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jennievh's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good. Lots of twists and turns...maybe too many. Quick read.
si0bhan's review against another edition
4.0
My first Linwood Barclay read, A Tap on the Window, earned a solid five-star rating, and I was eager to pick up more of his work. I worked my way through a few of his books, all earning four-star ratings from me, before reaching a book that left me a bit tentative. Everyone knows that feeling of giving a beloved author a three-star rating, how it can leave you worried about what else they can offer. Due to this, I found myself avoiding the other Linwood Barclay books I own. In the end, though, I finally decided to overcome my fear and jumped into The Accident.
I’ll be honest, The Accident is not a full four-star rating. It is a very strong three-point-five-star read, possibly even more than that and leaning even closer to four-stars, hence why I decided to round my rating up. In truth, I feared I would not be doing such a thing at the start of the story, but it did win me over in the end.
Linwood Barclay writes thrillers that are quite a bit slower than many of the big-name thriller writers out there. What is lacking in speedy action scenes, however, is made up for in twists. Once the story gets going, many elements are introduced in this one. Each time you believe all the details have come to light, something more is added to leave you guessing the future details that will come to light. It’s certainly one of those books where you need to hold out, to work through may details, to really appreciate how everything comes together so well.
Whilst The Accident may not be my favourite Linwood Barclay book, it has certainly removed the tentatively that was left following my prior three-star rating.
I’ll be honest, The Accident is not a full four-star rating. It is a very strong three-point-five-star read, possibly even more than that and leaning even closer to four-stars, hence why I decided to round my rating up. In truth, I feared I would not be doing such a thing at the start of the story, but it did win me over in the end.
Linwood Barclay writes thrillers that are quite a bit slower than many of the big-name thriller writers out there. What is lacking in speedy action scenes, however, is made up for in twists. Once the story gets going, many elements are introduced in this one. Each time you believe all the details have come to light, something more is added to leave you guessing the future details that will come to light. It’s certainly one of those books where you need to hold out, to work through may details, to really appreciate how everything comes together so well.
Whilst The Accident may not be my favourite Linwood Barclay book, it has certainly removed the tentatively that was left following my prior three-star rating.
dgcasey0325's review against another edition
4.0
Good story but ...
There were way too many characters in it. It was hard to keep them all straight. I lost track of who a couple of them were.
There were way too many characters in it. It was hard to keep them all straight. I lost track of who a couple of them were.
eljabo's review against another edition
3.0
This book made me feel really guilty about the one fake purse I purchased on Canal Street in NYC many moons ago. It also kept me on the edge of my seat with murders and drama galore.
skateanddonate's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure how to rate this book. It didn't satisfy me. I just don't like this style of writing/plotting. It is very similar to the style Gone Girl. It surprises you at every turn, but there isn't a clever crime or any plot development. it is just a messy muddled stew with every comment worthy topic thrown in (and nothing edited out to leave only what is important to the plot). It also doesn't really have a character you can like or care about. A lot of people get killed off in this book and all the other ones are such ugly people, behavior wise, that it just makes you cringe thinking of the time you spent reading about them. Guess I'm just too picky, but this is my least favorite book by this author. I need a character i care about involved in plotted story that keeps my attention. This book was messy and ugly with no clear answers it was too much like real life rather than being an edited store where everything was relevant.
booksforall93's review against another edition
3.0
In this book, we follow the protagonist Glen, as he comes to terms with the loss of his wife in unusual circumstances and as he starts to come to terms with it he realises that there is more to her death than he could have ever imagined.
This book has such a great concept, and some great twists in it but the thing that really put me off is the way Barclay describes women in such great detail even their breasts, but the description of men is just 'he is tall' 'taller than me' or 'shorter than me'. It just seems like such an over description of women. To me, it's like, if you are going to describe someone to the T then describe everyone to a T.
Also, Glen's daughter Kelly who is 8, the author doesn't seem to know how children talk. For example, Kelly describes someone as a 'slag' that just seems like a word an 8-year-old wouldn't know. Or should be told off for knowing. But I'm not a parent so I don't know. But to me, it just seemed weird.
This book has such a great concept, and some great twists in it but the thing that really put me off is the way Barclay describes women in such great detail even their breasts, but the description of men is just 'he is tall' 'taller than me' or 'shorter than me'. It just seems like such an over description of women. To me, it's like, if you are going to describe someone to the T then describe everyone to a T.
Also, Glen's daughter Kelly who is 8, the author doesn't seem to know how children talk. For example, Kelly describes someone as a 'slag' that just seems like a word an 8-year-old wouldn't know. Or should be told off for knowing. But I'm not a parent so I don't know. But to me, it just seemed weird.
canada_matt's review against another edition
5.0
Barclay does it again; a thrilling novel, with believable plotlines and characters that live normal lives! It does not hurt that he is Canadian and makes me proud to have such talent hailing from THE GREAT WHITE NORTH.
In this tale, a seemingly stupid DUI accident that kills the main character's wife turns into something much more complex and sinister. A few women in town either die or begin acting in a very strange fashion and nothing adds up. Fire breaking out a one job site and the murder of a family friend the same night she was seen acting oddly makes for a thrilling Barclay novel that twists more than you can count.
The plot and progression are realising, no black ops or space aliens here, and the diaslogue is not only realistic, it makes total sense. No 'shucks darn' when someone hits you, and people speak their minds (but also in a way I would expect them to).
I would highly recommend this book to anyone in the market for a great novel with a whodunit that leaves you wondering thrtoughout. Hell, even into the epilogue some things arte left unanswered.
Kudos Mr. Barclay. Keep dazzling us!
In this tale, a seemingly stupid DUI accident that kills the main character's wife turns into something much more complex and sinister. A few women in town either die or begin acting in a very strange fashion and nothing adds up. Fire breaking out a one job site and the murder of a family friend the same night she was seen acting oddly makes for a thrilling Barclay novel that twists more than you can count.
The plot and progression are realising, no black ops or space aliens here, and the diaslogue is not only realistic, it makes total sense. No 'shucks darn' when someone hits you, and people speak their minds (but also in a way I would expect them to).
I would highly recommend this book to anyone in the market for a great novel with a whodunit that leaves you wondering thrtoughout. Hell, even into the epilogue some things arte left unanswered.
Kudos Mr. Barclay. Keep dazzling us!
teebark's review against another edition
4.0
Remember the notorious crash that happened in New York in 2009? Mother killed with kids, high blood alcohol content. Weed in her system. Yet she was never seen by family or friends using either?
This book starts off with a similar incident. A mother dies in a car wreck, with an alcohol ratio in her blood that's off the chart. And she's almost a complete tee to totaler While the true story quoted above never revealed a reasonable answer to the quandary, the story in this book comes to a dramatic conclusion that will leave you shaking your head in amazement.
As a mystery book, The Accident excels. We have many characters, a lot of bizarre secrets, a plethora of suspects, and a reason to care about the outcome. It even has an ending that's not an ending. The author has two surprises for us, so don't put that book down just yet.
This book starts off with a similar incident. A mother dies in a car wreck, with an alcohol ratio in her blood that's off the chart. And she's almost a complete tee to totaler While the true story quoted above never revealed a reasonable answer to the quandary, the story in this book comes to a dramatic conclusion that will leave you shaking your head in amazement.
As a mystery book, The Accident excels. We have many characters, a lot of bizarre secrets, a plethora of suspects, and a reason to care about the outcome. It even has an ending that's not an ending. The author has two surprises for us, so don't put that book down just yet.
canadianbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
As usual, Linwood Barclay delivers a fast-moving thriller. Themes in this book are around the economic downtown and people caught between rising costs and either stagnant or decreasing incomes. There are many accidents in this book, and many aren't accidents at all. The first accident is one whose aftermath is witnessed by two women tourists making their way to the garment district in NYC looking for deals. They are also among the first victims as they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time (another theme).
We are then taken by to our main character Glen Garber, a building contractor whose wife, Sheila, is taking a business course at night to be able to offer assistance to him at work. The couple have an 8-year-old daughter, Kelly. When Sheila dies in an accident that doesn't fit with her character for Glen, he can't let go of it. Barclay's characters are ordinary people like you and me, and that is what adds to the intensity of his books. People, even ordinary good people, aren't always what they seem, and you don't always know them as well as you think you do.
There are many twists and turns, when you think you have things figured out and then new information shows you don't. A great, intense, page-turner that also makes a commentary on the current situation many people find themselves in.
This book won the 2012 OLA Evergreen Award.
We are then taken by to our main character Glen Garber, a building contractor whose wife, Sheila, is taking a business course at night to be able to offer assistance to him at work. The couple have an 8-year-old daughter, Kelly. When Sheila dies in an accident that doesn't fit with her character for Glen, he can't let go of it. Barclay's characters are ordinary people like you and me, and that is what adds to the intensity of his books. People, even ordinary good people, aren't always what they seem, and you don't always know them as well as you think you do.
There are many twists and turns, when you think you have things figured out and then new information shows you don't. A great, intense, page-turner that also makes a commentary on the current situation many people find themselves in.
This book won the 2012 OLA Evergreen Award.