March 2016

FAR FROM TRUE is the second book in Linwood Barclay’s Promise Falls trilogy. After reading BROKEN PROMISE, the first installment, there were a number of loose threads that I was looking forward to getting wrapped up. They were, except for the significance of the number 23, but not before a few new scenarios unfolded. The book opens with a scene at the local drive-in movie theater. It is supposed to be closed the following week but explodes ahead of schedule, killing four and injuring many more. Though all eyes point to the wrecking company, the kicker is that they had nothing to do with it. So you start to wonder if this was a random act, or who might’ve wanted who dead and why. With Linwood Barclay, it’s always the latter. And from there, the story rolls on.

We meet up with lots of characters we already know, including David Harwood, a former newspaper reporter (Linwood is a retired newspaper guy; here he pays homage to journalists who no longer work at both big and small papers), Detective Barry Duckworth and investigator Cal Weaver, as well as many new ones. The book is brisk and told from multiple points of view, keeping readers on their toes and turning pages. Promise Falls is a character unto itself, making one think of the many small upstate New York towns that are struggling economically after the boom years. Every town has its secrets, and both BROKEN PROMISE and FAR FROM TRUE remind me how, for many of us, our busy lives keep us from knowing as much about our neighbors and towns as we once did. In Promise Falls, the history of the town and those who live in it are all out on the table and fair game. Stories and people connect and intersect, ratcheting up the mysteries.

I still have not solved the significance of 23 (I hope I am not missing something obvious), but from what I hear from our readers, they still are trying to figure it out as well. I look forward to doing that in November when THE TWENTY-THREE is published and the trilogy wraps up.