Your neighbours are brutally murdered, but did they go to the wrong house..? (Too Close to Home - Linwood Barclay)

Member Name: Gemma_C

Product:	Too Close to Home - Linwood Barclay
Date:	13/06/09 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An easy to read thriller which has it's moments.

Disadvantages: Not as good as No Time for Goodbye, and you can guess the killer rather easily.

I came across Linwood Barclay after reading No Time for Goodbye, which was a huge bestseller, mainly because it was a Richard & Judy summe read winner. I really enjoyed No Time for Goodbye, it reminded me of Harlan Coben's books, so when I saw Too Close To Home I decided to give it a go.

= About the Author =
Linwood Barclay was born in the states but moved to Canada when he was 4 years old. He has an Honours B.A. in English from Trent University and worked for the Toronto Star newspaper before he retired in 2008 to concentrate just on books. His first standalone thriller, No Time for Goodbye, was a huge success and quickly became a bestseller in the UK and around the world.


= Plot=
The front cover of this book draws you in from the words: "What's more frightening than your neighbours being murdered? Finding the killers went to the wrong house... " Just reading this made me intrigued!

The story centers around the Cutter family from Jim Cutter's point of view, there is also his wife Ellen and their 17 year old soon, Derek. The book starts off with Derek who witnesses their neighbours, the Langleys, being shot brutally in their home. The Cutter family is shocked, as they feel their safe surburban home is violated and they suddenly feel no one is safe.

However of course, there is more to this than just a random murder and we follow Jim Cutter as he tries to figure out why the Langley's were murdered, becoming more desperate when his son, Derek, is arrested on suspicion of murdering the Langley's. Secrets are unveiled and events from the past which should be buried come to light again and things seem to go from worse to worse for the Cutter family.

We meet various other charactes throughout the book such as the police detective Barry, the town Mayor Finley who Jim Cutter used to wok for, and his driver Lance, who let's say, doesn't get along with Jim at all! Finley was a strange character as I can't imagine anyone like him being allowed to remain a town mayor, and then later in the book, run for congress. There is also the college pesident Conrad, who is Ellen Cutter's boss and his wife Illeana.


= My Opinion =
Whilst I did enjoy parts of this book, I found myself easily guessing who was involved with these murders. With No Time for Goodbye the ending came as a shock to me, but this book lacked that. Linwood dropped in 'subtle' hints about certain people and possible motives, except they weren't all that subtle and I straight away noticed these clues! The ending didn't come as a surprise as it revealed just who was behind the murders, which was disappointing for me as I like to be proved wrong with these kinds of books.

Despite this, I did enjoy eading the book and I like Linwood's style, I can still compare him to Harlan Coben's standalone books, but I feel more time could have been spent on Too Close To Home to make it as good as No Time for Goodbye. If you enjoy these kinds of thrillers, then you will enjoy this one, but don't be surprised if you find yourself guessing the killer and for once, being proved right!

This book is available in hardback from Amazon for £8.99 with the paperback version due out in July 2009.
Publisher: Orion (5 Feb 2009)

Summary: A good read, but you have to read No Time for Goodbye if you haven't yet!