No Time for Goodbye

This was my first Linwood Barclay novel. I am a huge Harlan Coben fan so I asked around to find out someone else that wrote somewhat like Coben writes and Barclay's name came up more than once. I would actually disagree with anyone that says that he writes like Coben. I understand that he likes to end a chapter with a cliffhanger and the fact that his novels involve someone missing but other than that I don't really see many similarities.The novel starts out with fourteen year old girl named Cynthia waking up one morning, after a very dramatic fight with her parents the night before, to discover that they, along with her brother, are missing. She tries to convince herself that they will return but they never do. Fast-forward twenty-five years later to a time when she knows no more than she did when it happen; however hints are starting to form for her to find out. Her, her husband Terry and their young daughter are trying to live a normal life when Cynthia's past began to overtake them. Not only is the past creeping back into the present but dangers from the present are coming to turn their lives upside down.This story is told by her husband Terry and is told very well. The characters are very well written and the pacing is really excellent. Twist and turns come easily too. I will tell you that it depends on your frame of mind entering this novel. There is a decent chance that you could figure this out very easily and if you do the ending will not surprise you at all. If you are like me and had an idea but didn't the whole matter you'll be fine. The other issue that I will warn a reader about is the profanity. What can I say "F bombs" throughout. This is a great story, with great characters but the language at times can take away from the magic.I am very glad that the search engine told me about Barclay, even though I don't really agree that he writes like Coben I will be checking out more of Barclay's books in the future.Grade: A-

This is my third mystery suspense thriller that I have read by Linwood Barclay. Never Look Away was good, The Accident was excellent and No Time For Goodbye was absolutely fantastic. This author knows how to grab a reader's attention and keep them guessing while sitting firmly in their chair rapidly flipping pages from beginning to the conclusion of the book. What makes this book so much better than the others is that it is haunting. I have read many other books since I set this one down, yet it is still fresh in my mind.The prologue sets the scene. Fourteen year old Cynthia Bigge, tells her parents she will be studying with her best friend. Instead she meets up with seventeen year old bad boy, Vince Fleming, the son of a know criminal. Drunk and parked with Vince in his car, Cynthia has missed curfew and is caught in the act by her father, who promptly takes her home and puts her in bed.After telling her parents that she wishes they were dead, Cynthia passes out. The next morning, a school day, she awakes to an empty household. Her mom, dad and brother are simply gone without a trace and the mystery begins.Is this temporary? Is she being punished? Was she abandoned? What happened to her family? Was Vince Fleming involved in the disappearance? Who is responsible for the family's disappearance? Are they dead? Were they murdered?Taken in by her loving Aunt Tess, who received money from an unknown source to help her raise Cynthia, the story is suddenly fast forwarded.Twenty-five years have passed, Cynthia is now married to a Connecticut school teacher, Terry Archer and they have an eight year old daughter.Still without a clue what happened to her parents and brother, a television network takes interest in Cynthia and runs her story that leads to a roller coaster ride of dangerous twists and turns and increasing excitement, as suspense and surprise elevate unraveling the mysterious tale to the readers delight.This is one of my favorite mysteries of the year. If you have a pulse and enjoy a well-written tale, you will be happy with this gem. Enjoy!

Brilliant plot and excellent pace. I loved the characters. I believe that these kinds of things really do happen- people leading double lives.

I came late to the Linwood Barclay party, but I'm enjoying catching up. I enjoyed the "voice," the story, and the pacing of No Time for Goodbye, although I did have a problem or two with the book over all.This plot is very carefully constructed. Seemingly unimportant objects mentioned casually are mentioned for a reason, and the same holds true for characters. Speaking of characters, my favorite was young Jane Scavullo, a troubled teen with so much potential. I don't know if she shows up in another Barclay novel, but I certainly wouldn't mind seeing her again.Now for the two things that rubbed me the wrong way. Quite frankly, I found main character Cynthia Bigge to be a royal pain in the neck. Everything is about her. No one can voice an opinion if it might be "against" her, and she's in real danger of smothering her young daughter. Yes, it's realistic behavior for someone whose family vanished without explanation, but that doesn't mean I have to like her.The other thing that bothered me was the explanation for what actually happened to Cynthia's parents and brother, so I can't say much about it without giving it away. I'll just say that Barclay's solution was a bit over-the-top for me, and I had trouble suspending my disbelief enough to accept it all.But Linwood Barclay can write like a house afire. I love his plots, I love his voice, and just because I didn't like one of his characters doesn't mean I'm going to stop reading his books!

This is Linwood Barclay's first thriller. When I read that before reading the book, my thoughts were that perhaps it wouldn't be as good as the later ones. But he's written a rake of thrillers, many of which I've read and all of which are better than good. So it can't be that bad, or his career writing novels would have faltered. All perhaps reasonable assumptions. Except they're wrong. This is the very definition of a page turner. To the extent that you start to berate yourself for not being able to read faster. The annoyances of everyday life get in the way and you feel something akin to a loss when it finishes, simply because you've finished reading it.I could go on about how deftly the characters are drawn, how the pace of the story as it unfolds is just right, the quality of the story itself is excellent. How well Mr Barclay reveals threads of the whole truth to the reader through the eyes of his characters as the book progresses. The twists where you think you've got it solved but haven't. I could sit and think of more reasons why this book is as good as it is. It could take me back to my English literature homework and I could write an essay.But really, take my word for it if you will, that this is a cracking book to read. There is no down side.

I really enjoy books by Linwood Barclay. They are very easy to slip into, get lost in and eventually you start "living" in the world he has created for us. The writing is so easy going, like a long, easy conversation with an old friend. Barclay has a beguiling voice, one you cannot resist listening to and so you start thinking about the story when you are not reading about it. His characters are real people, their feelings are real and we want to know how their situation will turn out. The dialogue is his books is always realistic - nothing worse than stilted, unrealistic dialogue between characters. It can break a great story if the author doesn't manage to createe a "real" set of voices. This book has very authentic seeming dialogue that not only helps to put flesh on the characters' bones, but always advances the story deftly. And when it ends, a piece of you is missing for a while.I'm not going to talk about what happens in the book, because it's for you to discover upon reading it yourself. All you need me to tell you is this: this book is a very good read. You won't want to put it down. What else do you want? Get it.

This thriller by Linwood Barclay had me sitting up late at night, reading just one more chapter, and one more.When Cynthia Bigge is fourteen, her parents and older brother disappear from the house, never to be seen again. No bodies are found, no signs of foul play. It is as if they just walked away. But if they weren’t murdered, why did they leave? Did they hate her so, to abandon her? Twenty five years later, Cynthia takes part in a television programme to publicize cold cases. She could never have imagined what would happen next.First, there is a mysterious letter. Then a phone call, an e-mail. Suggesting something is going to happen, hinting her family is still alive. Cynthia questions her own sanity, her husband [and the main part of the story is told from his point of view] questions it too, and their daughter Grace is seemingly untroubled except she looks through her telescope every night before bedtime to check there is no asteroid heading for earth to destroy their world.This is a classic thriller. Who to believe? Is Cynthia’s family dead or alive? Who is contacting her now, the murderer? Is Cynthia so stressed that she is fabricating things? As the clock ticks, the police seem suspicious and there are more deaths, until a clue, something so ordinary it has been overlooked, suggests the truth.

I brought this book on the recommendation of somebody as I was after a new 'author' to read.My usual authors are Lee Child, a bit of Stephen King, Harlan Coben, Robert Crais and others in a similar genre.This is a great book, the characters are well rounded and (for me at least) the mystery remained until almost the end and of all the possible outcomes, I didn't see this one coming at all.All of it is completely feasible - how many times have you read a book and thought 'that would never happen', I never felt like that with any of this book.I highly recommend this book.

This book is a bit daft.It sees three-quarters of a family disappear, and follows what happens to the remaining child in the 25 years after the incident. There’s a particular focus on that anniversary, when Cindy, the remaining child, starts receiving weird notes about her family.The book was okay, just a little daft, stretching credibility quite significantly by the end of the book, as the author tried to tie up plot points.The other grumble I have is that I was always inclined to believe in “not over-explaining” things. The problem was that that’s what the author did here. Every significant plot point was discussed endlessly, to make sure we, the reader, “got it”, and that started to irritate me after a while.