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The community of Garrett Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, have agreed to a one month trial of these new, 100% safe, electric cars. They have no steering wheels and they do everything for you. The residents have given up their regular cars for the trail period, and those cars are now off the island. The media are descending on the island for a media event, being organised by islander, Sandra Montrose. She is a mother to 2 teenagers and was widowed when her husband was killed in a car accident. The pressure is on, Arrival, the car manufacturers have put their faith and money onto her expertise. It must go right. Barclay is a terrific writer … I couldn’t put it down, and you won’t be able to either. If you enjoy thrillers, this is the real deal. It never lets up’ STEPHEN KING
Inspired by his decades-long love of cars, internationally bestselling author Linwood Barclay envisions a world in which automotive technology outpaces our wildest dreams—and our darkest nightmares— in a gripping new novel of action and suspense It’s Press Day, and the media have swarmed to the Island for a Press Conference to showcase the Arrivals various benefits and features. Look Both Ways is fast-paced with plenty of action. It's exciting. It's scary. It's also possible . . .DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Look Both Ways by Linwood Barclay for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Barclay’s latest offers characters that are appealing or despicable as required: narcissistic CEOs; a gutsy widow; a clever and resourceful twelve-year-old boy; a reclusive neighbour with a handy secret; and one who is not as nice or sweet as first appears. He gives them entertaining dialogue, and also manages to feature a 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, a coat of meat, quite a lot of violence with copious ensuing blood spilt, and some gruesome deaths. The cars have all aligned with one objective, ‘elimination’! Okay, it’s now officially creepy. Can anyone stop these, 'run-away' vehicles before they kill everyone in sight? And maybe even… TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!? This was unlike anything Linwood Barclay has ever written, although it is his second tech thriller, the first being Elevator Pitch which I couldn’t even make it 30% of the way through. If you liked Jeffrey Deaver’s – The Steel Kiss, or John Marr’s – The Passengers, or Chopping Mall/Tremors/Jurassic Parks, or action-driven (pun intended) near-future, tech horror thrillers, or even just cars in general, then this is the novel for you. Highly recommended! Three of those seventeen novels comprise the epic Promise Falls trilogy: Broken Promise, Far From True, and The Twenty-Three. His two novels for children – Chase and Escape – star a computer-enhanced dog named Chipper who’s on the run from the evil organization that turned him into a super-pup.
The residents of Garrett Island are part of a ground-breaking experiment. For a month, their cars will be replaced by self-driving vehicles – voice-controlled, comfortable and safe. From somewhere under the car, maybe the vents at the base of the windshield - came a voice. Feminine, but not overly so. Personable, but at the same time not overly familiar.Sandra Montrose, a recent widow and resident of Garrett Island, an isolated community surrounded by water with only a ferry as the means to arrive and depart unless you owned a yacht, was preparing for the biggest day of her career. An executive in public relations, the residents of the island had all been "given" an Arrivals vehicle while surrendering their own to the mainland, and the day had arrived when the CEO of the Arrivals company would be on the island to spruik the benefits of a completely autonomous vehicle which would take its passengers wherever they wished to go. Programmed to obey their owner, the cars were deemed 100% safe. Sandra was nervous about the day, never realising what was about to happen. Two decades ago, a young, struggling Miles was a sperm donor. Somewhere out there, he has kids—nine of them. And they might be about to inherit both the good and the bad from him—maybe his fortune, or maybe something much worse. I also enjoyed the author’s note at the beginning describing his motivation behind writing this book. It really set the tone! LOOK BOTH WAYS requires nerves of steel and a strong stomach to survive --- sort of like the literary equivalent of a high-tech rollercoaster ride. Just remember to hold on for your life and keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times!"
LOOK BOTH WAYS was exactly what I need to recharge my reading mojo. It’s gripping, exciting, fast paced, full of action and has a couple of super little twists within the storyline. It’s an easy read which kept me completely entertained throughout and I would definitely recommend it.
The media have descended on Garrett Island, a small, isolated community that is the setting of a visionary experiment. All the residents’ cars were sent to the mainland and for the past month the islanders have been “driving” the Arrival, a revolutionary autonomous vehicle. With a simple voice command, an Arrival will take you wherever you want to go and, because the fleet is networked and aware of one another, car travel is now 100% safe. The future, it seems, has arrived. The choice of setting was brilliant - an Island accessible only by air and ferry, but the cars have them covered! Barclay's thought processes are scary. Not a man I would like to get on the wrong side of! However, disaster strikes and things go horribly wrong. With no other form of transportation on the island, the glitch has left people running for cover as the Arrivals appear to take on a life of their own. Panic ensues and people are soon targets for these dream cars. It’s only a matter of time before things turn deadly and there are many around the island who are fighting their own battles with these machines. ABOUT 'LOOK BOTH WAYS': The media have descended on Garrett Island, a small, isolated community that is the setting of a visionary experiment. All the residents’ cars were sent to the mainland and for the past month the islanders have been “driving” the Arrival, a revolutionary autonomous vehicle. With a simple voice command, an Arrival will take you wherever you want to go and, because the fleet is networked and aware of one another, car travel is now 100% safe. The future, it seems, has arrived. Single mum Sandra is prepping for the huge media event, and she's ready for a driverless future. Widowed after her husband fell asleep at the wheel, she's relieved that her kids may never need to drive themselves.
If you think you knew Linwood Barclay before, I suggest you strap in for the ride of your life. His latest release, LOOK BOTH WAYS, is unlike anything he has previously written.We follow the disaster through the lives of four heroic people — Sandra Montrose, the local PR person hired by the car company, her teenage daughter, her twelve-year-old son, and their secretive seventy-something neighbor who has a classic Caddy hidden away in his garage. As the excitement reaches a fever pitch, Sandra Montrose—islander, single mom, and public relations executive—prepares for Arrival Inc.’s flashy press event. Sandra is more than ready for this new world. Her husband died after falling asleep at the wheel and she’s relieved that her two teens, Archie and Katie, will never need driver’s licenses. Part Christine and part Terminator, the story takes on a life of its own from a variety of perspectives. As each sub-plot inches closer to the centre, things come together and the truth behind the Garrett Island disaster becomes clear. However, could anyone have predicted what the end result would be or who might end up on the losing end? Linwood Barclay at his best in this one, which stirs up as many questions as it does answers. Brrrrrrrom brrrrrrrom… (although on second thoughts, these cars don’t actually make that noise) Killer cars on the loose!
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