234 reviews for:

No Second Chance

Harlan Coben

3.85 AVERAGE

kapgar's review against another edition

4.0

Aside from outliving your children, the worst nightmare of most parents would have to be the disappearance of your children. No idea where they could be. No closure whatsoever. So when Dr. Marc Seidman wakes up in a hospital and is told that he was attacked and left for dead and that his wife is dead and six-month-old daughter is missing, you can imagine his shock and desire to find out what happened. When he is finally released from the hospital, he discovers, via his estranged father-in-law, that a ransom demand has been made and Marc must make the drop and he has only one chance to get it right, so don't call the authorities. However, the drop goes bad and Marc must spend his life wondering what has happened to his daughter and pray that the kidnappers are not true to their word about not getting a second chance. This is a really good thriller and Coben's writing has improved markedly from Tell No One and Gone For Good. Overall, the writing is very tight and intelligent. My only qualm is that it didn't fix my attention quite as well as the other two novels.

loupawo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

inthecrease77's review against another edition

4.0

A lot twists and turns in this one. Some related one way, some another. Then a big one smacks you in the end!
Page turner.

knudsen5310's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Complicated
• Loveable characters? Complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated

3.25

zendy's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No

4.0

erazonasarah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Complicated
• Loveable characters? Complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

moreads0213's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

mcipher's review against another edition

3.0

I was SO invested and enjoying how absolutely bonkers and twisty this was, but the end was super overly convoluted and it really detracted from the rest of the story for me. I got why and how but it didn’t sit right. If it had ended like 2 chapters earlier I would be all in with 4 stars.

unfoldingforever's review against another edition

3.0

I liked this Coben novel a lot more than the first one I read. It felt tighter. Like he was more focused on using the materials he had while not making it overly complex. The supporting characters are pretty strong though I wish I could have seen more depth in some of them. Overall pretty enjoyable.

sometimesbryce's review against another edition

4.0

Wow. I did not expect to like this. My mom always reads these murder mystery/suspense type books and I'm, by and large, not interested. While I do like a good suspense, a typical "whodunit," her favorite, is not mine. So when she sent this to me and told me I'd like it, I was highly skeptical.

The basic premise surrounds a doctor - Marc Seidman - who has been shot and almost killed. His wife is dead, and his 6th month old daughter has vanished. He assumes the worst until he gets a ransom call and that's the moment everything changes.

An interesting concept, sure, but definitely all the characteristics of something I was sure to dislike. Plus, Harlan Coben. So, like I said, I was skeptical. Here's the thing: yes, the suspense was excellent, and the twists and turns were delicious and kept me hooked (they, I will also note, were not the cliche murder mystery type twists that make me dislike the genre) but the thing that made this novel a winner for me was everything that surrounded the main plot.

We got really interesting characters, great world building, and unexpected philosophical musings on life, love, and morality. I absolutely loved this. I wanted to know what happened, but for the first time in the genre, the journey was as interesting as the destination. I'm sad to leave these characters and these lives. I'm sad to leave the East Coast. I haven't been affected like this by a book in a long time, and certainly not from something as unappealing as a murder mystery. But I loved it, and I strongly recommend to readers across genres, particularly those who are wanting to explore the genre more, but are hesitant to leave the comforts of general adult fiction.

Thanks, mom, for sending me this!