Friday, 7 December 2012
This was the second of Linwood Barclay's books that I have read and I really enjoyed it. The premise of the story is that Cynthia is 14 years old and her parents and brother suddenly go missing. No clues. No note. Nothing. Twenty-five years later, Cynthia is still looking for answers. And, helping her find those answers is her husband Terry. This is a tense, psychological thriller that ultimately lends itself to you asking more questions than actually finding answers. But, that’s what I loved about it. It had me thinking of every possible scenario and discounting the most ridiculous ones.
This story pushed the reader use their own detective skills and along with Cynthia and Terry, try to solve the mystery. The story is told from the viewpoint of the husband Terry. I liked Barclay's style of writing and he develops his characters so well, evolving throughout the book. However, he also pulls a lot of surprises out of the bag that leaves the reader thinking......'oh no I never saw that coming'!!! I read this book in a couple of sittings as I was desperate to find out what actually happened to Cynthia's family and if my theories were right. Some were, most were not! The reader does feel sympathy for poor Cynthia at the terrible torment she is going through and her desperation to find out what happened is palpable.
I was disappointed to see that some of the reviews I had read for this book did not appear to do it justice. Its a good read with some very clever twists and turns. A good read and well worth giving it a chance.
I just finished reading the book. I really loved it. It had me going through twists and turns. While reading, I've had theories and whatever about who might be responsible for this and that. I was able to get some right but the novel always gets me shocked - the most unexpected things happen. Sir Linwood Barclay did a very awesome job there :)