BOOK REVIEW: The Accident

Because I usually take a tote bag of books with me on vacation and because this year we would be traveling by train, not van, my husband decided that I needed an e- reader of some type. Considering that we cannot program the television without help, this was a challenge. Jennifer, the librarian at the Centre County Library, came to my rescue but with the condition that she could “surprise” me with the book title. The result is that I have a new author to explore. THE ACCIDENT by Linwood Barclay is a suspense novel dealing with ordinary people; people who could be your next door neighbors living lives that could be our own.

Glen, his wife Sheila, and their daughter Kelly are getting ready for their day. Glen is worried about the economy and what it is doing to his construction business. His company is small and his employees have been with the company since his dad was alive. He would not want to cut back his staff. Sheila hints that she may have found a way to bring in some extra cash and all three leave to begin the day.

Later in the morning, Glen gets word that Sheila, along with two other people, was killed in a car accident. The police found that Sheila’s blood alcohol level to be extremely high and a bottle of vodka was on the seat beside her. Glen cannot convince the authorities, Kelly’s classmates, or the neighbors that Sheila rarely drank and could not stand the taste of vodka.

The next person found dead is Ann, the mother of Kelly’s best friend, and Kelly may have overheard a conversation while visiting that could put her in danger also. One of the things that the two mothers had in common was that they had been involved with home parties featuring “designer” purses.

The basic plot to this story deals with designer knock-offs and was interesting by itself. (It did make me feel guilty for the “Prada” purse that I just bought at a thrift store.) My problem was that the sub-plots did not always flow smoothly. I want some clues along the way to prepare me for the surprises. Ironically, I had the really bad guy figured out early in the book, but wanted some hints as to some of the other revelations. I will say that Barclay did a good job of tying up the loose ends in the last chapter; it just felt a little too smooth. This is not to say that I will not give him another try.