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ellemir's review against another edition
4.0
Bei diesem Buch handelt es sich um einen durchaus spannenden Thriller in einem interessant aufgebauten Kleinstadtmilieu - auch wenn die eine oder andere Figur vielleicht ein klein wenig überzeichnet wirkte. Allerdings ist es der erste Band einer Trilogie, möglicherweise klären sich einige Fragen in den Folgebänden.
Sehr angenehm fand ich, dass zwar viele Fragen für die Fortsetzung offen geblieben sind, aber der Spannungsbogen in diesem Roman doch seinen Abschluss gefunden hat. Ich hatte schon das Gefühl, ein vollständiges Buch gelesen zu haben und nicht als Leser mitten in einer Szene allein gelassen zu werden.
Wirklich spannende Lektüre für zwischendurch, ich bin gespannt auf Band 2.
Sehr angenehm fand ich, dass zwar viele Fragen für die Fortsetzung offen geblieben sind, aber der Spannungsbogen in diesem Roman doch seinen Abschluss gefunden hat. Ich hatte schon das Gefühl, ein vollständiges Buch gelesen zu haben und nicht als Leser mitten in einer Szene allein gelassen zu werden.
Wirklich spannende Lektüre für zwischendurch, ich bin gespannt auf Band 2.
kimberwitch's review against another edition
4.0
The first in a trilogy, set in the town of Promise Falls, located in upstate NY. This book is full of vivid characters that leap off the page and demand your attention. All of them are interesting and all connected in some way, around one or many crimes. As Barcley develops the main plot, he's also building up some seemingly insignificant ones that will, of course, play out in the next two books.
Read this book if you like mysteries! It ends by tidying up the major plot while leaving the door open on several others.
Read this book if you like mysteries! It ends by tidying up the major plot while leaving the door open on several others.
herreadingroom's review against another edition
4.0
After a slow start this brilliant book rapidly picks up speed and takes the reader through a veritable chicane of twists and turns. This is the first book of a trilogy and its cliffhanger ending has certainly left me looking forward to the next instalment!
katiecatbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Twists and turns. Multiple perspectives. Multiple crimes.
Story: David's wife has passed away, making him a single father of his son, Ethan. In order to make money to raise him, David moves to Boston to work for a major newspaper. But the job means he doesn't have any time to spend with his son, so he quits his job to move back to his hometown to live with his parents and work for the small town newspaper there. On his first day at the job, the newspaper announces it's shutting down, leaving David unemployed. One morning, David's parents ask him to bring some food over to his cousin Marla's house. Marla has a rocky past and most people consider her unstable and more than a bit looney. When David arrives at her door, he finds what appears to be smeared blood on the doorframe and finds Marla inside with a random baby. Marla explains that an angel dropped the baby boy off and what a miracle it is. It's up to David to handle the situation, but things turn out to be not so simple.
Language: There is violence and mild gore in this book, so it's heavier than a cozy, but not quite as raw as other crime novels. The book is told from multiple perspectives including David, policemen, and townspeople, but David's chapters are all marked, so it's easy to follow the shifts. This is a long book, but it's so enjoyable that it goes quickly. I thought about halfway through that I had solved the mystery and was going to have to label the book predictable but then twists and turns proved me wrong and the book finished with a great reveal. Some small details bothered me, like people solving or discovering things at the exact same time as others on the other side of town, but maybe that's just me being finicky. This book is the first book in the trilogy, and some of thr crimes are solved by the end of the boon, so you can read it as a standalone. But, not all the crimes are solved and there is a cliffhanger at the end, so if that bothers you then prepare to have the next two books on hand.
Characters: David is our protagonist and is in charge of a lot of the action (investigating, driving, putting clues together, taking care of family). Marla plays a central role, and as she is rather unstable and has mental challenges, she becomes a bit of a mystery person, where no one including the reader is really sure if what she says is the truth or just her version of it. David's son Ethan and and his elderly parents play side roles in the story and have their own smaller storylines and misadventures, which break up the main crime story nicely and adds in some small town life to the mix.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the second (and third!) book.
Story: David's wife has passed away, making him a single father of his son, Ethan. In order to make money to raise him, David moves to Boston to work for a major newspaper. But the job means he doesn't have any time to spend with his son, so he quits his job to move back to his hometown to live with his parents and work for the small town newspaper there. On his first day at the job, the newspaper announces it's shutting down, leaving David unemployed. One morning, David's parents ask him to bring some food over to his cousin Marla's house. Marla has a rocky past and most people consider her unstable and more than a bit looney. When David arrives at her door, he finds what appears to be smeared blood on the doorframe and finds Marla inside with a random baby. Marla explains that an angel dropped the baby boy off and what a miracle it is. It's up to David to handle the situation, but things turn out to be not so simple.
Language: There is violence and mild gore in this book, so it's heavier than a cozy, but not quite as raw as other crime novels. The book is told from multiple perspectives including David, policemen, and townspeople, but David's chapters are all marked, so it's easy to follow the shifts. This is a long book, but it's so enjoyable that it goes quickly. I thought about halfway through that I had solved the mystery and was going to have to label the book predictable but then twists and turns proved me wrong and the book finished with a great reveal. Some small details bothered me, like people solving or discovering things at the exact same time as others on the other side of town, but maybe that's just me being finicky. This book is the first book in the trilogy, and some of thr crimes are solved by the end of the boon, so you can read it as a standalone. But, not all the crimes are solved and there is a cliffhanger at the end, so if that bothers you then prepare to have the next two books on hand.
Characters: David is our protagonist and is in charge of a lot of the action (investigating, driving, putting clues together, taking care of family). Marla plays a central role, and as she is rather unstable and has mental challenges, she becomes a bit of a mystery person, where no one including the reader is really sure if what she says is the truth or just her version of it. David's son Ethan and and his elderly parents play side roles in the story and have their own smaller storylines and misadventures, which break up the main crime story nicely and adds in some small town life to the mix.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the second (and third!) book.
throwmeabook's review against another edition
2.0
It seems I'm in the minority with this one. The story started out well, with promise but truthfully, overall it was a disappointing read. The inhabitants of Promise Falls were quirky enough but dull narration and repetitive writing just put me off that I barely finished. I won't be continuing with this series.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Berkley (NAL) and Signet Romance (DAW) fo providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Berkley (NAL) and Signet Romance (DAW) fo providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.
granolagina's review against another edition
2.0
This is the 9th book I have read by this author and definitely the weakest by far. It was just too predictable and not much of a thriller.
lynsey284's review against another edition
4.0
My first read by Linwood Barclay I thought it was brilliant read kept me turning the pages till late and the last few chapters were the best really good thriller can't wait to carry on with the second book in the series
kba76's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy.
No plot info here. Raced through this, desperate to see if my hunch was correct. It was, but I wish we'd learned more about why.
No plot info here. Raced through this, desperate to see if my hunch was correct. It was, but I wish we'd learned more about why.
crolovr's review against another edition
5.0
I was luck enough to receive an advanced copy of this book. There is alot going on in this thriller that is narrated by several of the characters. David Harwood moves back to into his parents house with his son Ethan when he takes back his old newspaper reporter job. The Newspaper closes on his first day at work. Davids mother asks him to check on his mentally unstable cousin Marla who had a stillborn baby several months ago. She even tried to kidnap a baby out of the hospital her mother Agnes manages. He finds her with a 9 month old baby named Matthew. When Matthew's mother Rosemary Gaynor is found dead, Marla is the prime suspect. David vows to his Aunt Agnes that he will investigate to find out if Marla is the killer. David starts to unravel the mystery piece by piece and it all comes together when he finds the missing nanny Sarita.
Also investigating is donut loving detective Barry Duckworth who is also investigating several other mysterious happenings in Promise Falls. Randall Finely, the disgraced Ex Mayor finds, 23 squirrels hanging in a local park. A suspected rapist is caught at Thackery College wearing a sweatshirt with the number 23 on it and the Amusement Park that is closing has dummies put in the #23 Ferris Wheel car with "You'll be Sorry" written on them.
The book is fast paced with interesting characters and several plot twists. The book ends with many unanswered questions. Looking forward to the sequel.
Also investigating is donut loving detective Barry Duckworth who is also investigating several other mysterious happenings in Promise Falls. Randall Finely, the disgraced Ex Mayor finds, 23 squirrels hanging in a local park. A suspected rapist is caught at Thackery College wearing a sweatshirt with the number 23 on it and the Amusement Park that is closing has dummies put in the #23 Ferris Wheel car with "You'll be Sorry" written on them.
The book is fast paced with interesting characters and several plot twists. The book ends with many unanswered questions. Looking forward to the sequel.