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nsa101's review against another edition
3.0
When Andrew Carville’s wife, Brie, goes missing, his life is left in shambles and he is accused of her disappearance. Six years later, multiple sightings of his wife are reported and the life that Andrew worked tirelessly to build is upended.
Thoughts:
I liked the premise of this book as I am always on the hunt for a good thriller. My concern with this book was the pacing - it felt slow at parts and I found myself skimming over sections to keep interest. There we’re also multiple POV‘s, some of which seemed unnecessary. While I was curious where this book was leading us and the ending was satisfying, the motivations for some of the actions were questionable.
This is the first book by Barclay I have read and I would be interested in picking up some of his backlist.
Thoughts:
I liked the premise of this book as I am always on the hunt for a good thriller. My concern with this book was the pacing - it felt slow at parts and I found myself skimming over sections to keep interest. There we’re also multiple POV‘s, some of which seemed unnecessary. While I was curious where this book was leading us and the ending was satisfying, the motivations for some of the actions were questionable.
This is the first book by Barclay I have read and I would be interested in picking up some of his backlist.
emertbyrne's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
thriller_chick's review against another edition
Linwood Barclay has been an auto buy author for me for years and I’ve read everything he has ever written. Take Your Breath Away wasn’t one of his best.
This book did a great job of showing what a horrible impact crimes can have on family members. But overall it was extremely underwhelming, dragged on in many parts and was overly complicated and a bit far fetched.
The audio was well done and kept me entertained while the movers were at my house, but it is one of my least favorites that he has done.
⚠️ Triggers: Covid, Cancer (a large part of the book) ⚠️
This book did a great job of showing what a horrible impact crimes can have on family members. But overall it was extremely underwhelming, dragged on in many parts and was overly complicated and a bit far fetched.
The audio was well done and kept me entertained while the movers were at my house, but it is one of my least favorites that he has done.
⚠️ Triggers: Covid, Cancer (a large part of the book) ⚠️
gsmith255's review against another edition
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
2.5
sonny_12's review against another edition
5.0
Very good plot and lots of twists and turns!! Very enjoyable read!!
maerigs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
fuzzywuzzy's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Linwood Barclay book and I have to say it didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out was going on. There were so many players and it kept switching so it made it hard for it to be predictable. There was a hint dropped in one chapter that made it clear who was going to be the bad guy (one of them anyway) so I felt that could have been incorporated into the story better. Besides that this was a solid thriller that I couldn’t wait to finish!
julielb's review against another edition
2.0
I just finished Barclay’s latest and was a bit disappointed and trying to figure out why. He has been a favorite author of mine, writing gripping, suspenseful, unique mysteries. In this one, a man’s wife disappeared 6 years ago and while he was a suspect initially for her disappearance and presumed death, there was never any evidence. He moved on, though not far away, changed his last name and now is living with a woman he met 2 years earlier as well as her 16-year-old brother. Then he hears from his ex-neighbor that a woman who looks like his wife had just showed up at his old house, screaming that it had changed though it was her house, dropped the groceries she was going to bring into the house and fled. She next appeared outside a hospital where her sister and brother saw her while they were visiting their terminally ill mother. And finally, the mother is convinced the woman appeared to her late at night,which gave the mother comfort, knowing her daughter was alive and well.
The story is told from multiple points of view, all the chapters in third person except from the husband, Andrew’s, chapters in which it’s first person. It’s been unsettling, the supposed reappearance of the woman and the impact it has on the main characters. When I got to the end I thought meh, it was fine. Interesting mystery, not too difficult to figure out, easy to read. I guess the disappointment comes from not caring or really liking any of the main characters. I really didn’t care about any of them and had to work hard to not actively dislike them so that I could get through the book.
This author has written some gripping mysteries with complex characters and perhaps that’s the difference here, as in all the characters felt like surface, cardboard cutouts.
The story is told from multiple points of view, all the chapters in third person except from the husband, Andrew’s, chapters in which it’s first person. It’s been unsettling, the supposed reappearance of the woman and the impact it has on the main characters. When I got to the end I thought meh, it was fine. Interesting mystery, not too difficult to figure out, easy to read. I guess the disappointment comes from not caring or really liking any of the main characters. I really didn’t care about any of them and had to work hard to not actively dislike them so that I could get through the book.
This author has written some gripping mysteries with complex characters and perhaps that’s the difference here, as in all the characters felt like surface, cardboard cutouts.
librarylilac's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
yoteach87's review against another edition
3.0
I was actually disappointed with this one.
This is my third Barclay book, the previous two were solid 5 stars ("Find You First" and "A Noise Downstairs") and found this one a bit of a letdown. The pacing is slower than the two previous books, and didn't really take to it until 60% or so in. This is more small-scale, domestic-y (think a Lisa Lippmann or B.A. Paris sort) than the darker tone, I had been expecting from Barclay. The story is good, but I saw it coming since there weren't as many twists and the tensions were mid.
Nevertheless, I will continue subbing and smashing the like button of Barclay's future books.
This is my third Barclay book, the previous two were solid 5 stars ("Find You First" and "A Noise Downstairs") and found this one a bit of a letdown. The pacing is slower than the two previous books, and didn't really take to it until 60% or so in. This is more small-scale, domestic-y (think a Lisa Lippmann or B.A. Paris sort) than the darker tone, I had been expecting from Barclay. The story is good, but I saw it coming since there weren't as many twists and the tensions were mid.
Nevertheless, I will continue subbing and smashing the like button of Barclay's future books.