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A review by weaselweader
Play Dead by Harlan Coben
3.0
“That’s how it is with early novels sometimes”
In a forward to a recent reprint of PLAY DEAD, which was his debut novel written (Holy Crap!!) almost 30 years ago, Harlan Coben didn’t quite go so far as to actually apologize for the novel. But he did suggest that, if you hadn’t read any of his novels, he’d prefer that you start with a more recent title and come back to this one later. He did confess that it was “flawed” but he also acknowledges (with a certain amount of pride in a lifetime of writing achievement, I dare say) that he loved the book.
So did I.
I’ll express my agreement with HC’s suggestions and even add that PLAY DEAD barely qualifies as a thriller which, as his fans know and love, has come to be his bread and butter genre. The back cover blurb begins the capsule description of the novel with, “Theirs was a marriage made in tabloid heaven”. In fact, - that word “tabloid” - that’s a BIG clue as to the actual nature of the book. It’s over-written; it’s melodramatic to the point of being a soap opera; it stretches credibility; and, the twists and turns were only barely beyond the ability of the reader to predict the outcomes and name the ultimate “bad guy”.
Recommended, provided you’ve already read and enjoyed something else by Mr Coben.
Paul Weiss
In a forward to a recent reprint of PLAY DEAD, which was his debut novel written (Holy Crap!!) almost 30 years ago, Harlan Coben didn’t quite go so far as to actually apologize for the novel. But he did suggest that, if you hadn’t read any of his novels, he’d prefer that you start with a more recent title and come back to this one later. He did confess that it was “flawed” but he also acknowledges (with a certain amount of pride in a lifetime of writing achievement, I dare say) that he loved the book.
So did I.
I’ll express my agreement with HC’s suggestions and even add that PLAY DEAD barely qualifies as a thriller which, as his fans know and love, has come to be his bread and butter genre. The back cover blurb begins the capsule description of the novel with, “Theirs was a marriage made in tabloid heaven”. In fact, - that word “tabloid” - that’s a BIG clue as to the actual nature of the book. It’s over-written; it’s melodramatic to the point of being a soap opera; it stretches credibility; and, the twists and turns were only barely beyond the ability of the reader to predict the outcomes and name the ultimate “bad guy”.
Recommended, provided you’ve already read and enjoyed something else by Mr Coben.
Paul Weiss