Take Your Breath Away

Return from the Grave
Review of the HarperAudio audiobook, released simultaneously with the William Morrow & Company hardcover (May 17, 2022)

Take Your Breath Away was the Audible Daily Deal on August 17, 2022 and after checking reviews and seeing GR friends Kay's 4.5 to 5-star review and Sharon's 5-star review, I grabbed it immediately. I also made a note to self that Barclay's new releases seem to have a quick turnaround (only 3-months!) from full-price to daily-deal, in case I get impatient waiting for the library in the future as well.

The author Linwood Barclay was a popular humour columnist in my hometown's Toronto Star newspaper for the early part of his career until 2008. After the breakthrough success of his 5th novel No Time for show more Goodbye (2007) he became a full time novelist. I read several of his books in my pre-Goodreads days and remember him as being somewhat like Harlan Coben, i.e. the books typically had an ordinary person protagonist who is thrust into the middle of a mysterious situation which they have to resolve. They were formulaic in that way, so although I enjoyed them, I wasn't compelled to read every single book.

Barclay definitely hasn't lost his touch and Take Your Breath Away turns into a very compulsive read, especially in the last third or so of the book where twists get piled upon twists. The situation is that house fixer-upper Andrew Mason was suspected of murdering his wife Brie 6 years previously when she disappeared while he was away on a fishing trip. He was hounded by his wife's family and the detective in charge, but no proof or even circumstantial evidence ever came to light and he was never charged with the crime. Andrew has now changed his last name in order to keep a lower profile and is in a new relationship with Jayne (who doesn't know about his past life). They have her orphaned & troubled younger brother Tyler living with them.

Into this setup one day a woman appears at the site of Brie and Andrew's old house (now torn down and rebuilt) with a shocked exclamation of "Where is my house?". Then the same woman is spotted at the hospital where Brie's terminally ill mother is being visited by her family. The mystery woman has a striking similarity to the missing Brie, at least when viewed from a distance. Is it really Brie returned from the dead? Or is there some other explanation? The apparent reappearance causes a cascading effect in the lives of all of the previously involved characters and in Andrew's new family with Jayne and Tyler.

The final twist was perhaps a bit too unrealistic and required some suspension of belief in the competence of the authorities and modern forensic science, so it didn't quite get into 5-star territory for me. Still, Take Your Breath Away was solidly engaging suspense and a compulsive read (listen).

The reading performances by an extended cast of narrators, including veterans such as George Newbern and Hillary Huber, were excellent throughout. show less

TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY is another brilliant psychological thriller from Linwood Barclay. He writes complex, flawed characters who get wrapped up in dreadful situations. The tension and sense of foreboding in this book had my stomach in knots. I love how it was intricately plotted with twists up until the very end. It seemed like everyone in this book had something to hide, and I kept guessing wrong as to who was responsible for what in this multi-layered mystery. I hesitate to mention anything about the plot because of spoilers, so I’ll just say that I would highly recommend this book to fans of family drama-thrillers. Loved it.

4.5⭐️

It has been six years since Andrew Mason returned home after a fishing trip with his best friend and business partner to find his wife Brie missing. In those six years, he has been hounded by the police (who still suspect him ), hated by his wife’s family, lost his reputation and his business before finally moving to a neighboring town, changing his name and rebuilding his life. He is now in a new relationship with Jayne, who is unaware of his past, and has apparently moved on.

When a woman who looks a lot like Brie turns up in their old neighborhood in front of where their home used to be and creates a scene only to disappear again, Andrew and the police led by Detective Marissa Hardy resume their respective investigations show more of what happened six years ago and
try to figure out the identity of the woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Brie. Is Brie alive and if so, where has she been for six years? Will Andrew be able to prove his innocence this time or is he hiding something? Is there someone out there who knows the truth?

The narrative is shared between multiple PoVs with flashbacks of past events and transcipts from police interviews from the investigation dating back six years. With a plot that kept me guessing till the end (I love it when my predictions turn out to be wrong!), crisp writing, short chapters, consistent pacing and well-executed twists and turns, I thoroughly enjoyed Linwood Barclay's Take Your Breath Away. I combined reading with the incredibly entertaining audio narration featuring Joe Knezevich, George Newbern, Hillary Huber, Pete Simonelli, Michael Crouch, Lauren Fortgang, Jim Meskimen and Karissa Vacker.

My first Linwood Barclay novel but definitely not my last! show less

Take Your Breath Away is the 6th Linwood Barclay book I have read, and let's just make it official, I'm a fan. The pacing in this thriller is good as it felt like there was some type of new development in most of the chapters. So my interest level was high throughout as I just didn't know what I would possibly find out next. It makes for a fun read when the writer keeps you on your toes and has you constantly trying to come up with theories as to what exactly happened and what direction the story will go in.

The premise is fairly simple. Six years ago, Brie Mason vanished without a trace. Her husband, Andrew, was the primary suspect but police were unable to build a strong case against him. Now get this, a woman has been seen around town show more with a striking resemblance to Brie. But so far nobody has been able to get her to stay in one place and sit down for questioning. So, is this woman Brie?

The story bounces back and forth between many of the key players, including Andrew. You really don't know who to trust so you basically are suspicious of everyone. Lots of twists make it an entertaining read. I was reasonably satisfied with the conclusion. I maybe side-eyed a few things but for the most part it stayed within normal thriller parameters. We live in a crazy world so just about anything seems like it could happen, right?

I recommend this book if you are looking for a thriller that will keep you interested without taxing your brain. Perfect as a vacation read. show less

Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay is a 2022 William Morrow publication.

Six years ago, Andrew’s wife, Brie, disappeared never to be seen or heard from again. Andrew, of course, was the prime suspect, with a dogged detective and his own sister-in-law voicing their adamant assurances of his guilt. Eventually, Andrew moved away, changed his last name, and met a woman he hopes to have a future with.

But his past comes back to haunt him, when people begin to see a woman around town that looks like the spitting image of Brie. This sends detectives back to his door and upsets the balance he’s managed to obtain in his personal life. Could Brie be alive or is it a clever trap to draw out her killer?

I’ve read Linwood Barclay’s show more books here and there- before Goodreads- but only one or two since then. I’m not sure why- I really enjoy his thrillers and his style. Yet, as of late, I have struggled with some of these veteran authors. The plots are okay, fun even… but… there’s no real mind-blowing twists- the kind that make you gasp out loud- or suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Which leads me to this book-

It’s okay- was entertaining enough- not memorable though, and pretty far-fetched- even for me- a person who normally gives authors a little creative license and enough rope to tell a thrilling story even if it’s not all that plausible. It was pretty easy to narrow down whodunit. A simple consciousness of guilt ‘tell’, and that was all it took. There were some moral ambiguities on top of all that and the story ended on an uncomfortable note. Was I supposed to shrug it off and think all’s well that ends well? I didn’t feel that way, so I felt weird about the conclusion- Which tainted the characters I’d rooted for from the beginning.

So, this was a rare Barclay miss for me, I’m sorry to say. Again, it’s not terrible- but not up to this author’s standards as I remember them. That said, my Kindle still holds several older and a few newer books by this author- and of course, I’ll pull one out someday and expect to have better luck with those than I did with this one.

2.5 stars show less

Finally putting his life back together six years after the disappearance of his wife, Brie, Andy Mason, settling down with a new partner, finds his future, and the lives of those closest to him, in danger when a woman bearing a striking resemblance to Brie shows up.

This story kept me guessing throughout with many suspects who might have reason for Brie to disappear. I like how it was easy to follow the story even though chapters switch between different characters. I thought the ending was somewhat unlikely, especially the final twist at the end. Overall, a light and interesting read.

A satisfying twisty thriller. When Andrew returns from a trip with his business partner he finds his wife missing. Six years later, when Andrew has moved on to a new town, new relationship and new name, a woman shows up at the site where their home had stood shouting "Where's my house?" setting off alarm bells for some individuals.