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The Accident: A Thriller

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 4,312 ratings · 655 reviews

In this mesmerizing thriller by acclaimed author Linwood Barclay, a typical American community descends into darkness, as an ordinary man is swept into one of the most violent mysteries of modern life.

It’s the new normal at the Garber household in Connecticut: Glen, a contractor, has seen his business shaken by the housing crisis, and now his wife, Sheila, is taking a busi...more

Hardcover, 386 pages

Published August 9th 2011 by Bantam (first published August 1st 2011)

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Best Mystery/Thriller/Suspense Novels Of 2011

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Dec 02, 2011 Arah-Lynda Hay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Glenn Garber is beside himself. His wife Sheila, mother of his eight year old daughter Kelly, is dead, the result of a horrific car accident. Worse still the officer at the scene believes that Sheila is responsible for the accident that claimed the lives of two others. He wants Glenn to accept that his wife was driving under the influence, with an overwhelming amount of vodka in her system. This simply makes no sense. Sheila would never do something that stupid! As the coroner's report confirms...more

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May 08, 2012 Mathura rated it 5 of 5 stars

OMG!!! I would have never in a million years guessed the ending of this book. Linwood Barclay is just a genius when it comes to thrillers. Its a fast paced book and a real page turner. I even sneaked in 20 min reading time at work during my lunch break that i never take. Can't wait to read more books from this author. I really can't say anymore about this book without giving away spoilers but I highly recommend this book.

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Mar 15, 2013 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book that lead in directions I did not see coming. I recommend this book to those who enjoy suspense and mystery.

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May 13, 2013 Joshua Morris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lindwood Barclay has cornered the market on contemporary 'everyman' thrillers, and The Accident is a gripping page turner as well as a meditation on the how normal working people are dealing with the strains of a crushing economy.

This book is about a home contractor, Glenn Garber, father of an eight year old daughter whose wife dies in a suspicious DUI accident. A local man and child are killed in the same event, causing both the Glenn and his child to be ostracized by the entire small Connecti...more Lindwood Barclay has cornered the market on contemporary 'everyman' thrillers, and The Accident is a gripping page turner as well as a meditation on the how normal working people are dealing with the strains of a crushing economy.

This book is about a home contractor, Glenn Garber, father of an eight year old daughter whose wife dies in a suspicious DUI accident. A local man and child are killed in the same event, causing both the Glenn and his child to be ostracized by the entire small Connecticut town. As Glenn starts asking questions, he realized that almost everyone he knows is implicated in a myriad of mostly illegal get rich quick schemes to meet their creeping debt. All of these may or may not have something to do with the death of his wife. The schemes include selling knock off designer purses, prescription drugs, informal prostitution, and electrical wiring equipment.

It's one of the best commercial novels to take on the world we middle class people live in since the economy fell apart in 2008. It shows normal people are reduced to immorality and compromise to keep their heads above water in a consumer society. Breaking Bad does this on TV to a wonderful extent. However, Barclay may be overly ambitious in saying everything he wants to say about this in one book, and may have packed too many subplots into one novel. As a mystery, The Accident is less convincing, because literally every character we meet is implicated in its over the top secrets, straining credulity, at least for me. This may be related to his overly ambitious need to take on the whole debt problem and consumer society in one book.

The central death in the story, that of Glenn's wife Sheila, is perpetrated by a character who emerges as a psychopath at the end with no forewarning, like the worst of the great Agatha Christie's mysteries. This for me was the biggest letdown and undermined my enjoyment of Barclay's clean, empathetic and imaginative writing. Barclay is still a master of mystery in the theater of middle class American life and is a very special writer of popular fiction.

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Mar 27, 2013 Dorothy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Dorothy by: for Book Club

Shelves: fiction, mystery

Cleanly written, The Accident is a light, fast read. The mystery portion is easily solvable in the first 100 pages and not particularly engaging. Ostensibly a thriller, there was very little tension or peril regarding the protagonist or his family.

The accident of the title occurs at the very beginning of the book. The wife (Sheila) of the main protagonist (Glen) is found dead in a car that is parked across an off-ramp. Another car had plowed into it and those occupants are also dead. It is quick...more Cleanly written, The Accident is a light, fast read. The mystery portion is easily solvable in the first 100 pages and not particularly engaging. Ostensibly a thriller, there was very little tension or peril regarding the protagonist or his family.

The accident of the title occurs at the very beginning of the book. The wife (Sheila) of the main protagonist (Glen) is found dead in a car that is parked across an off-ramp. Another car had plowed into it and those occupants are also dead. It is quickly ruled by the police as a DUI, though we are not told any of the details. There is fallout from this accident for Glen’s business and his family life – there is one 8-year-old daughter (Kelly), and an in-law (Fiona).

Written mostly from the perspective of Glen, we are privy to his persistent confusion about his wife’s uncharacteristic behaviour, and his feelings of helplessness as a series of negative events unfold around him. Despite knowing his wife to be a responsible person when having a drink, Glen spends a lot of time angry at her, asking rhetorically why she did this stupid thing. At the same time a lot of time is also given to how out of character this is for her. Despite the fact that the reader has had no time to get to know and get vested in the life of either of these two, we smell a rat. Unfortunately, it takes over half the book for Glen to call the metaphorical exterminator.

The last half of the book is the better part. We know where it is going, and it takes us there at a fast clip. There is one twist that may surprise many readers, though its existence felt contrived. It is not a spoiler to reveal that all is well for Glen and Kelly by the end of the final chapter – much like the protagonists in a “cozy”.

Kelly, who looks early on to be an engaging character, never develops past tiresome stereotype. The same deficit can be said of the other players, all two-dimensional surfaces, with their one utilitarian characteristic necessary for the plot. We have an oversexed and lonely female next door neighbour used to little effect; a lazy, drug-taking construction worker; an overspending self-involved wife; happy-go-lucky man-child buddy-now-employee; and a corrupt cop with a history of excessive force. Even the mother-in-law is the standard issue: cold, disapproving, and scheming to take her granddaughter away from her son-in-law.

These stereotypes make this book a serviceable made-for-TV movie on the Hallmark channel, but a boring read.

The challenge for any writer of this genre is that so many mystery/thrillers have used the same basic plot elements it is hard to make it fresh. What distinguishes a book from the pack is some unique quality of the writing, a more nuanced take on the mundane, the ability to make the reader care for the characters, sometimes in spite of themselves.

This book does not do that.(less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Stella rated it 2 of 5 stars

I finished this book in about one and a half, two days. It was a page turner, not necessarily because it extremely swept me up and interested me but more because I just wanted to get it over with. It's very simply written, and that's probably because the author is the type to churn out these types of novels and he wants them to appeal to the masses.

I have a number of pet peeves about this book.
First, it switches between first and third person a lot (each chapter is a new character's thoughts or...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Shonna Froebel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian

As usual, Linwood Barclay delivers a fast-moving thriller. Themes in this book are around the economic downtown and people caught between rising costs and either stagnant or decreasing incomes. There are many accidents in this book, and many aren't accidents at all. The first accident is one whose aftermath is witnessed by two women tourists making their way to the garment district in NYC looking for deals. They are also among the first victims as they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Izzy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I borrowed this book from my Grandma as she had plenty of good things to say about it. Judging from the blurb, it was right up my street.

The prologue made me yawn until I got to the end of the scene. I wasn't hooked but I thought I would at least give the book a chance. The voice and style of the writing was rather limp and I was already considering on giving up within the first three chapters.
I pushed myself forward despite having a massive gripe with the book. This is written in first person a...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Tony rated it 3 of 5 stars

Linwood Barclay- The Accident 3 Stars

Glen Garber’s wife Sheila just died in a car accident. The circumstances seem odd as he doesn’t ever remember her driving drunk before, and now his daughter must continue going to a school where they all know her mother killed two of their fellow students. As Garber digs into the mess he discovers that all may not be as it seems in his peaceful neighbourhood. Friends may not be who they claim to be and this information may just put his family into further dan...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Themistokeles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Eine ruhige amerikanische Kleinstadt in der Nähe von New York. Kaum einer der dort lebt, kann sich vorstellen, dass etwas Schlimmes passiert, bis dann jedoch plötzlich bei einem Autounfall drei Menschen sterben. Sheila, die treusorgende Mutter einer achtjährigen Tochter, soll an diesem Unfall die Schuld tragen, da sie alkoholisiert war. Ihr Mann Glen kann daran nicht glauben und geht der Sache nach. Kurze Zeit später stirbt eine Freundin Sheilas, ebenfalls bei einem Unfall. Auch für Glen bricht...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Doreen added it

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 wi...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Littlevampire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Linwood Barclays Thriller „Weil ich euch liebte“ ist wieder ein Beweis für seine Fähigkeiten. Dieses Buch beginnt (ausgenommen des Prologs) mit dem Tod von Sheila, einer fürsorglichen Mutter und Ehefrau. Sie soll unter Alkoholeinfluss bei einem Autounfall sich und zwei weitere Menschen umgebracht haben.
Ihr Ehemann Glen will dies nicht so recht glauben, da Sheila keine Person war, die sich betrunken hinters Steuer gesetzt hätte. Seine Tochter Kelly ist schockiert und traurig, und die Sache, das...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Tom Tischler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Glen Garber builds and remodels houses in CT. Business is really bad and he
is barely hanging on. His wife Sheila is taking a few evening college courses
to try and help out with the money. After class one evening Sheila fails to come
home on time. The police show up and she had been in a traffic accident. A man
and son were killed in one car along with Sheila in her car. They were charging
her with the accidnt because a bottle of vodka was on the seat beside her.
Glen does'nt understand this bcaus...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Bookworm rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a book that I collected from the library just before Christmas after waiting what seemed like an age for it to become available. Despite being on leave for 10 days, I chose the day I returned to work to finally delve into it.

Problem. The library wants the book back in just over a week and won't allow me to renew because other lovely members want to read it too.

So either I get my skates on and get reading, I buy it for my kindle at inflated cost or I wait for it to come out in paperback...more This was a book that I collected from the library just before Christmas after waiting what seemed like an age for it to become available. Despite being on leave for 10 days, I chose the day I returned to work to finally delve into it.

Problem. The library wants the book back in just over a week and won't allow me to renew because other lovely members want to read it too.

So either I get my skates on and get reading, I buy it for my kindle at inflated cost or I wait for it to come out in paperback and return the copy I have to the library. I hate feeling under pressure to read a book and usually find myself returning books to the library and buying them instead so that I can read them at my own pace and enjoy the book rather than rush it.

The Accident is the latest novel from Linwood Barclay. After reading Never look away (which I enjoyed immensely) I read his other novels (Too close to home, No time for goodbye and Fear the Worst) and felt somewhat frustrated and I remain so after reading The Accident.

The Accident is an easy read and reminds me very much of the tv series Desperate Housewives where everything appears nice and cosy on the outside but peek between the curtains and well, its a different story.

The Accident flows extremely well and grips you early on. I found the book hard to put down but I wonder whether this was because I knew I was reading to a deadline.(I had even weighed up the financial penalty of returning the book late as opposed to buying my own (kindle) copy). I liked how everything came together and certainly although I had my suspicions about what was really going on (and was correct to some extent), I still enjoyed the twist at the end which I hadn't seen coming and which I thought was fitting because I do feel the reader is led up the garden path.

Linwood Barclay is an author who has yet to gain my trust. His earlier books were disappointing but he has somewhat redeemed himself with his previous book, Never look away and this latest novel. I still need convincing however and I await his next novel with bated breath!

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Nov 21, 2011 Steven Buechler rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a stunning thriller. The narrative is filled with actual facts that sticks with the reader long after the book is done.

page 172
"Your wife's cell called Sommer's at 1:02 the day she died."
"She must have dialed wrong. And how the hell do you even know this? Where did you get these phone records?"
"We work in cooperation with several law enforcement agencies. They have provided some of their sureveillance information. This number your wife called, by the way, it's not a phone he has anymore...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Accident is surrounded by mystery. Unlike some books where the reader is aloud to see and hear things the main character can not, in The Accident the reader unravels the mystery at the same pace as Glen. At times this is good because you are confused with him as he tries to sort out the facts, at other times, mainly towards the beginning of the book, the lack of information makes it difficult to hold that much interest in the story.

As he delves deeper into his neighbours personal lives it se...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Cheryl rated it 2 of 5 stars

Glen Carver had picked up his daughter, Kelly. He was driving home, when he came upon a car accident. Glen recognizes the car. It is his wife, Shelia’s car. The police tell Glen that it appears that Shelia was drunk and drove up the off ramp the wrong way. Glen can not accept Shelia’s death. This is for the purse fact that Shelia was not an alcoholic.

Glen must pull himself together for his daughter, Kelly. Kelly is staying at a friend’s house for a sleep over. Kelly calls him requesting he come...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Suspense Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars

If Mr. Barclay ever decides to go into script writing for a television soap opera, he’ll have good reference material with “The Accident.” This book is chock full of characters interconnecting, with secrets around every corner. With a mini cliffhanger at the end of nearly every chapter, this story unfolds the lives of desperate people trying to hold onto a little slice of life.
One night, Glen Garber, a contractor in a Connecticut community, drives upon the scene of an accident where his wife, Sh...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Glen and Sheila Garber have been facing what so many other couples across the country are facing. The economy isn’t any better in Connecticut where they have their home than any other location in the United States. Glen is a contractor and owns his own business. His business has been shaken by the housing crisis. One of the houses he was working on burned and he is not sure that the insurance is going to cover the loss. Sheila is attending night classes in the hope of landing a better job. Sheil...more Glen and Sheila Garber have been facing what so many other couples across the country are facing. The economy isn’t any better in Connecticut where they have their home than any other location in the United States. Glen is a contractor and owns his own business. His business has been shaken by the housing crisis. One of the houses he was working on burned and he is not sure that the insurance is going to cover the loss. Sheila is attending night classes in the hope of landing a better job. Sheila also feels that she will be a big help in Glen’s business when she finishes her night course. Sheila assured Glen that the future was looking brighter for the couple and their eight year-old daughter.

There would be no future for the couple. Sheila left for class one night and didn’t return. She was killed in an automobile accident and she wasn’t the only victim. Sheila is blamed for the accident although Glen just can’t believe it. The police say Sheila was drunk and passed out with her car blocking the road. Glen has never known Sheila to drink to excess nor has she ever driven while intoxicated.

Glen sets out to seek answers to what really happened the night that Sheila died. He finds that other couples in his community have decided to take dangerous steps to increase their income and fight the current economy. Good friends have become involved in illegal activities that include pushing knock off purses, selling prescription meds that aren’t of the quality they should be and it even extends to faulty wiring and building materials. The more Glen finds out the more he fears for the safety of his daughter as well as his own safety. He questions how deeply involved Sheila had become in these activities and if this involvement brought about her death.

This is a gripping story that keeps the reader on edge. Before the entire story is revealed, several lives and families are destroyed. I hope that this story is all centered in the author’s imagination. It would be tragic to think that families have taken up criminal activities in order to retain a life style that they have become accustomed to in better times.

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Sep 19, 2011 Lisa B. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book Overview:
It’s the new normal at the Garber household in Connecticut: Glen, a contractor, has seen his business shaken by the housing crisis, and now his wife, Sheila, is taking a business course at night to increase her chances of landing a good-paying job.
Waiting for Sheila’s return, with their eight-year-old daughter sleeping soundly, Glen soon finds his worst fears confirmed: Sheila and two others have been killed in a car accident. Adding to the tragedy, the police claim Sheila was resp...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Nick Brett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Linwood Barclay's latest thriller is a little bleak in more ways than one. Firmly set in the current recession it captures the fears and worries of a small town US community and the desperate lengths that some may go to in order to keep their heads above water.

When Glen Garber's wife dies in an apparent accident, the dark underbelly of the community starts to unravel and working through his grief, xx starts to realise there were things about his wife and their community that he had no idea abou...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Neil Mudde rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a roller-coaster read! if I would not have had to do "chores" I would have stayed glued reading the book until it finished.
Linwood has created a story about clandestine buying and selling of counterfeit goods being brought into the country. (U.S)
The story setting is in a small town, if you think you know your friends and neighbours, ha! think twice, Linwood takes you into people lives like no one else could.
Some of the violence I could live without however we are talking about a cut throat...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-audio-books, 2011-mysteries

The Accident, by Linwood Barclay, A-minus, Narrated by Peter Berkrot, Produced by Brilliance Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

Glen, a construction contractor, has seen his business shaken by the housing crisis, and now his wife, Sheila, is taking a business course at night to increase her chances of landing a good-paying job. But she should have been home by now. Waiting for Sheila's return, with their eight-year-old daughter sleeping soundly, Glen soon finds his worst fears confirmed: Sheila...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Luanne Ollivier rated it 5 of 5 stars

Comfy chair? Drinks? Snacks? Good lighting? Excellent! 'Cause you're not going to be getting up or stopping once you dive into Linwood Barclay's latest release - The Accident.

The opening prologue - a violent crime with a distinctly different setting caught my interest. But the foreshadowing in the first paragraph in chapter one clinched it:

"If I'd known this was our last morning, I'd have rolled over in bed and held her. But of course, if it had been possible to know something like that - if I c...more Comfy chair? Drinks? Snacks? Good lighting? Excellent! 'Cause you're not going to be getting up or stopping once you dive into Linwood Barclay's latest release - The Accident.

The opening prologue - a violent crime with a distinctly different setting caught my interest. But the foreshadowing in the first paragraph in chapter one clinched it:

"If I'd known this was our last morning, I'd have rolled over in bed and held her. But of course, if it had been possible to know something like that - if I could have somehow seen into the future - I wouldn't have let go. And then things would have been different."

Glen Carver inherited his building business from his father. He's a straight shooter and does right by his customers, staff and his wife Sheila and eight year old daughter Kelly.

Times are tough all over - the economy still hasn't fully recovered - the Carvers have money troubles like everyone else. And then the unthinkable happens - Sheila is killed in an accident that also kills a father and son. The cops say Sheila was drunk and was at fault. But Glen knows that Sheila didn't drink to excess...or did she and he just never knew?

As Glen struggles to deal with his wife's death and looking after Kelly, more seeming unrelated incidents transpire. A web is being woven around Glen, but he can't see it. We can though. I just wanted to shout at Glen - NO! Look out! Ask them why....! When he finally twigs that there is something really wrong going on with his friends and family, it's almost too late...

Barclay's characters are almost anti-heroes; everyday men thrust into situations completely outside the scope of their everyday lives with the need to protect their families. It makes them all the more believable and likable. Adding more reality to the story is the economic thread of the story - foreclosures, lay-offs, downsizing and desperately trying to make ends meet.

Barclay has the suspense/thriller genre in a choke hold with no signs of letting go (thank goodness!)

Like Harlan Coben? You're going to love Linwood Barclay!

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Aug 07, 2011 Paul Pessolano rated it 4 of 5 stars

“The Accident” by Linwood Barclay, published by Bantam Books.

Category – Mystery/Thriller

Sherlock Holmes once told Doctor Watson, “How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

Linwood Barclay uses this to its maximum in his latest and best mystery/thriller, “The Accident”.

Two young ladies from Butler, Pennsylvania are celebrating a birthday by going shopping in New York. They heard of a place that sells “knockof...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my first time reading a book by this author, and if his other books are as good as this, I know what I'll be reading in the future. For once, a book has lived up to its description of being a thriller. I could not put the book down until all my questions were answered. Which was asking a lot because more questions kept arising as the story evolved, right up until the end.

I think that a big part of why I liked this book so much was that I enjoyed the main character, Glen Garber, and his...more This was my first time reading a book by this author, and if his other books are as good as this, I know what I'll be reading in the future. For once, a book has lived up to its description of being a thriller. I could not put the book down until all my questions were answered. Which was asking a lot because more questions kept arising as the story evolved, right up until the end.

I think that a big part of why I liked this book so much was that I enjoyed the main character, Glen Garber, and his eight year old daughter, Kelly. By the time I finished reading this book, I wanted to read another book about them. Maybe something less crazy, but that craziness was half the fun.

The story begins with Glen's wife, Sheila, dying in a car accident in which two others were killed, as well. The police investigate and soon conclude that Sheila caused the accident. She was intoxicated and fell asleep in her car after parking it in the middle of a freeway off ramp. Another car coming down the ramp was unable to avoid crashing into hers.

If that news wasn't bad enough, add it to Glen's failing construction business, his friends' and workers' economic woes which connect to his own, a killer on the loose who wants a large chunk of money owed to him and doesn't care who gets in his way, Glen's daughter being taunted at school, mother-in-law problems--to name but a few things. Yes, there are more problems, and the list just kept growing. And just as he is coming to accept his wife's death and her culpability in the deaths of two other people, Glen begins to question facts which cast doubt in his mind.

Now this whole incredible story might have been preposterous in less skilled hands. But the author handled it all deftly. Every twist and turn led to one destination which led to another. I never once sensed the book was in danger of falling apart as I have with a few other authors. I could sit back, and maybe not relax, but watch the story unfold without worry. I was too busy worrying about Glen and his daughter.

If you like Harlan Coben's stand alone novels and nail-biting thrillers with a main character you can root for, give this book a look.

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Jul 03, 2012 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Another roller-caster thriller by Linwood Barclay. From the first page I was enthralled with this story! I have to say that Linwood Barclay is an absolute and rare master in putting the most ordinary, regular people in the most overwhelming, captivating sequence of events that shakes up their very normal life.
That’s what I like about this author: he often puts average-Joe and other middle-of-the-road people as the protagonists of a super thriller and makes it work. Here again, the main character...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Mj rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery-suspense-thriller

Very good read. Excellent suspense. Lots of twists and turns. This book definitely kept me turning the pages and I didn't want to put it down. I waffled between a 4 and a 5(wanted to give it a 4 1/2) but decided on a 4 because I had a hard time buying totally into the book - as some parts while captivating seemed slightly unrealistic. The book is definitely a 5 for plot development. Enjoyed the characters as well, not just the main character the father, but I really enjoyed the 8 year old daught...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Alana rated it 5 of 5 stars

If I were to give this book a rating between 1 and 10, I'd give it a very generous 38. Though to say that my rating as being generous is a bit of a stretch, because it was indeed that good.
This is honestly my first book read by Linwood Barclay and would have to say that based on my reaction to this book that this is an author whose books I'd want to read more of.
I found The Accident to be one of those books that kept you guessing right from the beginning, and more often than not my guesses we...more If I were to give this book a rating between 1 and 10, I'd give it a very generous 38. Though to say that my rating as being generous is a bit of a stretch, because it was indeed that good.
This is honestly my first book read by Linwood Barclay and would have to say that based on my reaction to this book that this is an author whose books I'd want to read more of.
I found The Accident to be one of those books that kept you guessing right from the beginning, and more often than not my guesses were completely off the mark. One good examplr of this that I can think of is when someone had fired a gunshot into, Glen's daughter, Kelly's bedroom window and for several chapters you thought that Sommer had been responsible. It wasn't until a few chapters later that it's learned that the boy Corey, who lost his father and brother in the car crash caused by Glen's wife, had done it to make Glen pay even further for the pain his wife caused his family in the car accident. The way the author made you accept Sommer's guilt without question was truly amazing.
Another thing that interested me was that the connection between the prologue and the actual story wasn't made clear until you were about halfway through the story. I can usually tell the connection between the prologue and the actual story right away. But, because I didn't see the connection right away the prologue was more of a distraction that kept you from realizing that Sommer had nothing to do with Sheila Garber and Ann Slocum's deaths. Also, by the time its connection was revealed I had already came to the belief that he was responsible and the revelation only served to color my judgement even further.
The Accident was well written and had several good points to it, but what really caught my attention the most was the author's use of misleading appearances. I found it nearly impossible to put down once I started reading it.
(PS. You won't want to stop reading this book once you start until you've finished it not even to go to the bathroom or eat dinner. I certainly didn't.)(less)

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Feb 23, 2012 Lesen mit Cupcatz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Glens Familie stürzt jäh ins Unglück, als seine Frau Sheila bei einem Unfall ums Leben kommt. Sie soll volltrunken gefahren sein und zwei Unschuldige mit in den Tod gerissen haben! Die Polizei ist sich ihrer Sache sicher – doch Glen kann es einfach nicht fassen. Kurze Zeit später ertrinkt eine gute Freundin von Sheila auf mysteriöse Weise. Und als Glen bald darauf erfährt, dass Sheila 62.000 Dollar veruntreut haben soll, bringt ihn das vollends aus dem Gleichgewicht. Beweise für ein Verbrechen h...more Glens Familie stürzt jäh ins Unglück, als seine Frau Sheila bei einem Unfall ums Leben kommt. Sie soll volltrunken gefahren sein und zwei Unschuldige mit in den Tod gerissen haben! Die Polizei ist sich ihrer Sache sicher – doch Glen kann es einfach nicht fassen. Kurze Zeit später ertrinkt eine gute Freundin von Sheila auf mysteriöse Weise. Und als Glen bald darauf erfährt, dass Sheila 62.000 Dollar veruntreut haben soll, bringt ihn das vollends aus dem Gleichgewicht. Beweise für ein Verbrechen hat er allerdings keine ...

Ich muss sagen, das mich das Buch von der ersten bis letzten Seite gefesselt hat! Nachdem ich die Leseprobe durch hatte, musste ich das Buch unbedingt weiterlesen. Alle anderen die ich bis dahin angefangen hatten, waren bis dato nicht mehr so interessant^^ Nee, ich hatte eine kleine Lesehemmung gehabt. Dann habe ich diesen fantastischen Thriller bei Lovelybooks gewonnen und konnte es kaum erwarten weiter zu lesen. Und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht! Von Kapitel zu Kapitel steigert sich die Spannung und immer mehr Fragen tuen sich auf. War Sheilas Unfall wirklich einer? Warum ist ihre Freundin auch in so kurzer Zeit gestorben? Und warum verhalten sich generell alle so seltsam?

Fragen über Fragen die sich mit der Zeit auch lüften. Barclay hat es echt drauf die Spannung bis zum Höhenpunkt beizubehalten. Als ich dachte es wär vorbei, war es noch lange nicht so. 2 mal hat er mich noch hart geflashed!

Ein Thriller vom feinsten den ich nur empfehlen kann. Ich muss auch, sagen das es einer meiner Ersten ist. Aber dafür hat er mich echt in den Bann gezogen.
Ich konnte alle Gedankengänge von Glen nachempfinden und fand seine Tochter unendlich süß. Ich weiß zwar nicht ob sie sich altersgemäß verhalten hat, aber man musste sie einfach lieb haben. Was ich noch ein wenig ungewöhnlich fand, ist das Barclay meiner Meinung nach extrem oft versucht hat, die heutigen elektronischen Geräte mit einzubeziehen. Klar ist es heute nicht mehr ungewöhnlich Kinder mit Handys und Computer zu sehen aber es in Büchern zu lesen ist doch etwas seltsam aber in diesem Buch doch notwendig, da es ja "wichtig" für den Lauf der Geschichte ist.(less)

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About Linwood Barclay

After spending his formative years helping run a cottage resort and trailer park after his father died when he was 16, Linwood Barclay got his first newspaper job at the Peterborough Examiner, a small Ontario daily. In 1981, he joined the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest circulation newspaper.

He held such positions as assistant city editor, chief copy editor, news editor, and Life section editor, be...more

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