Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay: Book Review

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Take Your Breath Away is an extraordinary psychological thriller written by Linwood Barclay. It is an engaging read that will have you guessing right until the very end. This is a must-read for fans of this genre. This book is available now.

From The Publisher:

One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most everyone assumed Andy had got away with murder–it’s always the husband, isn’t it?–but the police could never build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom–he drank too much to numb the pain, was abandoned by all his friends save one, nearly lost his business, and became a pariah in the place he once called home.

Now, six years later, Andy has finally put his life back together. He sold the house he once shared with Brie and moved away. Truth to tell, he wasn’t sad to hear that the old place was razed and a new house built on the site. He’s settled down with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good.

But Andy’s peaceful world is about to shatter. One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, “Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?” And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman–who bears a striking resemblance to Brie–is gone. The police are notified and old questions–and dark suspicions–resurface.

Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? It soon becomes clear that Andy’s future, and the lives of those closest to him, depends on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers.

Book Review:

When Andrew Mason’s wife Brie suddenly disappears while he’s on a fishing trip, Andrew becomes the primary suspect. The police have yet to gather enough evidence to support this accusation, but almost everyone in their town believes he murdered Brie. In order to gain some anonymity, he changes his name and moves to a neighbouring town.

Fast forward six years and a woman who looks like Brie appears at the couple’s former home with a bag of groceries and asks what happened to her home? A neighbour reports this to the police and also notified Andrew. When the second spotting of this woman transpires for her family to see from a distance a whole series of events cascades and secrets from the past are revealed.

The characters are well-written and for the most part relatable. The story is cleverly disseminated, providing the reader with just enough information at any one time to have them hypothesize the events leading up to Brie’s disappearance. I wanted to finish the book in one sitting.

While there are snippets of violence in the book, it only adds to the drama. As a sensitive reader, I did not feel at any time like I wanted to close the book and walk away. The author is a master of detail and keeps the reader guessing what actually happened to Brie. He writes with clarity such that the plot is easy to follow and engages the reader. I look forward to reading his next book.

What I Liked About Take Your Breath Away:

• The engaging and highly entertaining storyline
• The suspense that has the reader guessing what happened to Brie until the very end.
• The psychological elements of the storyline.

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada on the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

Find You First by Linwood Barclay

The Push by Ashley Audrain

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger