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No Time For Goodbye

by: Linwood Barclay

June 12, 2008
I really enjoyed this novel. A fascinating concept - that a teenage girl wakes up one morning to find her entire family has gone. Just disappeared without a trace...And then she has to wait 25 years and to the making of a documentary about her life to find out the truth.
Fast paced, with excellent three-dimensional characters, I raced through this book in no time - it is truly unputdownable! I've heard a lot said that it's 'far-fetched' and has 'unecessary twists' and though this may be true, it is still great story-telling. I do feel that it's believable enough to hold your interest and the outcome, though given away a little easily, is worth the wait.
Highly recommended...

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Stone Rain

by: Linwood Barclay

2007-05
I really enjoyed this novel. A fascinating concept - that a teenage girl wakes up one morning to find her entire family has gone. Just disappeared without a trace...And then she has to wait 25 years and to the making of a documentary about her life to find out the truth.
Fast paced, with excellent three-dimensional characters, I raced through this book in no time - it is truly unputdownable! I've heard a lot said that it's 'far-fetched' and has 'unecessary twists' and though this may be true, it is still great story-telling. I do feel that it's believable enough to hold your interest and the outcome, though given away a little easily, is worth the wait.
Highly recommended...

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Bad Move

by: Linwood Barclay

April 26, 2005
I'd finished and enjoyed No Time for Goodbye so I thought I'd pop back into Linwood Barclays back catalogue the bulk of which is taken by his 4 novels based around Science Fiction author Zack Walker which are contempary suburban crime thrillers with no sci fi elements.

Bad move is an obvious step backwards in writing style from No Time For Goodbye it's very slow to start; however; where the later book opened with a strong formative chapter and teased you along with the mysterious snippets of phone conversation, this uses the weaker device of foreshadowing his eventual discovery of a dead body.

I don't want to give anyone the impression this is a bad book a reasonable plot, it's characters are a bit thinner and stereotypical than ... Read More:

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Lone Wolf

by: Linwood Barclay

September 26, 2006
I'd finished and enjoyed No Time for Goodbye so I thought I'd pop back into Linwood Barclays back catalogue the bulk of which is taken by his 4 novels based around Science Fiction author Zack Walker which are contempary suburban crime thrillers with no sci fi elements.

Bad move is an obvious step backwards in writing style from No Time For Goodbye it's very slow to start; however; where the later book opened with a strong formative chapter and teased you along with the mysterious snippets of phone conversation, this uses the weaker device of foreshadowing his eventual discovery of a dead body.

I don't want to give anyone the impression this is a bad book a reasonable plot, it's characters are a bit thinner and stereotypical than ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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Too Close to Home

by: Linwood Barclay

September 04, 2008
Jim Cutter is shocked when his neighbours, the Langleys, are murdered, but even more shocked when it turns out that Derek his teenage son is keeping a secret about the crime and that all the evidence points to him. As suspicion turns on his family, Jim starts to do some investigating of his own into who might have committed the murders. As he starts to uncover some long-buried secrets, his own life comes under risk.

This is the second book by Linwood Barclay that I have read. I enjoyed No Time for Goodbye, but felt that the ending let it down. Too Close to Home is just as readable but also hangs together better. It's an accomplished mystery that grabs you early and keeps you turning the pages late. Linwood Barclay's writing style is ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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Too Close to Home

by: Linwood Barclay

September 30, 2008
Jim Cutter is shocked when his neighbours, the Langleys, are murdered, but even more shocked when it turns out that Derek his teenage son is keeping a secret about the crime and that all the evidence points to him. As suspicion turns on his family, Jim starts to do some investigating of his own into who might have committed the murders. As he starts to uncover some long-buried secrets, his own life comes under risk.

This is the second book by Linwood Barclay that I have read. I enjoyed No Time for Goodbye, but felt that the ending let it down. Too Close to Home is just as readable but also hangs together better. It's an accomplished mystery that grabs you early and keeps you turning the pages late. Linwood Barclay's writing style is ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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No Time For Goodbye

by: Linwood Barclay

January 03, 2008
I bought this as there were many high rating reviews and it is considered comparable to Harlan Coben.
The concept is a good one and I found the first chapter really drew me in. However as I read on I found the dialogue stiff, the narrative in places tedious and the family relationsip excessively sickly sweet.
The plot unfolding in the voice of Cynthia's husband, Terry, I thought was clever and should have really added to the suspense - eg. a woman who would not move away in case her family re-emerged, the smothering watchfulness of her child - was Cynthia imagining things - making things up? This aspect just faded away.
I guessed the ending and the twist involving a second person quite early on and I wanted another twist to prove me wrong ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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Bad Guys

by: Linwood Barclay

April 25, 2006
I bought this as there were many high rating reviews and it is considered comparable to Harlan Coben.
The concept is a good one and I found the first chapter really drew me in. However as I read on I found the dialogue stiff, the narrative in places tedious and the family relationsip excessively sickly sweet.
The plot unfolding in the voice of Cynthia's husband, Terry, I thought was clever and should have really added to the suspense - eg. a woman who would not move away in case her family re-emerged, the smothering watchfulness of her child - was Cynthia imagining things - making things up? This aspect just faded away.
I guessed the ending and the twist involving a second person quite early on and I wanted another twist to prove me wrong ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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No Time for Goodbye

by: Linwood Barclay

August 26, 2008
I bought this as there were many high rating reviews and it is considered comparable to Harlan Coben.
The concept is a good one and I found the first chapter really drew me in. However as I read on I found the dialogue stiff, the narrative in places tedious and the family relationsip excessively sickly sweet.
The plot unfolding in the voice of Cynthia's husband, Terry, I thought was clever and should have really added to the suspense - eg. a woman who would not move away in case her family re-emerged, the smothering watchfulness of her child - was Cynthia imagining things - making things up? This aspect just faded away.
I guessed the ending and the twist involving a second person quite early on and I wanted another twist to prove me wrong - but it ... Read More:

Average Rating:

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Too Close to Home

by: Linwood Barclay

January 22, 2009
I bought this as there were many high rating reviews and it is considered comparable to Harlan Coben.
The concept is a good one and I found the first chapter really drew me in. However as I read on I found the dialogue stiff, the narrative in places tedious and the family relationsip excessively sickly sweet.
The plot unfolding in the voice of Cynthia's husband, Terry, I thought was clever and should have really added to the suspense - eg. a woman who would not move away in case her family re-emerged, the smothering watchfulness of her child - was Cynthia imagining things - making things up? This aspect just faded away.
I guessed the ending and the twist involving a second person quite early on and I wanted another twist to prove me wrong - but it ... Read More: