everybodylovesrs
04-28-2009, 11:12 PM
No time for goodbye
Sunday Times, The (Singapore) - Sunday, April 5, 2009
By Linwood BarclayOrion Books/Paperback/339pages/$28.92/Major bookstores/****
When she was 14, Cynthia Bigge woke up one morning and found her entire family gone.
Her parents and elder brother Todd leave no note or clue as to where they might be or why they left so suddenly.
Have they been killed by a serial murderer on the loose? If so, why was she spared? Did she made a grave mistake that caused her family to abandon her? Investigations were made but as the trail went cold, the police stopped searching.
Twenty-five years later, Cynthia, who is happily married with a daughter, agrees to be featured in a television show on UNSOLVED MYSTERIES as a last ditch attempt to find some answers.
At first, there is nothing. And then one day, she gets a phone call from an anonymous caller, saying that her family has forgiven her.
Weeks later, strange objects appear mysteriously in her home. And then come tragic, violent murders.
These new events start Cynthia wondering if her family might still be alive and her obsession over her missing family soon takes over her life.
The story is narrated by Cynthia's husband, a teacher named Terry Archer.
Despite starting slow, the plot evolves rapidly in the second half, making the book a gripping read. It unravels very much like a murder mystery where the truth is revealed only at the end.
If you like this, read: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (2007, US$10.88, amazon.com) Vida Winter, a famous author, has told various versions of her life story to journalists. As her life comes to an end, she chooses to tell her real story to a young, bookish girl and by doing so, transforms both their lives.
Nur Dianah Suhaimi
Sunday Times, The (Singapore) - Sunday, April 5, 2009
By Linwood BarclayOrion Books/Paperback/339pages/$28.92/Major bookstores/****
When she was 14, Cynthia Bigge woke up one morning and found her entire family gone.
Her parents and elder brother Todd leave no note or clue as to where they might be or why they left so suddenly.
Have they been killed by a serial murderer on the loose? If so, why was she spared? Did she made a grave mistake that caused her family to abandon her? Investigations were made but as the trail went cold, the police stopped searching.
Twenty-five years later, Cynthia, who is happily married with a daughter, agrees to be featured in a television show on UNSOLVED MYSTERIES as a last ditch attempt to find some answers.
At first, there is nothing. And then one day, she gets a phone call from an anonymous caller, saying that her family has forgiven her.
Weeks later, strange objects appear mysteriously in her home. And then come tragic, violent murders.
These new events start Cynthia wondering if her family might still be alive and her obsession over her missing family soon takes over her life.
The story is narrated by Cynthia's husband, a teacher named Terry Archer.
Despite starting slow, the plot evolves rapidly in the second half, making the book a gripping read. It unravels very much like a murder mystery where the truth is revealed only at the end.
If you like this, read: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (2007, US$10.88, amazon.com) Vida Winter, a famous author, has told various versions of her life story to journalists. As her life comes to an end, she chooses to tell her real story to a young, bookish girl and by doing so, transforms both their lives.
Nur Dianah Suhaimi