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kate1920's review
5.0
I’ve read a few Linwood Barclay books (not in order) and decided I needed to read this one. I couldn’t put it down, so much so that I read the whole book in 24 hours. Totally gripping with various twists and turns. The suspense keeps you guessing and doesn’t disappoint with a shocking ending.
acorntopper's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
abbies_books24's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
sarec's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
sci_twi02's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
billymac1962's review
4.0
Well, this was very entertaining.
For some reason I had never heard of Linwood Barclay, until some of my Goodreads friends started raving about his latest.
So I grabbed this one, his earliest, and he certainly lived up to the hype. This is a classic page-turner. There is no time to smell the roses along the way: the plot plows through, but not with as much expense to character development as you would find with many thrillers. Even though the development comes mainly through dialogue, it is sufficient enough to care enough about them to see the story through.
The premise is excellent: a 14 year old girl wakes one morning to find her family has disappeared. Fast forward 25 years...
Barclay did some fine things in this novel. Even when you reach points where you roll your eyes over what a character had done, this is actually justified or explained. And I really had no idea where this story was going to go. Neither did my girlfriend, and she can always figure these things out.
From what I can gather, most of his books are of the "domestic thriller" variety, where things happen to ordinary people. This is a smart way to sell books! Also, I can gather that I have not read the best of him yet. It seems there are at least three more of his that are just as good or better than this one. That's exciting, and I'll definitely read more of this addictive popcorn!
For some reason I had never heard of Linwood Barclay, until some of my Goodreads friends started raving about his latest.
So I grabbed this one, his earliest, and he certainly lived up to the hype. This is a classic page-turner. There is no time to smell the roses along the way: the plot plows through, but not with as much expense to character development as you would find with many thrillers. Even though the development comes mainly through dialogue, it is sufficient enough to care enough about them to see the story through.
The premise is excellent: a 14 year old girl wakes one morning to find her family has disappeared. Fast forward 25 years...
Barclay did some fine things in this novel. Even when you reach points where you roll your eyes over what a character had done, this is actually justified or explained. And I really had no idea where this story was going to go. Neither did my girlfriend, and she can always figure these things out.
From what I can gather, most of his books are of the "domestic thriller" variety, where things happen to ordinary people. This is a smart way to sell books! Also, I can gather that I have not read the best of him yet. It seems there are at least three more of his that are just as good or better than this one. That's exciting, and I'll definitely read more of this addictive popcorn!
jenmooremo's review
4.0
I don't normally read thrillers, but for some reason this caught my eye, perhaps it was because the plot line wasn't your typical mystery/thriller fare. Basically a girl wakes up in the morning and her family is gone...vanished...no sign of struggle and no clue to where they are or why the disappeared. Twenty five years later she is living the typical American life when the incident all comes to the forefront again.
The plot and pace of the story give it 4 starts, possibly almost 5, but to be honest there are distinct times when the author is gifted in giving you the scenes, and times when he totally fails you at some stilted dialogue between characters. All in all, it read just like a fast paced blockbuster movie, a good read.
The plot and pace of the story give it 4 starts, possibly almost 5, but to be honest there are distinct times when the author is gifted in giving you the scenes, and times when he totally fails you at some stilted dialogue between characters. All in all, it read just like a fast paced blockbuster movie, a good read.
lefttorread's review against another edition
4.0
I’m giving this book a 4 stars, for now...
I kinda loved the characters and I want to keep the book on my shelves that’s why it gets a 4 but I don’t feel like it’s an overall 4.
The writing was good, plot was good, characters... good but there was something missing, I’m not quite sure what. I am looking forward to reading more from Linwood Barclay though :)
I kinda loved the characters and I want to keep the book on my shelves that’s why it gets a 4 but I don’t feel like it’s an overall 4.
The writing was good, plot was good, characters... good but there was something missing, I’m not quite sure what. I am looking forward to reading more from Linwood Barclay though :)