Review: Parting Shot, by Linwood Barclay

Parting Shot, by Linwood Barclay

Doubleday Books - 2018
Thriller
Promise Falls (Spin-off/Stand alone)
Audiobook
Narrated by Jim Meskimen and James Babson

12 Hours, 56 Minutes

A solid thriller filled with scandal amid the rich and entitled.

Jeremy Pilford was convicted of stealing a car and causing the death of a young woman.  He claims no memory of that night at all, citing excessive alcohol consumption. During the highly publicized trial, he was sentenced only to probation. His defense was that during his privileged childhood, he was not properly educated on the nature of right and wrong. While the judge may have offered leniency, the public was outraged. Jeremy became known as "The Big Baby". If the taunting and general harassment were not enough, the threats being leveled at him are another thing, so Jeremy's wealthy aunt hires former police detective Cal Weaver to act as body guard for Jeremy.  Reluctant at first, Cal soon finds that Jeremy isn't such an awful kid after-all, and he soon suspects that there is more to what happened that night than Jeremy was either willing or able to talk about. 

Meanwhile, Cal's friend and former co-worker detective Barry Duckworth is investigating a strange and violent assault, the second unusual assault which points to the possibility that a serial revenge attacker is on the loose. Weaver does his best to protect Jeremy from not only unknown threats, but from Jeremy himself as well. 

The story itself was engaging, the plot was solid, and while the basic premise was easily grasped by the reader early on, the details were delivered in well timed tid-bits and full understanding was reserved until the end; but while this book was touted as a spin off/stand alone, it was clear to me (as is often the case in these scenarios) that there was a back story that I was not familiar with.  The book still worked, but I was always acutely aware that there was another part of the story I had not read. 

Narration was provided by Jim Meskimen, and James Babson. Both performed their parts well with clear voices, good cadence and tone, and emotional range in keeping with characters experiences. 

Parting shot was a good thriller with a solid story, but while this stand alone still worked, it was nonetheless weighted by one of its main characters relying on a history based in the series that that preceded it.

Happy Reading,

Christine