When the Cutter family's next-door-neighbours, the Langleys, are gunned down in their house one hot August night, the Cutters' world is turned upside down. That violent death should have come so close to them is shocking enough in suburban Promise Falls, but at least the Cutters can console themselves with the thought that lightning is unlikely to strike twice in the same place. Unless, of course, the killers went to the wrong house At first the idea seems crazy. But gradually we discover that each of the Cutter family has a secret they'd rather keep buried. What was on that old computer teenage Derek and his friend Adam Langley had salvaged? And where is it now? What hold does a local professor and bestselling author have on Eileen Cutter? And what does Jim Cutter know about Mrs Langley that even her husband didn't? To find out who killed the Langleys and why, everybody's secrets are going to have to come out. But the final secret - the secret that could save them or destroy them - is in the one place nobody would ever think of looking...
This was a solid thriller that I zipped through over Thanksgiving break. The crime (and how it was witnessed) was chilling, and Barclay keeps the suspense going with a lot of twists and turns. You can try to put the puzzle pieces together yourself, but don't be surprised if you're wrong! Yet it still all makes sense. I thought the portrayal of small town and academic politics was decently accurate, though the mayor is a bit over-the-top. Jim is a likable protagonist, though quite stubborn. Barclay is an author I enjoy and intend to keep reading!
