We begin with the all too real horror of a school bomb attack. It is a modern nightmare where the life of the protagonist deteriorates from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.

Richard Boyle is an English teacher whose quiet life takes a dramatic turn after he averts a tragedy. A former student comes to Richard’s school with a homemade bomb strapped to his chest. Richard talks the boy down, but as he is walking away, the boy trips and accidentally blows himself up. Richard becomes a hero, but between the trauma and the public attention, he soon he finds his life turned upside down.

The parents of the dead boy decide to sue Richard, rather than deal with their own culpability in their son’s actions. Richard’s then approached by a former student who accuses him of sexual abuse, demanding a blackmail payment. In his traumatised state Richard considers paying and begins frantically trying to raise the money.

Meanwhile, a baggage handler working for a Mexican drug cartel finds himself in trouble when the latest shipment is light. Richard’s wife, Bonnie, a primary school principal is shocked by the death of the mother of one of her students and her sister, a local cop, investigates. And Richard’s school principal is ready for any eventuality with a secret handgun …

This is classic Barclay, filled with clever twists and unexpected turns. His strength as a writer is his ability to take everyday occurrences, coincidences and misadventures and spin them into clever, compelling plots.

Reviewed by Tessa Chudy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linwood Barclay, a New York Times bestselling author with 20 novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers before turning full time to writing thrillers. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, sold millions of copies, and he counts Stephen King among his fans.

Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay for the film based on his novel Never Saw it Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives near Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children.

Visit Linwood Barclay’s website