Promise Falls #4
By: Linwood Barclay
ISBN: 1409163938
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 10/31/2017
Format: Kindle
My Rating: 5 Stars Top Books of 2017 From New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Linwood Barclay comes a new, standalone blockbuster thriller that spins off from the events of the explosive Promise Falls trilogy. If you made a mistake that took someone's life, you'd remember it . . . wouldn't you? After a tragedy rocks the community of Promise Falls, Cal Weaver is asked to investigate the threats being made to the accused's family. He's heard all about it on the news: the young man who drank too much, stole a Porsche and killed a girl, and who claimed afterwards not to remember a single thing. The whole town is outraged that he got off lightly, but for reasons Cal can't explain, he accepts the job. Then Cal finds himself caught up in a vicious revenge plot, chasing someone set on delivering retribution. In Cal's experience, it's only ever a matter of time before threats turn into action. . . .
A gripping thriller packed with scandal, from the master of the twist you never saw coming.
My Review
Linwood Barclay returns with his riveting series, Promise Falls following The Twenty Three #3 (2016) with his best yet, in the twisty PARTING SHOT (#4) — a fitting title for his latest riveting thriller.
Packed with a serious savage punch, and more twists than the Pacific Hwy., we revisit the small fictional town of Promise Falls in upstate New York, outside of Albany.
A small town filled with scandal and secrets and an overwhelming need for revenge and some evil vigilante justice!
However, often we find the revenge is directed at the wrong person which causes some major problems for everyone involved. (sorry, killed the wrong person-collateral damage).
Read My Reviews: Broken Promise #1 Final Assignment #1.5 Far From True #2 The Twenty-Three #3
PARTING SHOT almost slipped by me. Thank goodness, the minute I received the newsletter from the author, I was on Amazon clicking away to purchase this one.
Having read every book in this engrossing series, PARTING SHOT was my favorite. I stayed up until 5 am two mornings in a row to finish. It was worth every minute.
Again, keep your scorecard handy and hang on for a roller coaster wild ride!
This time around, we revisit with characters PI Cal Weaver and Detective Barry Duckworth (two of my favorites) from Promise Falls. Even though the two guys are familiar with one another, neither of the two realize the other is working separate cases which will ultimately connect.
I for one, am hoping these two go into business together for future books. A huge fan of the series.
There is a common interest that bridges the two cases. Just Deserts.
A vigilante. A website for those who want Justice. Even though not in the legal sense. People all over the planet inspired to exact vengeance on people who've got it coming, hoping like crazy that what they do is nasty enough to be honored on the website.
Of course, Promise Falls is well known in this department. Getting even.
Duckworth almost died in the last book and is now a hero. He loves his donuts; however, his wife wants him around a little longer and has changed his diet. He is now down to 233 (loss of 47 pounds). However, he is still tempted.
Could he be getting too old for the job? Maybe a career change is in order?
His is married to Maureen and has a son named Trevor (now twenty-five living back at home).
Duckworth's current case takes him to a bar, Knights and when he looks at the surveillance video; his son is lip locking in a corner with some gal, named Carol. Unemployed, but out drinking and evidently up to something secretive.
What do they have to do with the abduction?
A guy, Brian Gaffney was abducted from the bar and he does not remember anything. However, he has tattooed on his back, “I’m the sick F*** who killed Sean. He has no clue what this means? He seeks Duckworth’s help.
There was also an older case of a younger guy, Craig Pierce (known sex offender) who molested a mentally handicapped girl and someone had taken matters into their own hands, months ago- since the law did not make him pay.
Someone abducted him and had a dog to literally disfigure him. Half his face is missing, plus some manly private parts (ouch). The guy is barely alive. However, he is out to find the person who did this to him.
Could it be the same person after Jeremy this time?
However, did what happened to Brian have anything to do with the other cases, or was he in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Cal Weaver has suffered much loss from the previous books. His wife and son are gone. He is moving on and out on his own with a PI business.
His assignment takes him to twenty-something, Jeremy’s family. The wealthy grand-aunt, alcoholic mother-Gloria, her boyfriend, Bob, attorney, Grant Finch and big deal businessman, rich Galen Broadhurst – the guy who owned the Porch.
Jeremy, was supposedly drunk driving one of his father’s friends' 9ll Porch and ran over and killed a young innocent girl. The attorney and mother helped him get off (so he did not have to do prison time), and there are many which are unhappy.
They dubbed him as The Big Baby. He also has a friend Charlene. (many red herring here). The website followers are all over this case. They want to make him pay, since the legal system did not.
Was there something else at play here they overlooked in the original investigation? Was Jeremy really guilty? You can be sure Cal will find it.
Now throw in the mix, Jeremy and Brian look similar. Also to complicate matters, Brian was seeing a married woman Jessica (which he was unaware of her status). Also, Brian’s neighbors have issues (this gets quite comical with the dad).
Why would someone tattoo something permanently etched into someone’s skin? A hidden message?
In the social media world and in real life, they are making Jeremy and his family miserable. They are in danger. They call in Cal to be his so-called bodyguard while investigating. However, Cal digs a little deeper into Jeremy’s past problems and gets too close to the truth putting them in more danger.
Cal is on the run with Jeremy to keep the wolves away and get him out of town; however, someone is tracking them. However, it may be more than one person after them with different motives.
Wow, PARTING SHOT was unputdownable! As always, in addition to the main cases, there are also always some entertaining secondary characters which always bring more exciting drama. Leave it up to Barclay to bring in another shocker added twist at the 98% mark.
Supercharged, from social media attacks and those who want to make their mark no matter how far they have to go to achieve their status.
One of my favorite authors, (have read all his books), Barclay delivers a non-stop action crime thriller, in this town of wacky and dysfunction. A powerful writer, Barclay keeps the dry humor, domestic suspense, surprises, and plot twists coming full throttle from upstate New York to Cape Cod— there is never a dull moment.
If you have not experienced Linwood Barclay, highly suggest you get started. For fans of Michael Robotham and Harlan Coben as well as those readers who enjoy intelligent dark thrillers with loads of twists.
Can’t wait to see what’s next! It is high time for a movie. What an imagination and an amazing storyteller.
Review Links:
Amazon
Praise
REVIEWS - US
“Outstanding….Barclay adroitly blends themes of internet vitriol and simmering societal rage with a taut plot full of sly hints, unexpected twists, and red herrings.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Barclay's latest small-town thriller is one of his best." –Kirkus Reviews, starred review
REVIEWS - UK
"Barclay¹s plots are a delight, and his small town never fails to deliver a series of shocks" – The Sunday Times
"A reliable thriller from Barclay, as ever" (4*) – Sunday Sport
"Linwood Barclay seems as if he walked into the world with an uncanny ability to construct perfectly tense plots" –Crime Fiction Lover
About the Author
Linwood Barclay is the #1 internationally bestselling author of thirteen novels, including Trust Your Eyes, A Tap on the Window, No Time for Goodbye and that novel's followup, No Safe House.
This summer, his thriller Broken Promise, the first of three linked novels about his fictional upstate New York town Promise Falls, will be released. Book two will come nine months later, and another nine months after that, the conclusion will be released.
Over the years, several of Barclay's novels have been optioned for film and television. Most recently, No Time for Goodbye has been optioned for television in France, and in 2012, Trust Your Eyes was the object of a film rights bidding war between Universal and Warner Bros.
After spending his formative years helping run a cottage resort and trailer park after his father died when he was 16, Barclay got his first newspaper job at the Peterborough Examiner, a small Ontario daily. In 1981, he joined the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest circulation newspaper.
He held such positions as assistant city editor, chief copy editor, news editor, and Life section editor, before becoming the paper’s humour columnist in 1993. He was one of the paper’s most popular columnists before retiring from the position in 2008 to work exclusively on books.
In 2004, he launched his mystery series about an anxiety-ridden, know-it-all, pain-in-the-butt father by the name of Zack Walker. Bad Move, the first book, was followed by three more Zack Walker thrillers: Bad Guys, Lone Wolf, and Stone Rain.
His first standalone thriller, No Time for Goodbye, was published in 2007 to critical acclaim and great international success. The following year, it was a Richard and Judy Summer Read selection in the UK, and did seven straight weeks at #1 on the UK bestseller list.
The book has been sold around the world and been translated into nearly thirty languages.
Barclay was born in the United States but moved to Canada just before turning four years old when his father, a commercial artist whose illustrations of cars appeared in Life, Look and Saturday Evening Post (before photography took over), accepted a position with an advertising agency north of the border.
Barclay, who graduated with an English literature degree from Trent University, in Peterborough, Ontario, was fortunate to have some very fine mentors; in particular, the celebrated Canadian author Margaret Laurence, whom Linwood first met when she served as writer-in-residence at Trent, and Kenneth Millar, who, under the name Ross Macdonald, wrote the acclaimed series of mystery novels featuring detective Lew Archer. It was at Trent that he met Neetha, the woman who would become his wife. They have two children, Spencer and Paige. Read More
