Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This was an interesting thriller with many layers. I really wasn’t sure how it was going to unfold or if everything would tie together in the end, but it did. I loved the Easter eggs hidden throughout the story that only regular Coben readers would pick up on. I also really loved Wilde as a character and hope we see more of him in future books. It wasn’t my absolute favorite book by this author, but it was solid.
Solid mystery/thriller fare with the expected amount of twists and turns. The stand-out of this book is the 70-something grandmother character who’s also a high-powered attorney. She manages to be cutting, badass and incredibly vulnerable.
This stretches believability in multiple ways - the city is large enough for uber-rich, but everyone knows everyone and everything is close enough that Wilde can run everywhere. The book is wrapped up quickly and neatly, with Wilde following clues that no one else seems to notice to tie everything up in neat, tidy, but rather ridiculous bows. But, it still fit the bill, a fast escapist read.
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.
I’m thinking maybe more like 2.5 but that’s not an option. This is an action/mystery novel with a bit of current political commentary mixed in. There was enough to make it readable, but It was fairly predictable and there is no emotional investment for the reader. The Boy from the Woods is an intriguing title but has absolutely nothing to do with the entire plot of this book other than establishing the backstory for a protagonist in a series. That bit alone is not strong enough to bring me back for the next book and there wer no other real cliffhangers at the end. The inclusion of social commentary is there and I was grateful for that in hopes that some messages are received by the masses. Overall, Coben’s writing is UN enthralling and sometimes awkward. What I did enjoy about this book was his ability to create new situations and combine them to bring to light some of the modern American political tensions and divides. I liked his inclusion of the horseshoe political theory even though it was awkward.
I was hooked by the blurb of this book…. And it all fell apart within about 2-3 chapters. But alas, I trudged through the book hoping it would get better from there, and yet, it didn’t.
Everything about this author lacked depth - there was no descriptive prose, emotive language or understanding of the characters. I was often lost by the setting of each chapter as there was zero description of the environment and just so much dialogue!!! Pages and pages of dialogue without fleshing out the conversation at all meant I was often bored by the storyline and felt a major disconnect from the characters. And then there was the characters themselves! Just wow, all the characters in this book were emotionless, featureless and just a blob of nothing because the author took no time to characterise or describe them in any meaningful way. The author’s style was also very “cliche male writing a female main character” and it was just not it. Hester, a nationally acclaimed criminal defence attorney, was written as though she was a bumbling teen and it was disheartening to say the least. She deserved more regality.
The plot line was very predictable and the writing style overall was just poor. The narrative was strew with misplaced, and highly obvious, metaphors with poor syntax, which often made for confusing reading as I got lost in poor sentence structure. The author tried his best to do some cliffhangers and twists and turns throughout the novel, but they were usually poorly executed and blatantly obvious where the story was going.
I would give zero stars if I could.
Everything about this author lacked depth - there was no descriptive prose, emotive language or understanding of the characters. I was often lost by the setting of each chapter as there was zero description of the environment and just so much dialogue!!! Pages and pages of dialogue without fleshing out the conversation at all meant I was often bored by the storyline and felt a major disconnect from the characters. And then there was the characters themselves! Just wow, all the characters in this book were emotionless, featureless and just a blob of nothing because the author took no time to characterise or describe them in any meaningful way. The author’s style was also very “cliche male writing a female main character” and it was just not it. Hester, a nationally acclaimed criminal defence attorney, was written as though she was a bumbling teen and it was disheartening to say the least. She deserved more regality.
The plot line was very predictable and the writing style overall was just poor. The narrative was strew with misplaced, and highly obvious, metaphors with poor syntax, which often made for confusing reading as I got lost in poor sentence structure. The author tried his best to do some cliffhangers and twists and turns throughout the novel, but they were usually poorly executed and blatantly obvious where the story was going.
I would give zero stars if I could.
I normally knock back a Coben book for a fast paced read with not a lot of fluff. This one was one of his better ones. I really liked Wilde, and since the book went into some detail about him and his background, I am hoping there will be more Wilde books. Hester's romance is sweet and refreshing. I really enjoyed that part of the book, and I am not a big fan of romance. All in all, this is a typical Coben book so if you liked his others, you will definitely like this one.
"Wilde headed inside, watched the hot dogs circle, saw the Slurpee machines. Nothing changes at a 7-Eleven. Time flows forward everywhere except in a 7-Eleven."
Harlan Coben got it wrong, time flows forward everywhere except in a 7-Eleven or while reading this book... This book read like one of those dreams that you can't seem to wake up from. Far reaching with no real sense of direction... *SPOILERS AHEAD* Part One- A thirty something, once feral child is now a new version of James Bond looking for a teenage girl who was kidnapped, just kidding, hiding? Part Two- The same teen that was kidnapped/hiding is actually kidnapped (?), while a corrupt (maybe) politician is running for office, an aging, grieving attorney falls in love with the sheriff who was at the scene of her son's death, another teen is kidnapped, feral child turned Bond finds teen and uncovers false imprisonment for a murder. Part Three- Woman tells attorney about a sexual assault and murder. Attorney loves sheriff. Bond finds the first/third kidnapped/missing teen.
For an author I've heard so much about this one was a real disappointment. So many of the story lines Coben introduced in The Boy from the Woods would have made an interesting and thrilling book, but he missed the mark with the scattered and half developed narratives. Instead of reading this one I would recommend "The Marriage Lie" by Kimberly Belle.
Harlan Coben got it wrong, time flows forward everywhere except in a 7-Eleven or while reading this book... This book read like one of those dreams that you can't seem to wake up from. Far reaching with no real sense of direction... *SPOILERS AHEAD* Part One- A thirty something, once feral child is now a new version of James Bond looking for a teenage girl who was kidnapped, just kidding, hiding? Part Two- The same teen that was kidnapped/hiding is actually kidnapped (?), while a corrupt (maybe) politician is running for office, an aging, grieving attorney falls in love with the sheriff who was at the scene of her son's death, another teen is kidnapped, feral child turned Bond finds teen and uncovers false imprisonment for a murder. Part Three- Woman tells attorney about a sexual assault and murder. Attorney loves sheriff. Bond finds the first/third kidnapped/missing teen.
For an author I've heard so much about this one was a real disappointment. So many of the story lines Coben introduced in The Boy from the Woods would have made an interesting and thrilling book, but he missed the mark with the scattered and half developed narratives. Instead of reading this one I would recommend "The Marriage Lie" by Kimberly Belle.
This was my first book by this author. I was intrigued by the premise and excited to read it.
The first 3/4 of the book was great! The characters were interesting and the story was intriguing and complicated, just the way I like it.
I think the author tried to weave too many stories together though. In the last 1/4 of the book, all of the complicated storylines were not only resolved, but tied together! I am all for suspension of disbelief but I found it very hard to believe that all the stories neatly tied together. It felt like a cop out.
I am still interested in Wilde's story, and I did enjoy the majority of this book, so I will keep an eye out for more with that character.
All in all, this was a fun read, with an unrealistic ending.
The first 3/4 of the book was great! The characters were interesting and the story was intriguing and complicated, just the way I like it.
I think the author tried to weave too many stories together though. In the last 1/4 of the book, all of the complicated storylines were not only resolved, but tied together! I am all for suspension of disbelief but I found it very hard to believe that all the stories neatly tied together. It felt like a cop out.
I am still interested in Wilde's story, and I did enjoy the majority of this book, so I will keep an eye out for more with that character.
All in all, this was a fun read, with an unrealistic ending.