep coming
  • Michael Koryta / Scott Carson — blends crime, suspense, and sometimes the supernatural, with a darker tone and strong atmosphere
  • Riley Sager — modern psychological thrillers with big twists, often centered on isolated settings and unreliable pasts

Trust Your Eyes – Linwood Barclay

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Trust Your Eyes - Linwood Barclay

Ok so I’ve written before that I loved Linwood Barclay‘s Zack Walker books and wished that he kept writing them. When I questioned him about that he said that while the books received critical acclaim  they just didn’t sell well., Then he started writing standalone thrillers and his career took off!

While after finishing his latest book Trust Your Eyes, I will never again question his decision and I will eagerly awaiting his next standalone!!  For me Trust Your Eyes is the best book he has written yet and I am not alone in the opinion:

“Dazzling. Barclay brings a classic Hitchcock premise into the twenty-first century, with the power of an artist at the top of his game…. This book deserves to catapult him to the top of every bestseller list” Joseph Finder

“The best Barclay so far, a tale Hitchcock would have loved…riveting, frequently scary, occasionally funny, and surprisingly, wonderfully tender… great entertainment from a suspense master” Stephen King

The Story – Trust Your Eyes

The plot revolves around two brothers, Thomas and Ray Kilbride. Thomas is a map-obsessed schizophrenic, who lives at home with his father and his maps.

Through the website Whirl360.com Thomas travels the world not only studying maps, but also the buildings and shops, kinda like Google Earth street view.

Thomas thinks he’s studying maps to save the world when all the paper maps are gone and a catastrophe hits on-line and all the maps of the world are gone!

When Adam Kilbride their farmer dies in a freak accident, Ray an illustrator, who lives in Burlington, Vt comes home to Prinse Falls, NY to settle the estate and see to the future care of Thomas.

One night, Thomas calls Ray into his room. He shows him what appears to be a murder on Orchard Avenue in New York City.

While not totally clear it seems to be a woman with a plastic bag over her head being suffocated. Soon Ray, to placate Thomas, is off to NYC to see what may have happened. While his half-hearted investigation didn’t really shed much light on what happened, it did put them in the center of a deadly conspiracy, that threatens their very survival!

My Thoughts

The book like all of Barclay’s books, is a well written page turner, with lots of twists and turns. It really is a book that’s hard to put down. All of the characters are well drawn and you really feel for them and need to know what happened not only to the woman in the window but their Dad!

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Linwood Barclay

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay continues to be a prolific author, releasing new, critically acclaimed thrillers annually. Known for his high-octane plots and relatable characters, his recent work has solidified his status as a master of contemporary suspense.

Update: There is now a sequel to this book – Linwood Barclay’s No Safe House – new problems for Terry and Cynthia Archer when their daughter becomes involved in a possible murder.Check out my review here

Visit the Linwood Barclay Page

If you like standalone Mystery/Thrillers…….

Here are three Authors whose books might enjoy:

Charlie Donlea
Charlie Donlea
Michael Koryta/Scott Carson
Riley Sager
Riley Sager
  • Charlie Donlea — tightly plotted thrillers often built around cold cases, missing persons, and strong female leads, with twists that keep coming
  • Michael Koryta / Scott Carson — blends crime, suspense, and sometimes the supernatural, with a darker tone and strong atmosphere
  • Riley Sager — modern psychological thrillers with big twists, often centered on isolated settings and unreliable pasts

The Accident – Linwood Barclay

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So Book 29 of 2011 is Linwood Barclay‘s latest thriller The Accident

 Comfy chair? Drinks? Snacks? Good lighting? Excellent! ‘Cause you’re not going to be getting up or stopping once you dive into Linwood Barclay’s latest release – The Accident. – Luanne Ollivier on Goodreads.com

Sheila and Glen Garber are your typical middle class couple. living in Milford, Connecticut.  Glen owns a construction company and Sheila has lost her job and  is taking an accounting course so that she can help out in the business. They have one daughter eight year old Kelly. Like most families and small business’ they’re going through a rough patch. The Garbers are not alone most of their friends are in the same boat. One Ann Slocum has started selling knock-off purses at “Purse Parties”. One night Sheila is late coming back from class so Glen goes to look for her. There”s a major accident a drunk driver drove up the on ramp on the expressawy and fell asleep the car was hit by another car The accident killed the driver as well as the driver and child in the other car. The drunk driver was Sheila! Soon Glen’s life, Kelly’s life and the lives of all those around him are falling apart. As Glen tries to figure out what happened why was Sheila drinking he also has to deal with Kelly’s problems at school and the problems of friends and neighbors.

The book like most of Barclay’s books was riveting and fast paced and throughout last nigh’ts Phillies game I couldn’t put it down! I love Barclay’s books because the stories always revolve around everyday people facing REALLY big problems! I enjoy the characters and the twisting plot, that most times was written in the first person, with Glen as the narrator and at other times when it was necessary it Barclay switch to the third person. So if you like Harlan Coben try Linwood Barclay!

Here’s the offical trailer for The Accident ]

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Never Look Away – Linwood Barclay

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Never Look Away - Linwood Barclay

 

Ok, so I really did like Linwood Barclay’s Zack Walker series but once again if he keeps writing books like  Never Look Away I guess I’ll have to forgive him

.Never Look Away centers around reporter David Harwood. Harwood has his life turned upside down and inside out after first his son is abducted at a theme park only to be quickly found and then his wife goes missing!

From that point Harwood’s life is shattered and as the story unfolds all signs put toward David as his wife’s murderer.

I loved the characters and the plot and overall the pages just flew by and I had to keep reading!

Like I said I started reading Barclay’s Zack Walker series and have read all of his stand-alones which include Too Close to Home which was awarded first place in the Best Novel category of the Arthur Ellis Awards, the top prize in Canada for crime fiction, Fear the Worst, and No Tine for Goodbye all of which were great!

So if you like great writing and exciting interesting stories were a normal guy is thrust into extraordinary thrilling situations try Linwood Barclay! From the back cover of Never Look Away

What Other Authors Say ABout Linwood Barclay’s Books

 

“If you like Harlan Coben, you’ll love Linwood Barclay” – Peter Robinson author of All the Colors of Darkness

“Fear the Worst holds the reader in a tight grip as good and evil match wits and wiles. Barclay pushes the edge of suspense to the edge and beyond” – Steve Berry the author of The Paris Vendetta

About No Time for Goodbye equally applicable to Never Look Away

“You won’t get up until you’ve turned the last page” – Michael Connelly

I certainly can say that’s what I did tonight and then I fell asleep (a late four mile run may have had something to do with the sleep part) which is why this post is so late and Twang Tuesday will be reported tomorrow!

iWebsite
Orion Books
Amazon
Wikipdianks

Linwood Barclay

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay continues to be a prolific author, releasing new, critically acclaimed thrillers annually. Known for his high-octane plots and relatable characters, his recent work has solidified his status as a master of contemporary suspense.

Visit the Linwood Barclay Page

If you like standalone Mystery/Thrillers…….

Here are three Authors whose books might enjoy:

Charlie Donlea
Charlie Donlea
Michael Koryta/Scott Carson
Riley Sager
Riley Sager
  • Charlie Donlea — tightly plotted thrillers often built around cold cases, missing persons, and strong female leads, with twists that keep coming
  • Michael Koryta / Scott Carson — blends crime, suspense, and sometimes the supernatural, with a darker tone and strong atmosphere
  • Riley Sager — modern psychological thrillers with big twists, often centered on isolated settings and unreliable pasts

Fear the Worst – Linwood Barclay

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Fear the Worst - Linwood Barclay

 

So there was no time to start another book during the time I was reading Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay. Simply because I couldn’t put this book down!

I guess I’ll forgive Mr Barclay for not writing any more Zack Walker books if he keeps writing books as good as this one.

The Story – Fear The Worst

The story starts one day when a divorced father Tim Blake questions his daughter, who is staying with him for the summer  about some Versace sunglasses that she has. He questions her because he fears she may have stolen them.

The result of his questioning  is that she storms out of the house leaving the receipt on the kitchen table. Well, that night his daughter doesn’t come home and after receiving no phone calls or informationas to where she is! Tim sets out to find her and starts at her job a  motel in town.

When he asks about his daughter he is told that his daughter has never worked there!  Soon the police locate her car abandoned in a mall parking lot in a neighboring town!  The rest of the book revolves around Tim and his ex-wife’s frantic search to find their daughter!

My Thoughts

As usual I love all of the characters in the book. But I particularly Tim, who as a desperate father fighting to find his daughter faces a Herculean task! As I said the book moves along quickly as the tension builds and I was up past my normal bedtime to finish the book!!

Definitely a 4.5 to 5 out of 5 stars and I can’t wait to read his current  book Never Look Away

So if you’ve never read a Linwood Barclay book, check him out! As for me I’m number 12 in the que at the library to get the book , so I’m off to Wyoming and the new C.J. Box book Nowhere to Run!

iWebsite
Orion Books
Amazon
Wikipdianks

Linwood Barclay

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay continues to be a prolific author, releasing new, critically acclaimed thrillers annually. Known for his high-octane plots and relatable characters, his recent work has solidified his status as a master of contemporary suspense.

Update: There is now a sequel to this book – Linwood Barclay’s No Safe House – new problems for Terry and Cynthia Archer when their daughter becomes involved in a possible murder.Check out my review here

Visit the Linwood Barclay Page

If you like standalone Mystery/Thrillers…….

Here are three Authors whose books might enjoy:

Charlie Donlea
Charlie Donlea
Michael Koryta/Scott Carson
Riley Sager
Riley Sager
  • Charlie Donlea — tightly plotted thrillers often built around cold cases, missing persons, and strong female leads, with twists that keep coming
  • Michael Koryta / Scott Carson — blends crime, suspense, and sometimes the supernatural, with a darker tone and strong atmosphere
  • Riley Sager — modern psychological thrillers with big twists, often centered on isolated settings and unreliable pasts

No Time for Goodbye – Linwood Barclay

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No Tim,e for Goodbye - Linwood Barclay

 Orinally posted April 2010 – Revised and Updated April of 2026

What would you do if one day you were a normal fourteen year old with a mother, father and brother. You get caught with a boy in a car at the mall drinking, your father pulls your butt out of the car. you go to bed, Then you wake up the next morning and YOUR FAMILY is GONE! no note, no evidence of a fight or struggle they are just gone! That what happens to Cynthia Bigge in Linwood Barclay’s No Time for Goodbye.

The Story

The story picks up 25 years later, Cynthia is now married to Terry Archer and they have an eight year old daughter Grace. She has lived with this mystery for twenty five years and now things are happening that are opening all the wounds. Is the brown car really following her family? How did her father’s hat get in the house? What’s happening?

My Thoughts

I loved this well crafted well paced book. I have enjoyed Barclay’s books for a while now and have read all four of the Zack Walker books and Too Close to Home also highly recommended) another standalone.

In No Time for Goodbye the characters are believable and story line keeps moving and the suspense building toward the surprising conclusion!

In this book, I really enjoyed the character of Terry Archer, who narrates  the story. His character was a little like Zack Walker, someone, who at times is in a little over their head!

Anyway the book was great and rates at least a 4.5 if not a 5! Go find it and enjoy!

iWebsite
Orion Books
Amazon
Wikipdianks

Linwood Barclay

About Linwood Barclay

Linwood Barclay continues to be a prolific author, releasing new, critically acclaimed thrillers annually. Known for his high-octane plots and relatable characters, his recent work has solidified his status as a master of contemporary suspense.

Update: There is now a sequel to this book – Linwood Barclay’s No Safe House – new problems for Terry and Cynthia Archer when their daughter becomes involved in a possible murder.Check out my review here

Visit the Linwood Barclay Page

If you like standalone Mystery/Thrillers…….

Here are three Authors whose books might enjoy:

Charlie Donlea
Charlie Donlea
Michael Koryta/Scott Carson
Riley Sager
Riley Sager
  • Charlie Donlea — tightly plotted thrillers often built around cold cases, missing persons, and strong female leads, with twists that keep coming
  • Michael Koryta / Scott Carson — blends crime, suspense, and sometimes the supernatural, with a darker tone and strong atmosphere
  • Riley Sager — modern psychological thrillers with big twists, often centered on isolated settings and unreliable pasts