Seven years after barely surviving the terrors of No Time for Goodbye (2007), the Archer family of Milford, Conn., once again tempts fate in this darkly comic if decidedly creepy thriller from Arthur Ellis Award winner Barclay. History seems to be repeating itself as mom Cynthia fights to set limits on 14-year-old Grace, who defies her-much as the rebellious 14-year-old Cynthia herself did the night she got drunk with local hood Vince Fleming and her parents and brother disappeared. But Grace's latest lapse in judgment-agreeing to joyride with pistol-packing bad boy Stuart Koch, whose father assists the now-grown Vince-plunges the entire clan into a deadly perfect storm of greed, violence, dog walkers, and ruthless rival crooks at cross-purposes. The twisty, craftily-plotted action accelerates along with the body count, providing plenty of suspense and a surprising number of laughs-for readers willing to tolerate very bad things befalling some pretty good people. Five-city author tour. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency (Canada). (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In Barclay's 2008 thriller No Time for Goodbye, a woman discovers the truth about the disappearance of her family, a quarter of a century earlier, when she was a rebellious teenager. It's a gripping, haunting novel, and this new sequel, set seven years later, tries very hard to replicate it. Cynthia Archer is still attempting to deal with what she learned about her parents' disappearance and about herself, but she's not having much success: she's living apart from her husband and her daughter, Grace, unable to put her memories in the past. When Grace becomes caught up in a desperate situation, which could be connected to some recent home invasions, Cynthia's husband, Terry, realizes he is the only one who can save his family again. This is a solid, well-written thriller, but it doesn't quite hit the same dramatic heights as No Time for Goodbye, which is one of Barclay's best books. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Yes, Barclay is a veteran of best-seller lists, but here's another yardstick of his stature: when Stephen King joined Twitter, @Linwood_Barclay was one of the first 16 people he followed.--Pitt, David Copyright 2014 Booklist

Terry and Cynthia Bigge Archer lived through a nightmare seven years ago and are not coping well. Cynthia is not living with Terry and their daughter, Grace, while Grace is being openly rebellious. When Grace and her boyfriend sneak into an abandoned house, her action unleashes another nightmare on the Archer family. Though the book is excellently read by Brian O'Neill and Graham Winton, it's very difficult for the listener to empathize with any of the book's characters' violent or senseless actions, or with Terry's overanalyzing the assumed consequences of past, present, or future. Coupled with a borderline believable plot, purposeful muddling of some characters' identities and relationships, and myriad reflections on the psychological legacies of the Archers' earlier adventures.well, it's a mess. That said, patrons of adult fiction collections will expect to find it and many will enjoy it. Verdict Recommended with reservations.-Cliff Glaviano, formerly with Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.