52. – 462.) No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay –
A terrifying premise for an unusual thriller. Cynthia Bigge, 14 years old,
wakes up one morning after an argument with her parents to find her mother,
father and older brother have disappeared. Nothing is missing. Nothing is taken.
There are no signs of violence. They are just gone. No one can find a trace of
them. 25 years later Cynthia is married to Terry Archer and has an 8 year old daughter,
Grace. Cynthia cannot stand not knowing. She appears on a reality T.V. show,
Deadline, which has a regular feature on old unsolved crimes. There is no
direct response but there are events around the house that suggest someone
knows the answers and is secretly leaving clues. As there is no reason for
these contacts either Terry or Cynthia making up these events The plot unfolds
steadily and logically. What makes the thriller unique is the participation of
a whole family. It is a rare thriller featuring parents and a child. There are
tantalizing hints in the clues but it is impossible to understand why clues are
now being left to solve the mystery. The ending was alittle disappointing with
an unnecessary twist. The story was deftly told. The book grabbed me and I
rushed through it. Hardcover or paperback. (Dec. 23/08)About Me
- Bill Selnes
- Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada
- I am a lawyer in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada who enjoys reading, especially mysteries. Since 2000 I have been writing personal book reviews. This blog includes my reviews, information on and interviews with authors and descriptions of mystery bookstores I have visited. I strive to review all Saskatchewan mysteries. Other Canadian mysteries are listed under the Rest of Canada. As a lawyer I am always interested in legal mysteries. I have a separate page for legal mysteries. Occasionally my reviews of legal mysteries comment on the legal reality of the mystery. You can follow the progression of my favourite authors with up to 15 reviews. Each year I select my favourites in "Bill's Best of ----". As well as current reviews I am posting reviews from 2000 to 2011. Below my most recent couple of posts are the posts of Saskatchewan mysteries I have reviewed alphabetically by author. If you only want a sentence or two description of the book and my recommendation when deciding whether to read the book look at the bold portion of the review. If you would like to email me the link to my email is on the profile page.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
52. – 462.) No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay –
A terrifying premise for an unusual thriller. Cynthia Bigge, 14 years old,
wakes up one morning after an argument with her parents to find her mother,
father and older brother have disappeared. Nothing is missing. Nothing is taken.
There are no signs of violence. They are just gone. No one can find a trace of
them. 25 years later Cynthia is married to Terry Archer and has an 8 year old daughter,
Grace. Cynthia cannot stand not knowing. She appears on a reality T.V. show,
Deadline, which has a regular feature on old unsolved crimes. There is no
direct response but there are events around the house that suggest someone
knows the answers and is secretly leaving clues. As there is no reason for
these contacts either Terry or Cynthia making up these events The plot unfolds
steadily and logically. What makes the thriller unique is the participation of
a whole family. It is a rare thriller featuring parents and a child. There are
tantalizing hints in the clues but it is impossible to understand why clues are
now being left to solve the mystery. The ending was alittle disappointing with
an unnecessary twist. The story was deftly told. The book grabbed me and I
rushed through it. Hardcover or paperback. (Dec. 23/08)
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Bill - Barclay is so good isn't he at keeping the pace of a story going. I like his writing style too and his ability to create characters. I'm very glad you found this such a good read.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be nice if this Canadian author set even one of his novels in Canada?
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. I agree he has a talent for creating and maintaining suspense.
ReplyDeleteDr. Evangelicus: I hope he will choose to place a book in Canada.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you Bill as the premise did really grab me too - but like you I found the final twist a bit redundant. In a way it tended to emphasise I had along, that it feel very much feels like a novel written to be turned into a movie (Ashley Judd in the lead anyone?).
ReplyDeleteSergio: Thanks for the comment. I felt the way I sometimes feel with Jeffery Deaver. The story is clever enough. Why not Ashley? It is a memorable story.
ReplyDeleteI liked No Time for Goodbye, a good thriller, couldn't put it down. I've read several of Barclay's books; some are better than others.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm still riveted.
I wish his books were set in Canada. We have enough U.S. writers setting characters in the U.S. We want to read of other countries.
Kathy D.: Thanks for the comment. I am glad you enjoyed the book. I agree with your wish on the setting of Barclay's books.
ReplyDelete