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A review by gh_monroe
Play Dead by Harlan Coben
4.0
The story of what happens when a world-renowned model elopes with an NBA superstar and one of them vanishes during their Australian honeymoon? Was it really an accidental drowning as the coroner has concluded, or was it a suicide … or even something more sinister? This was the sort of story line that I like in that in that it was figurable, there were no details required in order to come to a solution that were hidden from the reader. It was a little heavy on the love story to suit my taste, but I recognize that I probably have less tolerance for love stories than just about anyone on the planet.
The person who recommended Coben to me cited his sense of humor and that was spot on. His work shined in all of the spots where witty dialogue was required.
My biggest complaint was that the writing was a tad melodramatic. You definitely knew it was writing. Furthermore, the way that the narrator read the story only exacerbated that issue. Considering that this was his first novel, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and read more of his work. If Goodreads facilitated half-stars I would give this one three and a half stars, but since they do not, I give this read four stars on the strength of a good plot that kept me engaged. I just hope Coben eases of the lovey dovey sappiness in his next book because the most important thing for a writer is to tell the truth and the truth is rarely hearts & flowers & sunny love.
The person who recommended Coben to me cited his sense of humor and that was spot on. His work shined in all of the spots where witty dialogue was required.
My biggest complaint was that the writing was a tad melodramatic. You definitely knew it was writing. Furthermore, the way that the narrator read the story only exacerbated that issue. Considering that this was his first novel, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and read more of his work. If Goodreads facilitated half-stars I would give this one three and a half stars, but since they do not, I give this read four stars on the strength of a good plot that kept me engaged. I just hope Coben eases of the lovey dovey sappiness in his next book because the most important thing for a writer is to tell the truth and the truth is rarely hearts & flowers & sunny love.