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A review by pippa_w
Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
4.5
‘All love stories end in tragedy.’
Colour me stunned. This is very nearly a five-star thriller.
I ripped through this gripping and thought-provoking book trying to find out how Harlan Coben would get to the conclusion, because I wholeheartedly believed that I knew how it was going to end. I was wrong: that got blown to pieces in a well-constructed, ballsy way that I totally believed.
Maya wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t back there either. She was in this in-between world, suspended, lost. All was darkness and noise, unceasing, endless noise, the type of noise that seemed to come from within her, as though some small creature has climbed inside her head and started screeching and scratching from within.
This is a very contemporary thriller that explores modern war trauma and gun rights in a very thoughtful, complex way. It's got a highly intriguing and often antagonistic protagonist trying to come to terms with a series of deeply upsetting events while navigating her immediate and extended family, her found families, a set of in-laws she never would've chosen, a whistleblower who ended her military career, and her own mental health. It's a lot, and Coben handles it expertly while plotting out a truly thrilling storyline with twists that seem to come out of nowhere until you realize Coben has been seeding them for at least 50 pages.
Is it a bit too convoluted at times? Absolutely. But the way the majority of the story is handled largely makes up for it.
As does Shane. Every thriller ever written deserves a side character who just does not have the time or patience for all of the lying and miscommunication. He - along with a main character who is not an alcoholic (is that even possible from a 2010s thriller?!) - is a breath of fresh air.
Shane turned, looked at himself in the mirror, and narrowed his eyes.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘Seeing if I really look that dumb.
Many reviews of this book say that this is one of Coben's weaker books. All I can say is that I can hardly wait to read his back catalogue, because this "weak" book would be masterful in any lesser author's collection.
She opened her mouth, but she of all people should know that nothing good would come out of it. Not today. Not now.
Colour me stunned. This is very nearly a five-star thriller.
I ripped through this gripping and thought-provoking book trying to find out how Harlan Coben would get to the conclusion, because I wholeheartedly believed that I knew how it was going to end. I was wrong: that got blown to pieces in a well-constructed, ballsy way that I totally believed.
Maya wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t back there either. She was in this in-between world, suspended, lost. All was darkness and noise, unceasing, endless noise, the type of noise that seemed to come from within her, as though some small creature has climbed inside her head and started screeching and scratching from within.
This is a very contemporary thriller that explores modern war trauma and gun rights in a very thoughtful, complex way. It's got a highly intriguing and often antagonistic protagonist trying to come to terms with a series of deeply upsetting events while navigating her immediate and extended family, her found families, a set of in-laws she never would've chosen, a whistleblower who ended her military career, and her own mental health. It's a lot, and Coben handles it expertly while plotting out a truly thrilling storyline with twists that seem to come out of nowhere until you realize Coben has been seeding them for at least 50 pages.
Is it a bit too convoluted at times? Absolutely. But the way the majority of the story is handled largely makes up for it.
As does Shane. Every thriller ever written deserves a side character who just does not have the time or patience for all of the lying and miscommunication. He - along with a main character who is not an alcoholic (is that even possible from a 2010s thriller?!) - is a breath of fresh air.
Shane turned, looked at himself in the mirror, and narrowed his eyes.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
‘Seeing if I really look that dumb.
Many reviews of this book say that this is one of Coben's weaker books. All I can say is that I can hardly wait to read his back catalogue, because this "weak" book would be masterful in any lesser author's collection.
She opened her mouth, but she of all people should know that nothing good would come out of it. Not today. Not now.