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beastreader's review
4.0
David Harwood, his wife, Jan and their son, Ethan were having a fun family day out at the amusement park. This is when David’s nightmare begins. First his son goes missing. Luckily, he is found safe and sound. Then Jan disappears and this is when David’s life as he knew is gets turned upside down.
The cops believe that David did something with his wife and have pinned him as the number one suspect. It is not had to believe when there are many witnesses who supposedly put David with Jan right before she disappeared. David knows he is innocent. He takes matters into his own hands and does some investigating of his own. David uncovers some very dark and sinister things involving his wife.
Detective Barry Duckworth is familiar with David’s type. The spouse always says they are innocent. Detective Duckworth is on right behind David every step of the way.
After finishing this book, I can happily say that I will Never Look Away when a Linwood Barclay novel is released. Every book that I have read by Mr. Barclay has been a winner thus far. This book started out with a bang and ended with a big bang. David made you cheer for the good guys. This book pulled me in. The many twists and turns were great. Detective Duckworth tried to be the bad cop but he came off more as the good cop. My only complaint is that this book ended. Now I have to wait for the next one.
The cops believe that David did something with his wife and have pinned him as the number one suspect. It is not had to believe when there are many witnesses who supposedly put David with Jan right before she disappeared. David knows he is innocent. He takes matters into his own hands and does some investigating of his own. David uncovers some very dark and sinister things involving his wife.
Detective Barry Duckworth is familiar with David’s type. The spouse always says they are innocent. Detective Duckworth is on right behind David every step of the way.
After finishing this book, I can happily say that I will Never Look Away when a Linwood Barclay novel is released. Every book that I have read by Mr. Barclay has been a winner thus far. This book started out with a bang and ended with a big bang. David made you cheer for the good guys. This book pulled me in. The many twists and turns were great. Detective Duckworth tried to be the bad cop but he came off more as the good cop. My only complaint is that this book ended. Now I have to wait for the next one.
jacki_f's review
4.0
When I started reading this book, I kept having the feeling that I'd read it before. The basic plot - family member goes missing, everyone thinks the hero did it and he has to clear his name while realising that the family member had kept secrets from him - is hardly original, having been used by everyone from Linwood Barclay to Harlan Coben. Having said that, the plot does develop in its own unique way and it is maintains the reader's interest from start to finish.
It opens with a family outing to an amusement park. David's wife Jan has been depressed lately and he hopes that a fun day out will lift her spirits. But almost immediately, their four year old son Ethan goes missing. Ethan is found, but then Jan disappears. David goes to the police, but there is no record of her ever purchasing a ticket or even having entered the park. All the evidence suggests that David is lying about what happened and that he has murdered her.
Linwood Barclay is very good at building little twists into his books: dropping clues that you think mean its going one way, but then it goes another way. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, it would surprise me.
Unlike some of his other books, Barclay holds the story together until the end. Yes, the final couple of chapters are a little silly, and yes, by the end the plot has just got too far-fetched - but not so much that it spoils your enjoyment of the book.
This is the fourth Linwood Barclay book I've read and I felt it was his best yet.
It opens with a family outing to an amusement park. David's wife Jan has been depressed lately and he hopes that a fun day out will lift her spirits. But almost immediately, their four year old son Ethan goes missing. Ethan is found, but then Jan disappears. David goes to the police, but there is no record of her ever purchasing a ticket or even having entered the park. All the evidence suggests that David is lying about what happened and that he has murdered her.
Linwood Barclay is very good at building little twists into his books: dropping clues that you think mean its going one way, but then it goes another way. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, it would surprise me.
Unlike some of his other books, Barclay holds the story together until the end. Yes, the final couple of chapters are a little silly, and yes, by the end the plot has just got too far-fetched - but not so much that it spoils your enjoyment of the book.
This is the fourth Linwood Barclay book I've read and I felt it was his best yet.
charvi_not_just_fiction's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
What a ride! This book was addictive, gripping and an absolute page-turner that kept me up well into the night. There's a lot going on in the plot, it's not just about a missing wife. There's politics, the pasts of some shady and innocent people, capitalism and the decline of the newspaper industry and so much more. It all ties up beautifully in the end, everything Linwood Barclay writes has a point to it.
I loved the plot itself and the characters were well-developed with a narrative that kept me hooked. There were a couple of twists that were obvious to me (now whether that's because I've read a lot of mysteries and Linwood Barclays I don't know) so I docked half a star for that but other than that this is a compelling book with a good build up and pay-off. Would highly recommend it!
I loved the plot itself and the characters were well-developed with a narrative that kept me hooked. There were a couple of twists that were obvious to me (now whether that's because I've read a lot of mysteries and Linwood Barclays I don't know) so I docked half a star for that but other than that this is a compelling book with a good build up and pay-off. Would highly recommend it!
patriciamccoy621's review
3.0
The beginning of the book had some "shockers" in it and I was excited to see where the story would go. I will admit to being concerned about how the author was going to close up the story. I feel like Barclay ended it the only way he could and I was fine with it. It was an 'okay' book. I've liked others by him better.
mehitabels's review
2.0
a really great and surprising build up, followed by a stunted and emotionally unsatisfying ending.
2.5 of 5 stars
2.5 of 5 stars
petersenftleben's review
3.0
I really liked the premise of this, and the pace was quick, but I felt like it went a little off the rails. The beginning kind of had me zoning in and out with all the privatized prison business (didn't care), but it really picked up after Jan disappeared and I started to wonder what was going on. But then once we found out and got the back story, I started to lose interest again, so the last third was a bit plodding for me. I basically kept reading just to find out how it could possibly be wrapped up. I also thought there was quite a bit of redundancy, partly due to the slew of POVs, but also within David's. And there were also times where he didn't see the most obvious explanation for things (I'm trying to not be spoilery here), and that got a little frustrating at times. But I thought the writing was solid and there was definite potential. I may try another Barclay book...