Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
>> Friday, November 20, 2009
Genre: Suspense/Thriller/Mystery
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 477
Challenges: Clear Off Your Shelves
Source: purchased new
Once again Harlan Coben has delivered a quick reading, fast paced, multiple storyline thriller that made me hate to get to the end of my daily train commutes and lunchtimes.
Mike and Tia Baye are a successful suburban couple with a teenage son and younger daughter. When 16 year old Adam becomes more and more uncommunicative following the suicide of his friend, his parents are understandably concerned. When they decide to install spy software on Adams computer so they can see where he’s spending all his computer time and who he’s talking to in chat rooms and via email, they find far more than they bargained for.
That’s the primary storyline in this one but there are also several others that take most of the book before they all start to spiral together.
This book is a combination of several versions of a parent’s nightmare, murder mystery, crazy serial killer, and suburban family drama turned feud. It’s a whirlwind of jumping between storylines and waiting for them to start linking up. Coben populates it with a huge cast of characters and as usual some of them are from his previous books making minor cameo appearances.
Parts of this are frightening because they are so very plausible. I think that’s one of the reasons I liked it. It was a series of moments characters wish they could have taken back or rewound and not done or said. All of these by the many characters combined built into a spiral that spun out of control.
It’s the kind of fast paces suspense story that I expect from Harlan Coben, who continues to be one of my favorite authors.
Rating 4/5
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 477
Challenges: Clear Off Your Shelves
Source: purchased new
Once again Harlan Coben has delivered a quick reading, fast paced, multiple storyline thriller that made me hate to get to the end of my daily train commutes and lunchtimes.
Mike and Tia Baye are a successful suburban couple with a teenage son and younger daughter. When 16 year old Adam becomes more and more uncommunicative following the suicide of his friend, his parents are understandably concerned. When they decide to install spy software on Adams computer so they can see where he’s spending all his computer time and who he’s talking to in chat rooms and via email, they find far more than they bargained for.
That’s the primary storyline in this one but there are also several others that take most of the book before they all start to spiral together.
This book is a combination of several versions of a parent’s nightmare, murder mystery, crazy serial killer, and suburban family drama turned feud. It’s a whirlwind of jumping between storylines and waiting for them to start linking up. Coben populates it with a huge cast of characters and as usual some of them are from his previous books making minor cameo appearances.
Parts of this are frightening because they are so very plausible. I think that’s one of the reasons I liked it. It was a series of moments characters wish they could have taken back or rewound and not done or said. All of these by the many characters combined built into a spiral that spun out of control.
It’s the kind of fast paces suspense story that I expect from Harlan Coben, who continues to be one of my favorite authors.
Rating 4/5
No stars – I couldn’t even finish it
1 star – I didn’t like it but I managed to finish it.
2 stars – It was OK. Not good, but seriously just OK.
3 stars - I liked it. I didn’t think it was great, but I thought it was good entertainment.
5 stars – It was amazing. I’d recommend this to just about anyone.
6 comments:
That sounds like a book I would totally enjoy! Thanks Juli!
I love Harlan Coben. Sometimes he does ramp up the tension enough to give you a good scare.
I've never read any of Coben's work, but I have one of his books - The Innocent - in my TBR pile and now you've made me anxious to read it.
Melissa: Yup - you'd definitely like it.
Bookfool: but he does tension and suspense without resorting to blood and guts. And the Myron Bolitar series is just plain fun.
Bermudaonion: He's one of my favorite suspense writers. Hope you like The Innocent. I liked that one a lot.
I love Coben, too. I think I've missed a couple of his more recent thrillers. I'd love to go back and re-read all of the books in his Bolitar series. I know my hubby would read them again, too.
Les: Oh the Bolitar series is great. That was my first introduction to Coben. I heard a radio show and got started reading them even before his first non-Myron book came out. You should definitely read them.
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