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vampirefreak99's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
Levde inte upp till förväntningarna. Trodde den skulle handla om helt andra saker. Tycker inte att den känns som en thriller. Väldigt långsam läsning och generellt en tråkig story.
Ett snabbt slut som skulle vilja veta mer om. Tycker att man saknar Wildes tankar om varför han väljer att följa med på slutet.
Den skulle ha fokuserat mer på en story. Jag tycker den har flera som blandas men det resulterar i halvgjorda historier som inte blir intressanta att följa. Den hoppar mycket mellan historierna, svårt att hänga med.
Ett snabbt slut som skulle vilja veta mer om. Tycker att man saknar Wildes tankar om varför han väljer att följa med på slutet.
Den skulle ha fokuserat mer på en story. Jag tycker den har flera som blandas men det resulterar i halvgjorda historier som inte blir intressanta att följa. Den hoppar mycket mellan historierna, svårt att hänga med.
bookph1le's review against another edition
1.0
Yeah, no.
This is an enormously popular author whose books appeal to a lot of readers--but they do not appeal to me. There are specific reasons for this, all of which are a matter of my personal opinion, which means I fully understand why others may not feel the same way I do and may, instead, love this author's books.
That said, this will be a spoiler-y review, so proceed with caution if you don't want to know what happens in the book.
As far as I'm aware, this is only the second Coben book I've read, and I was a bit confused when I first started reading it because I was like, "Hey, I know this Hester person and this case of hers involving a client caught on film punching a homeless guy." Turns out, of the two whole books I've read by Coben, this book and [b:Run Away|40697540|Run Away|Harlan Coben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533567545l/40697540._SY75_.jpg|58800691] share some characters in common. Huh.
Anyway, I liked Hester as a character in Run Away, but I was not a big fan of hers here. I think she's probably one of those characters who's much better as a lightly-used secondary character who pops up every now and then to wow you with her wackiness. Here, she just felt like...a character. In fact, she felt so much like a character to me that she almost tipped over into caricature territory. I'm not normally the type of person who thinks male authors can't write female characters and vice versa, but between these two Coben books, I'm starting to suspect he can't really write female characters very convincingly. Hester felt 100% to me like the kind of female character a man who sees women as entirely separate entities from men might write. Why not, you know, just write all characters as human beings? Men are not from Mars and women are not from Venus. That shit is bunk.
Hester's not the only problem child in this scenario, though. ALL of the characters felt like characters to me. The worst were Delia and Dash (I'm not even going to get into 'Dash' and his son 'Crash' as character names. This is the kind of crap that only authors with a bazillion books sold get away with.). Their alliterative names ought to cue you into how authentic they feel. And I've noticed a pattern here with Coben's writing, which is that his rich and powerful characters (and most of them ARE rich and powerful--at least in the two books I've read) have this aura of cartoonish villainy about them. They're every stereotypical view a person could have of rich people. Now, my intent here is not to defend rich people, but it's, again, to point out that I feel this author writes about characters, not human beings.
Really, I think the way he writes his characters is a symptom of the way his books are structured. These are classic mass-market thrillers. The plots are preposterous, there are a ridiculous number of twists and turns, and the characters are completely over the top. It's the book equivalent of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, all explosions and noise and dazzle. And that's fantastic if that's what you're looking for in a book. I totally get why that kind of escapism and fun appeals to readers. It's just that it's not what I'm looking for in a book, so it doesn't appeal to me. Which means that no matter how twisty or convoluted the plot of this book is (and it's like a winding mountain road), I'm not going to be interested.
There was one moment in the book I really liked, though. In fact, I liked it so much I found myself wishing the entire book were centered around that one moment. It takes place when a damning video of Rusty comes out and we get to see him jump into spin doctor mode. That scene was amazing, it truly was. It was especially relevant in this day and age, when truth has become a very nebulous concept, thanks to the deliberate efforts of cynical people who want to manipulate the public at large for their own profit. I honestly think Coben should write a book about that, because I though his grasp of how people use and abuse information for their own means is spot-on.
Which means, really, at the base of it, I would have preferred if this book had delved more into the psychology of its characters rather than spending its pages jumping through hoops like a circus dog. This is my fault. I should know better than to read commercial thrillers because I do not like the tropes employed by commercial thrillers. But I guess there's also a part of me that wants to be open-minded to the possibility that I might find something unique and enjoyable in a commercial thriller. I hate dismissing entire genres and subgenres simply because one or two of them leave a bad taste in my mouth or provide me with a subpar reading experience. But I'm starting to think I need to look at the modern publishing industry the same way I look at other industries. If I'm looking for unique and handcrafted, I don't go to Walmart. Publishing is a business that has become very much like the fast food industry: when something is a hit and you sell a lot of it, make sure everything that comes after uses the exact same flavor profile.
One other thing I must mention that I found so irritating in this book: Coben has a tendency to do that Dan Brown thing where he goes off on a tangent and provides all kinds of extraneous details about insignificant characters or plot locations. Do I really need a full background bio on Rusty's two female aides? Wouldn't it be enough to just know they're female and they're sitting there when the video is aired? Do I really need fun facts about Sing Sing when Wilde and Saul take their field trip there? I find this kind of diversion annoying in this type of book. If I'm reading a book with a plot centering around a character taking a trip, go ahead and give me details like those Coben gave me about Sing Sing. When I'm reading a book where kids are missing and shit's getting real, I don't care about nifty factoids about Sing Sing.
Honestly, by about 70% or so into the book, I just kept reading because I figured I'd gotten that far, I might as well continue. None of the twists shocked me, nothing any of the characters did was astonishing, and I had no reaction to the big reveal at the end. You know why? Because by that point I knew the plot was going to be so convoluted and ridiculous that no matter how showy it got, I was not going to be surprised. Instead, I was fatigued. Much like when my introverted self is forced to go somewhere like Dave & Buster's, I find all the bells, whistles, lights, and noise overstimulating and exhausting.
I'm sure it goes without saying, but this is where Coben's books and I part ways.
This is an enormously popular author whose books appeal to a lot of readers--but they do not appeal to me. There are specific reasons for this, all of which are a matter of my personal opinion, which means I fully understand why others may not feel the same way I do and may, instead, love this author's books.
That said, this will be a spoiler-y review, so proceed with caution if you don't want to know what happens in the book.
As far as I'm aware, this is only the second Coben book I've read, and I was a bit confused when I first started reading it because I was like, "Hey, I know this Hester person and this case of hers involving a client caught on film punching a homeless guy." Turns out, of the two whole books I've read by Coben, this book and [b:Run Away|40697540|Run Away|Harlan Coben|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533567545l/40697540._SY75_.jpg|58800691] share some characters in common. Huh.
Anyway, I liked Hester as a character in Run Away, but I was not a big fan of hers here. I think she's probably one of those characters who's much better as a lightly-used secondary character who pops up every now and then to wow you with her wackiness. Here, she just felt like...a character. In fact, she felt so much like a character to me that she almost tipped over into caricature territory. I'm not normally the type of person who thinks male authors can't write female characters and vice versa, but between these two Coben books, I'm starting to suspect he can't really write female characters very convincingly. Hester felt 100% to me like the kind of female character a man who sees women as entirely separate entities from men might write. Why not, you know, just write all characters as human beings? Men are not from Mars and women are not from Venus. That shit is bunk.
Hester's not the only problem child in this scenario, though. ALL of the characters felt like characters to me. The worst were Delia and Dash (I'm not even going to get into 'Dash' and his son 'Crash' as character names. This is the kind of crap that only authors with a bazillion books sold get away with.). Their alliterative names ought to cue you into how authentic they feel. And I've noticed a pattern here with Coben's writing, which is that his rich and powerful characters (and most of them ARE rich and powerful--at least in the two books I've read) have this aura of cartoonish villainy about them. They're every stereotypical view a person could have of rich people. Now, my intent here is not to defend rich people, but it's, again, to point out that I feel this author writes about characters, not human beings.
Really, I think the way he writes his characters is a symptom of the way his books are structured. These are classic mass-market thrillers. The plots are preposterous, there are a ridiculous number of twists and turns, and the characters are completely over the top. It's the book equivalent of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, all explosions and noise and dazzle. And that's fantastic if that's what you're looking for in a book. I totally get why that kind of escapism and fun appeals to readers. It's just that it's not what I'm looking for in a book, so it doesn't appeal to me. Which means that no matter how twisty or convoluted the plot of this book is (and it's like a winding mountain road), I'm not going to be interested.
There was one moment in the book I really liked, though. In fact, I liked it so much I found myself wishing the entire book were centered around that one moment. It takes place when a damning video of Rusty comes out and we get to see him jump into spin doctor mode. That scene was amazing, it truly was. It was especially relevant in this day and age, when truth has become a very nebulous concept, thanks to the deliberate efforts of cynical people who want to manipulate the public at large for their own profit. I honestly think Coben should write a book about that, because I though his grasp of how people use and abuse information for their own means is spot-on.
Which means, really, at the base of it, I would have preferred if this book had delved more into the psychology of its characters rather than spending its pages jumping through hoops like a circus dog. This is my fault. I should know better than to read commercial thrillers because I do not like the tropes employed by commercial thrillers. But I guess there's also a part of me that wants to be open-minded to the possibility that I might find something unique and enjoyable in a commercial thriller. I hate dismissing entire genres and subgenres simply because one or two of them leave a bad taste in my mouth or provide me with a subpar reading experience. But I'm starting to think I need to look at the modern publishing industry the same way I look at other industries. If I'm looking for unique and handcrafted, I don't go to Walmart. Publishing is a business that has become very much like the fast food industry: when something is a hit and you sell a lot of it, make sure everything that comes after uses the exact same flavor profile.
One other thing I must mention that I found so irritating in this book: Coben has a tendency to do that Dan Brown thing where he goes off on a tangent and provides all kinds of extraneous details about insignificant characters or plot locations. Do I really need a full background bio on Rusty's two female aides? Wouldn't it be enough to just know they're female and they're sitting there when the video is aired? Do I really need fun facts about Sing Sing when Wilde and Saul take their field trip there? I find this kind of diversion annoying in this type of book. If I'm reading a book with a plot centering around a character taking a trip, go ahead and give me details like those Coben gave me about Sing Sing. When I'm reading a book where kids are missing and shit's getting real, I don't care about nifty factoids about Sing Sing.
Honestly, by about 70% or so into the book, I just kept reading because I figured I'd gotten that far, I might as well continue. None of the twists shocked me, nothing any of the characters did was astonishing, and I had no reaction to the big reveal at the end. You know why? Because by that point I knew the plot was going to be so convoluted and ridiculous that no matter how showy it got, I was not going to be surprised. Instead, I was fatigued. Much like when my introverted self is forced to go somewhere like Dave & Buster's, I find all the bells, whistles, lights, and noise overstimulating and exhausting.
I'm sure it goes without saying, but this is where Coben's books and I part ways.
prisonmike0801's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nixbix_reads's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
There’s no denying that Harlan Coben can tell a great story - he somehow makes the slower parts of a story compelling & vital to the story. I did feel pulled into this story & thought it had some interesting characters, with Hester being my favourite.
However, I felt that this book was mostly made up of slow parts, and even the parts that should have been exciting were calm & clinical. No matter how solid the writing was, I found this to be boring. I did like the main plot - the kidnapping of a teenage with family ties to a presidential candidate - but I felt that there were too many subplots that distracted from this. With all the build up, I was waiting for when the pace would accelerate & there would be some excitement, but it never arrived.
However, I felt that this book was mostly made up of slow parts, and even the parts that should have been exciting were calm & clinical. No matter how solid the writing was, I found this to be boring. I did like the main plot - the kidnapping of a teenage with family ties to a presidential candidate - but I felt that there were too many subplots that distracted from this. With all the build up, I was waiting for when the pace would accelerate & there would be some excitement, but it never arrived.
markalkman's review against another edition
4.0
First one I've read in English, first one in a new series. Really enjoyed it, another great mystery from the master of suspense and plottwists. Did not see the ending coming, but then again, I rarely do in Coben's books.
abikale's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Kind of good plot but I hated the way it was written. It’s sounds like it was written by an old man who acts like a teenager and I’m surprised the word woke was not used more. It was very much a “can’t say anything these days” kind of book with a hint of conspiracy theories and overly antigovernment.
dannybrothers's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jenhurst's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t think this story or the characters were as strong as Harlan Coben’s other works but I’m excited to read his other works still.
calliek927's review against another edition
2.0
I usually love Harlan Coben stories, but this one... meh. I kept listening (audible) and HOPING it would turn around but nope. There were a few good characters, more not so good characters, and repetitive phrases that simply drove me bonkers. Sorry, but nope. Not for me. On to the next one.