Reviewed on Richard & Judy on Wednesday 2 July 2008.
A fantastic opening plot that pulls you straight in to the story and makes you have to read in one or two sittings as curiosity just gets the better of you. Fourteen year old Cynthia wakes up one morning to find her mother, father and brother have all completely disappeared without trace. 25 years later Cynthia might just start to get some answers as to what happened to them. The feelings of abandonment, doubt, anger and anguish that Cynthia feels are brought across through the main narrator of the book, Cynthia’s husband, which is clever way of getting the sense of frustration both feel, her because she needs answers and him because he wants her to be able to close that chapter of her life and move on. Apart from a slight lull in the middle this book will sweep you up with it’s pace and intrigue, perfect for a holiday read.
On the morning she will never forget, suburban teenager Cynthia Archer awakes with a nasty hangover and a feeling she is going to have an even nastier confrontation with her mom and dad. But when she leaves her bedroom, she discovers the house is empty, with no sign of her parents or younger brother Todd. In the blink of an eye, without any explanation, her family has simply disappeared.
Twenty-five years later Cynthia is still haunted by unanswered questions. Were her family murdered? If so, why was she spared? And if they're alive, why did they abandon her in such a cruel way?
Now married with a daughter of her own, Cynthia fears that her new family will be taken from her just as her first one was. And so she agrees to take part in a TV documentary revisiting the case, in the hope that somebody somewhere will remember something - or even that her father, mother or brother might finally reach out to her...
Then a letter arrives which makes no sense and yet chills Cynthia to the core. And soon she begins to realise that stirring up the past could be the worst mistake she has ever made...
Linwood Barclay was our Guest Editor in October 2013 - click here - to see the books that inspired his writing.
Linwood Barclay is an international bestselling crime and thriller author with over twenty critically acclaimed novels to his name, including the number one bestseller No Time For Goodbye. Linwood has sold more then 7 million copies globally, his books have been sold in more than 39 countries around the world and he can count Stephen King, Shari Lapena and Peter James among his many fans.
Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children. Visit Linwood Barclay at www.linwoodbarclay.com or find him on Twitter at @linwood_barclay.
In the video below Linwood Barclay answer questions from LoveReading members.
