by Linwood Barclay

Seven years after barely surviving the terrors of No Time for Goodbye (2007), the Archer family once again tempts fate in this darkly comic, if decidedly creepy thriller.

History seems to be repeating itself, but the memory of that terrible ordeal lingers on as mother, Cynthia fights to set limits on 14-year-old Grace, who defies her, meanwhile Cynthia's husband Terry is simply trying to prevent the family from breaking apart.

But Grace's latest lapse in judgment plunges the family into a deadly perfect storm of greed, violence, dog walkers, and ruthless rival crooks at cross-purposes that the nightmare starts to begin again for real.

Cynthia, Terry and Grace are about to be sucked into a terrifying world of betrayal and murder. But this time there could be no way out.

This craftily-plotted action accelerates along with the body count, providing plenty of suspense and a surprising number of laughs for readers willing to tolerate very bad things befalling some pretty good people.

This book is available to borrow from the Narromine Branch of the Macquarie Regional Library.