I really enjoy Coban’s books, but this one was not my favorite. I like the storyline and it definitely keep you guessing, but there seem to be more description & back story that didn’t seem necessary. there was a creepy feel to it throughout most of the book that I didn’t like. ( )

I finished this book only because I was too apathetic to find another one to read. Disappointing, because I really enjoyed Caught and expected to enjoy this, my second Coben book, as much. ( )

One too many twists. I like when you don't know what is coming. Or you view a scene from the subject's eyes but you don't realize the subject's eyes don't see to clearly. Those moments are great in this book. BUT a few too many twists that didn't seem authentic and were only put in the book for the readers love of final twists. ( )

What a roller-coaster! Or maybe I should compare it to an etch-a-sketch (if anyone remembers these) where you often need to shake it up and start over. Every time you think you know what happened, the world tilts, and it's all wrong - all the way to the very end. Bad guys become good guys, good guys become bad guys, minor characters become important, etc. The worst bad guy started out as a promising young good guy, and gradually became very sadistic, although mainly to lawyers, so perhaps he thought he was being a good guy.

There were a lot of very interesting characters in the book, if you can keep up with who's who. All in all, this book made me remember how much I like Coben's books. I'm glad there are a lot more to read. ( )

Gone for Good by Harlan Coben is a 2007 Dell publication.

Eleven years ago, Will’s former girlfriend was murdered, and his older brother, Ken, became the prime suspect. Ken disappeared with a cloud of suspicion hanging over him, and the cops are lying in wait…

But, Will and his family, has always believed his brother was innocent…

And that he died on that fateful night as well…

Until now…

In the aftermath of his mother’s deathbed rambling- in which she stated, with absolute certainty, that Ken was still alive, Will has been considering that possibility. But he gets sidetracked when his girlfriend disappears and he discovers she is not the woman he believed her to be…

After a couple of misfires in the mystery/thriller genre this month, I went looking for something I thought might be more dependable- meaning something with some age on it, and preferably from an author I was familiar with.

There are a handful of Coben’s older titles I never got around to reading, so I plucked this one out in hopes of finding a good, solid thriller that wouldn’t lull me to sleep.

While this is book was originally published in 2002, and some of the language and terms reflect that, this story is solid, though a tad far-fetched. I can’t say this is one of Coben’s best efforts- it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat or make my palms sweat- but it did have a compelling emotional component to it and a few last-minute surprises I didn’t see coming.

Coben’s stand-alone books are not all created equal, for sure, but this one scratched an itch for me and I can now cross it off the ‘Coben’ list.

Overall, an absorbing thriller, written with the author’s signature style. The familiarity was a comfort and though I’ve read better from Coben, this book is must better than anything I’ve been reading lately in the mystery/thriller category!

3.5 stars ( )