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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
‘All love stories end in tragedy.’
Colour me stunned. This is very nearly a five-star thriller.
I ripped through this gripping and thought-provoking book trying to find out how Harlan Coben would get to the conclusion, because I wholeheartedly believed that I knew how it was going to end. I was wrong: that got blown to pieces in a well-constructed, ballsy way that I totally believed.
Maya wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t back there either. She was in this in-between world, suspended, lost. All was darkness and noise, unceasing, endless noise, the type of noise that seemed to come from within her, as though some small creature has climbed inside her head and started screeching and scratching from within.
This is a very contemporary thriller that explores modern war trauma and gun rights in a very thoughtful, complex way. It's got a highly intriguing and often antagonistic protagonist trying to come to terms with a series of deeply upsetting events while navigating her immediate and extended family, her found families, a set of in-laws she never would've chosen, a whistleblower who ended her military career, and her own mental health. It's a lot, and Coben handles it expertly while plotting out a truly thrilling storyline with twists that seem to come out of nowhere until you realize Coben has been seeding them for at least 50 pages.
Is it a bit too convoluted at times? Absolutely. But the way the majority of the story is handled largely makes up for it.
As does Shane. Every thriller ever written deserves a side character who just does not have the time or patience for all of the lying and miscommunication. He - along with a main character who is not an alcoholic (is that even possible from a 2010s thriller?!) - is a breath of fresh air.
Shane turned, looked at himself in the mirror, and narrowed his eyes.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘Seeing if I really look that dumb.
Many reviews of this book say that this is one of Coben's weaker books. All I can say is that I can hardly wait to read his back catalogue, because this "weak" book would be masterful in any lesser author's collection.
She opened her mouth, but she of all people should know that nothing good would come out of it. Not today. Not now.
Colour me stunned. This is very nearly a five-star thriller.
I ripped through this gripping and thought-provoking book trying to find out how Harlan Coben would get to the conclusion, because I wholeheartedly believed that I knew how it was going to end. I was wrong: that got blown to pieces in a well-constructed, ballsy way that I totally believed.
Maya wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t back there either. She was in this in-between world, suspended, lost. All was darkness and noise, unceasing, endless noise, the type of noise that seemed to come from within her, as though some small creature has climbed inside her head and started screeching and scratching from within.
This is a very contemporary thriller that explores modern war trauma and gun rights in a very thoughtful, complex way. It's got a highly intriguing and often antagonistic protagonist trying to come to terms with a series of deeply upsetting events while navigating her immediate and extended family, her found families, a set of in-laws she never would've chosen, a whistleblower who ended her military career, and her own mental health. It's a lot, and Coben handles it expertly while plotting out a truly thrilling storyline with twists that seem to come out of nowhere until you realize Coben has been seeding them for at least 50 pages.
Is it a bit too convoluted at times? Absolutely. But the way the majority of the story is handled largely makes up for it.
As does Shane. Every thriller ever written deserves a side character who just does not have the time or patience for all of the lying and miscommunication. He - along with a main character who is not an alcoholic (is that even possible from a 2010s thriller?!) - is a breath of fresh air.
Shane turned, looked at himself in the mirror, and narrowed his eyes.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘Seeing if I really look that dumb.
Many reviews of this book say that this is one of Coben's weaker books. All I can say is that I can hardly wait to read his back catalogue, because this "weak" book would be masterful in any lesser author's collection.
She opened her mouth, but she of all people should know that nothing good would come out of it. Not today. Not now.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
I was pretty bored reading this one. The writing style wasn’t for me. I think this book would make an interesting movie or show (if its not one already) but it was predictable.
Er du fan af spænding og tvists, og har du ikke nødvendigvis behov for bloddryppende lig, så er Holdt for nar sikkert noget for dig. For Harlan Coben har en enestående evne til at skrue sit sprog og fortælling sammen på en måde, der fastholder læseren hele vejen gennem bogen.
Maya er en interessant karakter, der i forsøget på at opklare mordet må konfrontere sin egen fortid. Hun er tydeligt plaget af tidligere beslutninger og handlinger, og Harlan beskriver på glimrende vis hvordan stress og traumer rammer tidligere udsendte soldater.
Plottet var meget detaljeret og virkeligt godt skruet sammen. Der er skabt et miljø og en atmosfære, hvor man aldrig ved hvem man kan stole på. Og for Maya bliver dette tydeligt i en grad, hvor hendes paranoia ender med at skabe tvivl om hendes egen virkelighedsopfattelse.
En spændende fortælling, hvor intet er hvad det udgiver sig for, og hvor spændingen fastholder læseren til det sidste. Harlan Coben beviser igen, at han er kongen af fængende spænding.
Maya er en interessant karakter, der i forsøget på at opklare mordet må konfrontere sin egen fortid. Hun er tydeligt plaget af tidligere beslutninger og handlinger, og Harlan beskriver på glimrende vis hvordan stress og traumer rammer tidligere udsendte soldater.
Plottet var meget detaljeret og virkeligt godt skruet sammen. Der er skabt et miljø og en atmosfære, hvor man aldrig ved hvem man kan stole på. Og for Maya bliver dette tydeligt i en grad, hvor hendes paranoia ender med at skabe tvivl om hendes egen virkelighedsopfattelse.
En spændende fortælling, hvor intet er hvad det udgiver sig for, og hvor spændingen fastholder læseren til det sidste. Harlan Coben beviser igen, at han er kongen af fængende spænding.
Action packed and quick, I felt the story had a good premise. But the sheer number of plot twists became too tiring to read after a while especially given that there was no sufficient character or story build. The writing was lackluster and I wonder if I’m saying this because this is my first Harlan Coben book but it seemed like the author was hell bent on giving out a major plot twist at the end and ended up leaving one too many loose ends. I would think twice before picking up another book by Coben.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Finished reading: March 9th 2025
"They say you can't bury the past. That was probably true, but what they really meant was that trauma ripples and echoes and somehow stays alive."
I admit that I actually incorrectly assumed that I had already read Fool Me Once when I requested an audio ARC of the second Detective Sami Kierce book... So when I was approved, I decided to read the first book before to avoid any spoilers. I'm a fan of Harlan Coben's writing; he always gives us an entertaining and suspenseful ride even if his plots aren't exactly the most credible. Fool Me Once is no exception to this rule, and you definitely have to suspend your disbelief to be able to enjoy the story. Like I said before, it's something I expect from his books, so I personally had no issues with that aspect of the plot at all. What I do have to say is that this story in particular felt a bit overlong, and there were too many subplots along the way that distracted from the main plot. The ending definitely came as a surprise, although I did suspect some of it... But the journey itself could have been shorter. I think the fact that it's quite hard to warm up to Maya as a main character doesn't really help either. I like how she is determined to figure out the truth and the PTSD element was well done, but I wasn't a fan of how she interacted with her daughter or the other people close to her. This made it harder to root for her along the way, although I can't deny that I still enjoyed the ride. I was a bit surprised to see that detective Sami Kierce only plays a minor role in the plot considering the series is named after him, but I guess the next book is going to center around him from what I've deducted from the blurb. All in all Fool Me Once ended up being an entertaining enough crime thriller with a conspiracy vibe and an explosive ending you most likely won't see coming. I wasn't a fan of the epilogue though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism