Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - I Will Find You

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I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

18 reviews

faithtutton's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Way too far fetched

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xabbeylongx's review against another edition

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mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Spoilers Ahead:

This book of Coben’s is a little different to the other ones of his I’ve read, and honestly, it wasn’t what I was expecting but I’m not necessarily mad about it.

We follow David as he’s in prison for killing his child, Matthew. His son was three years old when he was bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat in his Marvel pyjamas. Having suffered from deep sleeping and blackouts and sleepwalking all his life, it was said that he killed him without knowing it, and then there was a witness who saw him bury the baseball bat. David, being a convicted ‘child killer’, was beaten up badly in prison, and, because his son was dead, he completely gave up on life.

Until his ex sister-in-law, Rachel, visited him - his first visitor in five years! - and shows him a very grainy photograph. One that leads them to the suspicion that Matthew is actually still alive, and David has been framed.

David and Phil Mackenzie, the warden of the hotel, plan to get him out. Phil and David’s dad go way back, and so Phil plans to help him escape, making it look as if it was him being coerced with a gun by an escaping inmate.

David is on the run, and Max and his partner Sarah are finding lots of holes in his plan, and the people helping him’s plans too. Max starts to figure out that there might be more at stake, so he looks into it (without Sarah’s knowledge, as she would not want to help to clear David’s name, only put him away).

David goes from witness to witness, trying to uncover what happened to Matthew, all from this photograph. Rachel enlists the help of Hayden, an old friend who saved her from getting raped, and then they find out that he was actually the person behind the kidnapping of Matthew.

Matthew now goes by Theodore. Hayden took a child from an orphanage that no one would miss, gave him a good quality of life, and then when the time came, he swapped the child with Matthew, and he was the child that was bludgeoned to death. Hayden was jealous of Rachel’s relationship with David, and when David and Cheryl (his ex-wife) struggled to have children, she want behind his back to a sperm donor, but under Rachel’s, her sister’s, name, and Hayden was jealous because he wanted to have that with her.

This book was a little far-fetched, in my opinion. Reality is so different from how the story could have actually happened in real life, it’s kind of mental. The escape from prison, it does happen, but it’s kind of nutty how the events happened. There were so many holes in the plans throughout, even I could see them, although to be fair, I’ve been reading so many crime novels I think I almost qualify as a police officer. Also, how did he literally assault a police officer, escape prison and hold someone at gunpoint and still be allowed outside of a prison cell? And how did this child, Theo or Matthew, know that David was telling the truth after five years? And how did their relationship fix so quickly? There’s a lot that doesn’t add up. And I want to know what happened to Ted! The bastard got away with everything.

David is a very odd individual, as the power of freedom goes to his head. He has no qualms in assaulting a young police officer, or even holding people at gunpoint to get what he wants. Because of that, I don’t think I was able to bond with him as much as I would have liked to. And I want Sarah gone. In the beginning, both Max and Sarah were fucking me off, because their ‘humour’ was actually just grinding on my goddamn nerves. I’d argue that Sarah and Neil (if you’re read my review for K. L. Slater’s ‘The Spare Bedroom’, you’ll know who I’m talking about) are both as annoying as each other, and if I never read another book with them in it in my life, I’ll be the happiest woman alive. Max only just got away with it because of his redemption arc at the end of the book. Sarah? Count your days, because I’m not happy with you.

All of this aside, I think the ending is really sweet. How David and Rachel got together, and David and Cheryl mutually got along and shared custody with their son. Also, I love how Hayden got justice, from Nikos, because there was no evidence against him. How was there no evidence?? Anyway, it was a good book, but not one of his best, I must admit.

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catriona176's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Complete nonsense, but entertaining nonsense

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georgiarowe's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

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jennacollier1512's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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jennabeck13's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

Genre: Thriller

About 325 pages

David has spent the past five years in prison after being convicted of killing his son, Matthew. He didn’t do it…. But during the weeks after his son passed, David lost all hope and purpose in life, so he let the conviction happen. Five years later, his former sister-in-law, Rachel, comes to visit. She shows David a photo that has a little boy who looks a lot like Matthew in the background. This changes everything for David. He goes from hopeless to determined as he escapes prison on a journey to find his son.

Tell No One was one of my favorite books when I read it years ago, so I’ve been wanting to read another Harlan Coben book for a while. Coben is great at writing high-intensity, page-turning thrillers. This book is a game of cat and mouse that kept me engaged from beginning to end. I enjoyed how every character Coben introduced provided some sort of value to the story, as I feel like so many authors drop in a character for one scene and then make them irrelevant going forward. The only qualm with this one is that some parts of the story weren’t the most believable/realistic, but if you can put that aside, this story is a terrific one!

Favorite Quote: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

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bmweakley's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a fun read! A lot of the action is unbelievable but in a fun way. The different view points and David’s inner monologue were both so interesting. It made me think a lot about how things really aren’t black and white.

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mamawantsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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innae's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

3.5

Suspend your disbelief before starting, and just roll with it. Many moments of “that’s not how it works”, but to move the story it was. I really liked Max…the FBI guy (although he probably would be a Marshall in real life..). The main character, David, annoyed me most of the time, but Rachel was good. A few twists makes this a fun story.

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lisaspratling's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I have just finished reading "I Will Find You" by Harlan Coben, and I must say, it had me tightly gripped from beginning to end. This thrilling novel is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, filled with danger, deceit, and the burning desire for justice.

The story centres around David and Cheryl Burroughs, a seemingly perfect couple living a dream life in the suburbs with their young son, Matthew. However, tragedy strikes when David wakes up to find Matthew dead in his bed. Despite his insistence on his innocence, the evidence against him is overwhelming, leading to his imprisonment without any hope for redemption.

What follows is a heart-wrenching journey as David's hope is reignited by a mysterious photograph that suggests Matthew may be alive. Determined to escape prison and reunite with his son, David finds himself on the run, pursued by unknown forces who will stop at nothing to silence him.

Coben's writing skillfully weaves a complex web of suspense and mystery. The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very last page. Each revelation brought new questions and heightened the tension, making it nearly impossible to put the book down.

The characters in "I Will Find You" are well-drawn and relatable. I found myself becoming emotionally invested in David's journey, empathising with his desperate quest for the truth and his unwavering love for his son. The supporting characters also added depth to the story, each playing their own role in unraveling the secrets hidden beneath the surface.

While the pacing occasionally slowed down in certain parts of the book, the overall intensity and suspense more than made up for it. Coben's ability to manipulate emotions and create palpable tension is truly impressive.

"I Will Find You" is a personal reading experience that I won't soon forget. Harlan Coben's writing shines in this gripping thriller, making it a must-read for fans of the genre. With its engrossing plot, well-developed characters, and relentless pursuit of truth, this novel successfully captures the essence of a true page-turner.

So, if you're looking for a thrilling and emotionally charged story that will keep you engaged from start to finish, I highly recommend adding "I Will Find You" to your reading list. Just be prepared to embark on a suspenseful journey filled with surprising twists and a yearning to uncover the truth.

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