Parting Shot - Linwood Barclay

Did you wish there was more when you turned the last page of Linwood Barclay Promise Falls Trilogy? Well, good news! There is! Parting Shot releases today. It's a stand alone, but features two of the players from that trilogy - Cal Weaver and my favourite - Detective Barry Duckworth.

It's roughly a year after the events that concluded the trilogy. But it seems that horrific crimes are a staple in Promise Falls. Jeremy, a young man, tagged by the press as Big Baby, successfully avoided jail time after killing a young woman while drunk driving. He may have been cleared by the courts, but social justice vigilantes are determined to give him no peace. Cal, a private investigator, is brought in to act as a bodyguard for Jeremy. Barry seems to have his own vigilante issues. A young man disappears for two days, only to reappear with a crudely tattooed message on his back.

Barclay employs a wide and varied cast of characters in Parting Shot. Each of them has their own drama and subplot in addition to their role in the bigger picture.

The quick, snappy dialogue, rapid plot developments, fast forward action will keep the reader turning pages. Barclay inserts a wry, darkly humourous undertone to many of the character's actions and dialogue. At times, you wonder if the criminals could really be that incompetent and the other players that foolish. The plot does need to be read with a few grains of salt - but it does make for an entertaining read! Barclay throws in numerous twist and turns, especially in the final run up to the ending. And that last page caught me off guard. Truthfully, I didn't like that last turn of events and found it rather harsh note to end on. Is Barclay done with Promise Falls? Only time will tell. I'd love to see more of Barry and Cal. Read an excerpt of Parting Shot. 

You can connect with Linwood Barclay on his website, follow him on Twitter and find him on Facebook.