Harlan Coben

Coben writes the Myron Bolitar mystery series, but this title is one of his stand-alone mystery novels. Will is a nice Jewish boy (from the same hometown as Coben) whose brother, Ken, was accused of raping and murdering Will's former girlfriend 11 years earlier. Ken ran and is an international fugitive, yet the authorities are not even sure he's still alive, and felt he had received aid from his family. Their mother is dying from cancer, and on her deathbed tells Will that Ken is still show more alive. Then Will finds a recent photo of Ken hidden in his mother's room plunging us into a standard Coben novel of twists and turns, and well-drawn characters who come alive, not to mention a shocking surprise. Coben's themes usually involve families just going along with their nice little lives then in some way Coben pulls the rug out from under them where they are forced to cope, and re-evaluate their lives and relationships. Think of film director Hitchcock and how he always pulled the average guy into a situation. Coben's novels are rich with detail yet fast-moving. You'll deeply care about some of these characters, heartily detest some, and grieve in spots. show less

"Family and money is never a good mix. Someone is always going to feel resentful."

Maya Stern is an ex-helicopter pilot who is suffering from PTSD when she is a witness to her husband’s, Joe, murder. This comes just months after her sister was tortured and brutally murdered using the same weapon. Days after his funeral she sees footage of him on a nanny cam apparently, playing with their two-year-old daughter. Is he really still alive, is grief playing tricks with her mind or is she having show more a mental breakdown?

When the SD card is taken, Maya, an ex- captain who was forced out of the Army after a fatal error whilst serving in Iraq,has no proof of what she saw, and no one she tells believes her. Who can she trust? Her nanny who took the SD card, the friend who actually gave her the nanny cam, her old Army colleague or the detective leading the inquiry into her husband's death? Unsure who she can turn to she sets out to follow the clues and solve the puzzle herself.

The story starts slowly as we gradually learn more about Joe's early adult life whilst at college, as Maya methodically uncovering a raft of family secrets including the mysterious death of Joe's elder brother. We learn that Joe, despite outward appearances, also has a rather dark side himself and the author asks the reader to ponder just how much we really know about their own partner's past and whether love blinds us to their faults. The pace of the book steadily climbs until we reach a shattering climax.

Initially we meet Maya at her husband’s funeral, still dazed and overwhelmed by feelings of grief and loss. This her an easy character to sympathize with as she seemingly reels from one tragedy, one revelation to another. As you would expect there are numerous twists and turns along the way and I must admit that the identity of Joe's killer took me completely by surprise making the slow build up to it worth the wait.

Overall I really enjoyed the author's writing style and I at times found myself unable to put the book down. It totally sucked me in. Coben is a masterful storyteller and I look forward to reading yet more of his books.

“Things can always be said later, but things can never be unheard.” show less

A teen girl relentlessly bullied in school, a hotshot criminal attorney with a popular television show, an apparent kidnapping, dangerous lies, divisive political machinations, long-held secrets . . . . what ties all of them together?

Despite an over-abundance of obnoxious characters, the enigma surrounding the boy left in the woods some thirty years earlier lies at the heart of this tale. However, the twisty subplot with its story of wealth, power, entitlement, politics, and fake news show more overshadows this intriguing mystery, leaving readers to decide when [if ever] the ends justify the means.

The narrative addresses many current-and-substantive issues, but all at the expense of Wilde’s story. With no resolution on his backstory, could another Wilde book be in the works? show less

How the heck? Maya Burkett was with her husband, Joe, in Central Park two weeks ago when two thugs killed him. She had her arms around him when he died. She had his blood all over her. So how is it possible that her nanny cam captured him holding their daughter while she was away at work? Her best friend, Eileen, had given her the nanny cam, which was disguised as a digital picture frame. It wasn’t because Eileen didn’t trust Isabella, the nanny, but because she felt when it comes to show more your child, you don’t trust anyone. Maya confronts Isabella about the appearance of Joe on the video. Isabella plays dumb. Then, she suddenly pepper sprays Maya, takes the memory card, and runs. Now Maya has nothing to support her claim that she saw the image of Joe holding their two-year-old daughter, Lily.

The police are still trying to find the killers, not only for her Joe’s death but also for her sister, Claire, four months before. Upset at not being kept in the loop, Maya sets out to investigate her husband’s death herself. NYPD Homicide Detective Kierce comes back with the most startling news … “The same gun that killed your husband also killed your sister.”

Coben’s twists and turns, right up to the end, are something akin to mountainous hairpin curves. You never know where it’s going. Dana Perino, co-host of The Five on FoxNews, had put in a plug for Fool Me Once after having met Mr. Coben. He’d told her he’d bet no one would guess the ending of this book. I’d say that’s a safe bet. In fact, I’d have to say Mr. Coben has managed to ‘fool me’ consistently as he’s a master at hiding the ‘who’ in the ‘whodunit’. Rating: 5 out of 5. show less