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No Time for Goodbye cover art

No Time for Goodbye

By: Linwood Barclay
Narrated by: William Hope
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Summary

On the morning she will never forget, suburban teenager Cynthia Archer awakes with a nasty hangover and a feeling she is going to have an even nastier confrontation with her mom and dad. But when she leaves her bedroom, she discovers the house is empty, with no sign of her parents or younger brother Todd. In the blink of an eye, without any explanation, her family has simply disappeared.

Twenty-five years later Cynthia is still haunted by unanswered questions. Were her family murdered? If so, why was she spared? And if they're alive, why did they abandon her in such a cruel way? Now married with a daughter of her own, Cynthia fears that her new family will be taken from her just as her first one was. And so she agrees to take part in a TV documentary revisiting the case, in the hope that somebody somewhere will remember something - or even that her father, mother or brother might finally reach out to her...

Then a letter arrives which makes no sense and yet chills Cynthia to the core. And soon she begins to realise that stirring up the past could be the worst mistake she has ever made.

©2007 Linwood Barclay (P)2007 AudioGo Ltd

What listeners say about No Time for Goodbye

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    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible! Amazed there are so many gushing reviews

I'll start with the positive: The narration was pretty good. Not sure i could fault that particularly.

Now on to the rest of the book... just about every single character acted and reacted to situations in a way that was entirely unbelievable. Barely a single key scene took place that wasn't in some way ludicrous. Almost everything the main character did/said/thought was so preposterous that it was clearly a plot device to lead to something.

Which unfortunately leads on to the next problem with this book; the whole story was so obviously signposted and laid out that there was no element of suspense or wonder. I tend to listen to books while I'm doing DIY or cooking - i.e. while I'm distracted with something else - so I tend to like books that are not too difficult to follow. However, this book was a bit too straight-forward. Once I'd realised that all characters were ridiculous, then it was impossible not to know where the story was going. Imagine playing Tetris where the only shapes falling down are square blocks... it gets dull after a while, despite your success.

I can suspend dis-belief as well as the next person, but there has to be some context. This book is set on earth and is a story based around humans. The events depicted in this book do not sensibly reflect those two facts.

The biggest mystery about this book for me is that there are so many incredibly positive reviews. This is a similar result to a time I listened to a James Patterson novel who gets all of his writing done by bought in authors. This felt similarly lacklustre and missing the attention and detail required.

If it helps understand my review, I'll tell you a few authors in a similar vein (i.e. gripping/tense thrillers) that I have really enjoyed:
Michael Connelly, Iain Banks, Iain M Banks, Christopher Brookmyre, Stieg Larsson, Vince Flynn
and some I thought were okay:
Craig Russell, Val McDermid, Jo Nesbo (could potentially have been in the first list)

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping from start to finish!!

Wow what a book, recommended by a friend who even a few years after reading it could still give me the storyline, having just finished it I can see why. Solid, likeable characters and a plot that you can't second guess. Best book I've had in a long time.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Linwood Barclay is Quality. Never disappoints

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A thriller that keeps you guessing throughout. Great characterisation, some you hate, others you just want to get a 'break' from their torment. You feel their hopes and frustrations with each chapter.

What other book might you compare No Time for Goodbye to, and why?

Broken Promises. No Time for Goodbye. Same Author, and you know what you're going to get.

What about William Hope’s performance did you like?

Yes. Superb, one of the best.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nothing specific, has each chapter kept you on the edge

Any additional comments?

Buy it

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent plot

Really enjoyed this. Interesting twist. Thriller without being police based. Will try another one from Linwood Barclay.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Bit predictable

Predicted pretty much all the twists, good story though. Likeable characters. A Very easy listen.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Seriously amazing!

I loved everything about the book the way it was written but also the way it was ready by one person who perfectly portrayed many different characters. Linwood Barclay and William Hope came together perfectly.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

gripping!

Great narration and storyline. Had me hooked from the start. Some good characters especially Grace the daughter of Terry and Cynthia. Highly recommended.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable yarn with trademark twists and turns.

This is the second Linwood Barclay book I read/listened to and it did not disappoint.

A good story (so long as you can suspend your disbelief sufficiently).

The performance of the narrator was excellent and was very believable.

Looking forward to starting the sequel.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best book in a long time. Thoroughly enjoyed it

Loved it. Gripping story and had me wanting to listen late into my night. well done.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn't put it down !!

Well couldn't wait to tune in again . Very good story , kept me interested from the beginning ,can't wait to hear the next one !

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2 people found this helpful