- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Books (Jun 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0553803859
- ISBN-13: 978-0553803853
- Product Dimensions: 22 x 14.8 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,138,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
In the too-quiet 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 after reading Linwood Barclay’s hilarious debut mystery, in which Dad learns the hard way that he doesn’t always know best.
Zack wouldn’t blame you for thinking he’s safety-obsessed. True, he masterminded a plot to trade his family’s exciting city lifestyle for one of suburban tranquillity. True, even after this strategic move, Zack still has issues with family members who forget their keys in the front door, leave their cars unlocked, or park their backpacks at the top of the stairs—where you could kill yourself tripping over them. Just ask his wife, Sarah, or his teenage kids, Paul and Angie, who endure their share of lectures.
Zack knows that he needs to chill out and assume the best for once—but we know what happens to those who assume.
When Zack realizes their two-faced developer sent a petty thief to fix their leaky shower, he starts fighting hard to ignore the fact that Oakwood isn’t the crime-free paradise he was hoping for. But his brief state of denial comes to an abrupt end when, during a walk by the creek, he stumbles across a dead body. Even more shocking, Zack actually knows who the victim is—and who might want him dead.
With a killer roaming around their neighborhood and Zack’s overactive imagination in overdrive, he’s sure things can’t get any worse. But then another local is murdered—and Zack’s paranoid tendencies get him implicated in the crime. While his wife is trying to remember why she married him in the first place, and his kids are considering whether it’s time to have him committed, Zack decides there’s only one thing he can do. To protect his family—and avoid being busted for a crime he didn’t commit—he’s going to have to override his safety-first instincts, tap into his delusions of machismo, and track down the killer himself.
Zack wouldn’t blame you for thinking he’s safety-obsessed. True, he masterminded a plot to trade his family’s exciting city lifestyle for one of suburban tranquillity. True, even after this strategic move, Zack still has issues with family members who forget their keys in the front door, leave their cars unlocked, or park their backpacks at the top of the stairs—where you could kill yourself tripping over them. Just ask his wife, Sarah, or his teenage kids, Paul and Angie, who endure their share of lectures.
Zack knows that he needs to chill out and assume the best for once—but we know what happens to those who assume.
When Zack realizes their two-faced developer sent a petty thief to fix their leaky shower, he starts fighting hard to ignore the fact that Oakwood isn’t the crime-free paradise he was hoping for. But his brief state of denial comes to an abrupt end when, during a walk by the creek, he stumbles across a dead body. Even more shocking, Zack actually knows who the victim is—and who might want him dead.
With a killer roaming around their neighborhood and Zack’s overactive imagination in overdrive, he’s sure things can’t get any worse. But then another local is murdered—and Zack’s paranoid tendencies get him implicated in the crime. While his wife is trying to remember why she married him in the first place, and his kids are considering whether it’s time to have him committed, Zack decides there’s only one thing he can do. To protect his family—and avoid being busted for a crime he didn’t commit—he’s going to have to override his safety-first instincts, tap into his delusions of machismo, and track down the killer himself.
About the Author
Linwood Barclay is married with two children and lives in Toronto. He is the author of No Time for Goodbye, as well as four acclaimed Zack Walker mysteries and has written a popular column for the Toronto Star since 1993.
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First Sentence
for years, I envied my friend Jeff Conklin, who, at the age of eleven, found a dead guy. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
for years, I envied my friend Jeff Conklin, who, at the age of eleven, found a dead guy. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I'd finished and enjoyed No Time for Goodbye so I thought I'd pop back into Linwood Barclays back catalogue the bulk of which is taken by his 4 novels based around Science Fiction author Zack Walker which are contempary suburban crime thrillers with no sci fi elements.
Bad move is an obvious step backwards in writing style from No Time For Goodbye it's very slow to start; however; where the later book opened with a strong formative chapter and teased you along with the mysterious snippets of phone conversation, this uses the weaker device of foreshadowing his eventual discovery of a dead body.
I don't want to give anyone the impression this is a bad book a reasonable plot, it's characters are a bit thinner and stereotypical than no time, the same issues exist with pacing but are handled less ably; however; the mans learnt from his mistakes and improved his writing style, so I suspect if you skip ahead to Stone Rain his latest Zack Walker novel it'll be as well written as No Time but of course you lose 3 books of character development.
As I said it's an okay book if like myself you've come looking at this from No Time this is a very different read, if you're looking to start reading a new detective series there are fare worse out there and you can look forwards to no time to goodbye if he's not finished the 5th Zack book by the time you've finished Stone Rain
Bad move is an obvious step backwards in writing style from No Time For Goodbye it's very slow to start; however; where the later book opened with a strong formative chapter and teased you along with the mysterious snippets of phone conversation, this uses the weaker device of foreshadowing his eventual discovery of a dead body.
I don't want to give anyone the impression this is a bad book a reasonable plot, it's characters are a bit thinner and stereotypical than no time, the same issues exist with pacing but are handled less ably; however; the mans learnt from his mistakes and improved his writing style, so I suspect if you skip ahead to Stone Rain his latest Zack Walker novel it'll be as well written as No Time but of course you lose 3 books of character development.
As I said it's an okay book if like myself you've come looking at this from No Time this is a very different read, if you're looking to start reading a new detective series there are fare worse out there and you can look forwards to no time to goodbye if he's not finished the 5th Zack book by the time you've finished Stone Rain
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Linwood Barclay has created the ultimate character, the everyman: Zack Walker. If there was ever a bumbling father, Zack is the man. With every good intention comes a consequence. This is the stuff that Barclay was born to write, hilarious, touching. More of Zack's escapades can be found in the follow up books, such as Bad Guys, Lone Wolf, and Stone Rain. If you want an unforgettable character, Zack Walker tops the bill. I'm surprised no one has made these into movies. Yet? You won't regret reading these, they're a hoot!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
First off I liked this book, but it did take some getting used to. I bought this after reading some of the latest books from Barclay (such as Fear the Worst, if I had not have read these first I'm not sure I would have persevered. Overall, I am glad I did as the plot and characters do develop well and at a good pace. This along with Bad Guys and Lone Wolf are definately worth a read if you like Barclays other books, but dont expect them to grab you as quickly
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