What would you do if you are in English teacher Richard Boyles shoes? He’s mid lesson (FYI., The Road, Cormac McCarthy) when he spots someone running towards the school entrance wearing a suicide vest. He tells the class to lock and then bar the door, to call 911 whilst he rushes to the front door, yelling.’ Lockdown’ en route. There, intent on causing maximum harm is ex student Mark LeDrew and he has a very specific kill list. What occurs on that fateful door threshold puts Richard in the spotlight and he comes to the attention of another student in Billy Finister and he has a score to settle. This dramatic day is a catalyst for a sequence of events as Richard finds himself at the centre of a cluster storm. Is Richard in freefall? Is he the hero the media believes him to be?

The start of the book is both shocking, terrifying and moving and it certainly pulls you into the storytelling and there’s always something going on to keep your attention there. There are numerous suspenseful moments and chapters which end on cliffhangers which keeps you reading eagerly on. As you would expect from this experienced best selling author there are plenty of intriguing twists, it’s all told at a brisk pace and builds to an unexpected ending because they’re such good misdirection.

In the middle of all the drama is Richard and basically he’s a good man, but he doesn’t always make the most rational decisions because he’s under pressure and how. Does he deserve what falls on his head? Up to you to decide although I do shout Noooo at him on a couple of occasions !

Whilst I can honestly say this novel keeps me entertained, the plot has a lot of things going on in it, perhaps there are too many subplots which gets a bit overwhelming. It’s a bit like a load of fireworks all going off at the same time, exploding in different directions and you don’t know which way to look. Probably the authors intention so you don’t spot the most important plot firework!

Overall though, it maintains my interest throughout which is the aim of an authors game!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay literally starts with a bang and the pace never lets up from that opening until the final page. It’s another example of what the author does so brilliantly; writing twisty tales about terrible things that happen to ordinary people. This time, high school English teacher Richard Boyle prevents a catastrophic event from happening but the resulting limelight leads to some unwanted attention. Cue blackmail, lies, deceit and drama! Another winner from Linwood Barclay.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my copy of I Will Ruin You by Linwood Barclay.
Richard Boyle is a teacher, a good teacher who cares for the kids he teaches but no one special, until the day an ex pupil comes to the school with a bomb.
Richard is first to the scene and averts a tragedy.
Richard Boyle is a hero and someone out there decides to cash in. Blackmail is a dirty business and there is always a price to pay. But who will pay it. I could not put this book down Linwood keeps you turning the pages long into the night.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a Linwood Barclay book and think he just gets better and better with each one. This one is definitely going to be a long term favourite.

Richard is teaching his high school English class when he notices something unusual out of the window. A man is heading towards the school - in fact towards a door that is likely to be slightly ajar as it hasn’t been fixed. This means that he can gain entry without being seen, so the only person who knows he is there is Richard. Realising that this could be someone meaning harm to the students, Richard leaves his class with stern words not to leave the room and heads for the doors where he realises he is face to face with a suicide bomber……

What starts as an ordinary day for many in this story soon means that life will never be the same again. The clever thing about this book is that no character or detail is there unnecessarily, resulting in a brilliant build up to the end of the story. Another fantastic read from Linwood.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

A new Linwood Barclay novel is always a great and this was no exception. Schoolteacher Richard is plunged into a nightmare following a terrifying encounter with a suicide bomber. Fast paced with plenty of twists for the reader to enjoy. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Linwood Barclay is one of my go to authors and I Will Ruin You was a twisty and compelling read.
After high school English teacher Richard Boyle prevents a mass murder at his school he becomes caught up in a blackmail plot.
It took me a couple of chapters to really get into but once I did I was completely gripped and read the entire novel in the garden over the course of an afternoon.
Like many of the author’s novels it’s about an ordinary man who gets caught up in an extraordinary web of blackmail and crime and I loved the way the multiple story lines all came together. There are plenty of twists throughout that surprised me and it moves along at a good pace. Perhaps not one of the author’s best novels but still an enjoyable and gripping thriller that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I always enjoy Linwood Barclay’s books and I was delighted to receive a copy of his latest story I Will Ruin You.
Richard a high school teacher talks a former student out of carrying out an attack on staff and students at his school.
This causes the incident to be broadcast on television and brings out another former student with a score to settle.
Another great read from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review. 4⭐️ 1 August

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

Richard is a teacher who stops a disgruntled ex student who has a bomb strapped to his body from blowing up the school. He gains some accolades for his heroism, but unfortunately he draws the attention of some unsavory characters and gets drawn into a bunch of trouble with blackmailers and drug dealers.

I LOVE Linwood Barclay. He has been one of my top authors for many years and while this book was good, I don't feel like it was up to his usual standard. It wasn't quite as shocking or intense as some of his other books. I still read it in a couple of days, and it was still a good read, but not quite as good as some of his other novels. Regardless, I mostly enjoyed it and will certainly read his next offering.

There's definitely a formula to Linwood's books, an ordinary person has something totally unexpected happen to him and his life spirals out of control. This book fits with that, a teacher stops a kid intent of blowing up the school and then things spiral from there.

It's always interesting to see how seemingly unconnected events and characters will come together as the story unfolds, it draws you in and makes you keep reading. This one kept me guessing to the end, and enjoyable read.

I will ruin you by Linwood Barclay was a good read, but it didn't grip me as much as his books usually do. It is probably me, but I didn't like the premise of sexual abuse of adolescents. Every character was shady and it made it difficult to like any - which I did like. 3 stars

There is something reassuringly brilliant about a Linwood Barclay novel.

This story starts with a teacher, Richard, foiling an attack on the School where he works. What then transpires is a great story from multiple viewpoints that shifts the action along at a cracking pace and made me second guess what was going to happen next.

This is a superb thriller with some many threads being wrapped up at the end I almost felt like applauding when I finished. I couldn't put the book down at points

Do you like thrillers, if yes, buy this and enjoy, you can thank me later. Stephen King is a fan and I am too, read this and you probably will be.

5/5 - superb.

Than.k you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an independent review.

As ever, an excellent read by Linwood Barclay. Good plot, clever twists and hard to put down. Will keep looking forward to his books.

There’s not many writers out there that offer such consistently strong ‘grab you’ moments. I remember Linwood Barclay in a live reading offering, instead of a standard chapter, a whole bunch of ‘moments’ from his work that draw readers in.
In his newest novel ‘I Will Ruin You’, teacher Richard Boyle is in class when he spots an ex-student walking towards the school intent on causing mass destruction. His actions save the day but set in motion a chain of events that will impact on him, his family and those that know him…and a fair few people that he’s never even met.
There's’ a touch of what Roger Ebert referred to as ‘hyperlink movies’ in Barclay’s latest: that idea where apparently completely unrelated people or plots come together to involve everyone in a web of a story you can’t possibly anticipate – to this end, the opening scene is a perfect setting for what comes in terms of one of the author’s classic ‘grab you’s but it is just the very start of things and to give too much more would spoil half the fun of the novel.
A crime writer I know commented the other day that ‘half of crime/ mystery novels wouldn’t happen without people making bad decisions or doing the wrong thing’. I think that’s true but it can still be a bit frustrating when it happens. Here, Linwood Barclay takes that and runs and runs with it: in a lesser writer’s hands it might seem ‘dumb’. Here it felt like the author having fun with it: there’s a lot of characters in this book – some smart, some murderous, some sly, some dumb as a box of rocks. But they all do spur of the moment things that will affect them and the story… it felt it was being done with a sly wink to me and I was happy to go with it as things spiralled further and further rout of whack as each split second decision unspooled.
You can always count on Linwood Barclay to bring the page turner element to his stories and after a couple of high concept novels among his recent efforts this return to extraordinary things happening to ordinary people really worked for me as one of my favourites of his to date.

Another great read by Linwood Barclay.
Fast paced, great characters, and a twist I didn't see coming and really appreciated!

Barclay has definitely set high standards for himself and, whilst I wouldn't rate this book as one of his best, it was still a solid effort and an enjoyable way to spend a few hours

Linwood Barclay can be relied upon to deliver a tense thriller so I was expecting a rollercoaster of a read with this book. The story gripped me from the start and I couldn't put the book down.
When high school teacher, Richard Boyle, foils an attempt by a suicide bomber to blow up the school, the press hail him as a hero. From this event Linwood Barclay weaves a clever, multi-stranded plot that includes blackmail, historic child abuse and drug dealing. The novel is fast-paced with well-drawn characters and twists along the way.
Another first-rate thriller from Linwood Barclay.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’m a big fan of Linwood Barclay, still a ‘must-read-asap’ author for me, even after more than twenty books.

I Will Ruin Sees sees high school English teacher Richard rushing into danger to try to prevent an atrocity planned by a former student with a grudge against certain people connected with the school.

Richard should be the hero of the hour, but his life is about to spiral out of control.

It’s got the classic Linwood Barclay style, a suburban everyman cast into tense and dangerous circumstances beyond his control. It’s got a contemporary feel, Fentanyl addiction, book banning and historic allegations of abuse all featuring.

It’s good, tense and twisting with multiple strands that weave together tightly. Fans will love it, although I wonder if Linwood Barclay’s tried and tested formula is getting a little overfamiliar.

Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ

In this novel a teacher's action to stop a suicide bomber has unexpected consequences. I really love this author, his plots are well written and his characters are well drawn in this novel and all his other books..
I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it highly.