NOT A WORD

4.5 stars out of 5

I’m a big fan of this author, loving every single book of his I’ve read so far. And with all its twists and turns, this one certainly didn’t disappoint.

It begins as Reece Chartwell comes to visit his parents, Brent and Catherine, in their home near Toronto. He’s greeted by a sight no son could ever envision, much less accept: His parents in bed, both shot to death - with blood everywhere. That’s not something a son ever gets over, even with help from his wife Diana and son Gage.

There’s a police investigation, of course, and the initial ruling is that it’s a murder-suicide; his father shot his mother, then himself. Except, that is, till Reece gets a text from his mother indicating she’s nowhere near dead, and further investigation finds that the woman with whom his father was in bed is a different woman – one unknown to Reece and his drug-addicted brother, Holden. Complicating matters even more is that while his mother agrees to meet with Reece, she doesn’t actually show up – and can’t be found anywhere. So did she walk in to find a strange woman in her husband’s bed and kill them both?

Such is the primary suspicion in the mind of detective Janice McCabe, who manages at least to find the name of the murdered woman. Everything else is a huge mystery that includes the possibility that one or both of the victims was the target of the real killer. But who might that be, and what was the motive?

Some evidence leads Reece to believe it might have something to do with the Big Pharma company for which his father worked – a company that could be hiding Big Secrets that someone still there doesn’t want to go public. But really – would anyone still there still be worried enough about something like that to commit murder?

Those questions, and many more, get answered as the story moves along, and of course you’ll get Not Another Word from me about all that. What I will say is that this is another winner in my book, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get a sneak peek by way of a pre-release copy. Go get one for yourself – you won’t be sorry.

Not a Word by Linwood Barclay (William Morrow, August 2026); 320 pp.

ELEVATOR PITCH

4 stars out of 5

I admit to being more than a tiny bit claustrophobic

(go down in a submarine, even when it's docked? Fuhgettaboutit). But oddly, elevators really don't bother me too much. No, I'm not fond of them - especially those that are old, rickety and not much bigger than a bread box. But overall, I'm good.

This book changed that - albeit not as much as I'd expected based on the description. Most of the ups and downs happen near the beginning and end, with the middle more focused on the hows, whys and whodunits. And that's okay with me; it's still a fast-paced and thrilling book that "forced" me to stay up late to finish. 

As the title suggests, elevators take center stage here, starting with an horrific and unexplained freefall in a midtown New York City highrise that leaves the occupants quite dead. Meanwhile, Detective Jerry Bourque and his partner Lois Delgado are called to the scene of a murder; the badly beaten victim is unidentifiable because whoever did him in chopped off all his fingers. Early on, readers also learn that Bourque is carrying around emotional baggage, some of which, at least, may be responsible for the bouts of severe shortness of breath that require him to carry an inhaler (making me wonder how that might be worked into the story as it progressed). 

Throw into the mix journalist Barbara Matheson, who's got baggage of her own but has carved a successful career for herself at the expense of alienating the affections of a now-grown daughter. Most recently, she's been dogging the for-the-most-part unpopular New York mayor, a Trump-like guy whose nastiness is tempered only once in a while by a hint of compassion for other people (none of which is bestowed on his son Glover, who works for him). 

There are questions of whether the murder and elevator plunge are related (acts of terrorism, perhaps?), but for the most part, city officials are trying to play down both incidents. Then the unthinkable happens: Another elevator misbehaves, this time mutilating one of the occupants whose identity triggers even more suspicions as to who's running the show. At this point, there's no choice but for the powers-that-be to come clean publicly, putting fear in the hearts of city residents who can't help but wonder if their building's elevator will be next and prompting city leaders - including the mayor - to fear that their actions (or inactions) could lead to even worse consequences.

Matters get even more complicated when Barbara's mom-defying daughter lands a job in the mayor's office and gets friendly with the mayor's son. Needless to say, mom's not a happy camper, but she seems up about far more than the potential for conflict of interest. As the investigation progresses, readers learn more about the characters and their backstories and read on in anticipation that one or more of them just might bite the dust on the elevator floor before the police get the drop on whoever's pushing the wrong buttons.

A very entertaining book on its own, but I must add - should no one else think of such a thing - it would make an excellent disaster movie as well.

Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay (William Morrow, September 2019); 464 pp.

FAR FROM TRUE

5 stars out of 5

When my request for an advance review copy of this book from the publisher was granted, I was very excited even though I knew it's the second in a trilogy. Then, I had second thoughts about starting in the middle, got my hands on the first, Broken Promise, and gave it a 5-star rating. I knew I wouldn't be at a disadvantage when I opened this one, but I also tried to attack it with fresh eyes. Would it do well on its own?

The short answer is yes; the author does a more than respectable job of presenting enough background that everything in this one makes sense - especially important given the large number of characters in both books. The longer answer, though, is that I do recommend reading first things first; I have no doubt whatsoever that my enjoyment of this one was enhanced by knowing the people and events in that first book. The same will be true, I expect, with the third. And, in case anyone is interested, an 82-page novella titled Final Assignment was released Jan. 12 that also deals with the upstate New York town of Promise Falls. I'm passing on that, as I did with the first few chapters of the final book, The Twenty Three, which takes up the last 5% or so of this one (in the ebook version).

Cliffhangers, however, are a totally different animal. The first two books in the trilogy end with at least one biggie, so unless you plan to read the follow-up ((or just don't give a hoot whether you find out what happens after the one you just read), my advice is to be prepared to tackle them all.

This one begins as a set-for-demolition drive-in theater screen blows up a week early, crashing down on cars and the occupants. When the daughter of one of those killed asks local private eye Cal Weaver to investigate a break-in at her father's house, they are astounded to find a secret room that seems to have been the scene of, shall we say, adult activities. Also apparently, some of those activities were recorded, as evidenced by signs that DVDs are missing - presumably the object of the break-in.

At the same time, local Detective Barry Duckworth is continuing his work that began in Book One of solving the similar murders of two women (one recent and the other three years old) as well as the possible relevance of the number 23 that turns up in various crimes. When yet another murder happens, the investigations intensify - putting the lives of both Weaver and Duckworth in danger and, if they manage to escape that fate, leading them down paths that may twist together in a sinister fashion.

Call it another one well done - and if anyone is wondering, there's no question that I plan to read the last installment. There are just too many issues left to be resolved!

Far From True by Linwood Barclay (NAL/Penguin Group USA, March 2016); 480 pp.

BROKEN PROMISE

5 stars out of 5

For quite some time, I've been meaning to read something by this author, whose books tend to get rave reviews. So when I had the chance to request an advance copy of Barclay's Far From True from the publisher, I jumped at it and, to my delight, was approved. But then, I realized that book is the second in the Promise Falls Trilogy (at this writing, it's scheduled for release on March 8, 2016. Not wanting to be at a disadvantage by reading them out of order, I quickly got my hands on a copy of this, the first. 

And now that I've finished it, all I can say is, Wow! It's one of the best books I've read in a while - very hard to put down.

I should point out, though, that the book got very mixed reviews from die-hard Barclay fans; among other things, some noted that there are a number of characters and subplots that can be a little hard to keep track of. But in my mind, everything serves as a foundation for the next book. To that end, not all the stories are resolved here - the ending is a real cliffhanger - and in that sense, this one probably should be read with an eye to continuing with the trilogy. I knew that going in, and - since there's no question that I loved this one - the next installment already is loaded on my Kindle and I'm itching to get started. 

The story begins as David Harwood and his young son have moved back to his childhood home of Promise Falls, New York, mostly so David can get a more laid-back job with the local newspaper and have more time to spend with his son. Within days, the newspaper folds - and David is forced to move in with his aging parents with no hope of getting a decent paying job in the foreseeable future. Then, he discovers his cousin Marla - who hasn't recovered from losing a daughter in childbirth - taking care of a baby boy she believes is hers. He was, she insists, delivered to her porch by an "angel" - and she's not about to give him up.

Shortly thereafter, the real mother is found murdered in her home, and former reporter David begins to investigate. Meanwhile, other strange things are happening in the town: dead squirrels are lined up on a fence, an abandoned amusement park Ferris wheel gets three unusual riders and a rapist is wreaking havoc on the local college campus. Are all these things connected, and if so, how? Could David's cousin have murdered the baby's mother? And what possible message could those strung-out rodents be sending? 

If you want to find out, don't hesitate to tackle this one. Did I mention it's really, really good?

Broken Promise by Linwood Barclay (NAL/Penguin Group USA, July 2015); 512 pp.