Far From True

With this second installment of the Promise Falls trilogy, I have to wonder how short an attention span the average reader is supposed to have. Whenever the focus returned to a particular character, there was always some sort of reminder or reiteration of the same key details about them. Granted, there are a lot of characters to keep track of in the world of Promise Falls, but it seems a bit much when Cal Weaver, in his first-person narrative chapters, feels compelled to repeat that he was married to a woman named Donna and they had a son named Scott and they moved to Griffon, north of Buffalo, after he left the Promise Falls Police Department, and now both Donna and Scott are dead. I was able to type that entirely from memory because it was repeated so many times. The repetition was distracting and made the almost-500-page book seem much longer.

Repetition aside, the plot itself ticked along nicely and really moved up a gear in the last third. I actually almost yelled “What the!” at my book on the bus when I reached the last page; the third book may need to be read sooner rather than later. But c’mon, give us some credit here in our ability to retain information about characters.

(p.s.: I liked the little nod to Ross Macdonald!) ( )

#2 IN THE TRILOGY. REALLY ENJOYING THE READ. ( )

The screen of run-down drive-in movie theater collapses and kills four people, but was it really an accident? Or could someone have planned it? Private investigator Cal Weaver gets a call from the daughter of one of the victims who thinks that her father's house have been broken into. In the house, they find a secret room where it's quite clear that salacious activities have taken place, they also discover that there are missing DVDs. Could the burglar have taken them and why? Meanwhile, Detective Barry Duckworth is trying to solve two murders that seem to be connected with each other.

Far From True is the sequel to the thrilling Broken Promise and I was very eager to start reading this book. What I like with Linwood Barclay's Promise Falls series is that there are a lot of things going one in the books. Some of the storylines are connected with each other, some get answered in one book, while some span over the books, like the connected murders that were discovered in the first book, and that storyline is part of this book and will be part of the next. I do recommend reading Too Close to Home before reading this series because that book's story also takes place in Promise Falls and the events taken place in Too Close to Home has ramifications on the town and it's people. And, it's darn good book so read it. Also, I would recommend not reading this book without having read the previous one. I read the first book last year, but I still had some trouble getting into the book and its characters stories. It took some time for me to place them all and get my bearing.

It's a thick book, but much is happening and it's never a dull moment in the book. Although I felt that I could get a bit frustrated with the book, not in a bad way, more I want some storylines to have more focus like the serial killer storyline and less about the couple that wants to kidnap their grandchild. But, the last 100 pages is really good when (some) answers are given to the reader. But, the ending almost broke me. It was intense, I turned the page, it was just a line and then I turned the page and the next page was blank. The book had ended and then it was just acknowledgment and the first chapter of the next book. I wanted to scream!

I recommend this series very much. Do you like Harlan Coben? Then you will love Linwood Barcley's books!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

I had meant to read book one of this series first, but I started reading this one and got hooked. It contains a lot of spoilers for the first one, so you might want to read them in order, but this one makes sense without having read it. This is my first time reading this author and now I'm definitely a fan.

Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book in a giveaway through GoodReads. ( )

The town of Promise Falls is the site of mysterious killings that are all connected by the number 23. Lucy Brighton hires private investigator Cal Weaver after the death of her father. Strange as the death might have been - Lucy's father Adam Chalmers is crushed by a falling screen in a drive-in movie theater - it seems even stranger that someone has broken into Adam Chalmers' house right after his death and stolen several DVDs with personal recordings. Starting his investigation, Cal Weaver discovers a secret room in the basement. This room was used by Adam Chalmers and his new wife Miriam to have orgies with other couples from Promise Falls. Weaver soon finds out that the DVDs contained recordings of these orgies. However, one recording is missing. The investigator starts to wonder why this recording is so important and what other incriminating evidence might be on it.

Far From True is an entertaining read that follows several people in the town of Promise Falls. The author Linwood Barclay uses Cal Weaver as a first-person narrator and combines this with a third-person narrator for the other parts of the story. This interplay between two types of narration makes the reader question what is true and what is not, especially with the title in the back of their heads. All in all, a suspenseful 3.5-star read. ( )