Years pass.

Terry Archer, a high school English teacher, and Cynthia are married with a young daughter. They still live in Milford, Connecticut, not far from Cynthia’s family home. She is haunted by her family’s disappearance. She still believes they are alive and cannot leave in the event her parents and brother return looking for her. After her family’s disappearance, she was raised by her mother’s sister, Tess. She is very protective of their eight-year-old daughter who chafes at the restrictions such as her mother walking her to school every day.

A TV reality program profiles the Bigge family disappearance. Cynthia hopes that the broadcast will result in some clues that will provide an explanation. Not long after, strange things start to happen. A brown sedan seems to be following them. Her father’s hat is left on a table. Cynthia decides to hire a private detective in hopes of uncovering information missed by the police. Is Cynthia finally cracking under the years of stress?

Except for the prologue giving the story of the initial disappearance of the Bigge family members, most of the story is narrated by Terry Archer, Cynthia’s husband. Terry is a wonderful hero: supportive of his wife, encouraging of their daughter who has fears of her own as well as an interest in astronomy, sensitive to a talented student who exhibits an abusive history.

There are occasional interludes which seem to be communications between a mother and child.

I’ve enjoyed the Linwood Barclay’s earlier Zack Walker mysteries, particularly because of the strong thread of humor in them. In No Time to Say Goodbye, the author has achieved a whole new level. There are occasional glimpses of humor, but the level of suspense is much more intense. It sets in from the first page and doesn’t let down. This isn’t the first time I’ve awakened in the middle of the night unable to sleep until I finished a book, but it doesn’t happen often. No Time to Say Goodbye hooked me from the first page and wouldn’t let go even at four a.m.

Whenever a book is written in first person point of view, its success depends to a good degree on a sympathetic narrator. Terry Archer is a character readers will like and admire. The mystery in No Time to Say Goodbye is solidly crafted, but Terry Archer’s narration adds a extra touch that elevates the book into keeper status. Mystery fans won’t want to miss this one.

--Lesley Dunlap