No Time for Goodbye: A Thriller Mass Market Paperback – August 26, 2008

Barclay definitely has a way with words. I was so involved with this book it was hard to put down! Looking for my next Linwood Barclay novel!

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!

This book started off well. A girl (Cynthia) wakes up to find that her whole family is missing. In fact, they have disappeared. As she had gotten drunk (underage) with her boyfriend the previous night, she thinks that maybe her family is just angry at her. She continues with her daily routine until it is confirmed that her family is missing, at which point she goes and lives with an aunt.Flash forward, she is married with a daughter of her own. She appears on one of those 'Unsolved Mystery" shows. After the show airs, she becomes paranoid - thinking that she is being watched and that someone may have broken into her house. One of the downfalls of her paranoia is the way she hovers over her younger daughter, who craves some independence.Eventually, the family hires a PI. This is when things begin to go wrong. The PI goes missing, presumably dead. The aunt that raised her is killed. After receiving some questionable clues, she decides to investigate on her own.I personally found the ending to be predictable. Without revealing too much, I quickly figured out what had most likely happened to Cynthia's family very early on in the book. Additionally, I found Cynthia's character to be annoying and overbearing. I can cut her some slack because of her traumatic childhood, but she seemed to be unable to appreciate the family she had now because she was so busy dwelling on the family she lost in the past. Considering we met Cynthia as a child and saw her grow into an adult with a pre-teen child, I felt as if she never truly grew up past her own childhood. I felt that the ending - where she finds out what happened to her family - was predictable. Maybe not the exact details, but the premise of what happened to her family.