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chelseatm's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the book. It was a great read and was very satisfying by the end!
ladycranstonkc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Stalking, Sexism, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Gore, Toxic friendship, Death, Bullying, Torture, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Confinement, Abandonment, Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Violence, and Sexual violence
Minor: Rape
hannalynnr's review against another edition
4.0
You can always count on Harlan Coben for a very unique story of mystery and suspense. While I do not think this was his best, it was still very entertaining and engaging for me, just not something I will remember for a long time.
This one includes a missing high school student, corruption, political scandal and secret video tapes.
If you like stories by Karin Slaughter, you will probably like stories from Harlan Coben.
This one includes a missing high school student, corruption, political scandal and secret video tapes.
If you like stories by Karin Slaughter, you will probably like stories from Harlan Coben.
chubbsraccoon's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bella613's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
paulabrandon's review
4.0
This is a 3.5 rounded up to 4 because, in the end, I really enjoyed it, but at often points while I was reading it found it to be one of the most cringeworthy things I've ever read. The biggest flaw with this book is unfortunately the hero, Wilde. In this day and age, I can't believe Coben is giving us another version of the big, stoic, silent, gruff hero who all the women want to have sex with. By the time Wilde is hooking up with a woman, Sandra, at a hotel, I was ready to throw the book across the room.
Wilde's history is that he was discovered in the woods, at about 6 to 8 years of age, with no idea how long he was out there or how he survived and educated himself. The book barely explores it, other than to describe how it has now made him a bit of a societal outcast that everybody nonetheless trusts and respects and all the women want to fuck. It is clear that, like a lot of other authors, Coben perhaps wants to see this as a TV show. (As if enough of his material hasn't already been adapted!)
Anyway, Wilde is called upon to assist in looking for missing girl Naomi Pine. He is recruited by star lawyer Hester Crimstein, whose grandson Matthew is Naomi's classmate. I was initially worried that this would be yet another Harlan Coben what-parents-will-do-to-protect-their-children-because-parenthood-is-fleeting type thriller, but it thankfully has more up its sleeve than that, linking events to a senator whose bid for presidency is captivating the news world for not necessarily the right reasons. Coben avoids his usual pitfall of having all the characters knowing what is going on and simply refusing to talk to Wilde, and him instead figuring things out through being wily and distrustful (lol). I perhaps could have gone without Hester's second-chance-at-love subplot, however.
All that cringing I was doing aside, however, I must say I really enjoyed this. I was caught up in what was going on and read it in one go.
Wilde's history is that he was discovered in the woods, at about 6 to 8 years of age, with no idea how long he was out there or how he survived and educated himself. The book barely explores it, other than to describe how it has now made him a bit of a societal outcast that everybody nonetheless trusts and respects and all the women want to fuck. It is clear that, like a lot of other authors, Coben perhaps wants to see this as a TV show. (As if enough of his material hasn't already been adapted!)
Anyway, Wilde is called upon to assist in looking for missing girl Naomi Pine. He is recruited by star lawyer Hester Crimstein, whose grandson Matthew is Naomi's classmate. I was initially worried that this would be yet another Harlan Coben what-parents-will-do-to-protect-their-children-because-parenthood-is-fleeting type thriller, but it thankfully has more up its sleeve than that, linking events to a senator whose bid for presidency is captivating the news world for not necessarily the right reasons. Coben avoids his usual pitfall of having all the characters knowing what is going on and simply refusing to talk to Wilde, and him instead figuring things out through being wily and distrustful (lol). I perhaps could have gone without Hester's second-chance-at-love subplot, however.
All that cringing I was doing aside, however, I must say I really enjoyed this. I was caught up in what was going on and read it in one go.
suvata's review against another edition
3.0
Wilde is a mysterious man who, years ago, was found as a boy living feral in the woods. Now, as an adult with no memory of his past, he is determined to help find a missing teenage girl before her disappearance turns into something much more devastating. Good on audio.