I have been fortunate to attend more author events than I care to admit and without fail it is the crime writers who intrigue me most. I remember meeting Linwood Barclay at an event a few years ago, and I was again struck by the disconnect between the congenial, entertaining and generous soul in front of me and the dark recesses of an imagination that can dream up such heart-stopping tales as to literally keep me up at night.

Billionaire Miles Cookson has made a fortune creating apps that people seem not to be able to live without. He has everything he could desire and all without any ties in his life.

When his world is rocked by a terminal diagnosis of a progressive wasting disease, his imminent mortality creates a desire to track down any children that may have been the result of an anonymous donation of his sperm to a fertility clinic many years before, when he was struggling to fund his start-up. Miles puts his best people onto the job as he not only wants to share his fortune, but he feels compelled to share the information about his diagnosis.

His efforts are successful, leading him to tracking down a daughter, Chloe. Together, they set about finding the other eight children.

But it seems that someone else is also looking for Miles’s now grown-up children. And those children are disappearing one by one, without a trace.

One aspect of the story that fascinated me was the insight I had into the lives of the uber-rich. The privilege and entitlement displayed by people who clearly consider themselves above the law. The idea that money can buy anything and that you can act without consequence simply because of how much you are worth plays out time and again in real life and it is explored well here.

In this instance, despite his wealth, Miles is actually one of the good guys, but even he has lost touch with aspects of an ordinary existence. The relationship he develops with Chloe helps him to rediscover what family really means.

Linwood Barclay is known for his killer plot twists and although this one is revealed relatively early on, it doesn’t dull the heart-stopping pace of this excellent crime read.

Reviewed by Maryanne Vagg