Julie's Review: Win

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: Windsor Horne Lockwood III (#1)
Publication Date:  March 16, 2021
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 384
Obtained: Purchased
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A bit of everything for every reader
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Summary: Over twenty years ago, the heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors — and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.  Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead — not only on Patricia's kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case — with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man. Windsor Horne Lockwood III — or Win, as his few friends call him — doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up with a dead man. But his interest is piqued, especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism — and that the conspirators may still be at large. The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades, but Win has three things the FBI doesn't: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice. ~amazon.com

Review: I never expected Mr. Coben to write a novel about Win but I am sure glad that he did. For most of us who have read the Myron Bolitar novels, Win has always been Myron's trusty counsel and there for him when he needs him. Throughout those novels we know a few things about Win but now we get to know him, in his own words and his own experiences. 

Win is loyal that is obvious but he also operates very much in gray areas, which of course is what makes him super interesting. He also can do things as he wants because he has money and as he likes to say it makes it easier to abide by your own rules. So when a painting that was stolen from his family decades before is found in the apartment of a recluse, Win goes on the hunt for how it ended up there. 

All families have secrets but when you have as much money as the Lockwood's do, you can bury for a long time until something digs it back up. Of course mayhem ensues. 

I love Harlan Coben novels and I'm hoping that he keeps writing Win novels but if not I'll be happy with his appearances with Myron. 

Julie's Review: Run Away

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: March 19, 2019
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 384
Obtained: publisher
Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Action packed, mind-blowing thriller
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Summary: You've lost your daughter. She's addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she's made it clear that she doesn't want to be found. Then, by chance, you see her playing guitar in Central Park. But she's not the girl you remember. This woman is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly in trouble. You don't stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home. She runs. And you do the only thing a parent can do: you follow her into a dark and dangerous world you never knew existed. Before you know it, both your family and your life are on the line. And in order to protect your daughter from the evils of that world, you must face them head on. ~amazon.com  

Review: If you have read this blog with any regularity you know I love Harlan Coben and his books. I've read him for years and I really try not to miss any of his new releases. I pretty much say with each of his books his writing gets sharper and more pointed. Run Away is definitely his best so far and I say that loving his Myron Bolitar series.

What would you do if you saw your daughter in a park when you've spend months looking for her? Would you go after her? What if she ran from you? What if she was a junkie and your wife told you to stop looking for her? Can a parent ever give up on their child? This is what Simon Greene is dealing with as he sees his daughter take off.

Simon quickly learns that nothing is as it seems when Paige goes missing. Why is she missing? What is she caught up in that could be worse that drugs? Is she selling? Did she get mixed up with a cartel? Simon's hunt for his daughter has many down stream effects on his family. He becomes obsessed with finding her.

What ensues is pretty much every parents nightmare but with some twists and turns. No one does twists like Harlan either.  I was pretty much blown away by the ending of this one.

If you've never read Mr. Coben (why not?), Run Away is a great one to start with but beware you will want to read his back list pretty quick!

Julie's Review: Don't Let Go

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: September 26, 2017
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 368
Obtained: Library
Genre:  Mystery
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Never, ever a let down from Mr. Coben
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Summary: Suburban New Jersey Detective Napoleon “Nap” Dumas hasn't been the same since senior year of high school, when his twin brother Leo and Leo’s girlfriend Diana were found dead on the railroad tracks—and Maura, the girl Nap considered the love of his life, broke up with him and disappeared without explanation. For fifteen years, Nap has been searching, both for Maura and for the real reason behind his brother's death. And now, it looks as though he may finally find what he's been looking for. When Maura's fingerprints turn up in the rental car of a suspected murderer, Nap embarks on a quest for answers that only leads to more questions—about the woman he loved, about the childhood friends he thought he knew, about the abandoned military base near where he grew up, and mostly about Leo and Diana—whose deaths are darker and far more sinister than Nap ever dared imagine. ~amazon.com

Review: Honestly, every time I pick up a book from Mr. Coben I'm not disappointed and he's done it again with Don't Let Go. Nap is a character that you will like even if some of his actions are questionable but he's a great detective. This time the case is personal when the prints of his long-ago girlfriend show up at a crime scene where a cop is killed.

Nap has never gotten over the fact that his girlfriend from 15 years ago disappeared into thin air right after his brother died. He's never really bought the story that his brother and his girlfriend committed suicide together, something always nagged at him about it. So when cops from Philly show up to question him about why he put Maura's fingerprints into the national system, Nap is pulled back into the mystery that shrouded her disappearance years ago.

As Nap starts to ask questions and un-bury long harbored secrets, he begins to find out that things aren't always what they seem and some conspiracy's are not only true but sometimes wilder than the theory itself.

It's not that the outcome is shocking or that there are a bunch of "shoe dropping" moments but its the story telling by Mr. Coben that solidifies this novel as one of my favorite of 2017. He makes you care about the characters, what happens to them and the resolution of the mystery.

If you haven't read Harlan Coben, Don't Let Go is a great stand alone to start with and then work your way through his back list.



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Julie's Review: Home

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 400
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Thriller
Rating: 4.75/5
Bottom Line: So happy that Win and Myron are back!
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Summary: A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager. Where has he been for ten years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken? And most critically: What can he tell Myron and Win about the fate of his missing friend? Drawing on his singular talent, Harlan Coben delivers an explosive and deeply moving thriller about friendship, family, and the meaning of home. ~amazon.com

Review: Home is one of those books where you think you have it figured out but you really don't until the last page is turned and the last word is read. I forgot how much I love the duo of Myron and Win. They are yin and yang, bread and butter for each other. Win has been gone for a year and in that time a lot has changed but a lot remains the same. When Win calls Myron goes to help. This time Win calls because he thinks he's found one of the boys that has been missing for 10 years and needs his help.

Win of course goes a little too far and gets caught up in a local crime lord's web of evil but it doesn't last for long when he figures out who Win is and just what he is capable of doing. Myron is there to keep Win in check a bit but also to help put the pieces of this seemingly complex puzzle back together.

I loved the puzzle of what happened to the two boys Patrick and Rhys. How it has affected the families and the people around them, even the community to a certain extent. It changes their view on life and they are constantly wondering when their boys will come back or if they will ever come back.

Home is a book that will have you wondering where Win and Myron have been all your life or maybe just that you've missed them since their last adventure. It will also make you appreciate Mr. Coben's sense of humor and how he works it in at just the right time.



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Julie's Review: Fool Me Once

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: March 22, 2016
Narrator: January LaVoy
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Length: 10 Hours 5 Minutes
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4.75/5
Bottom Line: Harlan Coben does it again
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Summary: In Fool Me Once, Coben once again outdoes himself. Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe—who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband—and herself. ~amazon.com

Review: Fool Me Once is another great novel from Harlan Coben. Once it starts it never stops, especially with the twists and turns. I wouldn't say that I liked Maya but I respected her. She was focused and determined and she must have been one hell of a soldier. Now she's trying to figure out why Joe was murdered and why is he showing up on her nanny-cam that she received after his funeral.

Seeing this video sends Maya on a crazy chase that not only brings in Joe's murder but the murder of her sister as well. How are the two connected? Are they connected? Does Maya's military history have anything to do with this?  Also what are these flashbacks she keeps having?

Mr. Coben knows how to suck me in from page one and his novels never disappoint me. While this one took me longer because it was on audio, I have no doubt that in print I would have flown through it. Ms. LaVoy did a great job with it but I think that I will stick to reading his books instead of listening to his novels.

This book keeps you guessing until the very under with quite the double whammy in the end. If you haven't read his novels, then Fool Me Once isn't a bad place to start. He does have quite the back-list if you get hooked!



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Julie's Review: Stay Close

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Signet
Pages: 448
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Thriller
Rating: 3/5.0
Bottom Line: If only the secret Megan was keeping was interesting
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Summary: Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once upon a time walked on the wild side. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but now he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as paparazzo. Broome is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case. Three people living lives they never wanted are hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect. And as each confronts the dark side of the American dream—the boredom of a nice suburban life, the excitement of temptation, the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest facades—they will discover the hard truth that the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper thin as a heartbeat. ~amazon.com  

Review: I love Harlan Coben's books. They are usually a quick and surefire read for me but not with Stay Close. While at first I was pretty engaged in the mystery of who was killing the men or why were they disappearing, after a while I just stopped caring. Frankly all of the men had it coming one way of another, but not that murder is the way to go.

Megan is a classic soccer mom with a hidden secret but in my opinion it's really not that horrible. It's something that could have been forgiven easily if she would have just been honest with Dave from the beginning but then again there would be no backstory. Detective Broome has never given up on the case of Stewart Green. He gets a break in it when Megan comes waltzing back into town because she's restless and has some things to resolve.

From my perspective, there are no great characters in this novel. They are all selfish and just trying to clear their conscience. The characters never really move forward or grow, which is disappointing. While I might not have liked this one very much, it won't deter me from reading more of his books.

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Julie's Review: The Stranger

Author: Harlan Coben
Series: None
Publication Date: March 24, 2015
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 455
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  Crime, Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A deeper, fascinating look into living the American dream at all costs
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Summary: The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world. Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life. Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne's deception, and realizes that if he doesn't make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy hes stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them. ~Amazon.com

Review: The Stranger is exactly what I want and expect out of a Harlan Coben thriller. It's what he does so well: taking ordinary people and putting them in extraordinary situations to see how they react. It's a study of human psychology and resilience in unusual circumstances.

Adam Price is living the dream. He's got two great boys, a loving and beautiful wife. He also loves his wife. Unfortunately, things aren't  always as they appear. Corrine has been keeping a secret from Adam and his world falls apart when a complete stranger tells him the secret. As anyone would, Adam begins to investigate what the stranger told him. He quickly falls down the rabbit hole into a world where things quickly spiral out of control. It is pretty apparent that Adam is in over his head.

What Mr. Coben does so well is he keeps you guessing by throwing different issues or secrets into the mix. He likes to steer you in several directions and to keep you changing your theory. It really isn't until he starts to reveal the missing pieces of the puzzle that you say "AH HA".

There's a reason that Mr. Coben is one of the best thriller/mystery writers out there. He takes idealistic situations and turns them on their head. There's always some plausibility with his stories but he always ratchets it up a notch. I will say it's never unbelievable.

When reading his books you can always identify people you know in your neighborhood, school or heck even your friends. It's obvious he's a good at reading people and getting into their heads.

If you've never read him then The Stranger is a great one to start with or any of his other stand-alone novels. If you want to start a series then I definitely recommend his Myron Bolitor books.



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Julie's Review: Six Years

Summary: In Six Years, a masterpiece of modern suspense, Harlan Coben explores the depth and passion of lost love…and the secrets and lies at its heart. Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd. But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for…but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she’s been married to Todd for almost two decades, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life—a time he has never gotten over—is turned completely inside out. As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can’t be found, or don’t remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake’s search for the woman who broke his heart, who lied to him, soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on a carefully constructed fiction. Harlan Coben once again delivers a shocking page-turner that deftly explores the power of past love, and the secrets and lies that such love can hide. ~amazon.com

Review: Oh Mr. Coben, how I love your books! You never fail to pull me in with your fast-paced writing, riveting plot and your male character's charm. Six Years is no different. I admit, I now have a literary crush on Jake. At first, I wasn't sure if Jake was going to keep whining throughout the whole book about how Natalie was the love of his life and how he still can't believe that she married some other guy six years prior and left him high and dry. Thank goodness, the action started within the first five chapters because I would have wanted to smack Jake if that had kept up.

What starts off as an innocent look into if he could get a second chance with his ex when her husband dies suddenly, turns into a cat and mouse game. It is this game that makes the book fly. Of course I immediately think that Natalie is a CIA spy who needed to go into hiding because she was on some top secret assignment but I should have known I would be wrong. Mr. Coben never goes where I think he will.

What we have is a story of secrets and how they affect someone. How they can cause them to impair judgement and act irrationally. How one decision can affect a lifetime and how even falling in love can't always change the course of a life.

Six Years is out on March 19, 2013 and if you haven't read Harlan Coben before, then this is a good place to start and if you have read him, then this isn't one to miss.

Final Take: 4.50/5

I won my ARC copy from Dutton's Monday Giveaways on Twitter.

Julie's Review: Long Lost

Summary: Myron Bolitar takes on international terrorists in bestseller Coben's fast-paced ninth thriller to feature the sports and entertainment agent (after Promise Me). With his romantic relationship with 9/11 widow Ali Wilder on the rocks, Myron is free at a moment's notice to accept the invitation of his former lover, Terese Collins, a TV newswoman who dropped out of his life years earlier, to join her in Paris. There Terese tells Myron her investigative reporter ex-husband, Rick, whom Myron never knew about, recently got back in touch with her and hinted at an earthshaking revelation. Rick's murder plunges Bolitar into a frenzied, often violent chase across Europe in an effort to learn Rick's secret. Aided by his upper-class sidekick and bodyguard, Win, Bolitar builds up an impressive body count as he attempts to prove he didn't kill Rick—and foil a terrorist plot that's as imaginative as it is preposterous. Bolitar fans will cheer their hero every step of the way. ~amazon.com

Review: Ah...Myron Bolitar how I have a literary crush on you. I can understand why all the fictional women fall for your charm. He's witty, charming, good looking, athletic and smart. Yes, the full package. Add his best friend and ladies man, Win and we are all set for an adventure. By now I've read several Myron novels by Harlan Coben and I have to say that Long Lost is the best one by far. I didn't want to put it down. In fact, I was trying to find any minute to read the book. Sure, I'm like that with the majority of my books but this one was a page turner. Mr. Coben had me hooked within the first page.

I really enjoyed this novel because the case was personal for Myron this time. He flew across the ocean to help a friend in need. The one thing about missing some of the earlier novels is that I always find out something new or an already introduced character is new to me. Some authors make this difficult but Mr. Coben gives you enough that you feel you are up to speed on the back story.

I loved the international threads to the story and how it all connected at the end. Was some of the story perhaps a bit far-fetched, sure; but that doesn't make me like it any less. I don't read fiction to live in reality. I read to believe that normal people can solve extreme situations.

I love Myron and Win's friendship. They are so polar opposite but work so well with each other. I never have a doubt that Win will have Myron's back and vice-versa. I love their witty conversations. Even in the tense situations, they find a way to make sarcastic remarks.

If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller to read while you lounge at the pool or beach this summer; look no further than Long Lost.

Final Take: 4.25/5

Julie's Review: Caught

Summary: 17-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst. Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined. In a novel that challenges as much as it thrills, filled with the astonishing tension and unseen suburban machinations that have become Coben’s trademark, Caught tells the story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes she can’t trust her own instincts about this story—or the motives of the people around her. ~amazon.com

Review: So when my dad bought this book back in March and read it, he told me I'd love it. As usual, he's right again. As with all thriller/mystery novels, I can't say much or I'll give it away. What I can say is that Caught is fantastic! It is an edge of your seat ride that doesn't stop. The first line of the book is eerie and hooked me in immediately. Here it is:

"I knew opening that red door would destroy my life."

It begs so many questions: Who is the narrator? Why did they know it would destroy their life? What was behind the door?" These are questions that are all resolved during the course of the book.

While the summary would have you believe that the book is about finding Haley McWaid and her kidnapper, it really isn't. The book is about many different things, with Haley's disappearance being a catalyst.

The book is about our society's obsession with the sensational media and how that can destroy people's lives. It's about parents relationships with their children and how sometimes we will go to any lengths to help them find their place and how that can turn out wrong. It's about trying to right a wrong when you have a guilty conscience.

There are so many twists and turns in the book that as soon as I thought i had figured out something, something else was revealed to make me change my mind. I love authors who do this well and Mr. Coben definitely does.

The ending is so tragic and yet full of hope and redemption. It was nothing short of perfection.

If you have never read Harlan Coben, run out and get yourself a copy of  Caught and then get yourself The Woods.

When all is said and done Harlan Coben is a master in this genre.

Final Take: 5/5

Julie's Review: Fade Away

Summary: Wisecracking sports agent Myron Bolitar returns with style in his third mystery (after Deal Breaker and Dropshot). This time, Myron is given a chance to return to professional basketball after being sidelined by a heartbreaking injury 10 years ago. No, the owner of the New Jersey Dragons doesn't want Myron to play. He wants him to use his skills as a onetime FBI undercover agent ("the worst kept secret in the continental United States") to find a missing player and former rival. The hunt for the absent player turns up an ugly web of complications that include a dead body, blackmail, a nasty custody suit, out-of-control gambling and thugs intent on revenge. Myron finds himself dragged in deeper than expected as the case stirs unresolved issues from his own past. With the help of his lethally loyal pal Win, he untangles the mess with bravado and not a little personal pain. Coben writes a fast-moving narrative in a style witty enough to keep pace without straining too hard. ~amazon.com

Review: I'll start by saying this: in the 90s I didn't miss a Chicago Bulls game, on tv of course because who could afford the tickets in Jordan's heyday. That being said, all the basketball references in Fade Away when they were off the court became tiring. After saying all of that, I did enjoy the book but I didn't care about the characters besides Myron, Win and Esperanza. I have only read 1 other Myron Bolitar book, Promise Me and that was far superior to this one. I like going back and reading books about characters I've been introduced to but this one fell short.

As I said I didn't really care about the characters but I did like the last 5 pages. It made someone you thought was innocent become not so innocent. It was definitely a twist I didn't see coming. Overall the plot was a bit weak but manageable. It wasn't like I couldn't put the book down and do other things. Towards the end I just wanted the story wrapped up and the book over.

I'm sure that in my pile of books to read I have another one of Harlan Coben's books and I will continue to read him. I think he's a gifted writer and I enjoy his style. Fade Away just seemed dated to me and I think that's what happens when pop culture references are entwined with the story. I think the publisher should have updated some of them before re-releasing the book.

Final Take: 3.25/5

Julie's Review: Hold Tight

Summary: Parents will find this compulsive page-turner from Edgar-winner Coben (The Woods) particularly unnerving. A sadistic killer is at play in suburban Glen Rock, N.J., outside New York City, but somehow he's less frightening than the more mundane problems that send ordinary lives into chaos. How do you weigh a child's privacy against a parent's right to know? How do you differentiate normal teenage rebelliousness from out-of-control behavior? When and how do you intervene if suicidal signs appear? Other issues include single parenting; career versus family; marital honesty; and how much information you should share with a child at what age. Coben plucks each of these strings like a virtuoso as Mike and Tia Baye try to deal with the increasing withdrawal of their 16-year-old son, Adam, after a friend's suicide. A pair of brutal, seemingly senseless killings, punctuate the unfolding domestic troubles that ratchet up the tension and engulf the Baye family, their friends and neighbors in a web of increasing tragedy. The this could be me factor lends poignancy to the thrills and chills. ~amazon.com

Review: Hold Tight is the third novel by Harlan Coben that I've read and it's the best of the three. This definitely got me thinking. Granted I don't have a teenager but I do have kids and often wonder what they'll be like during their teen years, I know what I was like and sure I had my moments but compared to some other teenagers my stuff was pretty tame. Mr. Coben deals with teen angst and parental governance of their computers, cell phones and pretty much trying to get their thoughts. Tia and Mike Baye's son Adam has been distant and withdrawing from the family ever since his friend Spencer committed suicide. In order to try to figure out what's going on they "bug" his computer; and here in lies the moral dilemma of the book. As parents should we 1) know our children's every thought and 2) should we take it into our own hands to "spy" on them to know what they are up to? Are kids not allowed to have their own thoughts and privacy?

There are a lot of characters in this books and at times I did sit back and wonder how he was going to tie them all in but did he ever. The book is a roller coaster up and down of not only action but emotion too. As a parent I could definitely identify with the situation that the Baye's found themselves in. I just don't know if I would have gone down that route of spying on my kid. Then again, if it's your last resort, it's your last resort. Mr. Coben truly does not give an opinion on the subject but instead writes the novel so that you think about the morality of it. There are a few good twists and turns that come towards the end of the book and right at the end of the book which make the book that much better. There is violence and some of it pretty gross and yet not completely needless as much as I hate to say that.

I highly recommend Hold Tight if this is your first Harlan Coben book. If it's not and you haven't read it yet, pick it up because it definitely won't disappoint.
My only complaint is that I wish some of the characters had been flushed out a little more but I understand the book was more on plot than on rich character development.

Final Take: 4.25/5

Julie's Review: The Woods

Summary: In this stand-alone legal thriller, Harlan Coben presents a riveting courtroom drama, creates riveting players, and delves into family secrets, love, loss, mistakes, and betrayal. A few critics noted that while The Woods falls into Coben's typical formula—a past crime affects innocent people in the present—it still comes off as fresh. The trial scenes, Cope's ruminations on what really happened that night, and the back-and-forth narration are particularly well done. Only the Washington Post faulted the novel's cheap thrills, improbable revelations, and awkward conclusion. Nevertheless, few readers will remain unaffected by its emotional heft. ~amazon.com

Review: Both my step-dad and dad read this and told me I would really like it and they were right. This book is an adventure in twists and turns. The main character, Paul Copeland is a good guy who made a mistake 20 years ago and that mistake haunts him to this day. 20 years ago there were 4 murders at a camp in "the woods" and Paul was there but it what capacity we aren't quite sure because teh story is told from his point of view. We have to take the story at face value and believe that he's telling us the truth. Of course Coben is really good at making us believe in Paul (or Cope as he's called throughout the novel) because he puts him in a position that typically earns respect...Prosecutor. There are several different story plots going on in The Woods. There's the current trial that Paul is prosecuting, the murders that happened years ago at the camp, his dad's history and what happened to Paul's mom. Early in the book and even towards the end I wondered how Mr. Coben was going to wrap it up in a nice bow, but he did so in a satisfying ending.

The characters are intriguing and very well rounded. You get a sense of who Paul and Lucy were 20 years ago and why they became who they are. I enjoyed how Paul's current trial wrapped into his past.

This is an very solid mystery thriller that keeps you guessing until the final pages and even keeps you guessing after you've finished it.

I will leave you with this last thought..."The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children." ~Merchant of Venice act III, sc. V, l. 1(Shakespeare)

Final Take: 4.0/5

Julie's Review: Promise Me

Summary: Last seen in bestseller Coben's Darkest Fear (2000), Myron Bolitar, former basketball star (Boston Celtics) turned sports and entertainment agent and occasional knight in shining armor, is back in fighting form in his action-packed eighth thriller. For the past six years Myron has been leading a quiet life, much of it at his parents' old house in Livingston, N.J. A new girlfriend, Ali Wilder, a 9/11 widow, is helping to bring him out of his shell. Concerned that Ali's teenage daughter, Erin, and Erin's friend, Aimee Biel, might fall in with the wrong crowd, Myron gives them his contact information in case either of them feels she needs help. Aimee later calls him in the middle of the night for a lift to a friend's house, on condition that her request remain a secret. When Aimee turns up missing in circumstances mirroring those surrounding another vanished girl, Bolitar himself becomes a suspect in her disappearance and must use his wits and martial arts skills to uncover the truth. Coben fans will find much to enjoy in this well-crafted suspense novel, which has a startling final twist. ~amazon.com/Publisher's Weekly

Review: This is my first Harlan Coben novel, both my dad and step-dad enjoy his books. So I didn't know that Myron Bolitar had been in any other novels and sometimes this is a hinderance in understanding the character but not in this case. You get the idea that Myron is a pretty stand up guy and that he's played "hero" a few times before during his life. You also know that he's a former athlete that never really made it "big" but that his life went in a different direction. In Promise Me (Myron Bolitar Mysteries) he tries to protect two teenage girls by making them promise him that if they are in trouble they'll call him. One of the two girls is the daughter of his life long friend Claire Biel and the other one is ErinWilder, the daughter of Ali whom Myron has just started dating.

Aimee does call Myron late one evening and that is where the plot takes off. Did Aimee run away? Was she kidnapped? Who was involved? Of course Myron is the first suspect but because Aimee was 18 there is no case to be pursued by police. There are many twists and turns in the book to make it more than what it might seem. I'm always a fan of a book that takes you in a direction that is so different than you would even have thought. I did figure out one of the twists, but I do think that the plot was set up to take you in that direction. What I really enjoyed was that the pieces of the puzzle didn't come together until the very last pages. So if you are one of those readers who goes to the end and reads the last few pages, don't because you'll ruin it for yourself.

I have another Harlan Coben book on my shelf to read, The Woods,but I like a little bit of a break before I read an author again. Given how good this book was I'll definitely anticipate reading the next one.

Final Take: 3.75/5