Publication Date: August 25, 2026
In the latest chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay, a man’s world is upended after he stumbles upon a grisly crime scene in the family home.
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.
Family secrets serve as the catalyst for an action-packed thriller that delivers countless twists.
Author Linwood Barclay hits the accelerator from the beginning of Not a Word as a man stumbles upon a grisly scene in his family home.
It’s not until after the police arrive that the suspense gets cranked up a notch. Suddenly, Reece finds his parents’ lives under a microscope—including his father’s former involvement with a pharma company.
The author adds layers of suspense to the characters. Reece’s brother, already vulnerable to drugs and alcohol, seems to have fallen off the wagon. Reece’s teen son appears to be keeping secrets of his own. Add in a primary character who seems to somehow be involved for an unexpected twist.
By the time the dust settles, the alleged murder-suicide theory loses steam. Reece must find answers before his own family is put in danger.
From character development to a well-designed plot, Not a Word delivers a powerful thriller.
Linwood Barclay is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous previous novels and two thrillers for children. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. He wrote the screenplay adaptation for his novel Never Saw It Coming and his books The Accident and No Time for Goodbye have been made into TV series in France. No Time for Goodbye was a global bestseller. A native of Connecticut, he now lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha.
