I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't read anything by Linwood Barclay up until this point, but the plot summary of this book looked interesting and I thought I'd give it a go.

While there's nothing really wrong with the book, it didn't pull me in at all. The opening chapter, in which a drive-in explodes, was enticing enough, but after that POV shifted between lots of characters who I didn't have any reason to care about. This could be because I didn't read the first book in the trilogy, but since this is only the second book, I shouldn't have that hard of a time connecting, I think, and it's due more to the writing than to lack of knowledge.

The book ends up being about the social machinations of some underground swingers, and it felt like a lot of the book was titillation regarding this lifestyle. I don't think anything goes beyond PG rated, but it may be thrilling enough for some folks. It felt to me like the book was trying to be shocking, but didn't really want to go "too far".

So in the end, I'm not inspired to read more by this author. Could be that I'm just not the right audience for this.

This is another thrilling book from Linwood Barclay, the 2nd in the Promise Falls trilogy. It's been a while since I read Broken Promise, the first of the trilogy, so I would have liked to have a couple of chapters reviewing the events in the first book. I had forgotten a lot of what took place and how the characters related. I was a little overwhelmed trying to remember and to keep all the characters straight. For this reason, I think it is definitely necessary to read these in order and as closely together as possible. All that aside, this book is full of action and suspense and is a good continuation of the series. It leaves you anticipating the third one as very few answers to the mystery are revealed and the ending never really ends. You definitely need to read all three books, which of course, is the whole point of writing a good trilogy. Thanks to Netgalley for providing a review copy of this book.

Jag ville ha ett säkert kort och tyckte att det var lämpligt att fortsätta Linwood Barclays serie om Promise Falls. Det var inte speciellt längesedan (allt är relativt) jag läste första delen och jag tänkte att lite knappt 1,5 år inte skulle betyda att jag hade glömt allt. Vad jag kom ihåg så var den i alla fall väldigt spännande och klurig. Glad i hågen gav jag mig på andra delen, Lögnen. Läs mer på min blogg

UGH!!! You did it to me again Linwood Barclay!! You left me hanging!! I cannot wait for the final book in this trilogy. I did have a rough start as I had to remember all of the characters (not just from Broken Promise) and how they played a part in the story. Once I got caught up, I could not put this book down. Hurry up and release the final book!!!

True rating - 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and NAL for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

I am very happy to be able to keep up with Barclay's Promise Falls Series. This is book 2 and it seems that book 3 will wrap up all the loose ends. I haven't read any of his other works but I've moved them to my to-read list because I really like his style.
Book 1 characters David Harwood and Detective Duckworth feature in this second installment of the Promise Falls Trilogy but joining them is PI Cal Weaver. Some of the loose end storylines are resolved in this book and others are still unresolved leading into book 3. This title starts with a tragic accident happening at the drive-in theater. The large screen falls into the parking lot, crushing cars and killing 4 people. Detective Duckworth needs to figure out who did this and why and as he investigates the number 23 keeps coming back at him. There were the 23 dead squirrels, the ferris wheel cart #23, and the hoodie with 23 on it from book 1. And the trend, because that is what it seems to be, continues with the fall of the movie screen and other things that happen thereafter. Suddenly Duckworth believes he is dealing with a killer trying to send a very specific message - the problem is he can't figure his way to what 23 is supposed to mean. Meanwhile, David Harwood is dealing with his new boss - the former mayor who wants a second chance and trying to catch the attention of a woman who has caught his. But she's got her own problem - her son's grandparents are threatening her and PI Cal Weaver finds his way into her dilemma quite by accident. But Cal needs the work so he takes the job and the other one that comes his way - a home break-in where nothing seems to be missing but something has most definitely been taken. Promise Falls, for such a "small" town, is busy with crime and intrigue these days.

With this setup, you'd think I'd like this sequel better, but oddly enough the first book had me a little more engaged with a new premise. This book was too paint by numbers for my taste. It's not bad, but it doesn't take risks or give you anything new. If you changed the names in the book, you wouldn't be lost and that's a huge downside for me.

This one moved kind of slow & way too many characters.