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smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
3.0
A multiple POV mystery/thriller that focuses on a husband whose wife reappears six years after she went missing and was presumed dead. This book was full of suspense and characters with questionable motives. I kept trying to figure things out and never did before they were revealed - the sign of a truly masterful storyteller. Linwood Barclay fans are sure to be satisfied with his latest offering. Great on audio too.
marilynw's review against another edition
4.0
Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay
Poor Andrew Mason goes to his lakeside cabin and comes home to find his wife, Brie, missing. Not only does he lose his wife, he's suspected of murdering her. Andrew sinks into a drunken depression but eventually pulls himself out with the help of his best friend and business partner, Greg. Now, six years later, with his last name changed to avoid attention, Andrew lives with a woman he loves, runs his own modest business, and has mostly put the past behind him. And then his wife is seen. The wife who disappeared for six years.
This is one of those stories where I think the audiobook narrators add to the story. There are at least eight of them and the narration is so well done. I was hooked to this story right away and I really wanted to believe Andrew. He doesn't even pretend to be perfect. He made mistakes in the past, he did things that were wrong in the past, he might even not walk a straight line in the future but he's trying to be a good man. Brie's family mostly hates him, thanks to Brie's sister Izzy's campaign to have him convicted of murder. But despite Detective Marissa Hardy trying to get to the goods on Andrew, she could never find anything to stick.
Now Hardy is on his tail again, probably was never really off of it. Andrew has to figure out who this person is, why she would be doing what she is doing, and if it really is Brie, why she was gone for six years. Andrew has made a life with Jayne now and as much as he would like Brie to still be alive, Brie being alive will explode his new life to bits. There is so much going on in this story that it had my head spinning. I sort of, kind of thought I might know what was going on and then a monkey wrench would get thrown into the mix and send me reeling and scrambling to figure things out again. This is just my second Barclay novel and now I need to get my hands more more.
Pub May 17, 2022
Poor Andrew Mason goes to his lakeside cabin and comes home to find his wife, Brie, missing. Not only does he lose his wife, he's suspected of murdering her. Andrew sinks into a drunken depression but eventually pulls himself out with the help of his best friend and business partner, Greg. Now, six years later, with his last name changed to avoid attention, Andrew lives with a woman he loves, runs his own modest business, and has mostly put the past behind him. And then his wife is seen. The wife who disappeared for six years.
This is one of those stories where I think the audiobook narrators add to the story. There are at least eight of them and the narration is so well done. I was hooked to this story right away and I really wanted to believe Andrew. He doesn't even pretend to be perfect. He made mistakes in the past, he did things that were wrong in the past, he might even not walk a straight line in the future but he's trying to be a good man. Brie's family mostly hates him, thanks to Brie's sister Izzy's campaign to have him convicted of murder. But despite Detective Marissa Hardy trying to get to the goods on Andrew, she could never find anything to stick.
Now Hardy is on his tail again, probably was never really off of it. Andrew has to figure out who this person is, why she would be doing what she is doing, and if it really is Brie, why she was gone for six years. Andrew has made a life with Jayne now and as much as he would like Brie to still be alive, Brie being alive will explode his new life to bits. There is so much going on in this story that it had my head spinning. I sort of, kind of thought I might know what was going on and then a monkey wrench would get thrown into the mix and send me reeling and scrambling to figure things out again. This is just my second Barclay novel and now I need to get my hands more more.
Pub May 17, 2022
charvi_not_just_fiction's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 stars
I usually love Linwood Barclay's books but this one just didn't hit the mark. The ending was a bit of a surprise sure but overall I felt like this book was rather stretched and could have been shorter and better paced. Somehow I just wasn't very satisfied with the ending.
I usually love Linwood Barclay's books but this one just didn't hit the mark. The ending was a bit of a surprise sure but overall I felt like this book was rather stretched and could have been shorter and better paced. Somehow I just wasn't very satisfied with the ending.
rosannalm's review against another edition
5.0
it had me on the edge of my seat throughout - i could not put it down!! awesome book and amazing writing
atsignamy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
carlg88's review against another edition
4.0
I just finished this ARC (very overdue) and have to say that it was one of Mr Barclay's finest. I very much enjoyed all the characters in this novel. The story was one that had a few twists that I did not see coming at all - which is just how I like it. I read thrillers to be surprised and enthralled. This is something I can be assured of when picking up a book by Barclay. I have to say that I started off not liking Jayne, but then as the story went along I warmed up to her and was very pleased by the way this book ended. Let's just say that! I think it was as close to a 'happily ever after' one can expect from the suspense master that is Linwood Barclay.
Thank you to NetGalley and Linwood Barclay for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Linwood Barclay for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.