Girls' Weekend Gone Wrong

Edna and Pam, two schoolteachers from Pennsylvania, embark on a celebratory trip to New York City. Their adventure takes a dark turn when, in pursuit of knockoff designer purses, they are lured into a backroom on Canal Street. There, they stumble upon a murder scene and are themselves killed by a mysterious man with a scar. This prologue sets the tone for the novel's underworld of counterfeit goods, violence, and the dangerous ripple effects of seemingly innocent choices.

The Last Lasagna

Glen Garber, a struggling contractor, wakes up to a typical day with his wife Sheila and daughter Kelly. Financial stress looms, but Sheila is optimistic, taking an accounting course to help the family business. She prepares lasagna for dinner, a small gesture of normalcy. That evening, Sheila leaves for her class but never returns. Glen's world is upended when he learns Sheila has died in a horrific car accident, her vehicle found parked across a highway ramp, causing a fatal collision.

Tragedy on the Ramp

Sheila's death devastates Glen and Kelly. The official story is that Sheila, heavily intoxicated, drove the wrong way, causing the deaths of a father and son. The community, including Kelly's school, turns on the Garbers, branding Sheila a drunk and Kelly as "Boozer the Loser." Glen is wracked with grief, anger, and confusion—Sheila was not a drinker, and nothing about the accident makes sense. The seeds of doubt and suspicion are sown.

Aftermath and Accusations

Glen struggles to keep his business afloat while navigating single parenthood and the community's scorn. Sheila's mother, Fiona, blames Glen for not preventing the tragedy. Financial woes mount, and Glen's support network frays: his right-hand man Doug is drowning in debt, and his office manager Sally is grieving her own father's death. Meanwhile, Glen's neighbor Joan hints at trouble with another neighbor, Carl Bain, adding to the sense of unease and suspicion.

The Sleepover Secret

Kelly attends a sleepover at her friend Emily's house. While playing hide-and-seek, she hides in the closet of Emily's parents, Ann and Darren Slocum. There, she accidentally records a video of Ann having two cryptic phone conversations—one about someone's injured wrists, another about a "deal" and a threat involving a bullet to the brain. Ann discovers Kelly and reacts with anger and fear, making Kelly promise not to tell anyone. The incident leaves Kelly shaken and Glen suspicious.

Purse Parties and Prescriptions

Ann Slocum runs "purse parties," selling knockoff designer bags, a lucrative but illegal business. Her circle—including Belinda Morton and Sheila—becomes entangled in the trade, which also involves counterfeit prescription drugs. Belinda, deep in debt to dangerous suppliers, enlists Sheila to deliver a large cash payment. Sheila never completes the errand, and the money vanishes. The counterfeit trade's shadowy enforcer, Sommer, begins to close in, threatening those who owe.

The Web of Lies

As Glen investigates, he uncovers layers of deceit: Ann is blackmailing George Morton over a sexual affair; Belinda is desperate to recover the missing cash; and Darren Slocum, a cop, is complicit in the counterfeit operation. The community's financial desperation has driven many to crime. Meanwhile, Glen's business is threatened by faulty electrical parts—possibly counterfeit—leading to a house fire and insurance woes. The lines between victim and perpetrator blur.

The Slocum Spiral

Ann Slocum dies in a suspicious accident, found drowned near the harbor after a late-night call. Detective Rona Wedmore suspects foul play, especially as Ann's death follows Sheila's under mysterious circumstances. Darren's behavior grows erratic, and he becomes obsessed with learning what Kelly overheard. The circle of trust shrinks as Glen realizes almost everyone around him is hiding something.

The Envelope of Cash

The envelope of cash Sheila was supposed to deliver is found hidden in Glen's house. Belinda pleads for its return, fearing for her life. Sommer, the enforcer, becomes increasingly violent, killing a private investigator and threatening Glen and Kelly. The counterfeit operation's reach is revealed to be vast, implicating many in the community and tying back to the deaths of both Sheila and Ann.

The Contractor's Collapse

Glen's business partner Doug is framed for using counterfeit electrical parts, and his life falls apart. Sally, the office manager, is revealed to be more involved than she appears. Theo, the electrician, is murdered, and Doug is arrested. Glen's trust in those closest to him is shattered as he realizes the depth of desperation and duplicity around him.

Shots in the Night

A drive-by shooting targets Glen's house, nearly killing Kelly. The shooter is revealed to be a grieving classmate, but the violence underscores the danger closing in. Sommer's rampage escalates, culminating in a deadly confrontation at the Mortons' house, where he is finally killed. Detective Wedmore is wounded but survives, and the criminal enterprise is exposed.

The Truth in the Closet

Glen's investigation leads him to Sally, who confesses to killing Sheila. Overwhelmed by caring for her ailing father and desperate for money, Sally murdered Sheila to keep her own crimes hidden, staging the accident to look like a drunk-driving tragedy. She also killed Theo and framed Doug. In a final struggle, Sally attempts to kill Glen, but he survives, and Sally is electrocuted by her own faulty bathroom renovation.

The Final Confrontation

With the criminal network dismantled and the truth about Sheila's death revealed, Glen and Kelly begin to heal. Fiona, wracked with guilt over Marcus's crimes (he is revealed to have killed Ann Slocum and possibly others), moves closer to help raise Kelly. The community's wounds are deep, but Glen finds solace in small acts of kindness and the hope of rebuilding his life and business.

Healing and Moving Forward

Glen and Kelly donate Sheila's belongings to charity, symbolizing their attempt to move on. The novel ends with Glen reflecting on loss, forgiveness, and the resilience required to survive tragedy. The web of lies, crime, and desperation that ensnared the community is finally broken, but not without lasting scars. Glen's final conversation with Kelly, and his imagined dialogue with Sheila, offer a note of hope and the possibility of new beginnings.

Characters

Glen Garber

Glen is a contractor and widower, struggling to keep his business and family together after his wife's mysterious death. He is practical, loyal, and increasingly suspicious as the world around him unravels. Glen's journey is one of grief, anger, and relentless pursuit of the truth. His relationships—with his daughter, friends, and community—are tested as he uncovers betrayal and crime. Glen's psychological arc moves from self-doubt and rage to acceptance and resilience, embodying the struggle to find meaning and justice in chaos.

Kelly Garber

Kelly, Glen and Sheila's eight-year-old daughter, is caught in the crossfire of adult secrets and violence. She is sensitive, intelligent, and resourceful—her accidental recording of Ann Slocum's phone call becomes a key clue. Kelly's grief is compounded by bullying at school and the loss of her mother's reputation. Her psychological journey is one of confusion, anger, and gradual healing, symbolizing the collateral damage of adult failings.

Sheila Garber

Sheila's death is the novel's central mystery. In life, she was loving, practical, and supportive, but her final actions are shrouded in suspicion. Was she a secret drinker, a victim, or something else? As Glen investigates, Sheila's hidden struggles and involvement in the counterfeit trade are revealed. Her character is a study in the unknowability of others, and the ways in which desperation can drive good people to dangerous choices.

Sally Diehl

Sally is Glen's office manager and a longtime family friend. Outwardly competent and loyal, she is secretly overwhelmed by caring for her dying father and financial ruin. Her psychological unraveling leads her to murder Sheila (to cover up her own crime), kill Theo, and frame Doug. Sally's arc is a chilling portrait of how stress and isolation can warp morality, and how the most trusted can become the most dangerous.

Ann Slocum

Ann is the ringleader of the purse party operation, charming and entrepreneurial but also ruthless. She blackmails George Morton and is involved in the counterfeit prescription trade. Her murder is a turning point, exposing the criminal web and the community's complicity. Ann's character explores the allure and peril of easy money, and the cost of secrets.

Darren Slocum

Darren is a police officer entangled in the counterfeit operation. He is complicit in Ann's crimes and becomes increasingly unstable after her death. His obsession with Kelly's knowledge and his willingness to bend the law reflect his moral decay. Darren's arc is a study in the corrosive effects of guilt, fear, and compromised integrity.

Belinda Morton

Belinda is Ann's friend and business partner, drowning in debt and willing to risk everything to save herself. She manipulates Sheila into delivering the cash and is nearly destroyed by her involvement with Sommer. Belinda's character highlights the dangers of denial, rationalization, and the domino effect of bad decisions.

Theo Stamos

Theo is the electrician whose use of counterfeit parts leads to disaster. He is out of his depth, manipulated by others, and ultimately murdered by Sally. Theo's arc is one of blundering complicity and victimhood, illustrating how small acts of negligence can have catastrophic consequences.

Doug Pinder

Doug is Glen's longtime friend and employee, whose financial desperation makes him vulnerable to suspicion and betrayal. Framed for murder, Doug's arc is one of suffering and eventual exoneration, embodying the theme of how good people can be destroyed by circumstances beyond their control.

Sommer

Sommer is the shadowy figure at the center of the counterfeit operation, responsible for multiple murders and threats. He is the embodiment of the criminal underworld's reach into ordinary lives. Sommer's presence drives much of the novel's suspense and violence, and his eventual death brings a measure of closure.

Plot Devices

Interlocking Mysteries and Red Herrings

The novel weaves together several mysteries: Sheila's death, Ann's murder, the missing cash, and the counterfeit operation. Each character's secrets and lies create a web of suspicion, with Glen (and the reader) constantly reevaluating who can be trusted. Red herrings abound—suspicions fall on Darren, Marcus, Doug, and others before the true culprit is revealed. The structure is a classic whodunit, with each revelation recontextualizing earlier events.

Child's Perspective as Key Evidence

Kelly's recording of Ann's phone call, initially dismissed as childish curiosity, becomes the linchpin for unraveling the adult conspiracy. The device of a child's innocent observation exposing adult wrongdoing is used to great effect, both as a plot mechanism and a commentary on the unseen impact of adult choices on children.

The Everyday Turned Deadly

Barclay uses familiar suburban settings—kitchens, bedrooms, sleepovers, office parties—as backdrops for crime and violence. This juxtaposition heightens suspense and underscores the theme that evil can lurk beneath the surface of ordinary life.

Foreshadowing and Parallel Tragedies

The deaths of two mothers in quick succession, the repeated motif of sleepovers gone wrong, and the recurring presence of counterfeit goods all foreshadow the interconnectedness of the crimes. The narrative structure uses parallel events to build tension and suggest deeper links.

Psychological Unraveling

Characters' psychological states—grief, guilt, desperation—are central to the plot. The unraveling of Sally, Doug, and others is depicted with realism and empathy, making their actions both shocking and tragically understandable. The device of unreliable narration (Glen's shifting suspicions and self-doubt) keeps the reader off-balance.

Analysis

Linwood Barclay's The Accident is more than a thriller; it's a social novel about the fragility of middle-class life and the moral compromises people make under pressure. The story exposes how economic hardship, pride, and the lure of easy money can drive ordinary people into criminality and betrayal. The counterfeit trade is both literal and metaphorical—everyone is pretending, hiding, or faking something, from purses to marriages to innocence. The novel's structure, with its interlocking mysteries and red herrings, mirrors the confusion and chaos of real-life tragedy. Ultimately, The Accident is about the search for truth and the possibility of redemption. Glen's journey—from anger and suspicion to understanding and forgiveness—offers a hard-won hope that, even after the worst has happened, healing and new beginnings are possible. The book warns of the dangers of denial and the importance of facing uncomfortable truths, both about others and ourselves.

Last updated: May 16, 2025