What's more frightening than your neighbours being murdered? Finding the killers went to the wrong h (Too Close to Home - Linwood Barclay)

Member Name: carlz2001uk

Product:	Too Close to Home - Linwood Barclay
Date:	17/09/09 (96 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Strong characters, good story

Disadvantages: A bit too easy to gues what's coming in some places

I started reading this book after thoroughly enjoying No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barcalay a few weeks ago. Too Close To Home was well worth the read but just wasnt as good as the first. It's very easy to read, with not too many characters that you can't keep up, but the only downfall is you kind of guess whats going to happen next before it actually happens!

His first book was a massive bestseller across the world and was one of Richard and Judy's book club summer reads.

Synopsis:

The story follows the Cutter family who live down an old lane, with houses few and far between. The book starts by introducing the 3 members of the family, Jim, Ellen and their teenage son Derek. After a few chapters it introduces the next door neighbours and basically Derek who is hiding in their house (I'll let you read why!) hears the Langleys being executed in their own home. The Cutters are shocked, however Jim is of the mindset that it was a totally random attack and the odds of the same fate becoming of them are slim to none, however Ellen is scared and worried for their safety. Derek meanwhile tells no-one that he was in the house, until the police start asking questions.

You kind of half know what to expect from the book as the front cover gives it away with the tagline "What's more frightening than your neighbours being murdered? Finding the killers went to the wrong house... ". So you always feel like your one step ahead of the book because of the tag!

There are a few stories which are happening along side the main story, one of which being Ellens employer college president Conrad, who wrote a best selling novel. The basics of this story are questioning his entegrity and you realise they are not just telling you this for the sake of it, it's linked somehow. There is also the story of Jim's ex-employer Mayor Finley, who Jim happened to punch in the nose and tell him to stuff his job, for reasons which some become apparant. Again, you think, what's this got to do with anything!?

Secrets start to slowly unveil themselves, and the Cutter's safety is soon in danger. I don't want to give anything else away for fear of spoiling the plot, but it has various things going on, that are interesting to read and leaves you playing a guessing game with the author.

A good read, but I would strongly recommend reading No Time For Goodbye first as that is a much better read with an ending that you just wouldn't guess.


Hardback version available from Amazon for £8.99.
Published 5 February 2009.

Summary: 4 stars