I have long been a fan of Linwood Barclay and was very grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this title prior to publication.

The plot races along at breakneck speed and includes the usual Barclay twists and turns as we learn more about the protagonists and their histories. Miles, the central character, has made his fortune in app development before learning that he has a life-limiting illness. As he thinks back on his past, he does his best to put things right and the story follows his search for his past (this will make more sense if you read the book!)

There are plenty of red herrings and Barclay does a good job of keeping the suspense up as the novel rushes towards its climax.

A worthy addition to the Barclay catalogue and a great holiday read, highly recommended.

Wow! An exciting thriller with lots of unexpected twists and turns. The story starts with Miles, an extremely wealthy man who discovered that he has an incurable illness. Facing mortality he decides to discover if his sperm sample from many years ago yielded any progeny. The story starts simply enough but it is a rollercoaster from there on in. Best book I've read in quite a while

This book would make a good film as well as being a riveting read! Wealthy businessman Miles has a conscience about the children he probably fathered a sperm donor many years ago when he discovers he has a terminal and probably hereditary illness. The decent thing to do is to use his money to buy the information that he is never supposed to get and find them. That turns out to be a difficult and dangerous hunt as all was not as straightforward as he had assumed. The story becomes a race against time, not just to find the nine people, but to protect them from someone who wants them dead. Thus the title of the book. Just to complicate matters, Miles’s sister-in-law is after his money too. This is a fast moving, well written story. It is not a book to do anything other than keep reading to the end. I recommend it.

This is my first book by Linwood and it wont be my last, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the story fast paced, chilling with believable characters. I liked the storyline, Miles many years ago did something to help better himself fast forward many years later and with a illness that could be inherited he has to rewrite his future plans and help others that have fallen victim to something that happened back then. This is sure a suspense novel like no other I have read. It pulled me in and I didn't want to let go, the twists too, I never saw coming.

Another great Linwood Barclay book! The last one I read was Elevator Pitch and it was really good, but not quite as impressive as previous books. However, this one has him back fully on form.

Are some of the plotlines realistic in an every day person sense? No. Do they feel realistic and completely believeable in this book? Yes!

Filled with powerful rich men, sinister goings on and plenty of secrets, this book kept me guessing throughout.

There are new characters introduced regularly, and each time you have to wonder how they link to the overall story. However, Linwood Barclay plots so well that when the pieces of the puzzle click into place it all makes sense and is very smart indeed.

A thrilling, fast paced, intriguing read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this eARC, I will be telling everyone to get their hands on a copy when it comes out.

As you can expect from Linwood Barclay this book is full of intrigue. Just as I thought I’d worked it all out, I was sent spinning in a totally different direction. Really fast paced - you won’t want to put it down.

After some dark reads, Linwood Barclay's latest crime thriller was just what I needed, it is entertaining, fast paced, and exciting storytelling that had me immersed from start to finish. Tech billionaire Miles Cookson hasn't always lived the life of the wealthy and privileged, before he made it big, he made a sperm donation at a fertility clinic for much needed cash. He has just received the unwelcome and terrifying news that he has Huntingdon's disease, whilst it is difficult to chart its exact trajectory, it will mean his health will be deteriorating considerably and there is nothing his money can do to prevent it. Miles wonders what to do about his money and business, he loves his brother Gilbert, but not so keen on Gilbert's wife, Caroline, reluctant that she should benefit from his wealth.

Miles remembers his sperm donation, wondering how many kids he has, he feels obligated to inform them of the disease that they might inherit and provide them with the funds for them to deal with it. Although it is not ethical, he gets his hand on the list of his genetic children, of which there are nine, scattered throughout the country. Having made up his mind to distribute the majority of his wealth to his children, for obvious reasons, there are some people who are not happy, like Gilbert. 22 year old Chloe Swanson is a waitress and aspiring film documentary maker, making a film about her 90 year old maternal grandfather and other elderly people about the lives they have lived. She wants to know more about where she came from, having come across a half brother she didn't know about, Todd, although her mom is reluctant for her to pursue this need. Chloe is the first of his children that Miles meets, and a visit to Todd's home reveals he has disappeared in strange, sinister, and suspicious circumstances, and he is not alone, one by one, Miles's children appear to be dying or disappearing without trace.

As always, Linwood Barclay writes a riveting and compulsive thriller that had me turning the pages as fast as possible. Granted that you might have to suspend your sense of disbelief, although so many odd things happen in the world, perhaps it might not be so far fetched. Miles makes for a great protagonist, along with Chloe, a feisty, determined and independently minded young woman, who Miles wants to protect from the fate that some of his other children have met, as the two of them try to take on the dangerous task of finding out what is going on. This is a enjoyable and engaging read, with some great good guys and some terrific villains, a thriller that I think will appeal to many crime and mystery readers. Many thanks to HQ for an ARC.

Miles Cookson is a very wealthy man, with everything he could ever want, except he has just been delivered a body blow when told he has a life changing disease and that it’s hereditary. Although he’s never been married and had children, years ago when he was just starting out, he donated his sperm for some much needed cash. Now that he’s trying to sort out his vast estate, he wants to find any children there may be from that ‘donation’.

I was already a fan of Linwood Barclay and am pleased that this is back to his normally high standard. It’s a fast paced, well written thriller with good characterisation. The various different story lines add to the breathless pace, and keep you wanting more. Although towards the end you can guess whodunnit this doesn’t detract from the story, and there are enough twists to satisfy the reader. A definite recommendation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was only my second book by Linwood Barclay, but I definitely enjoyed it as much as Elevator Pitch which was the first book by Linwood I read.

It was well written and was fast paced with plenty of twists and turns.

I loved Miles, Chloe, Nicky and Charise. Chloe and Nicky were feisty and totally badass! On the other hand, Jeremy and Caroline were awful and I can't really decide who was the more delusional from the two!

The ending was perfect and tied up the story nicely, and not in a cheesy happy ever after way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Linwood Barclay and the publisher HQ for the chance to read this book.

Oh dear, where do I start? I was really looking forward to reading this book, especially as it is a thriller written by a bestselling author. The blurb description had me gripped – just the sort of thing I love, with ‘mysterious and terrifying events’ and a ‘vicious killer’. I have to say that the story got off to a good start and the first 10% was great and had me hooked. Then I came to the first mistake. Only a little thing, but it made me think “Hmmm …”. Miles, the millionaire, ‘collapsed onto the bed, atop the covers … and fell asleep’. A short time later, after a dream, ‘He pulled back the covers …’. He wasn’t under them! I know this is a very minor point, but to me the word ‘careless’ springs to mind. After this, the book went completely downhill. The formatting errors were dreadful – and I apologise if this is a temporary thing for Kindles that will be fixed before the publication date (and if it is, why aren’t we told?). There are spaces missing between words, and between sentences, text that jumps from fully justified to left-aligned, and names without initial capitals. Apologies for the second time if these are not meant to be permanent.

A story needs to be at least ‘nearly’ believable for it to maintain my interest, but this story is not only totally unbelievable, it’s laughable. In some places there is too much unnecessary detail, and in others too little. I don’t want to spoil it for others so I’ll leave it at that. Some of the book is (I think?) intended to be humorous and I found myself chuckling at some of the dialogue. However, by the time I’d got half way through I had almost lost the will to live. I read to the end just to confirm to myself that it would be as silly as I’d envisaged, and it was. If the book had been described as ‘a very unrealistic comedy thriller’ I might have enjoyed it, but it wasn’t - and I didn’t. Sorry.

A wonderful book, I could not put it down, until I had read it in one sitting. It is a real page turner, and every moment it gets more exciting. Highly recommended to those who love a good book, riveting.

Miles is rich and has everything he could dream of... except time. When he finds out he has a terminal illness, he realises he has things he wants to do before it is too late. Including finding his children he fathered through a fertility centre. However a deadly killer is also tracking them down and killing them one by one... Can Miles find them before it's too late...?

Another fantastic book by Linwood Barclay. The plot was exciting and tense, the characters interesting and the suspense and mystery brilliant. I was kept guessing until the very end. I loved the ending too. An absolutely thrilling book that I fully recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

Linwood Barclay never disappoints! This story of a mysterious billionaire seeking out his offspring who might be in danger is an original and a fascinating one. I very much enjoyed it.

Linwood Barclay is one of my favourite crime thriller authors, and his latest novel did not disappoint!

I thoroughly enjoyed this read from start to finish, it kept me guessing throughout and I loved how all the strands tied up nicely together.

A very clever and fast-paced read, 5 stars.

Linwood Barclay has been one of my favourite authors for some time now although I have found his recent books a little disappointing. This one was back up there and I had no hesitation giving it a 4+ rating. Great characters, interesting plot and so well paced that had me reading it straight through, I just didn’t want to put it down.

Miles Cookson is a very successful Tech billionaire and has more money than he can ever spend, but the one thing he can’t buy is a remedy for his illness. Miles is terminally ill and there is a fifty percent chance it can be passed on to his future generations. Although he has never had any children, twenty years ago, when times were tough he made a little extra money donating sperm. Apparently there are nine people out there who not only stand to inherit his fortune but may also have the disease that will end his life.

Meanwhile Chloe Swanson is searching for her biological father, with the knowledge that twenty-two years ago, her mother used a New York sperm bank to become pregnant. It is only a matter of time before Miles and Chloe meet but there are mixed emotions when they do get together. Initial excitement and joy is quickly taken over by a series of mysterious and terrifying events. It appears that Miles’s other potential heirs are vanishing with every trace of them wiped, like they never existed at all.

It becomes a race against time for Miles to find the potential heirs before they disappear. Why is someone else trying to locate the heirs and who will succeed in finding them.

This is an exciting read that you will find difficult to put down. Fast paced and full of suspense.

would like to thank both Netgalley and HQ for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Miles Cookman is 42 years old and has just found out he has Huntington's disease, which is a genetic disorder that eventually leads to death. He is unmarried, with no known children and is the very rich owner of an app company. But, he was a sperm donor around 20 years ago and because he fears that he passed this disease to his offspring, he sets out to find the 9 of them. He first meets Chloe, who knows her father was a sperm donor, and has connected with a half brother through an ancestry website. Miles and Chloe quickly start to realize some of Miles' offspring have recently died under mysterious circumstances.

Linwood Barclay is in my top 5 authors, so reading anything by him is a treat. I thought this one was an interesting concept and became pretty fast paced by the midway point. There were a lot of threads in this one and a lot of characters, which usually annoys me, because I have to think too hard to keep track, which detracts from the reading experience, but that was not an issue here. I really could not figure out how some of these threads tied together, but in the end it all tied up nicely. Another great read from Linwood Barclay.

Miles is a multi-millionaire and has had access to everything he has ever wanted… except the ability to cure himself of the life limiting illness. Remembering a decision from over two decades previous, Miles decides it’s time to put things in place for when he’s no longer here – but that means tracking down the children he has never met. With everything in place, Miles set out to find his offspring, but there’s someone working ahead of him, doing their best to make others disappear. Correction: not disappear, it’s almost like they never existed. Couple this with Miles’ troubling family dynamic, a would-be documentary maker and an usually placed mode of transport and this is a tense read that has you racing through it until the end. There are a few moments where you think, ‘Is it really going to go there?’ and it does and that is brilliant.

Another very good read by Linwood Barclay. I found this book a little slow in places but that in no way took away from the enjoyment of this book, I read it in one sitting so eager was I to find out the ending. 3.5 🌟