Promise Falls Series: Final Assignment & Far From True by Linwood Barclay

I’m generally not a big fan of novellas unless they serve a purpose (i.e., expanded epilogue, introduce a new character). Most of the time they’re too short to do much with character and story development. However, in the right hands, they can be very good and Barclay definitely has the talent for getting it right.

This was a really good story! I only recognized two characters, Cal Weaver, a private detective who does most of the investigating and Barry Duckworth, a Promise Falls police detective. In a few pages, Barclay set up the scenario, gave us a few suspects, delivered a police procedural and threw a twist in for good measure. It was definitely worth my time and reintroduced me to the town. And, Cal has some skills.

Book Info

• Release Date: January 12, 2016
• Series: Promise Falls #1.5
• Page Numbers: 81
• Publisher: InterMix

 

 

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The first book in the series ended with the strange situations involving the number “23” still unresolved, as well as the murder of Olivia Fisher. This begins with the deaths of four people at drive-in movie when the screen collapses and crushes them. Private investigator Cal Weaver is asked by the daughter of one of the victims to find out who invaded her father’s home shortly after his death. Meanwhile, Detective Barry Duckworth continues to pursue Olivia’s and Rosemary Gaynor’s murder while investigating what happened at the drive-in.

I highly recommend reading the first book before starting this one. There’s too much background and a continuing story arc. I also read the novella, which was helpful in learning more about Cal and another character, Lucy Brighton, but it wasn’t critical.

There’s a LOT going on here and a host of characters to keep up with but they all connect pretty easily. I enjoyed the twists and bends toward some of the conclusions and the discoveries along the way. There’s a pretty big twist at the end, as well as a cliffhanger, all leading up to what I think will be the big resolution. I was so engaged I didn’t even care that everything wasn’t wrapped up but that’s probably because I’ve got the next audiobook in the queue😏

I really liked this story, especially its complexity, host of characters and multiple plot lines. The narration was simply excellent and I’m very glad I opted to listen to this series. Brian O’Neill had to manage most of the voices, providing enough distinction for each that I always knew who was in play. And, his female interpretations were done well. Mark Ziesler handled Cal’s voice and he sounded exactly how I envisioned the character…cool under fire. I’m really looking forward to the next book.

Book Info

• Release Date: March 1, 2016
• Series: Promise Falls #2
• Narrators: Brian O’Neill & Mark Zeisler
• Audio Length: 12 hours, 45 minutes
• Publisher: Recorded Books

 

 

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(Thanks to Recorded Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)