Linwood Barclay: Biography
Linwood Barclay was born on March 22nd, 1955 and is currently 69 years old. Linwood Barclay was born in Darien, Connecticut, USA. Barclay attended Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario where he received a B.A. English Literature.
Linwood Barclay is probably best known for his Standalone Novels. There are currently 13 novels available. The first standalone was released in 2008 with the novel Too Close to Home. The most recently released novel was The Lie Maker which was released in 2023.
Linwood Barclay has also written the Non-Fiction Books series which has 5 books including Father Knows Zilch: A Guide for Dumbfounded Dads and Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog.
Prior to becoming a full time novelist, Linwood Barclay worked for first the Peterborough Examiner, then the Toronto Star newspaper. Linwood started writing a humour column for the Toronto Star. Linwood initially planned to take a year off to promote No Time for Goodbye, but it ended up being such a success that he left the newspaper to focus full time as an author.
The author Stephen King is a big fan of Linwood's work, and wrote the cover blurb for Find You First.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Linwood Barclay stated that if he could take only one book to a desert island, it would be Fierce Pajamas, which is an anthology of humour writing taken from The New Yorker.
Linwood Barclay: Awards & Accolades
Barclay's books have won multiple awards, Too Close to Home won the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Best Crime Novel, in 2009. Chase won the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book, in 2018. Escape won the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book, in 2019.
The following novels by Linwood Barclay were also nominated for these awards:
- Last Resort : A Memoir: Leacock Awards, Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour (2000).
- Lone Wolf: Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Best Crime Novel (2007).
- Stone Rain / Bad News: Shamus Award, Best P.I. Paperback Original (2008).
- No Time for Goodbye: Barry Award, Best Thriller (2008). International Thriller Writers Award, Best Novel (2008). Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Best Crime Novel (2008).
- Fear the Worst: International Thriller Writers Award, Best Hardcover Novel (2010).
- The Accident: Barry Award, Best Novel (2012).
- Trust Your Eyes: Barry Award, Best Novel (2013). Crime Thriller Awards, ITV3 Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read Award (2013). Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Best Crime Novel (2013).
- FaceOff: Anthony Award, Best Anthology / Collection (2015).
- Broken Promise: The Dead Good Reader Award, The Papercut Award for Best Page Turner (2016).
- Find You First: Crime Writer's Association Award, Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award (2022). Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Best Crime Novel (2022).
- Take Your Breath Away: Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence, Best Crime Novel (2023). Crime Writer's Association Award, Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award (2023).
Linwood Barclay: TV/Movies Based on Books
The Barry award-nominated novel "The Accident" was converted into a TV series in French. It was titled "L'Accident" and was made up of six episodes.
Never Saw It Coming, the first novel in the Keisha Ceylon series, was released as a 2017 movie. It was directed by Gail Harvey and starred Eric Roberts, Katie Boland and Emily Hampshire.
Related Authors
The most common authors followed by users who also follow Linwood Barclay are:
- Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch Series.
- David Baldacci, author of the Amos Decker Series.
- Harlan Coben, author of the Myron Bolitar Series.
- Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher Series.
- John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.
Linwood Barclay: F.A.Q
When was Linwood Barclay Born? How old is Linwood Barclay?
Linwood Barclay was born on March 22nd, 1955. Linwood Barclay is currently 69 years old.
Where was Linwood Barclay Born?
Linwood Barclay was born in Darien, Connecticut, USA and is Canadian.
What book awards has Linwood Barclay won?
Too Close to Home: Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Best Crime Novel (2009).
Chase: Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book (2018).
Escape: Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book (2019).
What was the first book Linwood Barclay wrote?
The first novel written by Linwood Barclay was Father Knows Zilch: A Guide for Dumbfounded Dads, published in 1996.
What was the most recent book Linwood Barclay wrote?
His most recently released work was The Lie Maker on May 16th, 2023.
Will there be any more books by Linwood Barclay?
Linwood Barclay has a new book coming out on May 7th, 2024 called I Will Ruin You.
How many books has Linwood Barclay written?
Linwood Barclay has written 35 books. 13 Standalone Novels, 5 books in the Promise Falls Series, 2 books in the No Time For Goodbye Series, 4 books in the Zack Walker Series, 2 books in the Keisha Ceylon Series, 2 books in the Chase Series, 2 Short Stories/Novellas, 5 books in the Non-Fiction Books.
What Order Should I read the Linwood Barclay Books?
While the majority of Linwood books are standalone, they all generally take place within the same universe other than the Zach Walker series. So I would advise reading the No Time for Goodbye series, the Keisha Ceylon series, and the Promise Falls as well as all the standalone novels in publication order.
You won't be missing too much if you read them out of order, but there are some neat callbacks etc. and repeat characters that enhance the stories that much more.
What books are in the promise falls trilogy?
The novels Broken Promise, Far From True and The Twenty-Three are the three original novels in the trilogy. Final Assignment is a short story that takes place in Promise Falls, and then Parting Shot is a standalone novel that is spun off by the events that take place in the trilogy.
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