Reviews

Play Dead by Harlan Coben

pkadams's review against another edition

3.0

I would read anything by Harlan Coben including his first short story he wrote in 4th grade. Honestly I love Myron Bolitar and the rest of the gang that much. Play Dead features the Bolitar prototype and it isn't bad especially for a first novel. Pete was right, Coben telegraphed everything throughout this novel. I couldn't even take the "drowning seriously" and really a rookie that no one has ever heard of? Please! That being said it was a fun read and it made me excited for the next Coben book.

brookesbooks842's review against another edition

I really love Harlan Coben. This was one of his first books, that is just now being published. So, my expectations were not very high. But, it was actually really good. It was a bit far-fetched, but I love the pace of it. I couldn't put it down. I read it in 3 days. The ending was a little too tidy, but otherwise- worth the read!

alipickle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

fat_girl_fiction's review against another edition

3.0

Play Dead by Harlan Coben

In the introduction, Harlan Coben himself said this wasn't the best book he had written, it was his first. I however was pleasantly surprised! It was easy to work out what one or two of the twists were halfway through the book, and it did get a bit annoying when he mentioned how beautiful the protagonist was in every sentence. Despite that, I though it was just as strong as the first of his books I read and better than the Myron Bolitar one.

bepisaun's review against another edition

5.0

This book is amazing. My first Coben experience and it was fantastic. His style and suspense leaps off the page. Everyone should read this and be entranced by Coben's unique artistry with thriller mystery.

elinevandm's review against another edition

5.0

"Dood spel was een fantastisch vlot lezend boek met sterke personages en een spannend einde".
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2019/04/02/dood-spel-van-harlan-coben/

chelseaslilbooknook's review against another edition

5.0

When I opened the book, the first thing I saw was the Authors Note. In this note, Coben states "Okay, if this is the first book of mine you're going to try, stop now. Return it. Grab another. It's okay, I'll wait." Why he said this, I am not so sure. The writing was a little jumpy, and confusing at times, but overall it was so amazing!! For a first novel, or any novel for that matter, it was great!! The twists and turns in this book are like none other! Kept me guessing the whole time!! 5 stars!! Bravo, Mr. Coben.

kathbow's review against another edition

3.0

My copy of this book had a note from the author, warning that it was his first book - and you could tell. It had the bones of a good story, but the writing needed help...and where was the editor, for heavens sake?

He's improved a lot over the years! I would recommend any of his other books before I'd recommend this.

leniiiii's review against another edition

5.0

This book made me go crazy. There were many hints throughout the whole book and in the end everything made sense and I thought I knew what happens, but I didn’t. He wrote this book so good, you don’t have a chance to guess what the secret is.

sarahsbookstack's review against another edition

3.0

For a first book, this wasn't bad. (He definitely gets better)
I figured out what happened to David pretty early on but there were still many surprises that lay ahead.
There were so, so many shady characters in here. There could have been a very big ICK in here and I'm glad it didn't go that way. I felt extremely bad for Gloria, falling for a smooth talking crazy dude.