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Not a Word
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50 copies available
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In the latest chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay, a man’s world is upended after he stumbles upon a grisly crime scene in the family home.
Every family has secrets, but when Reece visits his parents’ house, he’s shocked to find them in bed, dead. At first glance it looks like a murder-suicide perpetrated by his father, but on closer inspection there’s clearly more to the story. For starters, inconsistencies in the crime scene suggest his dad may not have shot himself.
As Reece, shaken by his horrifying discovery, awaits questioning from the police, his phone lights up with a call. It’s the last person he ever would have expected to hear from.
Reeling from the day’s events, Reece finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about his parents—and whether he and his own family are in danger now. While the authorities work to untangle the baffling crime scene, Reece is pulled into a web of secrets linked to the unscrupulous pharma company his father worked for years ago.
In order to protect the people he loves most, he’ll have to dig deep into his own past to understand who his parents were, what they did, and who they hurt—before he ends up paying for their sins.
Every family has secrets, but when Reece visits his parents’ house, he’s shocked to find them in bed, dead. At first glance it looks like a murder-suicide perpetrated by his father, but on closer inspection there’s clearly more to the story. For starters, inconsistencies in the crime scene suggest his dad may not have shot himself.
As Reece, shaken by his horrifying discovery, awaits questioning from the police, his phone lights up with a call. It’s the last person he ever would have expected to hear from.
Reeling from the day’s events, Reece finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about his parents—and whether he and his own family are in danger now. While the authorities work to untangle the baffling crime scene, Reece is pulled into a web of secrets linked to the unscrupulous pharma company his father worked for years ago.
In order to protect the people he loves most, he’ll have to dig deep into his own past to understand who his parents were, what they did, and who they hurt—before he ends up paying for their sins.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication August 25, 2026
About the author
Linwood Barclay
84 books7,481 followersLinwood Barclay is the #1 internationally bestselling author of seventeen novels for adults, including No Time for Goodbye, Trust Your Eyes and, most recently, A Noise Downstairs. He has also written two novels for children and screenplays.
Three of those seventeen novels comprise the epic Promise Falls trilogy: Broken Promise, Far From True, and The Twenty-Three. His two novels for children – Chase and Escape – star a computer-enhanced dog named Chipper who’s on the run from the evil organization that turned him into a super-pup.
Barclay’s 2011 thriller, The Accident, has been turned into the six-part television series L’Accident in France, and he adapted his novel Never Saw it Coming for the movie, directed by Gail Harvey and starring Eric Roberts and Emily Hampshire. Several of his other books either have been, or still are, in development for TV and film.
After spending his formative years helping run a cottage resort and trailer park after his father died when he was 16, Barclay got his first newspaper job at the Peterborough Examiner, a small Ontario daily. In 1981, he joined the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest circulation newspaper.
He held such positions as assistant city editor, chief copy editor, news editor, and Life section editor, before becoming the paper’s humour columnist in 1993. He was one of the paper’s most popular columnists before retiring from the position in 2008 to work exclusively on books.
In 2004, he launched his mystery series about an anxiety-ridden, know-it-all, pain-in-the-butt father by the name of Zack Walker. Bad Move, the first book, was followed by three more Zack Walker thrillers: Bad Guys, Lone Wolf, and Stone Rain. (The last two were published in the UK under the titles Bad Luck and Bad News.)
His first standalone thriller, No Time for Goodbye, was published in 2007 to critical acclaim and great international success. The following year, it was a Richard and Judy Summer Read selection in the UK, and did seven straight weeks at #1 on the UK bestseller list, and finished 2008 as the top selling novel of the year there. The book has since been sold around the world and been translated into nearly thirty languages.
Barclay was born in the United States but moved to Canada just before turning four years old when his father, a commercial artist whose illustrations of cars appeared in Life, Look and Saturday Evening Post (before photography took over), accepted a position with an advertising agency north of the border. Barclay, who graduated with an English literature degree from Trent University, in Peterborough, Ontario, was fortunate to have some very fine mentors; in particular, the celebrated Canadian author Margaret Laurence, whom Linwood first met when she served as writer-in-residence at Trent, and Kenneth Millar, who, under the name Ross Macdonald, wrote the acclaimed series of mystery novels featuring detective Lew Archer. It was at Trent that he met Neetha, the woman who would become his wife. They have two grown children, Spencer and Paige.
Three of those seventeen novels comprise the epic Promise Falls trilogy: Broken Promise, Far From True, and The Twenty-Three. His two novels for children – Chase and Escape – star a computer-enhanced dog named Chipper who’s on the run from the evil organization that turned him into a super-pup.
Barclay’s 2011 thriller, The Accident, has been turned into the six-part television series L’Accident in France, and he adapted his novel Never Saw it Coming for the movie, directed by Gail Harvey and starring Eric Roberts and Emily Hampshire. Several of his other books either have been, or still are, in development for TV and film.
After spending his formative years helping run a cottage resort and trailer park after his father died when he was 16, Barclay got his first newspaper job at the Peterborough Examiner, a small Ontario daily. In 1981, he joined the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest circulation newspaper.
He held such positions as assistant city editor, chief copy editor, news editor, and Life section editor, before becoming the paper’s humour columnist in 1993. He was one of the paper’s most popular columnists before retiring from the position in 2008 to work exclusively on books.
In 2004, he launched his mystery series about an anxiety-ridden, know-it-all, pain-in-the-butt father by the name of Zack Walker. Bad Move, the first book, was followed by three more Zack Walker thrillers: Bad Guys, Lone Wolf, and Stone Rain. (The last two were published in the UK under the titles Bad Luck and Bad News.)
His first standalone thriller, No Time for Goodbye, was published in 2007 to critical acclaim and great international success. The following year, it was a Richard and Judy Summer Read selection in the UK, and did seven straight weeks at #1 on the UK bestseller list, and finished 2008 as the top selling novel of the year there. The book has since been sold around the world and been translated into nearly thirty languages.
Barclay was born in the United States but moved to Canada just before turning four years old when his father, a commercial artist whose illustrations of cars appeared in Life, Look and Saturday Evening Post (before photography took over), accepted a position with an advertising agency north of the border. Barclay, who graduated with an English literature degree from Trent University, in Peterborough, Ontario, was fortunate to have some very fine mentors; in particular, the celebrated Canadian author Margaret Laurence, whom Linwood first met when she served as writer-in-residence at Trent, and Kenneth Millar, who, under the name Ross Macdonald, wrote the acclaimed series of mystery novels featuring detective Lew Archer. It was at Trent that he met Neetha, the woman who would become his wife. They have two grown children, Spencer and Paige.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 STARS
Love this author, and this one did not disappoint!
This family has more secrets than your favorite haunted house. There is a crime scene and things are not adding up.
AND... the plot thickens. 😲
"Someone knows." Has someone figured it out? Boy, the unexpected turn of events had me and Detective Janice McCabe questioning everything. A manipulative person who may regret their actions. Is it time to call "the fixer"?
The twists and turns really kept the pages moving.
Thanks to NG and the publisher for my ARC! OUT on Aug 25, 2026
Love this author, and this one did not disappoint!
This family has more secrets than your favorite haunted house. There is a crime scene and things are not adding up.
AND... the plot thickens. 😲
"Someone knows." Has someone figured it out? Boy, the unexpected turn of events had me and Detective Janice McCabe questioning everything. A manipulative person who may regret their actions. Is it time to call "the fixer"?
The twists and turns really kept the pages moving.
Thanks to NG and the publisher for my ARC! OUT on Aug 25, 2026
June 26, 2026
Reece stumbles upon a crime at his parents’ house, which turns into a rabbit hole of secrets and betrayals. Like a ton! This family certainly doesn’t hold back.
This didn’t have the same feel of other Barclay novels I have read. The characters themselves all seemed super one dimensional and some of their conversations seemed unnatural…one example would be the phone call regarding a handbag (no spoilers). It just didn’t seem realistic to me. Another issue I had was with the investigator. Everyone kept hanging up on her or not following her orders. One thing that I personally need in a novel is a realistic investigation. Everyone involved just seemed to be making unintelligent choices, not bad ones just not smart ones. Long story short, I just had a real hard time connecting with the characters and actions.
As for the positives…this definitely was a page turner and I wanted to know how this whole thing would turn out. Finally, at the end, we do get some emotional depth from a few characters. Everything was answered and ended satisfactorily.
This wasn’t my favorite by this author, but others certainly have enjoyed this more than me, so please check out their fabulous reviews.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This didn’t have the same feel of other Barclay novels I have read. The characters themselves all seemed super one dimensional and some of their conversations seemed unnatural…one example would be the phone call regarding a handbag (no spoilers). It just didn’t seem realistic to me. Another issue I had was with the investigator. Everyone kept hanging up on her or not following her orders. One thing that I personally need in a novel is a realistic investigation. Everyone involved just seemed to be making unintelligent choices, not bad ones just not smart ones. Long story short, I just had a real hard time connecting with the characters and actions.
As for the positives…this definitely was a page turner and I wanted to know how this whole thing would turn out. Finally, at the end, we do get some emotional depth from a few characters. Everything was answered and ended satisfactorily.
This wasn’t my favorite by this author, but others certainly have enjoyed this more than me, so please check out their fabulous reviews.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 7, 2026
Wow…this book drew me in, right from the beginning!
I read 70% of it in one sitting, because once I started I couldn’t put it down.
I probably could have read all of it in one sitting, but it was getting really late and my eyes were dry from staring at my Kindle for so long.
Suffice to say, this book is fast-paced and once you start reading it, it’s hard to take a break!
This is my first time reading Linwood Barclay, although people have been recommending his books to me for a few years and now I see why.
I will definitely be reading more of his books!
Reece stops by his parent’s house only to discover them both dead in their bed, and it appears to be a murder-suicide.
But shortly after that, he receives a phone call from his mom.
She’s clearly alive..so who was the woman in bed with his dad?
There were a lot of characters in this book, but for some reason I didn’t find it difficult to keep up with all of them like I occasionally do in some books.
It seems like most of the books that I read take place in the US or the UK, so a Canadian setting was a nice change.
This book really reminded me of the adage “we’re only as sick as our secrets”.
Like my friend Jayme mentioned in her review, I also got teary-eyed at the end, and I was not expecting that to happen.
Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC to review.
I read 70% of it in one sitting, because once I started I couldn’t put it down.
I probably could have read all of it in one sitting, but it was getting really late and my eyes were dry from staring at my Kindle for so long.
Suffice to say, this book is fast-paced and once you start reading it, it’s hard to take a break!
This is my first time reading Linwood Barclay, although people have been recommending his books to me for a few years and now I see why.
I will definitely be reading more of his books!
Reece stops by his parent’s house only to discover them both dead in their bed, and it appears to be a murder-suicide.
But shortly after that, he receives a phone call from his mom.
She’s clearly alive..so who was the woman in bed with his dad?
There were a lot of characters in this book, but for some reason I didn’t find it difficult to keep up with all of them like I occasionally do in some books.
It seems like most of the books that I read take place in the US or the UK, so a Canadian setting was a nice change.
This book really reminded me of the adage “we’re only as sick as our secrets”.
Like my friend Jayme mentioned in her review, I also got teary-eyed at the end, and I was not expecting that to happen.
Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC to review.
August 9, 2026
Linwood Barclay is a genius! I have loved every book that I have read by this author and his new one Not A Word is just brilliant.
The Chartwell Family appears to be a normal, happy family from the outside. We soon discover that there are a multitude of secrets and lies in this family that lead to a horrific tragedy. Reece is just popping in to check on his folks, say hi, have a coffee, you know as you do. The last thing he expects to find them in bed with blood everywhere and a gun by his father’s hand. The police arrive and then he receives a phone call that turns everything on its head.
This book is pretty impossible to put down. I was hooked from the very beginning and got so invested in this story that I just had to know. The ending… wow! 😮 it is suspenseful and dark and twisty, everything that you want from a great thriller.
The characters are all so well written. They are realistic, flawed and very believable. None of them are perfect, and I think that makes a huge difference in a story. It is very much a family drama, a family that find themselves in an impossible situation.
I will read anything that Linwood Barclay writes. I loved his foray into horror with Whistle, but his thrillers are so addictive.
Thank you so much to William Morrow for my early copy on NetGalley to read. Out on August 25th. A. Just read.
The Chartwell Family appears to be a normal, happy family from the outside. We soon discover that there are a multitude of secrets and lies in this family that lead to a horrific tragedy. Reece is just popping in to check on his folks, say hi, have a coffee, you know as you do. The last thing he expects to find them in bed with blood everywhere and a gun by his father’s hand. The police arrive and then he receives a phone call that turns everything on its head.
This book is pretty impossible to put down. I was hooked from the very beginning and got so invested in this story that I just had to know. The ending… wow! 😮 it is suspenseful and dark and twisty, everything that you want from a great thriller.
The characters are all so well written. They are realistic, flawed and very believable. None of them are perfect, and I think that makes a huge difference in a story. It is very much a family drama, a family that find themselves in an impossible situation.
I will read anything that Linwood Barclay writes. I loved his foray into horror with Whistle, but his thrillers are so addictive.
Thank you so much to William Morrow for my early copy on NetGalley to read. Out on August 25th. A. Just read.
March 7, 2026
Received an Arc from NetGalley.
This was my first time reading a book by Linwood Barclay, and now I definitely want to read more! The story drew me in from page one, and kept me intrigued the whole time. I liked how the story got told from each character’s perspective, and we also got to flash back to 1999 to get more back story. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a dark thriller full of family secrets!
This was my first time reading a book by Linwood Barclay, and now I definitely want to read more! The story drew me in from page one, and kept me intrigued the whole time. I liked how the story got told from each character’s perspective, and we also got to flash back to 1999 to get more back story. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a dark thriller full of family secrets!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Last year, I read a horror novel by this author, so I had to dive into this thriller, as mystery really is my thing!
Reece's life shatters when he discovers his father dead alongside a woman in their home, with his mother missing. Initially suspected as a murder-suicide, Reece learns the dead woman is not his mother when she calls him from a lunch date. As he grapples with the shocking revelations, including the possible connections to a corrupt pharmaceutical company, Reece must uncover the truth about his family's secrets and the potential threats they now face.
The story unfolds through several perspectives, including Reece, Detective McCabe, Alicia, Crane, and Gage. The timeline shifts around a bit, giving us insight into what triggered Holden's troubling behavior that led him down the path of addiction. His childhood trauma has resurfaced, and letting go of the past proves to be a real struggle, as it heavily influences his poor choices in the future. This novel is a complex tale of a dysfunctional family, leaving you on an emotional rollercoaster! Tensions run high, and the stakes keep escalating as each character fights to protect their family and the secrets intertwined with it. Honestly, my head is still spinning!
I loved how everything came together; the coincidences are neatly explained, which ensures you won't be left with a million unanswered questions. Instead, you get a satisfying conclusion. I appreciated the sharp detective work from Reece, who starts noticing inconsistencies at the crime scene, leading him to suspect that he might be dealing with a murder. And then, when the mother goes missing, you definitely start to smell a rat! There will be moments when you're full of questions, but keep reading because everything eventually clicks into place, with twists and turns popping up along the way.
This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys stories about large families and the dark secrets they keep. If you like playing detective and piecing together clues, or if you're seeking a complex family drama with a mystery at its core, this one’s for you. It's clever and suspenseful, ensuring you'll want to keep reading, even if the pace varies a bit. With a full cast of characters, it’s easy to keep track of who’s who and who did what. Still, the main question lingers until the very end: who committed the crime, and what happened that night that altered the family's dynamics forever? Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check my birth certificate to be sure! Ha!
Thank you, William Morrow and NetGalley, for the DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Reece's life shatters when he discovers his father dead alongside a woman in their home, with his mother missing. Initially suspected as a murder-suicide, Reece learns the dead woman is not his mother when she calls him from a lunch date. As he grapples with the shocking revelations, including the possible connections to a corrupt pharmaceutical company, Reece must uncover the truth about his family's secrets and the potential threats they now face.
The story unfolds through several perspectives, including Reece, Detective McCabe, Alicia, Crane, and Gage. The timeline shifts around a bit, giving us insight into what triggered Holden's troubling behavior that led him down the path of addiction. His childhood trauma has resurfaced, and letting go of the past proves to be a real struggle, as it heavily influences his poor choices in the future. This novel is a complex tale of a dysfunctional family, leaving you on an emotional rollercoaster! Tensions run high, and the stakes keep escalating as each character fights to protect their family and the secrets intertwined with it. Honestly, my head is still spinning!
I loved how everything came together; the coincidences are neatly explained, which ensures you won't be left with a million unanswered questions. Instead, you get a satisfying conclusion. I appreciated the sharp detective work from Reece, who starts noticing inconsistencies at the crime scene, leading him to suspect that he might be dealing with a murder. And then, when the mother goes missing, you definitely start to smell a rat! There will be moments when you're full of questions, but keep reading because everything eventually clicks into place, with twists and turns popping up along the way.
This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys stories about large families and the dark secrets they keep. If you like playing detective and piecing together clues, or if you're seeking a complex family drama with a mystery at its core, this one’s for you. It's clever and suspenseful, ensuring you'll want to keep reading, even if the pace varies a bit. With a full cast of characters, it’s easy to keep track of who’s who and who did what. Still, the main question lingers until the very end: who committed the crime, and what happened that night that altered the family's dynamics forever? Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check my birth certificate to be sure! Ha!
Thank you, William Morrow and NetGalley, for the DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 2, 2026
Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me this free advance copy, and I’m writing this review honestly and without bias.
Linwood Barclay is an author that never fails to deliver and has come up trumps again with Not A Word. It's well written with a solid plot with sharp to the point chapters. The pace is fast and turns up a few notches in the latter chapters. The characters are well portrayed and the twists keep coming and an absolute blinder with the final twist. You never know what plot you will get with this author but you do know you will be in for a great read. Enjoyed this one a lot
August 14, 2026
Not a Word
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Linwood Barclay
I received this ALC on NetGalley from the publisher and am giving my review.
I was excited to listen to this book as I recently read Whistle which I thoroughly enjoyed and this book did not disappoint.
I’m not even certain where to begin with this book but there was more twists and turns that I swore I have whiplash.
Without giving much away the story revolves around a husband who had worked for a big pharma giant and had been a top salesman selling a drug for pain that ended up killing many patients and they also found the company was corrupt and the company eventually went under.
The husband quit before that happened but not before all kinds of things started coming out. I cannot in good conscience tell any more but I went through so many people thinking about who was to blame but in the end I really hadn’t guessed who actually had committed the crimes.
If you want a fast paced thriller that will not only keep you guessing but have your head on a swivel then this is the book for you!
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Linwood Barclay
I received this ALC on NetGalley from the publisher and am giving my review.
I was excited to listen to this book as I recently read Whistle which I thoroughly enjoyed and this book did not disappoint.
I’m not even certain where to begin with this book but there was more twists and turns that I swore I have whiplash.
Without giving much away the story revolves around a husband who had worked for a big pharma giant and had been a top salesman selling a drug for pain that ended up killing many patients and they also found the company was corrupt and the company eventually went under.
The husband quit before that happened but not before all kinds of things started coming out. I cannot in good conscience tell any more but I went through so many people thinking about who was to blame but in the end I really hadn’t guessed who actually had committed the crimes.
If you want a fast paced thriller that will not only keep you guessing but have your head on a swivel then this is the book for you!
August 13, 2026
I was looking for 1. A thriller, and 2. Something that was close to Charlie Donlea’s writing. My friend said hwy show me what arcs you have and bam! She said NOT A WORD fit the bill and she was 100% right. It checked every box and more.
Reece and Holden are the sons of Brent and Catherine Chartwell and what looks like a wholesome family is anything but. This family is weighed down by secrets and betrayals out the wazoo!
I loved unraveling every secret and not knowing who was the culprit until the end. This was a very twisty, layered story that was easy to follow and fulfilled all my thriller loving desires! It addressed the weight of secrets, the consequences, and how it affects those who carry them.
Reece and Holden are the sons of Brent and Catherine Chartwell and what looks like a wholesome family is anything but. This family is weighed down by secrets and betrayals out the wazoo!
I loved unraveling every secret and not knowing who was the culprit until the end. This was a very twisty, layered story that was easy to follow and fulfilled all my thriller loving desires! It addressed the weight of secrets, the consequences, and how it affects those who carry them.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A big thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this twisty psychological thriller.
All the Linwood Barclays books I have read so far have been so very different from thrillers to chilling horror books and all very exciting and also very different style books, but all brilliant.
Not a word is a real fast paced page turner and a pleasure to read.
Cant wait for more by this author.
4.5 stars
All the Linwood Barclays books I have read so far have been so very different from thrillers to chilling horror books and all very exciting and also very different style books, but all brilliant.
Not a word is a real fast paced page turner and a pleasure to read.
Cant wait for more by this author.
4.5 stars
August 20, 2026
not a word | linwood barclay
📖/🎧 book/audiobook review
pub date 08.25.26
narrated by: nan mcnamara + johnathon mcclain
length: 9h 27 min / 320 pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
thank you @williammorrowbooks + harper audio for my gifted ARC/ALC
this was my first book by this author & I was pleasantly surprised! a solid thriller that keeps you invested throughout.
reece is shaken up because he’s just discovered his parents dead in their bedroom, an apparent m*rder s*icide. but he’s even more shaken when he looks down at his ringing phone… and his mother is on the other line.
definitely pick this one up!! there are several layers to the story and it all comes together seamlessly in the end. there’s family drama/secrets/murders.. all the things 👌🏻 I really enjoyed it!
📖/🎧 book/audiobook review
pub date 08.25.26
narrated by: nan mcnamara + johnathon mcclain
length: 9h 27 min / 320 pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
thank you @williammorrowbooks + harper audio for my gifted ARC/ALC
this was my first book by this author & I was pleasantly surprised! a solid thriller that keeps you invested throughout.
reece is shaken up because he’s just discovered his parents dead in their bedroom, an apparent m*rder s*icide. but he’s even more shaken when he looks down at his ringing phone… and his mother is on the other line.
definitely pick this one up!! there are several layers to the story and it all comes together seamlessly in the end. there’s family drama/secrets/murders.. all the things 👌🏻 I really enjoyed it!
August 8, 2026
Okay picture this. You walk into your parents house and find your father and a woman who looks like your mother dead in their bedroom… and then you get a phone call from your mom who is very much still alive. I was super invested in this one from the beginning.
Reece is left trying to figure out who the woman is, what happened to the father, and why there are so many secrets surrounding this family. The deeper he digs, the more he uncovers about his father’s past, his work in the pharmaceutical industry, and things his family has kept hidden for years.
There is so much happening with this one and I was questioning everything and everyone. I loved the mystery, the family drama, and all the unexpected turns along the way.
Reece is left trying to figure out who the woman is, what happened to the father, and why there are so many secrets surrounding this family. The deeper he digs, the more he uncovers about his father’s past, his work in the pharmaceutical industry, and things his family has kept hidden for years.
There is so much happening with this one and I was questioning everything and everyone. I loved the mystery, the family drama, and all the unexpected turns along the way.
May 4, 2026
Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for the ARC. #NotaWord
Linwood Barclay's novels are always interesting and Not a Word is no exception.
Life is just not going Reece's way lately. And it does not get any better when he drops by his parent's home unexpectedly to drop something off. When no one answers his greeting he makes a gruesome discovery in their bedroom. The police believe his father killed his mother and then himself. As Reece is taking a break from talking to the police, he gets a surprise call from his mother. Turns out it wasn't his mother in the bedroom after all. The ensuing investigation opens up long held family secrets and sets into motion events that can't be taken back.
This one was quite a ride. Every chapter or so it seemed there was a twist or turn in the story. I really enjoyed this book. The family was so full of drama. They really make you feel better about your own family! LOL! The pace was very good. I was interested in the story the whole way through. Also, something that Linwood is always good at is you think you may know who the killer is, but in his books you just can't be sure until the absolute very end. Overall, a great book!
Linwood Barclay's novels are always interesting and Not a Word is no exception.
Life is just not going Reece's way lately. And it does not get any better when he drops by his parent's home unexpectedly to drop something off. When no one answers his greeting he makes a gruesome discovery in their bedroom. The police believe his father killed his mother and then himself. As Reece is taking a break from talking to the police, he gets a surprise call from his mother. Turns out it wasn't his mother in the bedroom after all. The ensuing investigation opens up long held family secrets and sets into motion events that can't be taken back.
This one was quite a ride. Every chapter or so it seemed there was a twist or turn in the story. I really enjoyed this book. The family was so full of drama. They really make you feel better about your own family! LOL! The pace was very good. I was interested in the story the whole way through. Also, something that Linwood is always good at is you think you may know who the killer is, but in his books you just can't be sure until the absolute very end. Overall, a great book!
May 12, 2026
Thank you William Morrow Books for the advanced reader copy of Not A Word by Linwood Barclay.
Not A Word is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that takes a seemingly straightforward tragedy and turns it into something far more complicated. Told through multiple POVs and flashbacks, the story slowly uncovers buried secrets, messy mistakes, and family tensions that run deep.
This book starts with a bang and hooked me immediately. As more pieces of the puzzle came together, the story stayed entertaining and suspenseful, even if most of the twists weren’t particularly shocking. I found myself predicting several reveals before they happened, so I never quite got that jaw-dropping moment I was hoping for. I also felt like the climax wrapped up a little too quickly after all the buildup.
Overall, though, this was a solid mystery thriller that kept me invested and eager to see how everything would unfold.
Not A Word is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that takes a seemingly straightforward tragedy and turns it into something far more complicated. Told through multiple POVs and flashbacks, the story slowly uncovers buried secrets, messy mistakes, and family tensions that run deep.
This book starts with a bang and hooked me immediately. As more pieces of the puzzle came together, the story stayed entertaining and suspenseful, even if most of the twists weren’t particularly shocking. I found myself predicting several reveals before they happened, so I never quite got that jaw-dropping moment I was hoping for. I also felt like the climax wrapped up a little too quickly after all the buildup.
Overall, though, this was a solid mystery thriller that kept me invested and eager to see how everything would unfold.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Linwood Barclay takes an exciting step in a new direction with this gripping thriller that unfolds at a furious pace over just a few days.
The story hits the ground running when Reece visits his parents' house and discovers a devastating crime scene, plunging him into a spiral of shock and confusion. His struggle to keep his emotions in check while unravelling long-buried family secrets is portrayed with real skill. I really felt for 14 year old Gage as he struggles to process the sudden chaos and carry burdens no teenager should be saddled with.
Suspense builds constantly because no character seems trustworthy, keeping you guessing until the heartbreaking conclusion. It's a fantastic, twisty read that fans of dark family thrillers will devour.
My thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC.
The story hits the ground running when Reece visits his parents' house and discovers a devastating crime scene, plunging him into a spiral of shock and confusion. His struggle to keep his emotions in check while unravelling long-buried family secrets is portrayed with real skill. I really felt for 14 year old Gage as he struggles to process the sudden chaos and carry burdens no teenager should be saddled with.
Suspense builds constantly because no character seems trustworthy, keeping you guessing until the heartbreaking conclusion. It's a fantastic, twisty read that fans of dark family thrillers will devour.
My thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC.
May 17, 2026
Linwood Barclay always writes great thrillers! He does it again with this book. So many twists that I didn’t see coming. I definitely didn’t figure out the ending. Throughout the book I was suspicious of everybody! (Except the person who actually was guilty!) Great ARC that I received from NetGalley. The book will come out in August.
August 19, 2026
Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperAudioAdult for the book #NotAWord by #LinwoodBarclay. Reese walks into his parent’s home to return some books to his dad. He never expected to find them in bed, both dead. At least he thinks it’s his mom and dad. After the police arrive, he gets a phone call from his mother. How can that be? Who is the woman in bed with his dad?
August 15, 2026
Super solid messy family drama god they’re all awful and stupid who gave them a gun
April 22, 2026
I was introduced to this author last year when I read his horror novel. I absolutely loved that, and I was looking forward to reading him again. This book does not disappoint! It grabbed me from the very beginning and as I got to know ( love and hate) the characters , all the backstory, the lying, the deceit, the stories as they were interwoven.. It all just works so well together and comes together in such a satisfying way . It was a very compelling and page turning mystery! I received a complimentary copy of this e-book and all opinions expressed are strictly my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Not a Word, is the latest thriller by Linwood Barclay. A standalone psychological thriller where a family identity, corporate malfeasance, and the terrifying realisation that the people who raised you might be complete strangers.
Reece, is an ordinary guy whose world completely implodes during a routine visit to his parents’ suburban home. Walking inside, he makes a life changing discovery, his father and a woman he naturally assumes is his mother are in bed, both dead from gunshot wounds. The local police treat it as a tragic, clear-cut case of murder-suicide perpetrated by Reece’s father. However, Reece notices immediate, glaring inconsistencies at the crime scene. The positioning of the body, the physics of the weapon, and the overall staging strongly suggest his dad didn’t pull the trigger.
While a horrific crime scene and a cheating father are devastating enough, Reece sits on the curb awaiting formal police interrogation, when his smartphone lights up. The caller ID displays a name that makes his heart stop: Mom. His real mother is completely oblivious, calling to chat from a lunch date with friends. She mentions she hasn’t been able to reach her husband all day and asks Reece to pop by the house to see if everything is okay. Stricken with panic and unable to explain over a cellular connection that his dad is dead in bed with a total stranger, Reece simply managed three words: “Come home now.”
But she never arrives. Instead of rushing back to the house, his mother completely vanishes into thin air. Her sudden disappearance spins the investigation into a chaotic, multi-directional tailspin. Reece is left to navigate a minefield of terrifying possibilities: Did his mother discover the affair, execute her cheating husband and his mistress, and flee the jurisdiction?. Did a professional assassin target the house intending to eliminate both parents, mistakenly executing the mistress thinking she was Reece’s mother? Most alarmingly, does this gruesome double homicide stem from the unscrupulous pharmaceutical conglomerate Reece’s father worked for decades ago?
Reece is forced into a desperate, ticking-clock investigation. To protect his own wife and children from an invisible, approaching predator, he has to look past the carefully manicured façade of his childhood and figure out exactly who his parents were, what they stole, and who they hurt.
Not a Word is a tight, emotional domestic drama. Reece is full of emotion, confused, paranoid and grieving, making his descent into the dark underworld of his father’s past incredibly gripping.
This is a fast paced thriller that is emotionally charged. In my opinion it is back to the high standard I enjoyed a few years ago from Linwood Barclay.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and HQ for a supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Reece, is an ordinary guy whose world completely implodes during a routine visit to his parents’ suburban home. Walking inside, he makes a life changing discovery, his father and a woman he naturally assumes is his mother are in bed, both dead from gunshot wounds. The local police treat it as a tragic, clear-cut case of murder-suicide perpetrated by Reece’s father. However, Reece notices immediate, glaring inconsistencies at the crime scene. The positioning of the body, the physics of the weapon, and the overall staging strongly suggest his dad didn’t pull the trigger.
While a horrific crime scene and a cheating father are devastating enough, Reece sits on the curb awaiting formal police interrogation, when his smartphone lights up. The caller ID displays a name that makes his heart stop: Mom. His real mother is completely oblivious, calling to chat from a lunch date with friends. She mentions she hasn’t been able to reach her husband all day and asks Reece to pop by the house to see if everything is okay. Stricken with panic and unable to explain over a cellular connection that his dad is dead in bed with a total stranger, Reece simply managed three words: “Come home now.”
But she never arrives. Instead of rushing back to the house, his mother completely vanishes into thin air. Her sudden disappearance spins the investigation into a chaotic, multi-directional tailspin. Reece is left to navigate a minefield of terrifying possibilities: Did his mother discover the affair, execute her cheating husband and his mistress, and flee the jurisdiction?. Did a professional assassin target the house intending to eliminate both parents, mistakenly executing the mistress thinking she was Reece’s mother? Most alarmingly, does this gruesome double homicide stem from the unscrupulous pharmaceutical conglomerate Reece’s father worked for decades ago?
Reece is forced into a desperate, ticking-clock investigation. To protect his own wife and children from an invisible, approaching predator, he has to look past the carefully manicured façade of his childhood and figure out exactly who his parents were, what they stole, and who they hurt.
Not a Word is a tight, emotional domestic drama. Reece is full of emotion, confused, paranoid and grieving, making his descent into the dark underworld of his father’s past incredibly gripping.
This is a fast paced thriller that is emotionally charged. In my opinion it is back to the high standard I enjoyed a few years ago from Linwood Barclay.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and HQ for a supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Not a Word by Linwood Barclay is a highly recommended mystery/domestic thriller following a tragic crime scene in the family home which leads to a shocking conclusion.
Reece Chartwell stops by his parent's home outside of Toronto to return two books to his father, Brent, when he discovers his parents in bed, dead. It appears to be a murder-suicide and he immediately calls the police. Detective Janice McCabe questions Reece and as he waits for her to return after viewing the crime scene he receives a phone call... from his mother, Catherine. She was apparently at some luncheon. Reece immediately leaves to pick her up, and carefully break the bad news, but she is not waiting for him. It appears that the woman with his father was Leah Kennard, however, inconsistencies in the crime scene and lack of motive suggest his dad may not have shot himself.
The investigation uncovers a myriad of secrets starting with the crime scene. The secrets may also going way-back in family history, perhaps even to his father's very successful job in pharmaceutical sales of the highly addictive pain reliever, Oxy-Mirac, for Wiffel-Smith before he retired. Reece’s mother, Catherine, also seems to have more than her share of long-held secrets and dubious connections. Also involved in the events and investigation are Reece's wife Diana, son Gage (14), and brother Holden, a recovering addict. These people put the "dys" in dysfunctional family, especially Catherine.
This features a well-written, intricate, intelligent, fast-paced plot. The narrative has chapters jumping back in time to 1999 and the chapters are narrated by several different characters, including Reece, Gage, McCabe, Catherine, and a couple others (no spoilers here). The characters are developed as individuals with strengths and weaknesses along the way. As the secrets are exposed, the tension increases along side new clues which are logically followed up on in the plot. There are plenty of twists and surprises along the way. Everything works together to a satisfying conclusion. The final denouement is shocking and heartbreaking.
Not a Word is a great choice for everyone who enjoys domestic thrillers. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/0...
Reece Chartwell stops by his parent's home outside of Toronto to return two books to his father, Brent, when he discovers his parents in bed, dead. It appears to be a murder-suicide and he immediately calls the police. Detective Janice McCabe questions Reece and as he waits for her to return after viewing the crime scene he receives a phone call... from his mother, Catherine. She was apparently at some luncheon. Reece immediately leaves to pick her up, and carefully break the bad news, but she is not waiting for him. It appears that the woman with his father was Leah Kennard, however, inconsistencies in the crime scene and lack of motive suggest his dad may not have shot himself.
The investigation uncovers a myriad of secrets starting with the crime scene. The secrets may also going way-back in family history, perhaps even to his father's very successful job in pharmaceutical sales of the highly addictive pain reliever, Oxy-Mirac, for Wiffel-Smith before he retired. Reece’s mother, Catherine, also seems to have more than her share of long-held secrets and dubious connections. Also involved in the events and investigation are Reece's wife Diana, son Gage (14), and brother Holden, a recovering addict. These people put the "dys" in dysfunctional family, especially Catherine.
This features a well-written, intricate, intelligent, fast-paced plot. The narrative has chapters jumping back in time to 1999 and the chapters are narrated by several different characters, including Reece, Gage, McCabe, Catherine, and a couple others (no spoilers here). The characters are developed as individuals with strengths and weaknesses along the way. As the secrets are exposed, the tension increases along side new clues which are logically followed up on in the plot. There are plenty of twists and surprises along the way. Everything works together to a satisfying conclusion. The final denouement is shocking and heartbreaking.
Not a Word is a great choice for everyone who enjoys domestic thrillers. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/0...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Title: Not a Word
Author: Linwood Barclay
Format: 🎧
Narrators: Nan McNamara and Johnathan McClain
Publisher: Harper Audio Adult/William Morrow
Genre: Family Drama, Mystery Thriller
Audiobook Pub Date: August 25, 2026
My Rating: 3.7 Stars
Pages: 350
Setting is Toronto, Canada and story is told from the POV of Reece and Detective McCabe.
Story starts when Reece Chatwell stops by the home of his parents Brent and Catherine but finds them in bed-dead. At first glance, it looks like a murder-suicide. But on closer inspection of the crime scene it looks like his father may not have shot himself.
Reece of course, is shaken by the scene and as he is waiting to be questioned by Detective Janice McCabe. He gets a call, his first thought is it is from his wife Diana so is debating about answering then sees it is from his mother! She is asking if he will check on Dad as he isn’t answering his phone.
Hmmm so the dead naked woman was not his mother!
Story moves to Reece’s family.
His brother Holden has been in and out of rehab/treatment centers since he was a teenager.
Reece’s fourteen-year-old son Gage has been rebellious for several years.
He would turn to his grandfather for guidance. Additionally had a good relationship with his Uncle Holden. He thought his grandmother was too demanding.
Reece’s wife Diana has her hands full with Gage and feels Reece is taking the back seat in disciplining him.
Reece’s mother Catherine is busy with her social life and is keeping secrets.
Reece is News Journalist who was let go – It was hard on him emotionally as well as financially. Recent development certain adds to his stress as well as to his wife’s.
Story also goes back to 1999, when dad Brent worked for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies.
Detective McCabe.
All this family drama kept me curious – I didn’t like all the foul language however, most of them weren’t very nice so I had no doubt they used this language. So although it was not fun for me to hear it, I hung in there as the story had me hooked!
Story got more and more tangled.
Things slowly came to light.
Yet the ending was NOT what I expected!!!!!
00
Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio Adult/William Morrow for granting me this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 25, 2026.
0
Author: Linwood Barclay
Format: 🎧
Narrators: Nan McNamara and Johnathan McClain
Publisher: Harper Audio Adult/William Morrow
Genre: Family Drama, Mystery Thriller
Audiobook Pub Date: August 25, 2026
My Rating: 3.7 Stars
Pages: 350
Setting is Toronto, Canada and story is told from the POV of Reece and Detective McCabe.
Story starts when Reece Chatwell stops by the home of his parents Brent and Catherine but finds them in bed-dead. At first glance, it looks like a murder-suicide. But on closer inspection of the crime scene it looks like his father may not have shot himself.
Reece of course, is shaken by the scene and as he is waiting to be questioned by Detective Janice McCabe. He gets a call, his first thought is it is from his wife Diana so is debating about answering then sees it is from his mother! She is asking if he will check on Dad as he isn’t answering his phone.
Hmmm so the dead naked woman was not his mother!
Story moves to Reece’s family.
His brother Holden has been in and out of rehab/treatment centers since he was a teenager.
Reece’s fourteen-year-old son Gage has been rebellious for several years.
He would turn to his grandfather for guidance. Additionally had a good relationship with his Uncle Holden. He thought his grandmother was too demanding.
Reece’s wife Diana has her hands full with Gage and feels Reece is taking the back seat in disciplining him.
Reece’s mother Catherine is busy with her social life and is keeping secrets.
Reece is News Journalist who was let go – It was hard on him emotionally as well as financially. Recent development certain adds to his stress as well as to his wife’s.
Story also goes back to 1999, when dad Brent worked for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies.
Detective McCabe.
All this family drama kept me curious – I didn’t like all the foul language however, most of them weren’t very nice so I had no doubt they used this language. So although it was not fun for me to hear it, I hung in there as the story had me hooked!
Story got more and more tangled.
Things slowly came to light.
Yet the ending was NOT what I expected!!!!!
00
Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio Adult/William Morrow for granting me this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 25, 2026.
0
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advance ARC in return for an honest review.
Not a Word is another stand alone thriller from Linwood Barclay which grabs the reader by the throat from the very first chapter. Reece Chartwell is a recently down sized news writer looking for a fresh start, but in the meantime decides to go the family home to return some books he borrowed from his father. Upon his arrival, he finds his father's car in the drive but no one answers the door. After dropping off the books, he goes upstairs only to find his father, Brent Chartwell, and what appears to be his mother dead in their bed due to a murder suicide. After calling the cops, and being questioned, Reece walks outside and receives a text from MOM.
This sets off an existential crisis for Reece, relieved his mother is alive but begs the question, who is the dead woman next to his father? Learning that his Mother still breathes sets off a seismic chain reaction involving Reese's older brother, Holden, a "recovering" addict, his wife Diana, and son Gage, and of course his mother who seems to be at the center of it all.
While investigating what seemed to be an open and shut case, Detective McCabe learns that the slugs removed from the dead woman match slugs from an unsolved murder in 1999 that involved a pharmaceutical sales person who was working with the same company as Reese's now deceased father. It seems that they both worked for a company that sounds an awful lot like the Canadian version of Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family saga. It seems that Wiffel- Smith was burying evidence of the addictive qualities of their opioid drug and paying off the regulators for big profits and Brent Chartwell apparently got out just before the Sh*t hit the fan.
Unfortunately due to the strange circumstances of the two dead bodies in bed, corporate secrets and family secrets have a way of rising up to reek havoc in the present day resulting in more dead bodies and ultimately a showdown between the guilty parties and Reese and his family.
A fun quick read with the usual Twists and Turns and surprise at the end typical of a Linwood Barclay mystery. Highly recommended.
#NotaWord #NetGalley
Not a Word is another stand alone thriller from Linwood Barclay which grabs the reader by the throat from the very first chapter. Reece Chartwell is a recently down sized news writer looking for a fresh start, but in the meantime decides to go the family home to return some books he borrowed from his father. Upon his arrival, he finds his father's car in the drive but no one answers the door. After dropping off the books, he goes upstairs only to find his father, Brent Chartwell, and what appears to be his mother dead in their bed due to a murder suicide. After calling the cops, and being questioned, Reece walks outside and receives a text from MOM.
This sets off an existential crisis for Reece, relieved his mother is alive but begs the question, who is the dead woman next to his father? Learning that his Mother still breathes sets off a seismic chain reaction involving Reese's older brother, Holden, a "recovering" addict, his wife Diana, and son Gage, and of course his mother who seems to be at the center of it all.
While investigating what seemed to be an open and shut case, Detective McCabe learns that the slugs removed from the dead woman match slugs from an unsolved murder in 1999 that involved a pharmaceutical sales person who was working with the same company as Reese's now deceased father. It seems that they both worked for a company that sounds an awful lot like the Canadian version of Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family saga. It seems that Wiffel- Smith was burying evidence of the addictive qualities of their opioid drug and paying off the regulators for big profits and Brent Chartwell apparently got out just before the Sh*t hit the fan.
Unfortunately due to the strange circumstances of the two dead bodies in bed, corporate secrets and family secrets have a way of rising up to reek havoc in the present day resulting in more dead bodies and ultimately a showdown between the guilty parties and Reese and his family.
A fun quick read with the usual Twists and Turns and surprise at the end typical of a Linwood Barclay mystery. Highly recommended.
#NotaWord #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’m really not sure how this is my first read by Linwood Barclay?! First of all, many thanks to NetGalley for giving me an early digital copy to read. I stayed thoroughly entertained with this book, and I will be looking forward to reading more from this author going forward!
In this story, Reece Chartwell arrives at his parents home, only to find who he thinks is his mother and father murdered in their bed. Not only were his mother and father murdered, it appears to have been a murder-suicide. How can that be? Reece’s father could never do such a thing…
After Reece is done being questioned by Detective McCabe, he receives a phone call from his mother. What?! 🤯 If the dead woman in bed with his father wasn’t his mother, then who was she?
We then get to meet Reece’s brother, Holden. Holden has been in and out of rehab/treatment centers since he was a teenager. Reece’s son Gage has been disappearing and not sleeping well at night. Catherine, Reece’s mother is keeping secrets that are slowly coming to light. We also get flashbacks to 1999, when Brent Chartwell, Reece’s father, worked for one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies around. That company was Wiffel-Smith.
As we are introduced to all these characters and the flashback to 1999, everything starts to come together as to who the woman was in bed with Brent Chartwell, and what really happened. There were so many secrets, and I was pointing my finger at every single character in this story.
I really enjoyed the fast pacing of this story, and I did enjoy the storyline enough. However, I did feel that there was a bit of repetition going on between the characters. Some of the facts/stories were repeated over and over. I also kind of knew how this story would end, and I’m having a hard time buying it unfortunately. It might sit better with others than it did with me. All in all, this was still a good read that I do recommend reading.
(3.5 stars)
Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and the author for a DRC of this book in which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: August 25, 2026
Genre~ Mystery & Thrillers, General Fiction (adult).
In this story, Reece Chartwell arrives at his parents home, only to find who he thinks is his mother and father murdered in their bed. Not only were his mother and father murdered, it appears to have been a murder-suicide. How can that be? Reece’s father could never do such a thing…
After Reece is done being questioned by Detective McCabe, he receives a phone call from his mother. What?! 🤯 If the dead woman in bed with his father wasn’t his mother, then who was she?
We then get to meet Reece’s brother, Holden. Holden has been in and out of rehab/treatment centers since he was a teenager. Reece’s son Gage has been disappearing and not sleeping well at night. Catherine, Reece’s mother is keeping secrets that are slowly coming to light. We also get flashbacks to 1999, when Brent Chartwell, Reece’s father, worked for one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies around. That company was Wiffel-Smith.
As we are introduced to all these characters and the flashback to 1999, everything starts to come together as to who the woman was in bed with Brent Chartwell, and what really happened. There were so many secrets, and I was pointing my finger at every single character in this story.
I really enjoyed the fast pacing of this story, and I did enjoy the storyline enough. However, I did feel that there was a bit of repetition going on between the characters. Some of the facts/stories were repeated over and over. I also kind of knew how this story would end, and I’m having a hard time buying it unfortunately. It might sit better with others than it did with me. All in all, this was still a good read that I do recommend reading.
(3.5 stars)
Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and the author for a DRC of this book in which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: August 25, 2026
Genre~ Mystery & Thrillers, General Fiction (adult).
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 stars, actually.
I’m a big fan of this author, loving every single book of his I’ve read so far. And with all its twists and turns, this one certainly didn’t disappoint.
It begins as Reece Chartwell comes to visit his parents, Brent and Catherine, in their home near Toronto. He’s greeted by a sight no son could ever envision, much less accept: His parents in bed, both shot to death - with blood everywhere. That’s not something a son ever gets over, even with help from his wife Diana and son Gage.
There’s a police investigation, of course, and the initial ruling is that it’s a murder-suicide; his father shot his mother, then himself. Except, that is, till Reece gets a text from his mother indicating she’s nowhere near dead, and further investigation finds that the woman with whom his father was in bed is a different woman – one unknown to Reece and his drug-addicted brother, Holden. Complicating matters even more is that while his mother agrees to meet with Reece, she doesn’t actually show up – and can’t be found anywhere. So did she walk in to find a strange woman in her husband’s bed and kill them both?
Such is the primary suspicion in the mind of detective Janice McCabe, who manages at least to find the name of the murdered woman. Everything else is a huge mystery that includes the possibility that one or both of the victims was the target of the real killer. But who might that be, and what was the motive?
Some evidence leads Reece to believe it might have something to do with the Big Pharma company for which his father worked – a company that could be hiding Big Secrets that someone still there doesn’t want to go public. But really – would anyone still there still be worried enough about something like that to commit murder?
Those questions, and many more, get answered as the story moves along, and of course you’ll get Not Another Word from me about all that. What I will say is that this is another winner in my book, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get a sneak peek by way of a pre-release copy. Go get one for yourself – you won’t be sorry.
I’m a big fan of this author, loving every single book of his I’ve read so far. And with all its twists and turns, this one certainly didn’t disappoint.
It begins as Reece Chartwell comes to visit his parents, Brent and Catherine, in their home near Toronto. He’s greeted by a sight no son could ever envision, much less accept: His parents in bed, both shot to death - with blood everywhere. That’s not something a son ever gets over, even with help from his wife Diana and son Gage.
There’s a police investigation, of course, and the initial ruling is that it’s a murder-suicide; his father shot his mother, then himself. Except, that is, till Reece gets a text from his mother indicating she’s nowhere near dead, and further investigation finds that the woman with whom his father was in bed is a different woman – one unknown to Reece and his drug-addicted brother, Holden. Complicating matters even more is that while his mother agrees to meet with Reece, she doesn’t actually show up – and can’t be found anywhere. So did she walk in to find a strange woman in her husband’s bed and kill them both?
Such is the primary suspicion in the mind of detective Janice McCabe, who manages at least to find the name of the murdered woman. Everything else is a huge mystery that includes the possibility that one or both of the victims was the target of the real killer. But who might that be, and what was the motive?
Some evidence leads Reece to believe it might have something to do with the Big Pharma company for which his father worked – a company that could be hiding Big Secrets that someone still there doesn’t want to go public. But really – would anyone still there still be worried enough about something like that to commit murder?
Those questions, and many more, get answered as the story moves along, and of course you’ll get Not Another Word from me about all that. What I will say is that this is another winner in my book, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to get a sneak peek by way of a pre-release copy. Go get one for yourself – you won’t be sorry.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Reece Chartwell decides to visit his parents house, hoping to get some guidance from his father following a redundancy. He’s shocked to the core to discover his parents in bed, dead. At first glance it looks like murder – suicide but then Reece’s world is further rocked when his phone lights up and it’s a call from his mother. To say he’s reeling is a distinct understatement. He needs to brace himself because plenty more shocks are in store for him and his family.
This is another good, well plotted novel from Linwood Barclay and it’s 0 to 60 in a few seconds, no messing about, just straight into the storytelling. This is one thing amongst many others that I like about this author, there’s nothing unnecessary, no tangential plot lines to distract. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of twists, there are many and they’re good ones.
This is an intriguing family drama, as it soon becomes apparent that all is not well in the State of Chartwell. Reece’s parents are hiding, if not submerging, a great deal of secrets and they’re big ones. Happy families they are not. Gage, Reece’s son, sums up matriarch Catherine beautifully, and it’s bang on the money. There’s tension both within and without, as external forces closing on the family with sketchy characters “circling the wagons“ as the past comes back to haunt them. The whole family setup is off from the start and it gets weirder and weirder and has me sparking ideas and thoughts,left right and centre. I love a book like that!
The novel is fast-paced, it’s suspenseful, it has a number of well thought out elements to it making it very entertaining from start to finish. Linwood Barclay never let his readers down, and he’s produced yet another page turner which is significantly different from his last book Whistle, proving he can master more than one genre.
If you like family dramas/thrillers with dark secrets, this is definitely for you.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
This is another good, well plotted novel from Linwood Barclay and it’s 0 to 60 in a few seconds, no messing about, just straight into the storytelling. This is one thing amongst many others that I like about this author, there’s nothing unnecessary, no tangential plot lines to distract. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of twists, there are many and they’re good ones.
This is an intriguing family drama, as it soon becomes apparent that all is not well in the State of Chartwell. Reece’s parents are hiding, if not submerging, a great deal of secrets and they’re big ones. Happy families they are not. Gage, Reece’s son, sums up matriarch Catherine beautifully, and it’s bang on the money. There’s tension both within and without, as external forces closing on the family with sketchy characters “circling the wagons“ as the past comes back to haunt them. The whole family setup is off from the start and it gets weirder and weirder and has me sparking ideas and thoughts,left right and centre. I love a book like that!
The novel is fast-paced, it’s suspenseful, it has a number of well thought out elements to it making it very entertaining from start to finish. Linwood Barclay never let his readers down, and he’s produced yet another page turner which is significantly different from his last book Whistle, proving he can master more than one genre.
If you like family dramas/thrillers with dark secrets, this is definitely for you.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Linwood Barclay consistently delivers for me and this book was no exception! It was hard to put down!
When Reece drops by his parents home unexpectedly, he is shocked to discover a bloody crime scene,-what appears to be a murder-suicide in their bedroom, with his father Brent killing his mother Catherine, and then taking his own life.
The Police arrive and after Reece gives his initial statement, he is asked to wait by the Detective investigating, but when he receives a phone call from the last person he ever would have expected to hear from, he flees the scene.
Of course, nothing is ever open and shut-and soon inconsistencies arise.
As Detective McCabe works the case, Reece learns that this could be linked to Wiffel-Smith-the unscrupulous pharmaceutical company his father worked for years ago, and the secrets about the pain reliever, Oxy-Mirac that were buried back in 1999.
Secrets his older brother, Holden may be privy to.
WHAT really happened in Brent and Catherine’s bedroom that afternoon-and WHY?
Around the halfway point, I suspected WHO would be involved, and you probably will too-but the explanation of exactly how everything transpired is IMPOSSIBLE to put together!
This is a FAST PACED (especially the second half) ENTERTAINING family drama and Police Procedural, that kept me guessing!
And, actually had me TEARY EYED at the conclusion!
My favorites by this author are his books which dabble with the Supernatural/light horror like last year’s WHISTLE and his 2018 book A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS, but this proves that he can write in several genres, which has me requesting everything that he writes! I can’t wait to see what he pens next!
Did Marilyn enjoy this one? Watch for her review to find out!
Expected publication date: August 25, 2026
Thank You to William Morrow for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
When Reece drops by his parents home unexpectedly, he is shocked to discover a bloody crime scene,-what appears to be a murder-suicide in their bedroom, with his father Brent killing his mother Catherine, and then taking his own life.
The Police arrive and after Reece gives his initial statement, he is asked to wait by the Detective investigating, but when he receives a phone call from the last person he ever would have expected to hear from, he flees the scene.
Of course, nothing is ever open and shut-and soon inconsistencies arise.
As Detective McCabe works the case, Reece learns that this could be linked to Wiffel-Smith-the unscrupulous pharmaceutical company his father worked for years ago, and the secrets about the pain reliever, Oxy-Mirac that were buried back in 1999.
Secrets his older brother, Holden may be privy to.
WHAT really happened in Brent and Catherine’s bedroom that afternoon-and WHY?
Around the halfway point, I suspected WHO would be involved, and you probably will too-but the explanation of exactly how everything transpired is IMPOSSIBLE to put together!
This is a FAST PACED (especially the second half) ENTERTAINING family drama and Police Procedural, that kept me guessing!
And, actually had me TEARY EYED at the conclusion!
My favorites by this author are his books which dabble with the Supernatural/light horror like last year’s WHISTLE and his 2018 book A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS, but this proves that he can write in several genres, which has me requesting everything that he writes! I can’t wait to see what he pens next!
Did Marilyn enjoy this one? Watch for her review to find out!
Expected publication date: August 25, 2026
Thank You to William Morrow for the gifted ARC provided by NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓.
Reece walks into his parents’ house and finds his father in bed with a woman he can only assume is his mother—both dead. Already a nightmare. Already a situation I would not recover from. But then his phone rings and, inexplicably, it’s his mom. Alive. Casual. Asking him to check on his father. At that point, I would simply exit the narrative and run away screaming, but Reece? Our boy runs toward the mystery. And from there, this story absolutely yeets itself off a cliff into chaos.
This book does not walk. It does not build slowly. It grabs you by the collar in chapter one and just keeps escalating like it has something to prove. Every time I thought, okay, this is the twist, the story basically laughed in my face and said, lol, nope. Secrets pile up. Motives shift. People start looking suspicious who had no business being suspicious five pages ago. And the deeper Reece digs, the worse it gets. Honestly, if the Fates of Greek mythology were in charge of his life, they’d be in the corner cackling—because this entire story feels like a thread being pulled until everything unravels.
By the final stretch, I was fully bracing for impact. This is one of those thrillers where you stop trying to predict what’s coming and just hold on while it unfolds. And when it’s all said and done, you’re left sitting there, blinking, replaying everything, wondering how a story this twisted managed to spiral so completely out of control without you noticing sooner. If you like your thrillers fast, chaotic, and just a little unhinged, this one absolutely delivers. Read it. Then come back and tell me you weren’t completely thrown. Many thanks to William Morrow for this early copy that will publish August 25, 2026.
Reece walks into his parents’ house and finds his father in bed with a woman he can only assume is his mother—both dead. Already a nightmare. Already a situation I would not recover from. But then his phone rings and, inexplicably, it’s his mom. Alive. Casual. Asking him to check on his father. At that point, I would simply exit the narrative and run away screaming, but Reece? Our boy runs toward the mystery. And from there, this story absolutely yeets itself off a cliff into chaos.
This book does not walk. It does not build slowly. It grabs you by the collar in chapter one and just keeps escalating like it has something to prove. Every time I thought, okay, this is the twist, the story basically laughed in my face and said, lol, nope. Secrets pile up. Motives shift. People start looking suspicious who had no business being suspicious five pages ago. And the deeper Reece digs, the worse it gets. Honestly, if the Fates of Greek mythology were in charge of his life, they’d be in the corner cackling—because this entire story feels like a thread being pulled until everything unravels.
By the final stretch, I was fully bracing for impact. This is one of those thrillers where you stop trying to predict what’s coming and just hold on while it unfolds. And when it’s all said and done, you’re left sitting there, blinking, replaying everything, wondering how a story this twisted managed to spiral so completely out of control without you noticing sooner. If you like your thrillers fast, chaotic, and just a little unhinged, this one absolutely delivers. Read it. Then come back and tell me you weren’t completely thrown. Many thanks to William Morrow for this early copy that will publish August 25, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Wm. Morrow & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Linwood Barclay is getting weirder and weirder, and I am here for it!
This story is not (thankfully) another supernatural outing (although I'd read it if it were). This is a straight up twisty murder mystery of the type that Barclay has been honing for the last couple of decades, and it's a good one.
First, there is the murder, and then we meet the cast of characters, and then shit starts happening: Reece, younger son, is entreated by his mom to stop by the family domicile (Reece is an adult and out of the house) to check on his dad, who his mom cannot reach on the phone. Reece finds lots of nothing good there, and the bad stuff is compounded by the fact that his dad is not only dead, but also naked and not alone. Reece calls his mom and tells her she needs to come home, and she demands to be picked up, then promptly disappears, both incidents creating havoc in the police dept. The crime scene seems straightforward, but is it really? Reece's mom's strange reactions have everyone, including the detective in charge of the case, feeling hinky, and when we meet the rest of this dysfunctional family, it only feels weirder; Reece's brother, Holden, is a bit of a mess, and his quasi-GF, Alicia, isn't much better - they are both fresh out of rehab, and not exactly acting like it, and Reece's son, Gage, is 14 and having a hard time dealing with his emotions in the face of this tragedy.
Barclay keeps you guessing throughout, not that it's easy to figure out how all these strands tie together. Perhaps in deference to the M. Night Shyamalan-ing of the book world (thanks a lot, Freida McFadden/Sara Cohen), he even delivers a twist, which I didn't love but grudgingly respect.
4.5 stars rounded up. Please keep writing, Mr. Barclay.
Linwood Barclay is getting weirder and weirder, and I am here for it!
This story is not (thankfully) another supernatural outing (although I'd read it if it were). This is a straight up twisty murder mystery of the type that Barclay has been honing for the last couple of decades, and it's a good one.
First, there is the murder, and then we meet the cast of characters, and then shit starts happening: Reece, younger son, is entreated by his mom to stop by the family domicile (Reece is an adult and out of the house) to check on his dad, who his mom cannot reach on the phone. Reece finds lots of nothing good there, and the bad stuff is compounded by the fact that his dad is not only dead, but also naked and not alone. Reece calls his mom and tells her she needs to come home, and she demands to be picked up, then promptly disappears, both incidents creating havoc in the police dept. The crime scene seems straightforward, but is it really? Reece's mom's strange reactions have everyone, including the detective in charge of the case, feeling hinky, and when we meet the rest of this dysfunctional family, it only feels weirder; Reece's brother, Holden, is a bit of a mess, and his quasi-GF, Alicia, isn't much better - they are both fresh out of rehab, and not exactly acting like it, and Reece's son, Gage, is 14 and having a hard time dealing with his emotions in the face of this tragedy.
Barclay keeps you guessing throughout, not that it's easy to figure out how all these strands tie together. Perhaps in deference to the M. Night Shyamalan-ing of the book world (thanks a lot, Freida McFadden/Sara Cohen), he even delivers a twist, which I didn't love but grudgingly respect.
4.5 stars rounded up. Please keep writing, Mr. Barclay.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Between the title and the book’s prologue, one thing is clear. Someone is going to know something and they sure better keep it to themselves! I found it very easy to be hooked on this book from the very beginning and that never changed. The book opens with our protagonist, Reece Chartwell, talking to a detective about the two bodies found in his parents’ bedroom. It appears that his father has committed a murder-suicide. The only thing is, the dead woman is not his mother.
We quickly learn that the Chartwell family has a lot of drama. Reece’s father worked for years as a top salesman for a pharmaceutical company that sold an addictive pain killer called Oxy-Mirac. (This reminded me of the real-life troubles which followed the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma). A lot of conflict came from that job as the enticement of the easy money was offset by the growing realization of the drug’s severe adverse effects. These conflicts, which impacted not only Reece’s parents but he and his brother as well, result in secrets that are better left untold.
This was my third Barclay book, after The Lie Maker and I Will Ruin You, two books I have previously recommended. It was an easy read, and I found it to be enjoyable, despite not relating at all to the behaviors of a couple of the characters. I do not normally wish for books to be longer but I could have more readily accepted the actions of these characters if a little more time had been devoted to making their behaviors relatable. Consider that to be a nitpicky comment. I greatly enjoyed this book and hope to read Linwood Barclay again in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book. The above opinions are my own.
We quickly learn that the Chartwell family has a lot of drama. Reece’s father worked for years as a top salesman for a pharmaceutical company that sold an addictive pain killer called Oxy-Mirac. (This reminded me of the real-life troubles which followed the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma). A lot of conflict came from that job as the enticement of the easy money was offset by the growing realization of the drug’s severe adverse effects. These conflicts, which impacted not only Reece’s parents but he and his brother as well, result in secrets that are better left untold.
This was my third Barclay book, after The Lie Maker and I Will Ruin You, two books I have previously recommended. It was an easy read, and I found it to be enjoyable, despite not relating at all to the behaviors of a couple of the characters. I do not normally wish for books to be longer but I could have more readily accepted the actions of these characters if a little more time had been devoted to making their behaviors relatable. Consider that to be a nitpicky comment. I greatly enjoyed this book and hope to read Linwood Barclay again in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book. The above opinions are my own.
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