A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay – Book Review
The book, ‘A Noise Downstairs’, written by the master of the crime-fiction genre, Linwood Barclay, is another banger sure to leave all readers in profound disbelief with the entire plot. A book like none other, Barclay has really shown-off his immense skill in this genre. The entire story-line is impeccably crafted, and Barclay has, yet again, found a way to deceit the readers until the very end. ‘A Noise Downstairs’ is truly a celebration of Linwood Barclay and his brilliance in this genre. There’s a reason why Barclay is New York Times’ best-selling author, and this book is a strong reinforcement of his calibre.
The plot of ‘A Noise Downstairs’
I promise, there are now spoilers. Read ahead!
Paul Davis, a college professor, who lives a simple and dreary life. Little did he know that one incident will alter this status forever. His normal existence was turned upside down when one evening, he witnesses his colleague, Kenneth, driving on a deserted road, in a rather suspicious manner. His curiousness leads him towards a series of unfortunate events. Paul catches his colleague in a sinful act of disposing two bodies. Ever since that night, his life was never the same.
After 8 months and nearly losing his life, Paul is suffering from PTSD, depression and other severe problems. Unfortunately, his terrible days are just starting. In an attempt to cheer him up, his wife, Charlotte, buys him a vintage type-writer. This ‘present’ makes his life miserable. He hears clicking of keys in the middle of the night, noises his wife certainly doesn’t hear. Night after night, Paul hears these mysterious noises, but how can the type-writer write by itself? And why is the noise biased towards Paul’s ears only?
Paul swears he isn’t losing his mind, but anyone in the right frame of mind will think otherwise. He believes this type-writer is connected to the murders somehow, but that is implausible too, as his colleague, Kenneth, is in jail, and had no other accomplice. Is someone taking advantage of Paul’s disorientation? Or is Paul just really losing his mind? Maybe someone wants to make Paul believe he is losing his mind. But why? And who? All these questions are held captive in his mind, and if he doesn’t find answers quick, one of them might just become true…
Final words
Speechless; I was at loss of words with the ending. It was something I couldn’t have even imagined. This book is highly gripping, and believe me, it is extremely difficult to put down! The language used makes the book more enjoyable, and effective in telling this beautiful, and haunting story. The characters are immaculately created, as the readers can form a connection with them. I really love this book! Linwood Barclay never fails to impress, and this book really shows Barclay’s undisputed brilliance. I highly recommend this book.
Linwood Barclay has a very simplistic style of writing. He doesn’t use ‘fancy’ words, instead focuses on the plot. Also, he remarkably has multiple stories going on at once. There are multiple stories, all connected, and each has a major breakthrough in it’s own chapter. This keeps you wanting to read more, and all the little pieces of the puzzle slowly start coming together. He really is a genius, and this book is an affirmation of that.
