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4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
499 global ratings
5 star
66%
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24%
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2 star
3%
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Sylabuss
4.0 out of 5 stars Too Close to Home
Reviewed in Canada on August 28, 2016
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Not having read any of Linwood Barclay's books previously, I was surprized at how much I enjoyed the book.Lots of action, intrigue, and suspense. And, the best part.....all the inconsistensies that I had perceived were eventually explained. Hopefully, I'll enjoy the next book by Mr Barclay as much.

Syllabuss
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H. McLeod
4.0 out of 5 stars A decent page turner.
Reviewed in Canada on July 21, 2019
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It seems that any book that Barclay writes on Promise Falls is goeing to be a good read. fast paced and well written.
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adventure walker
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Canadian Author
Reviewed in Canada on October 22, 2016
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Another fast paced read from Mr. Barclay. Brilliant writer.
Plan to make a day of it because you won't be able to put it down, lol !!!
ENJOY !!!
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Greenboots
1.0 out of 5 stars Annoying
Reviewed in Canada on February 17, 2014
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I hate thrillers where the main characters deliberately withhold evidence to further advance a plot. Lazy predictable writing. I couldn't finish this book.
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Freda Graham
5.0 out of 5 stars Could not stop reading.
Reviewed in Canada on January 27, 2019
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Excellent read. I could not put it down. He is a wonderful writer, I love all his books.
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Janice
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2019
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Great
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Donna
5.0 out of 5 stars like Linwood Barclay and enjoyed his article in the Toronto ...
Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2014
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like Linwood Barclay and enjoyed his article in the Toronto Star. A good read and I do read them all.
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Ian bell.
4.0 out of 5 stars well worth a read.
Reviewed in Canada on July 9, 2020
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we'll written, good story.
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Top reviews from other countries

Louise
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging from start to finish
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2018
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Having read Linwood Barclay's 'A Tap on the Window', I was really excited to read 'Too Close to Home'.

The Cutters' next door neighbours, the Langleys, are brutally murdered, with the protagonist's (Jim Cutter's) son, Derek, being the only witness to the murder. An investigation begins but very soon, it becomes apparent to Jim that perhaps the Langleys were not the targets after all....

From the very first chapter I was intrigued to find out who killed the Langleys and why. Barclay very cleverly led me up the garden path, with Jim undoubtedly thinking the murderer to be X but then totally blowing me away when he revealed it was Y. It is this element of shock and surprise that I love so much about reading. Not only was this novel fast-paced with its accusations, but it was also humorous, even in a dark sense. Although the character of Randy Finley is portrayed to be self-seeking slimeball, I actually liked him because he was often the source of great amusement.

I would not hesitate to recommend 'Too Close to Home' to those who enjoy murder/mystery/thriller novels, with a little bit of humour thrown in to lighten things up a bit.
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fennerstuk
3.0 out of 5 stars Ok but not great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2014
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Too Close To Home is the story of the Cutter family. One night their neighbours, the Langleys, are killed in their home and the Cutters have to deal with the fallout which hits closer to home than they initially thought possible (hence the title).

I've read a few of Linwood Barclay's books before and this was no different to them. It struck me as a 'paint by numbers' mystery. All the normal red herrings thrown in, secrets in the family that eventually make an appearance and the inevitable supporting character who turns out to be the culprit.

Although it was quite formulaic as these type of books sometimes are, I did enjoy it. Not as much as some of his others but I did enjoy the story. I really felt for their son, Derek. who happened to be in the house hiding when the Langley's were murdered. Which obviously meant that at some point he was going to be the main suspect for the police. He seemed to be quite misunderstood by his family and it took him being arrested to improve his relationship with his parents. All indicators seemed to point to something that he'd done as the reason why the Langley's had been killed - of course this was a red herring as it was too obvious and the main reason wasn't revealed until closer to the end of the book (although it was hinted at in passing earlier on).

After reading so many YA novels before this I wasn't prepared for the language and the sometimes adult details of the relationships between some of these characters. This unfortunately did spoil the book somewhat for me - this is just my opinion obviously. I believe that you don't have to use such bad language in order to get your point across. Just because it's a book for adults do you need to use it?

All this being said I would read more of his books as they are an easy read and quite enjoyable although not life altering.
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Lynda Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Of His By Far For Me
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2015
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This was the best of his by far for me !! I loved it. Fair races along and is full of secrets 'n' lies and intrigue ! It's really well done.
I was a little disappointed as there are still some e-book issues with his publications which get my back up....not great in a proper bestselling author. He mostly gets his apostrophes correct and clearly knows the difference and then the odd one is misplaced. So irritating as it comes across as just bloody careless. He used emotion instead of emotions and unlikely was spelt as unlikey....ouch.
There were a lot of very funny little remarks courtesy of Jim, our narrator. I also enjoyed a couple of his observations....describing peanut butter perfectly as gumming one's mouth up and also his mention of over-filled napkin holders so they shred. Simple little things but they all add to the whole reading experience and I liked those.
There was a massive red herring in the story itself I kept waiting for him to go further with and then it's like he chose another direction entirely which I found a little peculiar but it didn't spoil anything. I just wondered at it. I was none too impressed with some people's behaviour, especially Ellen.
I REALLY liked the final page and it was a rarity for Linwood Barclay in that it made me quite sniffy.
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Helen Fog
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2015
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I found this book to be very slow starting. After the initial first couple of chapters it goes downhill. I could barely pick the book up at every sitting and wanted to give up on it. However, I did persevere and it does get better and the excitement is elevated around 2/3 of the way through. Must admit though the ending was predictable, and all a bit far fetched to be honest. I never had any empathy for any of the characters or any emotional connection with them for that matter. This could be why I found the book difficult to get myself involved in.

Not a bad book but I've certainly read better.
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book fan
5.0 out of 5 stars "Too close to home"
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2010
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I really enjoyed "No time for goodbye" and found this one to be every bit as good. Linwood Barclay writes in a similar style to Harlen Coban, who is a firm favourite of mine, but Mr Barclay can easily hold his own in the thriller genre, his novels are full of twists and turns, secrets and lies, where nothing is what it seems and pages that just seem to turn themselves. "Too close to home" tells the tale of what can happen to one family when their next door neighbours are murdered and they come to discover that it was meant to be them. The narrative is written in the first person by the character Jim Cutter and I found him to be a solid, likeable character. There were a few other good characters in this novel, the mayor Randall Finlay in particular was a stand out. The author here has given us a well executed plot with some good deadpan humour sprinkled throughout. I thought the pace was a little bit slower than in his previous book, but has I like his writing style so much this was not a problem. I would highly recommend this and "No time for goodbye" to any thriller fan.
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