December 30th, 2012 
Vicky 
Title: No Time For Goodbye
Author: Linwood Barclay
Publication date: September 1, 2007
Publisher: Orion
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-7528-9368-6
Length: 437 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Age group: Adult
Source: Purchased
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon US | Amazon UK | The Book Depository
Synopsis
The house was silent. No sound of her parents getting ready for work, or her brother late for school. Were they punishing her for last night? She’d been out on a date when she should have been studying, and had a huge fight with her father. So where was everyone now? Why had her family disappeared?
Twenty-five years later the mystery is no nearer to being solved and Cynthia is still haunted by unanswered questions. Were her family murdered? Abducted? If so, why was she spared? And if they are alive, why did they abandon her? Then a letter arrives, a letter which makes no sense. Soon Cynthia begins to realise that stirring up the past could be the worst mistake she has ever made…
My thoughts
No Time For Goodbye is one of those books that grab your attention from the very first page. Not having read any of the author’s books I had no idea what to expect from the story but it was definitely a pleasant surprise and I’m really glad I picked this up. I had a few minor issues with it – which I’m going to get to in a minute – and it wasn’t as fast paced as I anticipated but all in all, it was a gripping novel full of twists and turns and with a touching ending.
Before I go even further, I have to warn you that this book is not for those people who get easily put off by the constant use of swear words. If you can stand it, go ahead – if you can’t, this one is not for you. Thankfully, I belong to the first category so it didn’t really bother me but I know it might be a big no-no for some people.
The book has a great premise and, as unlikely as the disappearance of Cynthia’s family might seem at first, Barclay managed to keep me on the edge of my seat all the way till the end. The story is told by Cynthia’s husband, a high school English teacher, who was by far my favourite character. He has this dry sense of humour and this slightly sarcastic attitude which, I think, was a brilliant touch and was one of the reasons why I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I wasn’t that keen on Cynthia’s character but given that she lost her entire family for (seemingly) no reason whatsoever and has lived her entire life not knowing what happened, I could understand why she behaved the way she did.
Generally, I’m pretty good at solving mysteries and putting all those little puzzle pieces together but in the case of No Time For Goodbye I was at a loss. I had absolutely no idea what was going on until quite late in the story, which made it a lot more interesting than some whodunnits I’ve read in the past. On top of that, Barclay did a brilliant job at making me feel just as insecure as the characters must have felt in their own home.
What I didn’t particularly like, however, is the fact that the story was a lot slower than I expected it to be – it wasn’t as slow as to put me off but I would have liked it to be a bit more fast-paced at times. My other issue was with the last third of the book. Throughout the story I had a feeling that it was like watching a film – I could almost see the fear in their eyes and hear the creepy background music – which I really enjoyed at first. But then the whole thing seemed to turn into an extremely long (and quite implausible) car chase scene from an action movie, which did put me off a little bit. Just a little. It was still an enjoyable story and it didn’t make me want to put the book down, but it was still enough for me to say ‘it could have been much better’.
All in all, I have to say I really liked Barclay’s style and will definitely pick up some of his other books. If you enjoy suspenseful books with big twists and you’re not offended by the constant use of the ‘f word’ then I would say this one was made for you. And believe me, just when you think you’ve figured it all out, there comes another twist and you’ll be just as clueless as you were before.
Teaser
“When Cynthia woke up, it was so quiet in the house she thought it must be Saturday.
If only.
If there’d ever been a day that she needed to be a Saturday, to be anything but a school day, this was it. Her stomach was still doing the occasional somersault, her head was full of cement and it took some effort to keep it from falling forward or on to her shoulders. “
Rating:
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The story sounds really creepy. And the idea that it’s told by her husband, who has a dry sense of humour, is great. A bit of that kind of humour and a bit of sarcasm that’s what makes mysteries and thrillers so much better! Like in case of Agatha Christie, I love her British sense of humour!
Petra recently posted..Review: Spell Bound
Glad you liked it in the end Vicky! Shame it was a bit slow for you. I don’t even remember the use of the F word that much but I did read it many years ago (when I was in Canada I think!). But yay! Linwood Barclay is a brilliant author and I’m happy you’ve now been introduced to him
Faye recently posted..Weekly Highlights; The Holiday Edition
You were in CANADA?!?! You’ll have to tell me about it!
I’m actually okay with the f word thing but I know there were some people who were put off by this.
Hmmm…almost sounds as if it was written with a movie in mind. Glad you enjoyed it nonetheless!
Melissa recently posted..Added to the Bookshelf – 12/30/12 ( Christmas/Birthday Edition )
Yep, something like that. Especially the second half of the book. I enjoyed it, though – even if the last part of the story was quite action movie-ish.
Great review! It sounds like a really creepy read. The whole movie feel in a book can either work really well or not at all. Horror books seem to pull it off best.
Claire @ Project to be Read recently posted..Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Agreed! Although I don’t read much horror (I prefer thrillers and mysteries)
It WAS quite creepy – especially the first half of the story – but not AS creepy as the book trailer we watched on Twitter the other day. 0___0 I don’t even remember which book that was but that would freak the hell out of me, that’s for sure.
It’s awesome to learn that the story could make you feel just as insecure as the characters! I like that you didn’t really know what’s going on till much later in the book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, V
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And thank you for stopping by
Yeah, predictability always puts me off so the fact that I had no idea what was going on was a huge bonus.
Great review Vicky. I do like this author and have read three or four of his books I think. I must have forgotten about the f word in this one as I don’t really like books with lots of swearing either. It’s a while since I read it though. Look forward to your reviews in 2013.
Happy New Year! x
Lindsay @ The Little Reader Library recently posted..Merry Christmas!
Thanks Lindsay! Me either but it wasn’t that distracting, thank goodness. Hope you have a great New Year’s Eve and here’s to a wonderful 2013.
x
I loved this book (read it a couple of years ago) and have read a couple more of his books since then, both of which I enjoyed just as much. Like you, I quite often guess what happens before the end in thrillers, but I don’t find that happens with his books, and they always keep me turning the pages right up to the end.
Caroline recently posted..Greener Living
I really do love a good mystery every now and again, especially ones that do a well enough job of throwing me off track. And if the author makes you feel the same feelings as the characters (insecurity, fear, confusion), then I’d say they did their job well. I curse like a sailer so swear words really don’t bother me in books and this one sounds like it might be a good fit. Happy New Year!
So do I, so thank goodness it didn’t bother me either. And he really did make me feel insecure so I guess he did a good job.
If you like mysteries like that I think you’d enjoy this one.
Happy New Year!
Its awesome that this book captured your attention from the first page. its usually hard for that to happen. But MY problem is with the swear words.. they really annoy me. So ill take your word and not read this one
haha.. Happy new year dear!
- Farah @ MajiBookshelf
Farah recently posted..GIVEAWAY: Signed copy of Fracture by Megan Miranda + Swag
Hopefully 2013 is a great year!
Britt recently posted..Top Ten Tuesday
I will definitely have to check this one out. Thanks for sharing. It is always nice when a book can leave you guessing.
Britt recently posted..Top Ten Tuesday
It looks really cool Vicky and the description is you to a T. Stewie seems very happy about it!
kimbacaffeinate recently posted..Review: Fear Collector by Gregg Olsen
Gaaa…i responded about to your new header, looks like I clicked the wrong comment button..sheesh! I have read several Linwood Barkley books and enjoy them, I like how she is able to keep you on edge the entire time, and that the books have a realism about them. Great review!
kimbacaffeinate recently posted..Review: Fear Collector by Gregg Olsen
Thanks for the great review
I think I may pick this up just for the narrator. I enjoy a dry sense of humor. Also, I don’t mind profanity as long as it isn’t gratuitous. Sometimes the character and/or situation warrants it. I also like that the plot is unpredictable. The slow pace does make me wary.
A while back, I started to read his NEVER LOOK AWAY and was enjoying it but couldn’t finish by the library due date. Somehow, I never picked it up again.
Suspense/thrillers & mysteries are my favorite genres in books/movies. Right now, I’m almost half-way through Gone,Girl by Gillian Flynn and am thoroughly enjoying it. I have no clue what’s going to happen and that only adds to the appeal. Read it? Another favorite author is Harlan Coben. His books’ plots always go in unexpected directions and I enjoy his wit, dialogue, and humor.
Before Gone,Girl, I read another great suspense novel, Creep by Jennifer Hillier. I own the sequel, Freak, which I can’t wait to start.