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tboofy's review against another edition
3.0
Not a big fan of this series. The plots are OK, but I don't like the ongoing stories and was stretching to remember what happened in the last book. Then I remembered he left a couple storylines dangling at the end of the last book....which is what he did again in this book. I prefer his standalone books.
That said, it was a good book and kept my interest, I just wasn't in love with it.
That said, it was a good book and kept my interest, I just wasn't in love with it.
boktok73's review against another edition
3.0
Del två i Promise Falls-troligin och ja- allt blir på hälft. Det är många trådar som snärjer sig in i varandra. Det är också en hel del personer att hålla reda på. Men Linwood Barclay kan man lita på. Det är underhållande och engagerande. Det ska bli spännande att läsa upplösningen på alla gåtor! Tack till Louise Bäckelin förlag för boken!
kmk182's review against another edition
4.0
Being the second in a trilogy I had some issues with even more plot threads being introduced and so many things not being wrapped up, but overall still brilliantly crafted.
claudetteb's review against another edition
3.0
I truly love this author. Just didn't love this book. War and Peace had fewer characters! Also, if you're going to have a cast of thousands, their names should be different (Duckworth, Duncomb), and their characters should be a bit different (David and Cal are for all intents and purposes the same person, and I kept getting confused as to which one was being discussed). The story is ok, certainly suspenseful, but confusing as all getout because of all the people! And of course, every character needs a backstory. Sigh. To top off my discontent, this is the 2nd of a trilogy, and ends with a cliffhanger. I felt like most of the book was superfluous to the story itself and the main story told here will only be a passing comment in the next book. I truly wish these books were just stand-alone books. I don't understand this fashion of serializing books, and I don't like it. This could have been a good story on its own. The Promise Falls people could feature in subsequent books. Why do this cliff-hanger type of story - just ugh!
jupitershallemerge's review against another edition
4.0
I just love some of the characters in this series so very much.
tunesmithnw's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book! Keeps you turning the pages from beginning to end. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
jonetta's review against another edition
4.0
The first book in the series ended with the strange situations involving the number “23” still unresolved, as well as the murder of Olivia Fisher. This begins with the deaths of four people at drive-in movie when the screen collapses and crushes them. Private investigator Cal Weaver is asked by the daughter of one of the victims to find out who invaded her father’s home shortly after his death. Meanwhile, Detective Barry Duckworth continues to pursue Olivia’s and Rosemary Gaynor’s murder while investigating what happened at the drive-in.
I highly recommend reading the first book before starting this one. There’s too much background and a continuing story arc. I also read the novella, which was helpful in learning more about Cal and another character, Lucy Brighton, but it wasn’t critical.
There’s a LOT going on here and a host of characters to keep up with but they all connect pretty easily. I enjoyed the twists and bends toward some of the conclusions and the discoveries along the way. There’s a pretty big twist at the end, as well as a cliffhanger, all leading up to what I think will be the big resolution. I was so engaged I didn’t even care that everything wasn’t wrapped up but that’s probably because I’ve got the next audiobook in the queue
I highly recommend reading the first book before starting this one. There’s too much background and a continuing story arc. I also read the novella, which was helpful in learning more about Cal and another character, Lucy Brighton, but it wasn’t critical.
There’s a LOT going on here and a host of characters to keep up with but they all connect pretty easily. I enjoyed the twists and bends toward some of the conclusions and the discoveries along the way. There’s a pretty big twist at the end, as well as a cliffhanger, all leading up to what I think will be the big resolution. I was so engaged I didn’t even care that everything wasn’t wrapped up but that’s probably because I’ve got the next audiobook in the queue
ddemille29's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
noapo88's review against another edition
3.0
בדרך כלל אני מאוד אוהבת את הספרים של ברקלי. הפעם הספר הרגיש לי מרוח ולא זז. התעלומה המרכזית של הספר לא הייתה מעניינת, לצערי גם התעלומה הגדולה, שמחברת בין הספר הזה לספר הקודם, לא ממש התקדמה. בסופו של דבר, ברקלי לא ממש יודע לכתוב דמויות עומק. בספר יש שתי דמויות שמדברות בגוף ראשון, ואם לא היה כתוב לי בראש הפרק במי מהשתיים מדובר, לא הייתי מצליחה להגיד. אני כן אקרא את הספר הבא בתור, כי גם אם לא השתגעתי על הספר הזה, הוא עדיין כתוב טוב ואני רוצה לדעת מה יהיה הסוף של הטרילוגיה
lmt01's review
4.0
She took a deep breath. “When I heard about what happened, when the police got in touch, I came over here. I didn’t know quite what else to do, but I also knew that sooner or later I was going to have to pick out clothes, for the funeral home, and then there’d be the whole matter of what to do with the house and…”
“And what?”
“When I stepped into the house, I heard the back door close. Someone was leaving as I was coming in.”
In the town of Promise Falls, tragedy has struck: the Constellation Drive-In Theatre is closing. A damn shame, the people of the town agree. So strong is their sorrow that the crowd that musters for the final screening is a mighty one, people from all over Promise Falls arriving for the theatres swan-song. However, tragedy strikes again at this screening, and one far worse than the closing of a theatre: the large screen is blown down onto the crowd. However, even in the chaos it is apparent that such a catastrophe was the product of one with a sinister mind, one who is intent on giving a warning. With the fallout of the situation to deal with, Detective Barry Duckworth finds himself battling not only with Randall Finley, a ruthless politician hell-bent on reclaiming the title of mayor, but also a mysterious killer from the past who has resurfaced to take revenge. Also dealing with the fallout, in one way or another, is PI Calvin Weaver, a former Promise Falls police officer who, after moving away, has returned following the deaths of his son and wife. Following the event at the theatre, Weaver receives a call from Lucy Brighton, whose father was one of the tragedy’s victims; she claims that, after visiting her father’s house after learning of his death, she caught somebody leaving. Investigating the house, Weaver finds a “playroom” hidden behind a bookcase, the state of it suggesting that it has recently been ransacked. However, Weaver soon finds himself stumbling across something a lot more serious than what he had thought, and is about to be placed in dangerous waters…
I saw it first on CNN the next morning. Flipped over to the Today show, found they were covering it, too. All the morning shows were focused on Promise Falls. We were famous. I’d noticed the emergency vehicles the night before, as I’d stood on the porch next to my brother-in-law, but figured it was probably just a multicar accident.
Turned out to be much bigger.
Going into FAR FROM TRUE, I was quite looking forward to discovering what events would occur. Not only because it is a sequel, but also because it features Cal Weaver, the main protagonist from my first Barclay novel, A TAP ON THE WINDOW, and a character who I liked for his grey views on right-and-wrong and gritty sense of justice. I was also interesting in seeing how he would end up coping with the murder of his wife at the end of A TAP ON THE WINDOW, a death which took me by surprise like a punch to the gut. Honestly, Donna Weaver’s death in A TAP ON THE WINDOW was one of the most shocking deaths I’d read in ages, and still remains one of the most devastating.
It was nice to catch up with characters who had been met with in BROKEN PROMISE, and the continuation of their journeys was interesting to read. Barry Duckworth is as sympathetic a character as ever, especially with the tension between him and his son, what with said son working for Randall Finley, Duckworth’s enemy. We also see the relationship between David and Samantha rekindle after the apparent destruction of their relationship in the last novel.
He’d been reaching out to her, trying to explain that he hadn’t done anything—at least not intentionally—to betray her. Someone had evidently taken pictures through her kitchen window of the two of them having sex, and now the pics were being used as evidence that she was somehow an unfit mother.
I think that, in terms of enjoyment, I preferred this novel to its predecessor. However, in terms of predictability, BROKEN PROMISE had the most shocking twists of the two; while FAR FROM TRUE was, at times, unpredictable, there were certain plot twists that I, unfortunately, did see coming.
With only one book left, I am eager to crack into THE TWENTY-THREE and see how the Promise Falls Trilogy concludes—and to learn the identity of the mysterious “Mr Twenty-Three”!
“And what?”
“When I stepped into the house, I heard the back door close. Someone was leaving as I was coming in.”
In the town of Promise Falls, tragedy has struck: the Constellation Drive-In Theatre is closing. A damn shame, the people of the town agree. So strong is their sorrow that the crowd that musters for the final screening is a mighty one, people from all over Promise Falls arriving for the theatres swan-song. However, tragedy strikes again at this screening, and one far worse than the closing of a theatre: the large screen is blown down onto the crowd. However, even in the chaos it is apparent that such a catastrophe was the product of one with a sinister mind, one who is intent on giving a warning. With the fallout of the situation to deal with, Detective Barry Duckworth finds himself battling not only with Randall Finley, a ruthless politician hell-bent on reclaiming the title of mayor, but also a mysterious killer from the past who has resurfaced to take revenge. Also dealing with the fallout, in one way or another, is PI Calvin Weaver, a former Promise Falls police officer who, after moving away, has returned following the deaths of his son and wife. Following the event at the theatre, Weaver receives a call from Lucy Brighton, whose father was one of the tragedy’s victims; she claims that, after visiting her father’s house after learning of his death, she caught somebody leaving. Investigating the house, Weaver finds a “playroom” hidden behind a bookcase, the state of it suggesting that it has recently been ransacked. However, Weaver soon finds himself stumbling across something a lot more serious than what he had thought, and is about to be placed in dangerous waters…
I saw it first on CNN the next morning. Flipped over to the Today show, found they were covering it, too. All the morning shows were focused on Promise Falls. We were famous. I’d noticed the emergency vehicles the night before, as I’d stood on the porch next to my brother-in-law, but figured it was probably just a multicar accident.
Turned out to be much bigger.
Going into FAR FROM TRUE, I was quite looking forward to discovering what events would occur. Not only because it is a sequel, but also because it features Cal Weaver, the main protagonist from my first Barclay novel, A TAP ON THE WINDOW, and a character who I liked for his grey views on right-and-wrong and gritty sense of justice. I was also interesting in seeing how he would end up coping with the murder of his wife at the end of A TAP ON THE WINDOW, a death which took me by surprise like a punch to the gut. Honestly, Donna Weaver’s death in A TAP ON THE WINDOW was one of the most shocking deaths I’d read in ages, and still remains one of the most devastating.
It was nice to catch up with characters who had been met with in BROKEN PROMISE, and the continuation of their journeys was interesting to read. Barry Duckworth is as sympathetic a character as ever, especially with the tension between him and his son, what with said son working for Randall Finley, Duckworth’s enemy. We also see the relationship between David and Samantha rekindle after the apparent destruction of their relationship in the last novel.
He’d been reaching out to her, trying to explain that he hadn’t done anything—at least not intentionally—to betray her. Someone had evidently taken pictures through her kitchen window of the two of them having sex, and now the pics were being used as evidence that she was somehow an unfit mother.
I think that, in terms of enjoyment, I preferred this novel to its predecessor. However, in terms of predictability, BROKEN PROMISE had the most shocking twists of the two; while FAR FROM TRUE was, at times, unpredictable, there were certain plot twists that I, unfortunately, did see coming.
With only one book left, I am eager to crack into THE TWENTY-THREE and see how the Promise Falls Trilogy concludes—and to learn the identity of the mysterious “Mr Twenty-Three”!