You may recall my earlier review of “No Time For Goodbye” in which I said I was looking forward to the follow up book, well, here it is. And what a cracking read this one is; a fantastic tale which I devoured within a few days spent on sun kissed beaches.

This book picks up the lives of the Archers seven years on from the earlier story – these Archers would horrify the residents of Ambridge. Following their earlier experience, Cynthia and Terry are trying to shield their daughter, Grace, from any danger but Cynthia’s overprotective rules simply encourage Grace to rebel. In doing so, Grace unwittingly thrusts her family into a terrifying ordeal that forces her parents to revisit the horrors and pain of the past. And to encounter Vince once again.

Barclay’s writing is slick and polished and he knows exactly how to pace a story to achieve that “page turner” momentum. His style is easy on the eye and draws you into that story, he has created characters that you feel for and believe in. It was great to meet Vince again – what a villain! As before, the take is told mainly in the first person from the viewpoint of Terry and this technique works well to drive the plot along.

This was a superb read; I loved it. After just two books, Barclay is already cemented as one of my must read novelists and I look forward to catching up with his back catalogue.

The-Mustachioed-Reader

My Rating: 4.5* out of 5.0*

Publication Date: September 2014

Published By: Orion Books

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