I Will Ruin You was full of the usual drama & tension you associate with a Linwood Barclay thriller & I really enjoyed it. A quick & pacey read with a few twists thrown in. I did however work out the main twist before the end which was a little disappointing but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book

A school teacher narrowly averts a former pupil blowing up the school. To many he is heralded a hero. To one misguided individual he has become a potential target for blackmail. Still struggling from post traumatic stress, the teacher becomes a victim of his own hysteria and irresponsible actions culminating in a frenzy of escalating violence and murder. Family members are drawn into the tangled mess and misguided actions that lead to a terrifying impasse . Events and perpetrators appear to be finally exposed only to be presented with a sting in the tail that finally draws a rip roaring story line to an unexpected conclusion. Uncharacteristic actions from educated professionals allow this storyline to run wild, so enjoy without questioning the apparent failure at any point of expecting protagonists to act with any degree of thought or common sense. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I am always excited when a new Linwood Barclay comes out! I love his manner of writing, his books are all very character driven. He knows how to write a good thriller, I like how he writes about ordinary people and the plots are always plausible.
Really enjoyed this one.

Absolutely spectacular! Starting with the unimaginable horror of an ex-student turning up at his old school with a bomb and hurtling from crisis to crisis, with twists and curveballs a-plenty. I just adore this type of story, of an ordinary man and his ordinary life suddenly becoming this extraordinary whirlwind of excitement and catastrophe in an instant.
I am and always will be a Linwood Barclay fan, I feel like he has a wonderful insight into the insecurities we all feel and can intertwine them into his characters alongside quirky details and capture our humanity perfectly.
I really hope that he will allow us to revisit one of these characters, one who I feel has all sorts of stories and adventures in her and who I warmed to immediately.
A brilliant story, expertly told as always.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HQ and Linwood Barclay for my ARC of 'I Will Ruin You' in return for an honest review.

I have read most of this author's novels and am a huge fan. This one was a delight. Clever, hard hitting in places, amusing in others with numerous twists, turns and cliffhangers.

High school English teacher, Richard Boyle, comes face-to-face with an ex-student who has a bomb strapped to him trying to enter the school. Thanks to his quick thinking, Richard averts a major tragedy and is a hero overnight. The publicity brings out old adversaries and puts him in a difficult position.

Great read and highly recommended.

Linwood Barclay at his sneaky, enthralling, ingenuous best.
As usual an intricate (but very easy to follow) plot absolutely loaded with twists throughout and a hapless hero who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time make this almost comical yet deliciously thrilling.
Loved, loved, loved it and it reminded me of his earlier work, most of which I never wanted to put down.
More please!

This is a good read and I did enjoy this book. There are some real hard topics (school shootings, historic child abuse) covered in this book but Linwood Barclay has covered them sensitively and well. This isn’t one of my favourite books by the author but there is no bad word to be said. I can’t put my finger on why but I wasn’t as keen on this as his other books.

The story is told in present day from the point of view of several characters. The main character is Richard Boyle who notices an armed intruder to his school early. We then follow the after math of the attempted school bombing and how things begin to fall apart for Richard as he tries to figure out why the bomber wanted to harm a few select teachers.

It was definitely a page turner and I raced through the book but I can’t say I really connected with the characters and I found I didn’t really care about the outcome. I think had it been an author unknown to me then it would probably have been 3 stars. If you love Linwood Barclay you will enjoy this but if this is your first don’t let it put you off, the majority of his books are 5 stars!

I have given this 4 stars as Linwood Barclay is one of my favourite authors and in all honesty it was a page turner!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ books for this digital arc.

I think we're at the point now where the name Linwood Barclay on a cover is selling point enough. And he's done it again with a really enjoyable thriller which looks at the choices we make when we feel backed into a corner. Read it!

It’s Linwood Barclay, it’s going to sell itself and it does indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I really wasn’t sure where it was going at times, I was in suspense - just read it!

A Linwood Barclay book pretty much sells itself. Even if one doesn’t have the wow factor, people will buy his next regardless.
This one though truly did bring all the wows! I had no idea where things were going and how they were going to tie up. He kept me on my toes for sure. Perfect read anytime anywhere.

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