Linwood Barclay Books in Order (Updated February 19, 2026)

Linwood Barclay writes suspense and thriller fiction in two main modes: standalone “one nightmare day” thrillers and a small cluster of books that share a setting and recurring threads. If you want maximum clarity (and minimum accidental spoilers), start by choosing the lane you’re in.

Based on your Reading Taste you can Start:

• If you like small-town secrets that keep compounding: start with Too Close to Home (Promise Falls “entry point”).
• If you like a clean, no-commitment thriller hit: start with No Time for Goodbye (standalone).
• If you like lighter, suburban chaos with a continuing lead: start with Bad Move (Zack Walker #1).

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The only continuity that really matters

Promise Falls (shared setting + connected thread)

Promise Falls includes two earlier novels set in the town, then the Promise Falls Trilogy, then follow-up novels that return to the same fallout. You can read only the trilogy, but the fuller arc lands better if you start earlier.

Promise Falls reading order (recommended):

1. Too Close to Home: A seemingly normal street becomes a crime scene, and the town’s “everybody knows everybody” veneer starts peeling.
2. Never Look Away: A new case in the same town adds layers to the local power structure and long-running tensions.
3. Broken Promise: The trilogy begins as a “what really happened here?” mystery that immediately pulls multiple residents into the blast radius.
4. Final Assignment (short novel/novella): A compact Promise Falls story that fits between the first and second trilogy novels.
5. Far From True: The middle volume tightens the net around the town’s secrets and makes earlier clues feel newly dangerous.
6. The Twenty-Three: The trilogy payoff, designed to be read after the first two books’ build-up.
7. Chase: A return to Promise Falls where the town’s earlier damage still shapes what people will do next.
8. Parting Shot: Another Promise Falls return that plays best once you’ve seen the full chain of consequences.

If you only want the core trilogy: read Broken Promise → Far From True → The Twenty-Three in that order.

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Zack Walker series (read in order)

This is a separate continuity from the thrillers above, more satirical, more “regular guy in escalating trouble.”

1. Bad Move: Zack Walker’s suburban life tilts into chaos when a simple situation turns into a public mess he can’t ignore.
2. Bad Guys: Zack’s attempts to be sensible make things worse, and the neighborhood trouble escalates faster than it should.
3. Lone Wolf (also published as Bad Luck): A new round of danger forces Zack to act like a hero even when he’s not built for it.
4. Stone Rain (also published as Bad News): The fourth Zack book raises the stakes again, with consequences that only really land if you’ve read the earlier entries.

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Standalone thrillers (publication order)

Everything below is separate continuity unless it’s listed above as Promise Falls or Zack Walker. You can read these in any order; publication order is just the cleanest way to track his career.

1. Last Resort: An early, self-contained suspense story that stands apart from the later “big twist” thrillers.
2. No Time for Goodbye: A long-ago family disappearance refuses to stay buried when the past starts moving again.
3. Fear the Worst: A parent’s search turns frantic as each answer creates a more alarming question.
4. Trust Your Eyes: A seemingly harmless activity (watching the world) becomes a doorway into something criminal and real.
5. Never Saw It Coming: A stalker-style setup where the target can’t fully prove what’s happening, until it’s too late.
6. A Tap on the Window: One late-night encounter pulls an ordinary person into a chain reaction of secrets and violence.
7. No Safe House: A family under pressure realizes that safety can be taken away in plain sight.
8. A Noise Downstairs: A man’s fragile recovery is threatened when he starts doubting what’s real in his own home.
9. Elevator Pitch: A contained, fast-moving thriller built around a public space turning suddenly lethal.
10. Find You First: A clock-starts-now story where a private truth creates urgent, dangerous choices.
11. Take Your Breath Away: A missing spouse case that doesn’t stay “missing”, it becomes a test of what the past can rewrite.
12. Look Both Ways: A multi-threaded novel that follows intersecting lives as one incident ripples outward.
13. The Lie Maker: A son investigates his father’s life and finds the “family story” was never the real story.
14. I Will Ruin You: A teacher’s split-second act pulls him into a threat he can’t reason his way out of.
15. Whistle: A darker, supernatural-leaning chiller where a fresh start in a small town comes with something that won’t stay quiet.
16. Not a Word (announced for 2026): A new standalone centered on an everyday life upended by a single discovery that won’t let go.

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How to read Linwood Barclay without second-guessing

• Want the deepest continuity? Do Promise Falls in the recommended order.
• Want a single, classic Barclay experience? Pick No Time for Goodbye.
• Want newer work first? Start with The Lie Maker or I Will Ruin You, then move forward.

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A couple of common questions

Do I have to read the Promise Falls books to read the standalones?
No. Promise Falls is its own lane; the standalones don’t require it.

Is Zack Walker connected to Promise Falls?
No. Different tone, different continuity, different kind of storytelling.

Why do some Zack Walker titles look “wrong” across markets?
Two of the Zack books have UK/US title swaps (e.g., Bad Luck vs Lone Wolf, Bad News vs Stone Rain). The safest approach is to follow the numbered order above.

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Conclusion

If you want the most satisfying “in order” experience, start with Too Close to Home and follow the Promise Falls sequence through the trilogy and beyond. If you want a single standalone to test the waters, start with No Time for Goodbye.