No Time for Goodbye: A Thriller

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!

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-

I read this book in 2 days! Actually a day and a half. It was well paced, well written, had interesting concepts. The relationships were great, the character development was moderate but it was enough. I really enjoyed the characters and I loved the story. This is my first book from this author that I have read but it will not be the last!

First Sentence: When Cynthia woke up, it was so quiet in the house she thought it must be Saturday. Twenty-five years ago, Terry Archer's wife, Cynthia, woke up to find her family had disappeared without a trace and no signs of violence. Still looking for answers, she reenacts that morning for a television show. Now she is receiving untraceable calls, finding a hat, that was her fathers, left on the kitchen table, and feels she is being watched. Terry fears his wife is becoming unstable, until there is a murder. I did read this straight through but didn't like it as well as I'd hoped I would. The characters were good and although they made some rather dumb moves, they were the dumb moves any normal person might make. The problem was that I didn't feel that involved with the characters. In fact, my favorite characters where three rather minor characters and the best part of the book came with a group a criminals toward the end. I figured out way too easily where the story was going, the motive required a major suspension of believe and the end of the book fell apart a bit for me. This is a book I'd classify as a good airplane read; it's exciting while your reading it and it fills the time, but you can leave it behind.

The premise for this book was atypical, intriguing, and compelling. It isn't the who, it's the "how did this happen" and "what exactly happened and why" that challenges the reader to dare to stop reading. I loved the characters--ordinary people who weren't experts but average, everyday neighbors. It creates a formidable "this happened to them; it could happen to you, me, us." Strong empathy--and doubt. Lots of doubt. The plot execution wasn't good, it was great. The characterization was great. The story was great. There is one reason I'm not giving this novel five-stars. Foul language. It didn't need it. The work was strong, the characters clear without it, and it distracted and detracted from the pacing and flow of the book. Realistic, probably. But, for me, annoying. If that had been deleted, I'd have gone five stars on this book. Barclay did a great job and elevated this from murder mystery/suspense to a crossover novel with far broader appeal. Would I buy it again? Yes, I would. Will I buy another of Barclay's books? I already have. Do I hope he tempers the language in future books? Yes, I do. I'd love to use the way he structures in teaching, but that one thing is holding me back. That said, he's on my recommended read list for novel structure and characterization.

I'm writing this with tears running down my cheeks. This story had me captivated. The twists, the turns. I can't wait to read the next book

This story is a Mystery...... Why some folks gave this a poor review is a Mystery ?? The main character Cynthia is a little annoying, but come on she lived through a TRAGEDY... This story is Thrilling and Heartbreaking at the same time. You have No idea Why poor young Cynthias family has disappeared ?? The character development is perfect, with some very interesting characters.... The stories events unfold leading to the families disappearance making for a Great Mystery. The ending made me cry... I loved this book. One of the Best I've read. Thank you Mr. Barclay... You are an Awesome Author. 👍

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!

Linwood Barclay is a mystery thriller genius, he's not up there with the best, he is one of the best. Brilliant character development and a mystery that just keeps developing and unwinding creating more questions and answers along the way, and finally bringing all the answers in a mind boggling conclusion leaving no room for unanswered questions. There was one clue very early on in the story that was either intentional or unintentional but it was enough for me to pick up on and form an early conclusion which turned out to be right, but it didn't give anything away and I was still stunned by the answer to the mystery as they were revealed. This is another "MUST READ" from Linwood Barclay.

It was only by chance that I found this author & book - what a great discovery ! The book's story line grabs your attention quickly and never lets go! You want to read to the end so quickly that you cannot put the book away for long. The book is full of suspense, mystery & intrigue-you feel like you are livng the story, as all great writers make you feel. If you enjoy Harlan Coben then you will surely enjoy Linwood Barclay.You will not be disappointed. Enjoy !!

英語を全部理解しなくても読見進められる。超面白い。最後までどうなるか解らなくて、ハラハラ。

Central character is remarkably well portrayed. Nice plot. Fair amount of suspense. A touch of humour in places. Warmth of relationships is conveyed well.

When Cynthia Bigge awoke one morning in 1983, her house was eerily silent. There was no sounds coming from her mother, Patricia, who should be preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Not a beep from her father, Clayton or her brother Todd in the entire house. When she left the house for school, both her parents cars were gone. Twenty-five years later, she still had no idea what happened or where her entire family had disappeared. Her mother's sister Tess took on the task of raising, teenage Cynthia, and after all those years, the police were still dumbfounded as to what happened to her family. It was not a surprise that twenty-five years later, Cynthia was still insecure about what would happen to her new family, her husband, Terry, a schoolteacher, and her daughter, Grace. She was overprotective of eight-year-old Grace, who Cynthia was still walking to school. Then mysterious things began to happen and the Archers decided to hire a private eye to find out what they could. This is a fast-paced, brilliantly written, humorous at times, well-plotted story by the well-known Linwood Barclay. Now I know what "I couldn't put it down" really means. I read well into the night to finish, otherwise, I wouldn't have got any sleep until I knew the ending. The follow-up story to this book has already been downloaded into my Kindle. Thank you, Mr. Barclay