Since I
started by blog, I’ve done an annual Advent Book Calendar highlighting books I
have enjoyed and authors I really like.
This year I thought I’d do an Advent Book Calendar with a twist; for
each day leading up to Christmas, I’m going to post a review of a book to which
I’ve given only one star (Throw a book at this one) or two stars (Don’t put this book in your book bag). Though I would not recommend these books,
others have disagreed with me. Each
book, on Goodreads, has received a 3 or 4 Star average rating.
Review of The Accident by Linwood Barclay
2
Stars
Glen
Barber's wife Sheila is killed in an accident in which there are two other fatalities.
Indications are that she caused the accident by driving while impaired. Glen
has difficulty believing that Sheila was responsible since she was not an
irresponsible drinker. He decides, therefore, to investigate his wife's death.
Besides
grieving for his wife, Glen has several other problems. He has to protect his
8-year-old daughter from bullies; he is being sued by the family of the two
victims in his wife's accident; his mother-in-law is trying to take his
daughter to live with her; his construction business is suffering because of
the poor economy and a fire at one of his building sites; several of his
employees have personal problems.
The book is
certainly suspenseful. Murders pile up as the plot twists and turns. Suspense
is also created by the author's switching from one plot line to another at
crucial points.
The major
problem with the book is that there is an excess of villains. Everyone
connected to Glen seems involved in murder or some type of criminal activity.
Who knew that so much evil existed in suburban Connecticut!
Another
weakness is that the motivation of characters is sometimes insufficient to
justify their actions. Not everyone faced with financial woes will naively
become involved with organized crime. In particular, the ultimate explanation
given for Sheila's death is unsatisfactory.
This is the
first book I've read by Linwood Barclay; based on my impressions, I won't rush
to read his other books, although I'll probably give him another try when I've
exhausted my "Must Read" list.
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