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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Found this dense, very dated and masculine - very hard to get into for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first book by him and wow I get why people love his work. This was a really good story and I thought I had it all figured out and I was totally wrong. Some parts don't hold up but it's not as egregious as some other works from that time.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
tense
fast-paced
un enchaînement de plot twist tous plus inattendus les uns que les autres
After a man receives an email from his long-dead wife, get ready for a roller-coaster ride of nonstop suspense, violence and intrigue. This is Harlan Coben at his best.
-Candy V.-
-Candy V.-
Read this as part of book club. The book tries hard to keep you engaged. It shows.
Second holiday read! Thriller-lovers all around the world seem to love Harlan Coben, so I thought I would give this a chance. The story was hooking and fast-paced, but some of Beck's internal monologues did not sit well with me (too judgemental), and that last twist left too many open things for me to fully enjoy the conclusion.
3.5/5
This book is widely considered the perfect introduction into Harlan Coben's work. and I have to agree, for better and for worse.
The author is very good at giving interesting, and relevant, information to the reader on a steady pace, which is something essential for the criminal thriller genre. So the story stays very fresh throughout the whole book. There are no points in which something interesting isn't being revealed or about to be, making for a great page turner.
It also helps that Coben is not one of those authors who are obsessed with sex and use it to make the characters feel "evil and gritty". They feel like real people, even if slightly shallow at times.
The book also shows the biggest problem with Coben's work: the build-up goes way too hard and the conclusion is short and ends up feeling rushed. All the important plot threads are concluded, which is not something that can be said about all books in the genre, but a more well-paced conclusion would make the story more satisfying.
All-in-all, it's a short, fun and well-written story. Serves both as good weekend read and as an introduction to Harlan Coben's work, which improved as he gained experience.
This book is widely considered the perfect introduction into Harlan Coben's work. and I have to agree, for better and for worse.
The author is very good at giving interesting, and relevant, information to the reader on a steady pace, which is something essential for the criminal thriller genre. So the story stays very fresh throughout the whole book. There are no points in which something interesting isn't being revealed or about to be, making for a great page turner.
It also helps that Coben is not one of those authors who are obsessed with sex and use it to make the characters feel "evil and gritty". They feel like real people, even if slightly shallow at times.
The book also shows the biggest problem with Coben's work: the build-up goes way too hard and the conclusion is short and ends up feeling rushed. All the important plot threads are concluded, which is not something that can be said about all books in the genre, but a more well-paced conclusion would make the story more satisfying.
All-in-all, it's a short, fun and well-written story. Serves both as good weekend read and as an introduction to Harlan Coben's work, which improved as he gained experience.