I always enjoy Linwood Barclay’s books. They are reliably good and I count on spending time with each new one ASAP so I was happy to receive a copy of I Will Ruin You from Willia)m Morrow and NetGalley in exchange for this review. 

The protagonist, Richard Boyle, is a high school English teacher. (Right away, being retired teachers, I knew my husband and I would both like this one!). One day, Richard is talking to his class about a Cormac McCarthey book (that is definitely not part of the approved curriculum) when he looks out the window and sees a former student coming toward the school with what looks like dynamite strapped to his chest. Well, it is a bomb, and Richard reacts instantly, becoming sort of a reluctant hero. 

It’s not all great. Richard’s marriage is rocky, he has less than great relationships with some colleagues, and he is soon being blackmailed and threatened with…well, it’s complicated. Trust me. It’s a good plot, nice and twisty, and the characters are memorable.For example, a sort of lowlife loser named Billy is one of those guys who mostly spends time in his garage tinkering on a non-functioning muscle car: “A thousand years from now, after the polar ice caps had melted and much of the world was sitting underwater, that f%^&*ng car would still be up on blocks waiting to be fixed.” (Admit it, you know that guy!)

 Once again, a reliably entertaining read from Barclay, who continues to be one of my favorite authors when I want to forget about the news for a day or two. Five stars.