Gone for Good

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 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 show more 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

Eleven years earlier, Will's older brother Ken became the prime suspect in the rape & murder of Will's ex-girlfriend. However, Ken disappeared before any arrest or conviction could take place, and he hasn't been seen since, leaving his family to suspect that he's likely dead. Now, as Will's mother lies on her deathbed, she alludes to the fact that Ken may be alive. Almost simultaneously, Will's current girlfriend disappears out of the blue. And so begins his quest to find answers to both disappearances, which oddly enough, are connected.

I've read a few Harlan Coben thrillers and have enjoyed them for the most part. I read this one on audio, an abridged version, and as far as abridgments go, I felt that it captured the meat of the story, show more flowed well, and didn't feel too choppy. Several surprises and twists in this one, which made it enjoyable. Overall, a good story. show less

In the final lucid moments before her death, Will Klein's mother tells him his older brother, Ken, is still alive. Will doesn't know whether to believe her or not. Ken disappeared eleven years ago, after becoming a suspect in the rape/murder of Will's former girlfriend. Shortly after the funeral Ken's current girlfriend, Sheila, disappears as well. Will and and his best friend begin their own investigation and soon discover Sheila isn't who he thinks she is. Eventually they find a connection between Ken and Sheila. To say anything more would be a spoiler.

What a great book. I was riveted from start to finish. Surprises and twists are scattered throughout the story and just when you feel like you know what's going on, the rug will be show more swept out from underneath your feet. Coben always delivers fascinating characters and both Squares and The Ghost are just phenomenal. Not many writers have such a gift with realistic dialogue. This is an edge of your seat suspense novel and I absolutely recommend it. show less

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 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 show more 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

This book has more twists and turns than a pretzel! As soon as I started reading, I found it hard to put down. Every time I thought I had it figured out, the plot would give me another surprise. The villains and good guys kept changing places, especially at the end, which I did not see coming. I love his characters, but it's really Mr. Coben's easy, frank style of writing that I enjoy. He provides just the right amount of descriptive backstory, action, and humor to keep the story moving forward. I have enjoyed a lot of his other books, but this one I found to be exceptionally entertaining.

Gone For Good by Harlan Coben is the story of Will Klein. He lost his older brother Ken at a young age, when Ken fled the family home after being accused of murdering Will's ex girlfriend Julie and was never heard from again. Eleven years on and Will's mother is losing a battle with a terminal illness and gives Will the news that his brother is still alive.

His mother's death and her shocking revelation sets a number of events into motion. Will's girlfriend disappears and he begins to find out more about his brother Ken and the past he never new about.

The best character in Gone For Good is undoubtedly Will's friend, Squares. Squares got his nickname after having his swastika - that was tattooed on his forehead in his misspent youth - show more tattooed into squares rather than removed, to remind him of his troubled past. Squares and Will both work at Covenant House, reaching out to homeless youths and trying to offer them a better future.

Will believes his brother Ken is innocent, however he is torn between a love for his brother and doing the right thing. There is danger and tension throughout this thriller and a twist that caught me a little by surprise. show less

An appalling piece of trash. Gone for Good is an overwrought, cliche-ridden mess featuring implausible characters (especially the ex-Nazi KKK yoga instructor who also happens to be best buddies with every important person in the galaxy, and who saves homeless kids, too; I wish I were exaggerating, but if anything I'm understating the ridiculousness of this character; oh, and then there's 'the Ghost' [excellent creativity with the moniker, Harlan], a 'pale assassin' who's so utterly preposterous you won't be able to suppress your giggles, and, hey, I'd better get the hell out of this set of parentheses), a silly, 'here's something I made up I'll bet you never thought would happen' plot, and endless, excruciating passages about feelings. show more Just about every character in the book, especially the protagonist, spends loooong stretches crying, sniveling, moaning, holding someone desperately just to survive, and then bawling some more. I can't even begin to grasp the reasons for Coben's popularity. show less