Linwood Barclay Popular Books

Linwood Barclay Biography & Facts

Linwood Barclay (born 1955) is an American-born Canadian author, noted as a novelist, humorist, and (former) columnist. His popular detective novels are bestsellers in Canada and internationally, beginning with No Time for Goodbye in 2007. Biography Linwood Barclay was born in Darien, Connecticut, son of Muriel and Everett Barclay. His father was a professional illustrator who moved his family to Canada in 1959 where he had accepted a job with William R. Templeton Studios in Toronto. In 1966 the family purchased a vacation campground in Bobcaygeon, Ontario, which they ran for about five years until his father died from lung cancer when Barclay was sixteen.Barclay recognized his interest in writing detective fiction at an early age, inspired by the works of Ross Macdonald, who had grown up in Kitchener, Ontario. After graduating from high school Barclay studied literature at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, where one of his teachers was the noted novelist Margaret Laurence. While attending university, he began a correspondence with Macdonald that proved inspirational for Barclay. They met once, at which time Macdonald inscribed one of his books to Barclay: "For Linwood, who will, I hope, someday outwrite me".After graduation with an English literature degree from Trent, he could not sell any of his novels so he found work on a number of local newspapers beginning with the Peterborough Examiner. He subsequently moved to the Toronto Star in 1981. In 1993, following the death of Gary Lautens, he began to write a thrice-weekly humour column for the paper. He also released podcasts of his articles and published three collections: Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog, Father Knows Zilch: A Guide for Dumbfounded Dads, and This House Is Nuts!. Between 2004 and 2007, while still writing his column, he published four mystery/comedies, all featuring a sleuth named Zack Walker who works as a newspaper columnist by day. The books were published in the United Kingdom and were modestly successful.His break came in 2007 when he published No Time for Goodbye. A runaway bestseller in the UK, it quickly sold a million copies there and elsewhere. He took a one-year sabbatical to promote his novel and he had planned to return to the Star in September 2008. But on June 28, 2008, he wrote his last column, announcing his retirement from the newspaper. His 2012 novel Trust Your Eyes was a finalist for the Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read from the UK Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards. At the time of its publication, it was announced that Trust Your Eyes had been optioned by a Hollywood studio. Barclay made the cover of Variety Magazine because of the bidding war it had caused between Universal Studios and Warner Bros.Barclay lives in Oakville, Ontario, with his wife of more than three decades, Neetha, with whom he has two children - Spencer and Paige. Bibliography Non-fiction Last Resort: A Memoir (2000, finalist for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour)Humour Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog Father Knows Zilch: A Guide for Dumbfounded Dads This House Is Nuts! : Surviving the Absurdities of Everyday LifeFiction References External links Columns, Toronto Star Official website. Discover the Linwood Barclay popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Linwood Barclay books.

Best Seller Linwood Barclay Books of 2024

  • Cat And Mouse synopsis, comments

    Cat And Mouse

    M. J. Arlidge

    IF YOU THINK YOU'RE ALONE:THINK AGAIN A scratching at the window.A tap on the door.What if, this time, someone is out there? A silent killer stalks the city, targeting those home ...

  • Bad Guys synopsis, comments

    Bad Guys

    Linwood Barclay

    “Fans of the crime caper will rejoice” that Linwood Barclay is back with the hilarious followup to his “riotously funny and irreverent” debut, in which paranoid pop Zack Walker plo...

  • For the Missing synopsis, comments

    For the Missing

    Lina Bengtsdotter

    'A thriller that lingers in the memory' SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB'Dark Nordic noir' THE i 'A global bestseller' SUNDAY TIMES The awardwinning, international bestselling Swedish crime...

  • Never Look Away synopsis, comments

    Never Look Away

    Linwood Barclay

    “The best thriller I’ve read in five years.”Stephen KingA warm summer Saturday. An amusement park. David Harwood is glad to be spending some quality time with his wife and their fo...

  • No Safe House synopsis, comments

    No Safe House

    Linwood Barclay

    The New York Times bestselling author delivers the followup to No Time for Goodbyean electrifying novel of suspense in which a family’s troubled past is about to return in mor...

  • Truth or Dare synopsis, comments

    Truth or Dare

    M. J. Arlidge

    EVERY CRIME IS CONNECTED.BUT WHO IS PULLING THE STRINGS?THE CHILLING THRILLER FROM THE MIND OF MILLIONCOPY BESTSELLER M. J. ARLIDGEA crimewave sweeps through the city and noone is ...

  • Look Both Ways synopsis, comments

    Look Both Ways

    Linwood Barclay

    Inspired by his decadeslong love of cars, internationally bestselling author Linwood Barclay envisions a world in which automotive technology outpaces our wildest dreamsand our dar...

  • For the Dead synopsis, comments

    For the Dead

    Lina Bengtsdotter

    DI Charlie Lager returns to investigate a longburied disappearance in this 'atmospheric', 'evocative' and 'arresting' pageturner of a procedural from the new Swedish queen of crime...

  • Passenger List synopsis, comments

    Passenger List

    John Dryden

    'A first class, edgeofyourseat thriller. Fastpaced, flawlessly executed and hugely entertaining, it'll leave you breathless.' Sara LotzA missing plane.A cabin full of suspects.One...

  • The Guilty Wife synopsis, comments

    The Guilty Wife

    Elle Croft

    THE TOP 10 EBOOK BESTSELLER 'A gripping tale of betrayal, deceit, and duplicity. Fabulous.' Jenny Blackhurst, author of How I Lost You 'Relentless and intense...I loved the final ...

  • Loyalty synopsis, comments

    Loyalty

    Megan DeVos

    THIRTY MILLION READERS WORLDWIDE. INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE NEVER BEFORE SEEN CHAPTER.'The Hunger Games meets The Road' MTVDon't look back. That's where the danger lies.With Grace left r...

  • No Time for Goodbye synopsis, comments

    No Time for Goodbye

    Linwood Barclay

    Fourteenyearold Cynthia Bigge woke one morning to discover that her entire family–mother, father,brother–had vanished. No note, no trace, no return. Ever.  Now, twentyf...

  • Shadow of a Doubt synopsis, comments

    Shadow of a Doubt

    Michelle Davies

    'Pure suspense, where past and present collide with chilling results' Erin Kelly'A hugely entertaining, fastpaced thriller' Caz Frear'It's a pitchperfect blend of ghostly terror an...

  • A Woman of Courage synopsis, comments

    A Woman of Courage

    Tania Blanchard

    A gripping, moving story of love, tenacity and the right to be heard by bestseller Tania Blanchard, inspired by a true story'An exciting, inspiring tale of the women who quite lite...

  • Take Your Breath Away synopsis, comments

    Take Your Breath Away

    Linwood Barclay

    A missing woman. A husband suspected. The truth will . . .TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAYFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Find You First and Elevator Pi...

  • Bad Move synopsis, comments

    Bad Move

    Linwood Barclay

    In the tooquiet town of Oakwood, only the lucky die of boredom . . . and new homeowner Zack Walker isn’t feeling lucky. Whoever said the burbs were boring will think twice afte...

  • All Fall Down synopsis, comments

    All Fall Down

    M. J. Arlidge

    FROM THE MIND OF THE MILLIONCOPY BESTSELLER M.J. ARLIDGE COMES THE BRAND NEW SERIAL KILLER THRILLER STARRING DETECTIVE INSPECTOR HELEN GRACE... "You have one hour to live."Those...

  • Those Empty Eyes synopsis, comments

    Those Empty Eyes

    Charlie Donlea

    "Draws readers in from the first heartstopping pages and doesn't let go until the end." – Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman MissingThe bestselling autho...

  • Beware of Dogs synopsis, comments

    Beware of Dogs

    Elizabeth Flann

    Winner of the 2019 Banjo Prize for FictionShe's isolated. Trapped. Hunted. An almost unbearably tense Australian survival thriller.Not much daylight left now.So begins the field di...

  • Pit Stop synopsis, comments

    Pit Stop

    Raymond Khoury & Linwood Barclay

    This short story from the anthology FaceOff pairs Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclayand features characters from their bestselling novelsin a oneofakind thriller matchup.FBI Agent ...

  • Far From True synopsis, comments

    Far From True

    Linwood Barclay

    New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Linwood Barclay delivers the second spinechilling thriller set in the troubled town of Promise Falls, following the electrify...

  • The Wrong Woman synopsis, comments

    The Wrong Woman

    JP Pomare

    'A twisty smalltown PI mystery with a protagonist I didn't want to let go' IAN RANKIN'The payoff is criminally good . . . As always, Pomare keeps the best surprises until last. Pre...

  • The Enemy Within synopsis, comments

    The Enemy Within

    Tim Ayliffe

    SET TO BE ADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN. Like Michael Connelly’s Bosch, John Bailey will risk everything to get to the truth – and expose a deadly enemy...

  • Stone Rain synopsis, comments

    Stone Rain

    Linwood Barclay

    Metropolitan newspaper writer Zack Walker has a knack for stumbling onto deadly stories. But it’s one that his good friend Trixie Snelling doesn’t want told that’s about to unleash...

  • Parting Shot synopsis, comments

    Parting Shot

    Linwood Barclay

    From New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Linwood Barclay comes a new, standalone blockbuster thriller that spins off from the events of the explosive P...

  • Anarchy synopsis, comments

    Anarchy

    Megan DeVos

    THIRTY MILLION READERS WORLDWIDE.'I reread them again recently and fell in love all over again!!!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I could NOT put it down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'READ IT! You'll love it' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐The world is d...

  • The Other Wife synopsis, comments

    The Other Wife

    Michael Robotham

    The ninth thriller in the Joe O'Loughlin series, the inspiration for the major ITV series The Suspect starring Aidan Turner.'Superbly constructed . . . a breathtaking twist' Daily ...

  • Found Her synopsis, comments

    Found Her

    NJ Mackay

    The most gripping, emotional and redemptive psychological thriller of 2021 for fans of Erin Kinsley, Lisa Jewell, Louise Jensen, Phoebe Morgan, CL Taylor, Cara Hunter and KL Slate...

  • Broken Promise synopsis, comments

    Broken Promise

    Linwood Barclay

    From New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay comes an explosive novel set in the peaceful small town of Promise Falls, where secrets can always be buriedbut never fo...

  • A Tap on the Window synopsis, comments

    A Tap on the Window

    Linwood Barclay

    One of the Boston Globe's Best Crime Novels of the Year!One of Suspense Magazine's Best Books of 2013! Since private investigator Cal Weaver’s teenage son died in a tragic acc...

  • Too Close to Home synopsis, comments

    Too Close to Home

    Linwood Barclay

    “The night they killed our neighbors, we never heard a thing.” In a quiet suburban neighborhood, in a house only one door away, a family is brutally murdered for no apparent rea...

  • Like Mother, Like Daughter synopsis, comments

    Like Mother, Like Daughter

    Elle Croft

    'Utterly absorbing and thoughtprovoking' Caz Frear'What a premise, and packed with suspense' Victoria Selman'A dark, delicious triumph' Niki MackayIf what they said was true, then ...

  • The Only Child synopsis, comments

    The Only Child

    Andrew Pyper

    “Gothic fans rejoice!” (The Globe and Mail) The #1 internationally bestselling author of The Demonologist radically reimagines some of literature’s classic masterpiecesFrankenstein...

  • The Accident synopsis, comments

    The Accident

    Linwood Barclay

    “If you like Harlan Coben, you’ll love Linwood Barclay.” Peter Robinson, author of Bad Boy Glen Garber, a contractor, has seen his business shaken by the housing crisis, and now hi...

  • Lone Wolf synopsis, comments

    Lone Wolf

    Linwood Barclay

    “A talented writer with a gift for the absurd and a wicked take on life.”January Magazine“Barclay is the master.”The Wall Street JournalNewspaper writer, family man, and reluctant ...

  • What Waits in the Woods synopsis, comments

    What Waits in the Woods

    Terri Parlato

    Her ballet career derailed by injury, a oncepromising young dancer returns to her hometown only to face a grisly discovery – and the increasingly alarming realization that nothing ...

  • Never Saw It Coming synopsis, comments

    Never Saw It Coming

    Linwood Barclay

    Keisha Ceylon is a psychic. At least, that's what she tells people. She watches the news for stories of missing people, then waits a few days and goes to see the family. She tells ...

  • The Twenty-Three synopsis, comments

    The Twenty-Three

    Linwood Barclay

    From New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Linwood Barclay comes the jawdropping finale of the Promise Falls Trilogy.   It’s May 23, and small town Promise F...

  • Home Before Night synopsis, comments

    Home Before Night

    JP Pomare

    'There's a reason Pomare is called the king of the twist . . . You know from the outset this will be a twisty psychological thriller and it's all that, with the storyline taking a ...

  • All the Dark Places synopsis, comments

    All the Dark Places

    Terri Parlato

    “A moody, atmospheric thriller perfectly crafted.”Charlie Donlea, USA Today bestselling author of Twenty Years Later.A dark new thriller perfect for fans of Megan Miranda and Shari...

  • This Much is True synopsis, comments

    This Much is True

    Jane Sanderson

    'The best book I have read in a long, long time' Amazon reviewThe twisty, gripping novel about a shocking secret at the heart of a family, and a mother desperate to keep it hidden...

  • Running Blind synopsis, comments

    Running Blind

    M. J. Arlidge

    New to the police force, WPC Helen Grace is assigned to her first clearcut case. Sure there's something sinister beneath the surface, Helen has a bad feeling . . . but who's going ...

  • The Dance of the Serpents synopsis, comments

    The Dance of the Serpents

    Oscar de Muriel

    'Properly creepy and Gothic' IAN RANKIN on the Frey & McGray mysteries...December, 1889.There have been many bad days in Edinburgh police's secret subdivision 'The Commission f...

  • Look Both Ways synopsis, comments

    Look Both Ways

    Linwood Barclay

    Inspired by his decadeslong love of cars, internationally bestselling author Linwood Barclay envisions a world in which automotive technology outpaces our wildest dreamsand our dar...

  • The Night She Disappeared synopsis, comments

    The Night She Disappeared

    Kevin O'Brien

    For fans of Gone Girl and of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay’s domestic suspensea gripping novel by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kevin O'Brien, in which “the ot...

  • Fear the Worst synopsis, comments

    Fear the Worst

    Linwood Barclay

    “An uncomfortably plausible tale . . . Barclay's pacing is impeccable. . . . A pageturner that keeps the reader guessing until the end.”Denver PostTim Blake is an average guy. He s...

  • FaceOff synopsis, comments

    FaceOff

    David Baldacci & Lee Child

    An instant New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller and “a thriller reader’s ultimate fantasy” (Booklist), this oneofakind anthology pulls together the most beloved characters from ...

  • Trust Your Eyes synopsis, comments

    Trust Your Eyes

    Linwood Barclay

    #1 international bestselling author Linwood Barclay’s novels have been praised as “compelling” (The Associated Press), “gripping” (The Wall Street Journal), and “fastpaced” (The Wa...

  • No Way Back synopsis, comments

    No Way Back

    M. J. Arlidge

    A treat for fans of DI Helen Grace: an ebook short story from Top Ten Sunday Times bestselling author M. J. Arlidge.Jodie's arriving at her third children's home. She's only fiftee...