Barclay delivers again with The Accident

[Luanne Ollivier]

Comfy chair? Drinks? Snacks? Good lighting? Excellent! 'Cause you're not going to be getting up or stopping once you dive into Linwood Barclay's latest release - The Accident.

The opening prologue - a violent crime with a distinctly different setting caught my interest. But the foreshadowing in the first paragraph in chapter one clinched it:

"If I'd known this was our last morning, I'd have rolled over in bed and held her. But of course, if it had been possible to know something like that - if I could have somehow seen into the future - I wouldn't have let go. And then things would have been different."

Glen Carver inherited his building business from his father. He's a straight shooter and does right by his customers, staff and his wife Sheila and eight year old daughter Kelly.

Times are tough all over - the economy still hasn't fully recovered - the Carvers have money troubles like everyone else. And then the unthinkable happens - Sheila is killed in an accident that also kills a father and son. The cops say Sheila was drunk and was at fault. But Glen knows that Sheila didn't drink to excess...or did she and he just never knew?

As Glen  struggles to deal with his wife's death and looking after Kelly, more seeming unrelated incidents transpire. A web is being woven around Glen, but he can't see it. We can though. I just wanted to shout at Glen - NO! Look out! Ask them why....! When he finally twigs that there is something really wrong going on with his friends and family, it's almost too late...

Barclay's characters are almost anti-heroes; everyday men thrust into situations completely outside the scope of their everyday lives with the need to protect their families. It makes them all the more believable and likable. Adding more reality to the story is the economic thread of the story - foreclosures, lay-offs, downsizing and desperately trying to make ends meet.

Barclay has the suspense/thriller genre in a choke hold with no signs of letting go (thank goodness!)
I've read and reviewed three of Barclay's previous thrillers - all five star reads, as is The Accident.

Like Harlan Coben? You're going to love Linwood Barclay!

You can find Barclay on Facebook and on Twitter. Get a head start - read the prologue now.