Engrossing from the opening pages - Barclay successfully executes a page-turning thriller that is both (at times) implausible and thought-provoking. The interspersion of police interview transcripts from past and present serve to move the reader along on the propulsive journey, while also shedding let on character motivations and backstories. Read in a matter of days! Would definitely recommend!

This was a fun "what would you do" story! A woman has been missing for 6 years with no clues or body to be found. Suddenly, she has been seen in multiple locations. You are her husband, her sister, her mother. What would you do? What would you be thinking?

I felt like the first half of this book was slow in getting going to the actual action. Once we got there I was fully invested and wanted to now WHAT was going on!! Who? What? Why? Where? How?

The author had a number of chapters interspersed where there was dialogue of the police interview with each character in the book. I thought this was a really clever way to better get to know the thought process of each individual and also disseminate a lot of information quickly.

I did feel the need to suspend some disbelief by the end of the book as things got a little unrealistic in my mind....but it was an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance e-copy in return for my honest review.

4.25 stars. The story begins six years after the disappearance of Andrew Carville’s wife Brie. Andrew has moved forward with his life, in a seemingly positive way, after enduring the last rocky stressful years of being the prime suspect of both the police and Brie’s family. One day, Brie reappears but no one can confirm whether it is actually her based on a home security video and the eyewitness account from their previous next door neighbour. This is where the story takes off with all of the questions about whether or not it actually is Brie, and the wild ride begins.

This book is a twisty thriller. I really enjoyed it! When I got to around the 60% mark, I could not put it down and stayed up late to the early hours of the morning to finish it. Several times, I actually gasped and cringed and shook my head. Linwood Barclay has crafted a great story and I absolutely recommend it.

Thank you so much to William Morrow, NetGalley, and the Thoughts From A Page podcast Patreon for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Linwood Barclay and have read most of his books and this one did not disappoint!

Mr. Barclay has a formula for his books: protagonists with a wry sense of humour who find themselves in some sort of predicament, an eclectic cast of characters who are flawed and/or duplicitous and/or not very bright, chapters that are short and often contain a twist, uncomplicated prose or dialogue, a pace that moves quickly and an overall tone that is not particularly dark or foreboding. . For me, the formula works and the result is a very entertaining read.

I highly recommend this book!

3.5 stars, rounded to 4
Andrew’s wife, Brie, disappears one night and is never seen again. There are no clues as to who abducted her or even if she is alive. Still, it has to be the husband, right? For 6 years, Andrew is dogged by a relentless police detective. Suddenly there are sightings of Brie around the town. Was she abducted and escaped? Where has she been? Once this part of the plot starts, there are lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.
In true Barclay style, “Take Your Breath Away” is an easy to read domestic thriller. There are lots of pages of conversations and the chapters are short. This all makes for a smooth unravelling of the plot. The first part of the book was a little tedious and repetitious but once the plot started to “thicken,” I became more engaged. It is a well thought out mystery but the ending left me a little flat. Although Barclay is an expert at detail in his books, the “fleshing out” of the characters did not happen this time. I felt no connection to any of them. Having said that, the story was suspenseful and had me questioning right up to the last few chapters.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Linwood Barclay was never on my radar until I received this ARC. I can say I enjoyed this book but now that I have sat on it for a few days I am not sure I liked it all that much.

Alert: spoilers ahead

I enjoyed how fast paced this book was and I have to say I enjoyed most of the book. But the ending was where it felt quite quickly, like drop you off a cliff here and splat you into an abyss. My first inclination that kind of put me off was the adding timeline of Covid. I’m living through a pandemic that has caused so much turmoil I really as a reader do not want to have to be reminded about it. No matter where you are in your beliefs I feel there was a couple jabs as to the vaccines and that was off putting to me.

Second of all there wasn’t one good person throughout this whole book! I felt really bad for Brie the missing wife. The ending was so unbelievable and I found the way the characters reacted was very unreliable. I feel like it was just thrown in for shock factor. I can’t say I enjoyed this all that much but it did have the thrilling points that would keep you interested.

Even though this wasn’t my cup of tea I would very likely try reading another Linwood Barclay and I’m sure other readers might not be as picky as I am being.

I want to thank Killer Crime Club and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

#takeyourbreathaway by Canadian author Linwood Barclay is a psychological thriller that I could not put down. This novel was written from the perspective of multiple characters and storylines. A rollar coaster of a book with multiple ups and downs. A must add to your thriller TBR list🤓📚❤️

Fast-paced thriller read with twists, turns and red herrings . A page turner with several sub-plots that tie together well at the end. However, the main characters did not fully engage me - they did not feel fully realized to me - and I did not fully care about what happened to them. It was a good thriller but just missed that « oomph » to make it a great one for me.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Take Your Breath Away is a stellar beach read book, packed with action and twists- a wild ride from the first page to the last!
When Andrew Mason's wife goes missing, friends, family, neighbors, the police...they are all quickly convinced that Brie didn't disappear voluntarily, and that Andrew's appearance as an innocent grieving husband is a farce.
One tarnished reputation, zero leads, and six years later, Andrew has done his best to restart his life and bury the past- but when a woman who looks suspiciously like his vanished spouse is spotted in a strange altercation at the site of their old home, the past comes hurtling into the present and the formerly stagnant investigation into Brie's disappearance breaks wide open and sets off a domino affect that will reveal the truth- with grave consequences.

Andrew Mason has been the primary suspect in the disappearance of his wife. Six years later, a woman who looks like his missing wife is spotted in their community. Will this woman’s presence help clear his name or ruin the life he’s managed to rebuild?

I thoroughly enjoyed this page-turning thriller. Barclay includes plenty of problems for the reader to untangle, and the twists are (mostly) credible. The pacing is excellent.

Six years ago Andy Mason's wife disappeared. Now, a woman appears at his old house who looks just like his missing wife. What is going on? Linwood Barclay does not disappoint.

A wife goes missing, but why? It’s all shrouded in secrets and lies.

Andrew is away at his cabin by the lake, fishing with his best friend and business partner Greg, leaving Brie at their Connecticut home for the weekend. But when he returns there is no sign of his wife. It’s a mystery that is to cast suspicion on Andrew – there had been some recent challenges to their relationship – and ultimately lead to his moving out of the town in which they’d lived and even changing his name in an effort to hide from those who would casts aspersions. Then six years later, in the area she once lived, there are sightings of a woman whose appearance is strikingly similar to Brie. Could it be that she’s somehow returned?

In addition to Andrew and Greg, the cast of characters includes Detective Marissa Hardy, who investigated the original disappearance – a humourless woman who strongly suspects that Andrew murdered Brie and disposed of the body – and members of Brie’s family. Brie’s mother is now terminally ill and is tended by her doting son and more infrequently by her bitter and vindictive daughter, who shares Hardy’s view of how things surely played out. Andrew has now set up home in a different town nearby, where he lives with his girlfriend and her troubled younger brother. Lives are complicated, there are strained marriages, career frustrations and unfulfilled ambitions. And amongst it all there is now this new mystery.

Andrew’s life has spiralled downward since Brie’s disappearance, at first he took to drinking too much and along the way he and Greg dissolved their partnership. Perhaps the core of the problems he had been having with Brie is that he’d been a fixer-upper of houses and they were continually living in a property that was in a state of semi-completion as Andrew prepared to flip it and move on to the next one, only to do it all over again. These days he is constantly on the chase to find the next job.

Barclay tells the story very cleverly, segmenting it in a way that the perspective seems to be ever changing. Andrew is forced to fight to save his new relationship as revelations re-surface and doubts and suspicions are aroused. Hardy is also back on the scene, snooping and sniping, whilst Brie’s bickering family alternate between hope and renewed bouts of grieving. It’s hard to know what’s going on. But then all starts to become clear as pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, and in a dramatic finish it suddenly all comes together.

It’s a story that kept me guessing and retained my interest throughout, a conjuring trick of a novel in which nothing really made sense until it all did. Is it all ultimately believable? Well, perhaps not. But it’s definitely entertaining.

I read this ARC through NetGalley (and thanks to Killer Crime Club)!

I always look forward to books written by this author. I enjoyed the characters in this book, especially Andrew as the husband who has been under suspicion for years after his wife disappears. I read this book quite quickly, Even staying up late to keep reading. This book had the same style and feel like the other books by this author, which I think is great! There were some twists, and I enjoyed trying to guess the ending. Did Brie really come back after 6 years? She has been spotted by quite a few people, Ultimately, the ending did feel slightly predictable, but I still enjoyed reading it.

What a roller coaster ride! So many twists and turns to the storyline and a few sheer drops before things settle down to a calm. This book had me from the beginning and I stayed up till daylight to finish it. There are just enough characters to keep you on your toes and wondering.

The book is light on description but I don’t mind that, I can use my imagination as to what people and places look like. It flows smoothly and the little side stories all blend well. It is action packed and a quick read. If you love murder mysteries than this book is right up your alley. You won’t be disappointed. Another excellent book by this author.

Thanks to Killer’s Crime Club, Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

The plot was fast moving and I enjoyed the unique premise. However, I did find it predictable. I found some of the characters relatable, but most of them were super annoying, however I believe they were meant to be this way. There were also some aspects left unresolved and I didn’t feel like everything was tied up in a nice little bow at the end.

Andrew's wife Brie disappeared 6 years ago and no one knows what happened to her. Did Andrew kill her? The police and Brie's family seem to think so, but with no body and no proof they are unable to prove anything. But now Brie is back - seen at their old house and a few other places. Or is she?
A fast-paced suspense book that will have leave you guessing. The ending wasn't a total surprise, but it was wrapped together nicely.

Buckle up because you are in for a wild ride with this new Linwood Barclay book. So many people and story lines, but it's easy to follow and they all intertwine in such a way that draws you in. It's a fast paced book that you aren't able to put down until the last page. I definitely didn't see the ending coming. I love the way Linwood Barclay writes and keeps you guessing until the very end. A must read for all.

Linwood Barclay never disappoints! Another wonderful, thrilling mystery that leaves you on the edge of your seat.

Andrew’s wife Brie disappeared six years ago, and he’s moved, changed his name and started a new life. All is okay until Brie goes back to their old house and is captured on video.
Another Barclay winner of a suspense novel.

Thanks to Wm. Morrow & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, what can you say? Linwood's done it again. As usual, it's a great story with relatable characters. The dialogue kills. The scenarios are unlikely, but it's a thriller, so you wouldn't expect this stuff to happen in everyday life (at least, I'd hope not).

Andy is rebuilding his life, 6 years after his wife, Brie, went missing and was never found. Lots of people think he had something to do with her disappearance, like the lead cop on the case and Brie's sister, who has poisoned her entire family against him, but Andy moved and changed his name and tried to move on. He loved his wife and is innocent, and he still has his best friend and former business partner to support him. He also has a new girlfriend and things are pretty serious, although she has an orphaned kid brother who's living with them and he's a handful. Still, things are pretty normal until one day, someone who looks a lot like Brie gets caught on a neighbor's ring camera driving up to the old address (the old house was razed and a new one built) with groceries and freaking out about the house being gone, as if she hasn't been gone for 6 years.

Barclay does his usual excellent job of unspooling the plot, dropping breadcrumbs here and there and giving us the dirt at the same time the characters get it. The reveal is less of a gotcha! than you often get in this sort of story (the last Barclay novel I read was a jaw-dropper), but it makes sense and is executed well.

If you haven't read Linwood Barclay yet, this is a good time to start. The man is at the top of his game and I'm always confused as to why he's a bestseller and James Patterson is (not that I want to share the goodness mind you).

P.S I read the book, but if you like audiobooks, George Newbern is an awesome narrator and he does the honors on this title as well.