Title: Take Your Breath Away
Author: Linwood Barclay
Publisher: HQ
Synopsis:
It’s always the husband, isn’t it?
One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most people assumed Andy had got away with murder, but the police couldn’t build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom – he drank too much, was abandoned by his friends, nearly lost his business and became a pariah in the place he had once called home.
Now, six years later, Andy has put his life back together. He’s sold the house he shared with Brie and moved away for a fresh start. When he hears his old house has been bulldozed and a new house built in its place, he’s not bothered. He’s settled with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good.
But Andy’s peaceful world is about to shatter. One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, ‘Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?’ And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman – who bears a striking resemblance to Brie – is gone. The police are notified and old questions – and dark suspicions – resurface.
Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? It soon becomes clear that Andy’s future, and the lives of those closest to him, depends on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers…
My review:
I always know I’m in for a gripping ride with Linwood Barclay’s novels, and Take Your Breath Away is no exception!
Brie Mason disappeared 6 years ago whilst her husband Andrew was away on a fishing trip. Since then, Andrew has lived under suspicion by the police – because it’s always the husband, isn’t it? But now he’s moved on with his life, and met someone else.
Then one day, several sightings of someone who looks exactly like Brie, outside the house she used to live in with Andrew, throw Andrew’s life into disarray. Is Brie back after all this time – and if so, what on earth happened to her all those years ago?
The book jumps between multiple viewpoints which kept me guessing as to who I could really trust. Some parts of the novel are slower than others but I never felt bored – the pacing is spot on and the characters are entertaining to read about. I warmed to Andrew as the novel went on and felt his predicament when he thought Brie might have returned.
I really enjoyed Take Your Breath Away. It’s entertainment topped with a good dose of thriller fun.
My rating: 4/5
Many thanks to the publisher, HQ, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.