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In the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay, a teacher's act of heroism inadvertently makes him the target of a dangerous blackmailer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
How would you react in a life-or-death situation?
It's a question everyone asks themselves, but few have to face in real life. English teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when Mark LeDrew shows up at Richard's school with a bomb strapped to his chest, Richard immediately jumps into action. Thanks to some quick thinking, he averts a major tragedy and is hailed as a hero, but not all the attention focused on him is positive.
Richard's brief moment in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a deranged blackmailer with a score to settle. The situation rapidly spirals out of control, drawing Richard into a fraught web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets. As he tries to uncover the truth he discovers that there's something deeply wrong in the town--something that ties together Mark, the blackmailer, and a gang of ruthless drug dealers, and Richard has landed smack in the middle of it. He's desperate to find a way out, but everyone in his life seems to be hiding something, and trusting the wrong person could cost him everything he loves.
What price will he pay for one good deed?
Critiques (2)
Critique de Kirkus
An 11th-grade teacher declared a national hero for saving his Connecticut school from an armed invader is knocked down several pegs by an unexpected lawsuit and a blackmail scheme. The instructor, Richard Boyle, successfully talks a former student in a dynamite vest out of carrying out his planned grudge killings only to see him trip over a shoelace as he turns to go and blow himself up. The attacker's parents sue Richard, charging he didn't do enough to save their son. Richard is not on the greatest terms with parents, who are already unhappy with him for teaching their kids about cannibalism via Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road. But this turns out to be the least of Richard's worries after another one-time student, a misfit drug dealer looking to capitalize on Richard's celebrity, demands $10,000 not to tell everyone that the teacher fondled him as coach of the wrestling team. Richard's desperate efforts to avoid the false charge only draw him in deeper, eventually linking him to a murder and threatening his marriage. "I think the only thing we can accuse Richard of is being an idiot," says his sister-in-law, a police officer. Though the book has one glaring red herring and one saw-that-coming plot twist, Barclay makes up for those missteps with his perfectly pitched treatment of topical subjects including school violence, book censorship, and the gun violence epidemic. When the drug dealer's girlfriend asks him where he got his gun, "He rolled his eyes. 'Lucy, this is America.'" It's not clear why Richard's narration is in the first person and everyone else's is in the third. But Barclay, one of crime fiction's most reliable stars, makes that approach, and much more in this page-turner, work. A first-rate addition to the subgenre of Threatened Men Acting Stupidly. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Critique de Booklist
Going right back to his first mystery, 2004's Bad Move, Barclay has written one good novel after another. It is therefore no surprise that Barclay's new book is a well-written and suspenseful thriller. Yet, it's more than that: it is, mostly due to a single, mind-blowing revelation, probably the best book he's ever written. It's got a typically compelling story: in a variant of a live-shooter situation, teacher Richard Boyle saves dozens of lives, is hailed a hero, and yet, somehow, he becomes the target of an anonymous individual determined to destroy his life. Barclay has always excelled at making us believe something while hiding the truth, but here he outdoes himself, taking a big risk that pays off spectacularly. In addition to the story, which is pure gold, the author also gives us some of his most irresistible characters, including not just his protagonist, but also the supporting players, some of whom are keeping some interesting secrets. A standout novel from a writer who, like Harlan Coben, always delivers the goods.
