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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s not usually a good sign when you open the first page of a novel only to find a letter from the author apologizing for what you are about to read. Harlan Coben, of course, has had a stellar best-seller-list kind of career and he wants to make sure that readers don’t judge him based on this book, his very first publication written when he was in his 20’s. I will admit to being a little bit taken aback after reading that note…but only a little. This is Harlan Coben after all.
The novel itself is a quick, page-turning sort of read, filled with all kinds of deception, and false plots that are meant to take the reader down a blind path only to have a series of eureka moments as we discover what is really going on. Lauren Ayars is the main character, a highly successful fashion model, now retired in order to build a fashion empire from the ground up. The beginning of the book finds her honeymooning with her Boston Celtic basketball star, David, in what could be described as the perfect couple ever to have existed. Of course that doesn’t continue for long as David goes for a swim and doesn’t return. The first of the false plots begins to develop.
Overall, this was still a fairly good read, despite the author’s letter up front. At times it does read like a rookie novel and it is certainly bloated with a lot of excess. The main problem though is that numerous events are foreshadowed so much that the build-up of suspense really never gets going. I pretty much knew the whole plot after the first 50 pages. Coben’s writing skills were evident even then however and I found myself still wanting to keep on reading all the way to the end just to see how he would pull all of the strings together.
Recommended for Coben fans who want to track his skill progression but others can safely skip this one.
The novel itself is a quick, page-turning sort of read, filled with all kinds of deception, and false plots that are meant to take the reader down a blind path only to have a series of eureka moments as we discover what is really going on. Lauren Ayars is the main character, a highly successful fashion model, now retired in order to build a fashion empire from the ground up. The beginning of the book finds her honeymooning with her Boston Celtic basketball star, David, in what could be described as the perfect couple ever to have existed. Of course that doesn’t continue for long as David goes for a swim and doesn’t return. The first of the false plots begins to develop.
Overall, this was still a fairly good read, despite the author’s letter up front. At times it does read like a rookie novel and it is certainly bloated with a lot of excess. The main problem though is that numerous events are foreshadowed so much that the build-up of suspense really never gets going. I pretty much knew the whole plot after the first 50 pages. Coben’s writing skills were evident even then however and I found myself still wanting to keep on reading all the way to the end just to see how he would pull all of the strings together.
Recommended for Coben fans who want to track his skill progression but others can safely skip this one.
mysterious
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
challenging
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes