Too Close to Home

By: Linwood Barclay

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

“The night they killed our neighbors, we never heard a thing.”

In a quiet suburban neighborhood, in a house only one door away, a family is brutally murdered for no apparent reason. And you think to yourself: It could have been us. And you start to wonder: What if we’re next?

Linwood Barclay, critically acclaimed author of No Time for Goodbye, brings terror closer than ever before in a thriller where murder strikes in the place we feel safest of all. Promise Falls isn’t the kind of community where a family is shot to death in their own home. But that is exactly what happened to the Langleys one sweltering summer night, and no one in this small upstate New York town is more shocked than their next-door neighbors, Jim and Ellen Cutter. They visited for the occasional barbecue and their son, Derek, was friends with the Langleys’ boy, Adam; but how well did they really know their neighbors?

That’s the question Jim Cutter is asking, and the answers he’s getting aren’t reassuring. Albert Langley was a successful, well-respected criminal lawyer, but was he so good at getting criminals off that he was the victim of revenge - a debt his innocent family also paid in blood? From the town’s criminally corrupt mayor to the tragic suicide of a talented student a decade before, Promise Falls has more than its share of secrets. And Jim Cutter, failed artist turned landscaper, need look no further than his own home and his wife Ellen’s past to know that things aren’t always what they seem. But not even Jim and Ellen are ready to know that their son was in the Langley house the night the family was murdered.

Suddenly the Cutters must face the unthinkable: that a murderer isn’t just stalking too close to home but is inside it already. For the Langleys weren’t the first to die and they won’t be the last.

Praise for Too Close to Home

“[Linwood] Barclay knows how to put ordinary people into extraordinarily dangerous circumstances. . . . Readers will zip through it with delight.” -Publishers Weekly

“[An] affecting and effective thriller.” -Wall Street Journal Review

©2008 Linwood Barclay (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

So twisty-turny, you’ll never guess all the surprises!

This was a fantastically well-written and performed thriller! I’m going right now to see if Linwood Barclay has written more, because, OMG! You just have to buy this book.

Give it a chance, you won't be sorry.

On the recommendation of a friend I listened to this wonderful book. Although I almost gave up a few chapters in. I didn't and so glad I didn't. There were so many twists and turns, that once they grabbed me I couldn't let go.

Acts of kindness can bite you in the butt.

Linwood Barclay Never Disappoints

Linwood Barclay is an excellent story-teller, I highly recommend reading any of his books, they are all incredibly well written and absolutely enjoyable with complete characters that are easy to relate with. If your neighbors are murdered in their home, of course you’re thinking “what if we’re next”? or “that could have been us”! or “what if we’re next”? so much to consider…you will NOT be disappointed.

Only So-So

As I started the book I thought, "What possessed me to buy this book?" Then it got a little better, then it didn't. This book is mostly back story and there is very little current story line. It moves slowly as all of the back story has to be told in order to conclude the plot. I found it very predictable and rather trite in many places. The characters are not very well developed. The narrator is only average. I had a difficult time separating one character speaking for another.

My favorite new to me author!

Would you consider the audio edition of Too Close to Home to be better than the print version?

I don't know if the printed version would be any better or worse. A great book is a great book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Too Close to Home?

***Spoiler Alert below***

Although as you read through the book, and you find out that the book "A Missing Piece" has likely been plagiarized, you end up thinking that the person who stole the book murdered the original author & think no way was it suicide. You know you're likely wrong because that scenario is too obvious. However, I couldn't figure out how it all fit together. How it came together was such a surprise that I didn't see it coming. That was a pretty good part of the book.

Have you listened to any of Christopher Lane’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, he too narrated Barclay's first novel "No Time for Goodbye", Both were awesome books and I have no complaints about Christopher's narrating skills.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, I think the part when Derek goes to jail. I can't imagine how hard that must be, in real life, knowing an innocent family member has to do time.

Any additional comments?

Although the story is highly unlikely in a real life scenario, I enjoyed the book very much. This is the second Linwood Barclay book I have read (listened to) & I am going to buy the next one right now! Love this author, and he is Canadian!

Definitely pulled you in, but...

Like Linwood Barclay's books a lot. This one kept me listening but talk about twisted around...it was. And mostly, not a likeable character in the bunch. I agree with one reviewer about the language. It's not that language bothers me in a book but was mostly so unnecessary in this book. Worth a credit, though. Going to another Linwood Barclay next.

Good story

I really didn't like the wife in this book. All the other characters played their roles well and predictably. This story has a lot going for it and I am sure you will enjoy it.

Great story

Great story, too much swearing, and Ellen was a terrible person. Lots of great twists!

Great Story. . . But the Ending. . .

Barclay's books are almost always great and this one is no exception. It started strong and stayed that way throughout, until the very, very last minutes when a spousal confession became just too much to accept (in the context of all the other events within the book.) Nevertheless, I'll give it four stars, maybe even 4.5. It certainly kept me listening with rapt attention as the plot and its many subplots were experienced. Best of all, I didn't know who the really, really bad guy was until the end, and that makes it a good thriller in my book!

Can listen to this one over and over

I would recommend this book. ..good listen. Good narrator as well. At many times I laughed and laughed!