Title: A Tap on the Window
Author: Linwood Barclay
First published August 6, 2013
512 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780451414182 (ISBN10: 0451414187)
Rating: 3.95
Overview
After the tragic death of his son, private investigator Cal Weaver struggles to find a way to move on. One rainy night, a teenage girl taps on his car window, asking for a ride.
Cal knows it’s unwise to pick up a hitchhiker, but he lets her in anyway. He soon realizes that something is off about the girl and the situation, but it’s too late.
Cal finds himself caught in a web of lies, secrets, and cover-ups in his small upstate New York town. As he delves deeper into the mystery, Cal knows that the truth is the only thing that can save him.
But can he uncover the truth before it’s too late? Linwood Barclay’s A Tap on the Window is a thrilling ride full of suspense and twists that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
About the Author
Meet Linwood Barclay, a bestselling author who has published seventeen novels for adults, two novels for children, and screenplays. His works include No Time for Goodbye, Trust Your Eyes, and A Noise Downstairs, as well as the epic Promise Falls trilogy: Broken Promise, Far From True, and The Twenty-Three.
His books Chase and Escape feature a computer-enhanced dog named Chipper who is on the run from an evil organization that turned him into a super-pup.
Barclay began his career as a journalist, working for the Peterborough Examiner and later the Toronto Star. He held various positions, including assistant city editor, chief copy editor, news editor, and Life section editor, before becoming the paper’s humour columnist in 1993.
He retired from this position in 2008 to focus exclusively on writing books.
Barclay’s first mystery series features Zack Walker, an anxiety-ridden, know-it-all father. His first standalone thriller, No Time for Goodbye, was a critical and commercial success and has been translated into nearly thirty languages.
Barclay was born in the United States but moved to Canada as a child. He graduated with an English literature degree from Trent University, where he had the opportunity to work with celebrated Canadian author Margaret Laurence and Kenneth Millar, who wrote under the name Ross Macdonald.
Barclay met his wife Neetha at Trent, and they have two grown children, Spencer and Paige.
Editoral Review
Linwood Barclays A Tap on the Window is a thrilling crime novel that grips the reader from the very first page. With its sharp writing style, vivid characterizations, and tense plot twists, this book is a must-read for fans of the genre.
Barclay is a prolific Canadian author known for his crime fiction, and he does not fail to deliver in A Tap on the Window. The book was first published in 2013 and has since won critical acclaim for its suspenseful plot and well-drawn characters.
Set in upstate New York, the novel follows the story of Cal Weaver, a private investigator and grieving father who takes on a case that quickly spirals out of control. When a young girl named Claire approaches him for help finding her missing friend, Cal initially hesitates.
But something about the case strikes a chord with him, and he eventually agrees to take it on. As he delves deeper into the investigation, Cal finds himself facing dark secrets and dangerous adversaries.
He must navigate a web of lies and deceit, all while struggling to come to terms with his own devastating loss. Along the way, he forms a tenuous alliance with a local cop named Barry Duckworth, who has his own demons to face.
Barclays writing is masterful, and he keeps the tension high throughout the novel. His characters are complex and well-rounded, and the dialogue is sharp and believable.
The pacing is spot-on, with just enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. One of the strengths of A Tap on the Window is its exploration of themes such as grief, redemption, and the violence that lurks beneath the surface of small-town America.
The book is also notable for its nuanced portrayal of Cals character, which avoids the usual clichs of the hard-boiled detective genre. While A Tap on the Window is not without its flaws, they are relatively minor.
The plot can be a bit convoluted at times, and some of the secondary characters could have been fleshed out more. However, these are small quibbles in an otherwise well-crafted novel.
Fans of crime fiction and thrillers will find much to enjoy in A Tap on the Window. It is a tense and engaging read that is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Overall, we highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging and suspenseful read. For its impressive storytelling, vivid characters, and gripping plotline, A Tap on the Window earns a well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars.
