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A review by ddrosche
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
5.0
Holy crap.
This was my first Harlan Coben book and it was a long time coming. I'd heard of him and his books before but never got around to reading one. My mistake. I am now a fan and will be getting ahold of as many more of his books as I can.
This book drew me in from the start. Granted I'm reading it a decade after publication, so minor tech issues are dated, but the theme and basis behind it all is still very topical and realistic. At the heart of it all is a story about the lengths we go to in order to protect our children. But do those actions help or hinder? Are we right for interfering? When is knowledge too much? Not enough? All of these questions are ones that anyone can relate to.
But that is just one part of the story. You also have a cast of characters, all acquaintances of each other. Yet unbeknownst to them all they are tied together in ways they cannot imagine. This also hits upon the whole 6 degrees of separation aspect and how one small action can have a domino effect on all those remotely connected. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Coben has the characters all connected and it kept getting better and better as the story drew to a close.
The book is not short on action at all, but the final few chapters are pretty explosive and fast paced. I can easily see how his works are made into film/TV. I found myself thinking, damn this would make a killer Netflix series, several times throughout. Coben does a great job of writing a story that is both character-driven and plot-driven so you're not only invested in the characters, but on the edge of your seat to find out what happens to them next.
Highly recommended. Definitely for those who enjoy the thriller genre as it pertains to realistic (ie not supernatural or horror) events.
This was my first Harlan Coben book and it was a long time coming. I'd heard of him and his books before but never got around to reading one. My mistake. I am now a fan and will be getting ahold of as many more of his books as I can.
This book drew me in from the start. Granted I'm reading it a decade after publication, so minor tech issues are dated, but the theme and basis behind it all is still very topical and realistic. At the heart of it all is a story about the lengths we go to in order to protect our children. But do those actions help or hinder? Are we right for interfering? When is knowledge too much? Not enough? All of these questions are ones that anyone can relate to.
But that is just one part of the story. You also have a cast of characters, all acquaintances of each other. Yet unbeknownst to them all they are tied together in ways they cannot imagine. This also hits upon the whole 6 degrees of separation aspect and how one small action can have a domino effect on all those remotely connected. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Coben has the characters all connected and it kept getting better and better as the story drew to a close.
The book is not short on action at all, but the final few chapters are pretty explosive and fast paced. I can easily see how his works are made into film/TV. I found myself thinking, damn this would make a killer Netflix series, several times throughout. Coben does a great job of writing a story that is both character-driven and plot-driven so you're not only invested in the characters, but on the edge of your seat to find out what happens to them next.
Highly recommended. Definitely for those who enjoy the thriller genre as it pertains to realistic (ie not supernatural or horror) events.