Download Cover

Not a Word

By Linwood Barclay

‘Terrific’ Stephen King on Linwood Barclay

Get hooked by the twisty, white-knuckle thriller of an everyday man whose life takes an extraordinary turn, brand-new from the International and Sunday Times bestseller, Linwood Barclay

* * * * *

Wrong time. Wrong place. Wrong person?

Every family has secrets, but when Reece visits his parents’ house, he’s shocked to find them in bed, dead. At first glance it looks like a murder-suicide perpetrated by his father, but on closer inspection there’s clearly more to the story. For starters, inconsistencies in the crime scene suggest his dad may not have shot himself.

As Reece, shaken by his horrifying discovery, awaits questioning from the police, his phone lights up with a call. It’s the last person he ever would have expected to hear from.

Reeling from the day’s events, Reece finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about his parents and whether he and his own family are in danger now. While the authorities work to untangle the baffling crime scene, Reece is pulled into a web of secrets linked to the unscrupulous pharma company his father worked for years ago.

In order to protect the people he loves most, he’ll have to dig deep into his own past to understand who his parents were, what they did, and who they hurt before he ends up paying for their sins.

In the latest chilling thriller from Number One bestseller Linwood Barclay, a man’s world is upended after he stumbles upon a grisly crime scene in the family home.

*****

PRAISE FOR LINWOOD BARCLAY:

‘Linwood Barclay has crafted another perfect page-turner’ The Times

‘Pacy and tense, it’s a triumph from a master thriller writer. Every page makes your heart beat that little bit faster’ The Sun

‘You’ll be left speed-reading towards the end to discover answers expertly posed by the bestselling Toronto-based crime writer’ The Independent

‘Totally absorbing… brilliant stuff’ Neil Lancaster

‘A superior thriller’ Sunday Times

Format: Trade Paperback
Release Date: 10 Sep 2026
Pages: 400
Price: £15.99, £15.99 (Export Price) , €None

Linwood Barclay is an international bestselling crime and thriller author with over twenty critically acclaimed novels to his name, including the phenomenal number one bestsellerNo Time For Goodbye. Every Linwood Barclay book is a masterclass in characterisation, plot and the killer twist, and with sales of over seven million copies globally, his books have been sold in more than 39 countries around the world and he can count Stephen King, Shari Lapena and Peter James among his many fans.

Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, and Linwood wrote the screenplay for the film based on his bestselling novelNever Saw It Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children. Visit Linwood Barclay at www.linwoodbarclay.com or find him on Twitter at @linwood_barclay.

PRAISE FOR LINWOOD BARCLAY: -

‘Devilishly good’ Shari Lapena -

‘The novel speeds from first page to last… Bravo!’ Jeffery Deaver -

‘A fast-moving, high-concept thriller from the talented Barclay’ Daily Mail -

‘Linwood Barclay is in a class of his own’ T.M. Logan -

‘One of the finest thriller writers in the world at the very top of his game’ Mark Billingham -

Scroll to Top