TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY

SYNOPSIS

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.

Title: Take your breath away

Author: Linwood Barclay

Publisher: HQ

Publication date: February 3, 2022

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s been quite a few years since I read a Linwood Barclay novel, but Take Your Breath Away was exactly as I remembered them. Ordinary people thrown in the midst of a quite baffling situation in a multilayered story where at the end every subplot ties together nicely.

Six years ago Brie Mason went into thin air from her home. Her husband Andrew was away for the weekend, but was that just a way to get an alibi? Detective Marissa Hardy is convinced he killed her and disposed of her body, but with no evidence, he goes on with his life. Now, looks like Brie is back. Several sightings of a woman looking like her will unleash a chain reaction of unexpected consequences.

The premise was fantastic! That first scene of the woman going back to her old home was quite chilling. After a great start, the pace hit a lull in the middle, to then pick up again in the last third where things got a bit crazy (but super entertaining!).

Having several subplots and different characters POVs didn’t allow for any dull moment. The story is full of twists and turns and, although I guessed the whodunnit, there were still plenty of surprises I didn’t predict. It was shocking how such a small gesture (in appearance) done in good faith, could have such big consequences.

A strong plot, a nice array of well characterized characters and a whole lot of twists and turns that will keep you guessing, make of Take Your Breath Away a highly entertaining novel. I have a couple more of his books on my shelves and will definitely get to them sooner rather than later.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.