Book blurb…
A missing woman. A husband suspected.
The truth will … Take Your Breath Away. Linwood Barclay is…
‘A suspense master’ Stephen King 
‘In a class of his own’ T.M. Logan
‘One of the finest thriller writers in the world’ Mark Billingham
It’s always the husband, isn’t it?
One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most people assumed Andy had got away with murder, but the police couldn’t build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom – he drank too much, was abandoned by his friends, nearly lost his business and became a pariah in the place he had once called home.
Now, six years later, Andy has put his life back together. He’s sold the house he shared with Brie and moved away for a fresh start. When he hears his old house has been bulldozed and a new house built in its place, he’s not bothered. He’s settled with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good.
But Andy’s peaceful world is about to shatter. One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, ‘Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?' And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman – who bears a striking resemblance to Brie – is gone. The police are notified and old questions – and dark suspicions – resurface.
Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? It soon becomes clear that Andy’s future, and the lives of those closest to him, depends on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers…

My Thoughts…
This story was fantastic and plotted to perfection.
I thought I had the storyline sorted but I was so wrong!!!! (Bonus stars for doing that, Linwood Barclay.)

I love a story that has me constantly guessing, and the level of suspense in this novel is truly breathtaking.

Did he kill her? Is she still alive?

If he didn’t do it, who did and why is she back if he killed her? See what I mean? So may questions.

This was a great story and brilliant storytelling.

This book was compulsive reading. I couldnt put it down. The king of suspense . The characters were very well created. I was suspicious of everyone and their motives. Very unpredictable which means I loved it.

I have really been getting into thrillers and mysteries lately and I am loving them. They make you think and keep you on edge just waiting to see what happens next! And this is certainly one of those type of books.

It is a gripping tale of murder and one that you never know the truth until the end. It isn't predictable, it is full of action and stories that come together to make a bigger picture as well it is a book not to be read at night as you won't get any sleep (you won't want to put it down).

Highly recommend this to anyone who loves a mystery, loves twists and turns and loves a book that grips you and won't let go.

3.5 stars.

Brie Mason went missing without a trace six years ago. Everyone blamed her husband, Andrew, who was supposedly spending a weekend away on a business trip. Six years later, Andrew had built a new life and tried to put everything behind, but then Brie was spotted outside of her old house. Was it really her? If yes, where had she been all this time and why did she come back?

This was a decent thriller with an intriguing plot. Just like other Linwood Barclay books, it was fast paced and easy to consume. Having said that, the first 30% of the advanced copy I read was a bit repetitive (not sure if the final version was more streamlined), and it only got to the usual Barclay-style pace around the 60% mark.

I liked most of the characters, especially Andrew, Jayne and Brie’s siblings. I didn’t really care too much about Tyler and the Detective, so their chapters and the long background stories were just fillers for me.

I really enjoyed the journey leading up to the reveal, as well as the ending. I flew through the last 20% or so and couldn’t put the book down.

After reading my first Linwood Barclay last year, I had to get my hands on a copy of Take Your Breath Away and I am so glad I did!

Another edge of your seat, fast-paced, thrilling rollercoaster ride! Twisty, addictive and full of mystery!

Andrew Mason's wife Brie disappeared six years ago. The prime suspect was Andrew who happened to be away on a boys trip at the time, so with no evidence, no charges were made against him.

After some time, Andrew moves on with his life. He has changed his name, rebuilt his life in another town and is in a happy, long term relationship with Jayne. Life is good!

That is until a woman with great resemblance to Brie shows up at their old house making a scene, the neighbour calls the police and soon old questions and suspicions are resurfaced. But could Brie really still be alive after all this time and if so, where has she been?

An engaging read by a brilliant story teller! I flew through this and read the first 250 pages in the first sitting! I did not want to put it down!

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed previous books by Linwood Barclay. Would still recommend to fans of his.

You can always rely on Linwood Barclay to deliver a page turning read. I think my favourite has been Never Look Away which came out around the same time as Gone Girl and although similar themes it, in my opinion, was a far better book.
Andrews wife Brie disappeared while he was away on a fishing trip with his friend and business partner Greg. Although he had an alibi, most people thought he had killed Brie, including her family and the detective who investigated the case. She however could not find enough evidence to convict Andrew but continued to watch him as the years went by. After a bout of self destruction where he drank too much and nearly lost his business, Andrew has turned his life around, found a new partner and is finally making some headway in his life.
One day however, a lady resembling Brie turns up at their old family home. Soon she appears at the hospital where Brie’s mother is in the last days of her life, then she appears to her mum, creeping into her room late at night and assures her she is well and has some stuff to sort out.
Andrew isn’t so sure it can be his wife, wouldn’t she have contacted him before now, and where has she been. The police think maybe Andrew staged it so they would finally leave him alone, but someone doesn’t want Brie to return, and as in every good thriller, things start to go wrong very very fast.
A good easy read from a great story teller

#TakeYourBreathAway #NetGalley

I haven't read a Linwood Barclay book for a while after going through a stage of reading 4 in a row but there is a reason his books are so easy to binge on! Addictive, clever, plot twists you don't see coming and just all round fantastic psychological crime.
This new one is one of my favourites. Told from many different perspectives, putting this all together is like one big jigsaw puzzle where not all of the parts seem perfect fits but it isn't till you get to the end that you figure out just which piece is the actual faulty one.
Looks like I am going back now to the few books I have missed before this one and another Linwood binge is on the way.
Excellent!

4.5★s

Six years after his wife Brie Mason had vanished, seemingly without trace, Andrew had changed his surname, moved to a different area and met Jayne, whom he loved deeply. Jayne’s teenage brother Tyler, also lived with them. The shock Andrew felt when he received a call from his old neighbour, Max, to say a woman had turned up that day, who bore a striking resemblance to Brie, astounded him. Detective Marissa Hardy was notified, and she was once again on the case. She’d hounded Andrew back when Brie first disappeared, always believing he’d killed her. But the return of this woman, if it was Brie, brought all her previous assumptions undone.

With Brie’s family – her sister and brother, and in-laws – once again involved, Andrew started to investigate on his own. He’d kept a lot from Jayne, which of course she found out from Hardy, and things were rocky. What would happen if the woman was Brie? Where had she been for the past six years? And why did she turn up now? Andrew hoped his life wouldn’t fall apart again…

Take Your Breath Away is a psychological thriller by Linwood Barclay, with loads of twists and turns, especially as I moved closer to the finish. A breathtaking, chilling novel, with characters who all had secrets – every one of them! I haven’t read a Barclay in awhile, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. What a book. Another amazing read by Barclay.
This story of a missing wife, assumed to have been killed by her husband, but not proven. The twists in this one is fantastic. I thought I had it all worked out, but it true Barclay style, I was totally bamboozled and he brought the ending in. Highly recommend reading this one..

One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most people assumed Andy had got away with murder, but the police couldn’t build a strong case against him. This is the story of what happened to Brie and has Andrew been unjustly treated.

This was so good, Linwood Barclay really has excelled in this book. Highly entertaining which I read it in two sittings, I really did not want to put it down. The plot was strong and the characters felt real, The story is told from multiple view points and this to me enhanced the story, you were turning the pages wondering what is really going on which is always the sign of a great book to me. There were secrets, twists and turns around each corner but these were all brought together beautifully in the end.

I highly recommend this book and have rarely been disappointed by this author of whom I have read many books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

It’s always the husband isn’t it?

The cliche exists because in many cases it’s true - but is it true in this case? Six years ago Andrew (Andy) Mason went away to his lakeside cabin with his best friend and business partner, Greg, for a weekend of fishing and chilling. His wife, Brie, called him on the Saturday night. When Andy got home on Sunday his wife was nowhere to be found. Despite Andy having an alibi, Detective Marissa Hardy was convinced Andy had killed his wife and disposed of her body. But without any definitive proof she could do nothing.

Eventually Andy sold the house, moved away, changed his name and started a new relationship with Jayne. But then it appears that Brie is back. A woman looking very much like Brie drives up to the old address, unloads some groceries and then yells where is my house? The new owners had razed the old house and built a modern edifice on the site. Footage from the doorbell cam is grainy but it certainly looks like Brie.

There is another sighting soon after. Brie’s mother is in palliative care and her other children Albert and Izzy along with Norman, Izzy’s husband see a woman from the hospital window. She looks at them and waves. By the time they race down to the car park she is gone. Detective Hardy doesn’t know what to make of it and Andy is thrown. Of course he hasn’t told Jayne anything about Brie and her disappearance yet.

However the re-emergence of Brie does make some people very uncomfortable and the pace really picks up as everybody scrambles to work out - is it really Brie? And what are the implications for them? There are many secrets to come out and dangers to confront.

This story is classic Barclay - ordinary people confronting extraordinary circumstances. He puts his characters through the wringer and I can’t get enough of it! Andy seemed like a really great guy and Izzy was a harradin. Norman was a saint for putting up with her. Greg was the best friend we could all use. Albert frustrated in his job and yearning to write. It turns out that some of them are not as they seem. This was an enjoyable, escapist read! Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Take Your Breath Away is the thirteenth stand-alone novel by Canadian author, Linwood Barclay. When his wife, Brie disappears from their Milford, Connecticut home, Andrew Mason sells the old house they were planning to restore, moves away and changes his last name. It’s the only way he can escape from the media attention focussed on him as prime suspect, despite no body ever being found.

Six years on, he is living in nearby Stratford with Jayne Keeling and her younger brother Tyler when his former neighbour, Max rings with an incredible piece of news: Brie, or someone who looks very much like her, has turned up at their old address, demanding to know what has happened to her house, before driving off.

Even though he has steadfastly maintained his innocence, Detective Marissa Hardy has always been convinced that Andy Mason had driven back from his lakeside cabin, murdered Brie and disposed of her body, then returned to Sorrow Bay and his sleeping best friend to cement his alibi. So has Brie turned up alive? If so, why now? Where has she been, and why was she silent all this time? And why just a fleeting glimpse?

Elizabeth McBain will soon be dead of cancer, and wishes only that she could know, before she dies, what happened to her daughter six years earlier. Brie’s sister Isabel has conducted a relentless harassment campaign against Andy, sure that he killed her sister. But a second sighting of Brie sows some doubts.

Barclay has crafted a gripping mystery that keeps the reader guessing and the action-packed pages turning through several climaxes (one quite gory) to the final reveals. It all feels very straight and serious until the laundromat manager enters the scene: his contributions are somehow blackly funny.

Barclay uses multiple narrators to present different aspects of the story, some of whose reliability might be in question. Certainly, they each seem to be keeping some deep, dark secrets which, as they are exposed, will have the reader second-guessing their ideas about the perpetrator. Perhaps pre-booking a chiropractic appointment for the final chapters would be wise. This is hard-to-put-down intrigue, laced with deliciously dark humour, from a master of the genre.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

Sometimes books work best if you haven't read the blurb before diving in. I mean, I always read the blurb before deciding whether I'll request/borrow/buy/read a book (unless it's one of my go-to authors and Linwood Barclay probably makes that list anyway!) but here for example Barclay opens with a prologue that - had I just read the blurb - I'd realise what was going to happen. Or at least maybe happen. Instead I'd kinda bonded with the likeable (potential) victim, not realising they may soon be gone. So... my breath was [indeed] a little taken away initially.

Barclay offers us an array of characters. Obviously there's Andrew and he's one of our narrators so we know exactly how he acted and coped after the disappearance of his wife. We meet his new partner, Jayne, who knows nothing of his past, and Jayne's troubled younger brother Tyler.

There's Brie's family - her mother and siblings who've blamed Andrew to varying degrees since her disappearance. And Barclay gives us some backstory into their family and relationships. We also meet Andrew's former business partner and one remaining friend from the time of Brie's disappearance.

And finally there's a detective who doggedly pursued Andrew six years earlier.

Of course (back then) there were secrets uncovered and lies discovered. Relationships weren't as rosy as suggested. There was infidelity, but we're told there was also forgiveness. 

The reappearance of someone who could be Brie upends everyone's lives. Jayne worries Andrew will want to pick up where he and Brie left off. Brie's family wonders if they've been wrong in blaming Andrew for all of these years but can't understand any motive she'd have for disappearing voluntarily or reappearing now.

Interestingly Barclay puts us in the head of the woman who drives to the house she believes is hers and I think that was a mistake as it felt a little misleading in retrospect. I think that element may have been better just told from the neighbour's point of view.

That aside this is a nice twisty read from the always-reliable Barclay. I guessed whodunnit but certainly didn't pick several of the surprises that complicated matters for everyone involved.

"It's always the husband, isn't it?"
This is a main theme in this book after Andrew's wife Brie goes missing without a trace while he is away on a fishing trip with his best friend Greg. Brie's family think he did it, the police think he did it and he certainly had motive and opportunity. There just isn't any evidence no matter how hard the detective on the case wants there to be and believe me she is gunning for Andrew.

However, six years pass Andrew has now changed his surname and is living a new life with his new girlfriend, and Brie while still in his thoughts is still missing without a trace. Suddenly there is a sighting at their old place and perhaps Brie is now back. If it is Brie, where has she been and... what does she want? Why is she turning up at places but not speaking to anyone and why isn't she reporting to the police if something bad happened to her.

With each sighting of Brief more and more questions are asked, meanwhile someone is very VERY unhappy that Brie might be back and they will stop at nothing to find out where she is, no matter who might get in the way.

I liked the premise of this book, and there are so many possibilities with what is happening and just when you think you know who the baddie is... it changes again, I did have my suspicions.

While the book was entertaining and I finished it quite quickly something was missing for me... it was a little clunky but overall it was an enjoyable read. I have never read any of the authors other books so I would be willing to try out something else to see what it is like.

If you are a fan of who done it style books then this might be for you. There were plenty of likeable and really unlikeable characters in this book and that always makes it interesting. A few plot holes that didn't ruin the story but would have been nice to be tied up and a really neat twist at the end that I personally enjoyed.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Harlequin Australia, HQ for an advance copy for an honest review.

What a twisty, addictive, delightful mystery this one is !

Andrew Mason's wife Brie disappeared 6 years ago. Andrew was the prime suspect in her disappearance, but with no evidence, no charges could be laid. Now Andrew has moved towns, changed his surname and has rebuilt his life. However a woman now turns up at his old address - since knocked down and rebuilt - shocked that the old house has gone. A neighbour thinks this mystery woman might be Brie, and reports the visit to both Andrew and the detective who investigated Brie's disappearance.
The reader is left with this mind bending situation, and despite the fast pace of the story, is kept brilliantly in the dark till right near the end. The slow reveal still has some surprises even when you think you have the story nailed down.

I love Linwood Barclay's works and this is another must read.

This book has it all, right down to some terrific twists at the end. A mystery within a mystery is supported by characters who are complex enough to make you wonder who is to be believed. And, of course, the signature tight prose which fans of this talented author have come to expect.