Take Your Breath Away audiobook

4.5 STARSAudio Review Audible Length: 10 hrs and 1 min Release date: 05-17-22 My second by this author, and this was my favorite!I also had a library copy and read some, but the narration was so good, that I preferred listening.Brie Mason, a wife who has been missing for six years suddenly shows up at her old address? She is shouting  "Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?" as she drops her grocery bags. Where in the world has she been? What will her husband Andrew think after 6 long years? Not to mention his girlfriend? Everyone's life is about to be turned upside down as Brie sightings continue and the detective is back with questions for Andrew. She is relentless! Every time I thought I had things sorted out, another curve ball caused me to look the other way! Mega entertaining and clever, with a smart sense of humor and a maze of smoke and mirrors that was fun to navigate.

One evening, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife Brie vanished without a trace. Although “It’s Always the husband” Detective Marissa Hardy has been unable to build a case proving her suspicions. Six years later, Andy has changed his last name to Carville, and moved away. The house he shared with Brie was sold and razed, and a new house built in its place. And, then one day, a woman resembling Brie, arrives “home” with groceries and drops them in the driveway as she spots the unfamiliar front door-“What happened to my house?” Could it be Brie? If so, where has she been??I have to hand it to Linwood Barclay! 👏🏻 This is the fourth novel penned by him that I have read, and all have been unique, and entertaining ! No formulaic writing here! Suspenseful ✔️A Sense of foreboding ✔️Plenty of plausible suspects ✔️Red herrings ✔️A Satisfying conclusion ✔️The ONLY thing that disappointed me? I never get approved for his ARCs and I have to wait for publication date to read his latest novels…maybe next time, Mr. Barclay? 😉I would like to thank the Chandler Public Library for the loan of this book! 📕 This title is AVAILABLE NOW!

What happened to Brie Mason six years ago? Why does her return home to 36 Mulberry disturb her so much? One thing is for certain her reappearance sets off a chain reaction and is a conundrum for Detective Marisa Hardy whose suspicious eye always falls on Brie’s husband Andrew who has lived under a cloud of suspicion and with the difficulty of the not knowing.I think you could describe this as a classic Linwood Barclay mystery with several subplots that weave seamlessly together into an intriguing plot. The dialogue and characterisation is extremely good, the author gets inside several peoples heads giving the reader a ‘birds eye view‘ for want of a better expression! Particularly strong is Andrew but others are equally well conveyed such as Brie’s sister Izzy who let’s just describe her as something else! The plot is good, it’s multilayered, it’s puzzling, compelling and very easy to read. What is especially good is that your Miss Marple/Hercule Poirot amateur detective eyes fall on several characters and when it’s revealed it’s a good surprise and a believable one. The plot on a couple of occasions does straight into bonkers la la land territory especially towards the end when one characters actions defy logical thinking which I daresay is often true to life (!) but I can definitely say it’s entertaining and at the end of the day that’s what counts. Overall if you like Linwood Barclay then you’ll enjoy this one which is an absorbing read from beginning to end.With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Missing wife, husband with failing business, wife momentarily reappears 6 years later, relentless detective…I’m in! While I had a strong idea of who was behind Brie Mason’s disappearance, I wasn’t sure. Author Linwood Barclay writes a fantastic suspense novel with multiple red herrings and misdirection which includes several suspects who would want or benefit from Brie disappearing. Although I was correct from the beginning of who was responsible, I did NOT foresee how, why, where, and when. I appreciate an author who can create twisty plots. Barclay proves his skill at creating a plot that keeps the reader guessing the whole book, even when that reader is fairly sure who is behind the disappearance. Barclay adds complications to Andrew Mason’s life in that he now has a girlfriend, Jayne, who lives with him, after all, Brie has been missing for 6 years. They also are taking care of a troubled and goofy 16-year-old boy, Tyler. Tyler creates domestic problems. Jayne becomes anxious that if Brie does come back, Andrew will dump her. These domestic matters add tension to the plot.The book is divided into chapters. Some provides Andrew’s point of view revealing his part of the plot in first person. Other chapters are written as police reports of Detective Hardy’s interviews with suspects. Filling in and furthering the plot are chapters that give different character’s POV’s. The Police reports, that are peppered throughout the story, build anxiety. Andrew’s chapters are insatiable. You will devour this book!

My first Linwood Barclay novel!!! 👏🏼🇨🇦 What took me so long to read this fellow Canadians works?This was a terrific audiobook set to a great narration and wonderful writing. I could not figure this one out even when I thought I did!I liked all the twists and turns and smoke and mirrors offered in this book. He used some very creative thinking. I'll definitely check out his backlog.I could see this one as a limited series on Netflix! (hint hint) 😉

This one started off slower than Mr. Barclay's books usually do. However, I was hooked by the halfway point. There were some expertly plotted twists and plenty of suspects. The author continues to impress me, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

4.5 Stars I admit to a love/hate relationship with Linwood Barclay's books. I find some to be brilliant, engaging mysteries and a few to be less appealing. I was happy that I thought this was one of his strongest thrillers. Linwood Barclay is a prominent Canadian crime writer. He was born in the USA but moved to Canada with his family when he was only four years old. He lives in Ontario, and his books are popular here and in other countries. They have been made into movies and Netflix series. It disappoints me that, to my knowledge, none of his stories have been set in Canada. This fast-moving, complex, multilayered story keeps the reader guessing. Some of the twists were far-fetched, but it was very entertaining. It was an enjoyable, puzzling, edge-of-your-seat read. Six years ago, Andrew Mason's life was shattered, and everything fell apart for him. He was working as a contractor and flipping homes after renovating them. He returned from a fishing trip with his friend and business partner, Greg. His wife, Brie, had vanished without a trace in his absence. Their marriage had been through some rough times. Brie was tired of living in fixer-up houses and wanted a more permanent home of their own. They both indulged in short-term affairs. Everything had been forgiven, and they seemed to be building a stronger, happier marriage. After interviewing several suspects and people of interest, Detective Melissa Hardy decided Andrew was the prime suspect. As no body was found, Andrew had not been arrested yet, but Hardy was determined to build a case against him. Andrew's life became unbearable. He had lost his wife, and the community regarded him with suspicion and loathing. Detective Hardy keeps hounding him and Brie's sister, Isabel, loudly declares he is a murderer to everyone. He was drinking himself into a stupor. Only his friend, Greg, was supportive and believed him innocent. Six years later, we find Andrew in a better place. He has changed his name and has moved to a nearby community where he is not recognized and finds work. He has a new girlfriend, Jayne, who moves in with him, and Andrew is in love again. Jayne's troubled and rebellious 16-year-old brother, Tyler, also lives with them. They are trying to steer him into a calmer lifestyle. The old home where Andrew lived with Brie has been razed, and a new ultra-modern built to replace it. One day, Andrew receives a shocking phone call alerting him that a distraught woman resembling Brie showed up at the place where the former home stood. She was screaming, "Where is my house! What happened to it?" She then departs quickly. Brie's family has gathered around the hospital bed of their dying mother, Elizabeth. They spot a woman who looks like Brie standing in the parking lot through the window. She stares at the mother's window, waves to them, and hurries away. Witnessing this was Albert, Brie's brother and his wife, and Isabel (Izzy), Brie's sister and her husband, Norman. Isabel is a woman who constantly complains and belittles her husband. She has been relentless in blaming Andrew for the murder and for hiding Brie's body. Now she believes she may have been mistaken as Brie is still alive. Where was Brie? Where has she been for so many years? What happened to her?Furthermore, the same woman appears at night in Elizabeth's hospital room. Now Elizabeth feels she can die in peace since Brie is still alive. Of course, most people don't believe her. The police are once again investigating Andrew. Many interested characters are making wrong choices with the best intentions. Hardy calls this the law of unintended consequences. " You start out intending to do one thing and end up causing something else to happen." Their actions further muddle the mystery and interfere with the investigation, so Andrew is determined to search for answers independently. He finds his life endangered while making some heart-wrenching, shocking discoveries. More deaths occur. The conclusion is unforeseen. The author has created a fascinating, riveting puzzle that kept me reading far into the night. The characters were complex and had hidden secrets needing to be revealed before the mystery could be solved.

Audiobook…..read by full cast …..10 hours and 1 minute. Totally engaging — I enjoyed it from start to finish —It was my second go-around with a Linwood Barclay crime thriller. Loved it!!! Thank you to Holly - Paromjit- Louise - and others in the Goodreads community! 4.5 — terrific!!!’

Linwood Barclay has done it AGAIN!! I'm ashamed to admit, I haven't read a Barclay novel since A Noise Downstairs, which I absolutely loved, and I thought surely none could come close to that one, but this one might actually be even better! If you want a thrilling, heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat mystery look no further, this is the book for you! As the synopsis implies, Andrew Mason's wife Brie mysteriously vanished six years earlier, never to be heard from again. Just as he starts to piece his life back together, find new love, and think about his future again a mysterious woman arrives at what was once his old home, in a panic wondering what happened to her home? Could it be that Brie is finally back? If so, where has she been all this time? The camera footage from Andrew's former neighbor is fuzzy, but the woman does somewhat resemble Brie. Despite this, Andrew is skeptical...but why? Does he have reason to believe Brie could never really return home? Brie's family definitely suspects he does, especially her sister Isabel, who has always suspected he was involved somehow. As the mystery into who this woman is, and what happened to Brie all those years earlier unfolded, I was simply put, riveted. I could not put this book down! There were so many twists to the mystery element, I was eagerly turning the pages, anticipating the reveal. In no way, was I even remotely close to predicting what was truly happening, and that's the sign of an incredible thriller/suspense that only Barclay could have written! I think disclosing any more details would spoil this one, so I will just say it's worth reading, and I have no doubt at all this will be a big hit! Is it me, or does Barclay just seem to keep getting better with each release?! Fantastic work once again, Mr. Barclay!!!