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7. - 417.) Bad Move by Linwood Barclay – Zack Walter has become an asshole to his family. His concerns over family safety (locking doors, not leaving stuff around, keeping the family informed) have become an obsession. The family moves from their “unsafe” downtown neighbourhood to a “safe” surburban development. (I dislike stories set in an unknown major Eastern North American city rather than an actual city.) Unfortunately, Zack must demonstrate the need for security. He hides his wife’s car when she leaves the keys in the house door. The fallout is predictably and hilariously bad for Zack. Life in the suburbs seems less safe as Zack learns more about his neighbours and then finds a murdered community activist on the edge of the creek. His obsession leads to a wonderfully bizarre funny murder adventure. He takes his wife’s purse from an unattended shopping cart as a warning. Unfortunately, it is not his wife’s purse. By the time the story ends and the bodies stop falling the suburbs are definitely not “safe”. Zack has a striking self-deprecating humour. He also has that rarity in mystery fiction – a real family. His wife, Sarah, and his children, Angie and Paul, are important parts of the story. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Oh, I liked this book, too, Bill. I like Barclay's writing style and the wit in the story. I agree with you about the family, too; I thought Sarah was a well-drawn character. And you make a good point about the fact that this family and their relationships seem real. The other characters in the suburban development were effective, too, and so was the way Barclay used them to move the plot along. Glad you enjoyed this.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. I recall you have referred to this book in numerous blog posts. Barclay creates interesting characters.
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