Hold Tight
by Harlan Coben
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Book Reviews of Hold Tight
Book Review: Hold tight indeed
Summary: 5 Stars
Would you spy on your adolescent offspring if you thought she/he was in trouble? If they changed unexpectedly and shut themselves in their bedroom hooked on their PC at any given opportunity? That's what Tia and Mike have to face. Their teenage son Adam has become awfully quiet after the suicide of a friend, which is understandable. However they are convinced that there is more to his isolation and they are really worried. A decision is taken, after much debate. And as with all of Coben's books, the rollercoaster begins its crazy ascent. It doesn't stop, ascents, descents, until the very end and when you get off the imaginary seat your head is spinning! But you'll be glad to have read another brilliant book by Harlan Coben, a master of the mystery genre.
I would recommend this book not just for the entertainment, but also for the issue raised about "spying" on your kids when you think they are in trouble. Right or wrong? Should we respect their privacy and not snoop around? Should we disregard it totally and "go behind their backs"? Excellent questions, which created a lively conversation during our book club, with a variety of answers & mixed feelings. Interesting!
Book Review: Moves right along
Summary: 5 Stars
Hold Tight is only my second Coben novel and again I was impressed. He has a wonderful effortless writing style that makes the words jump from the page and have fun reading. He allows the reader to follow along with the characters at breakneck pace. One thing I am very impressed with is the way Coben has so many story lines running throughout the novel only to have them converge perfectly at the end. (The novel The Woods was also this way) The story deals with a concerned couple whose son is showing sighs of depression since his best friend killed himself months earlier. The parents install a spy software on their son's computer in order to see who he is speaking with and checking out on the internet. The boy's father then goes on the hunt to see who his son is involved in and what exactly is going on. As the story progresses we are dealing with a host of unsavory characters that are at the center of the novel. Was the suicide really a suicide and is the son innocent or guilty? Along the way Coben introduces many story lines dealing with the various neighbors in the neighborhood, many with skeletons in their closets. I really liked the book.Book Review: Murder, technology & drugs
Summary: 4 Stars
Hold Tight is an interesting read. I never got bored. However, compared to some past books, like The Woods, this one falls a little short. I've come to expect those twists at the end that we never saw coming but this one was a little more predictable. There were some details you may not see coming but nothing that will leave you gasping in shock. The story is based around several families & individuals whose lives are intertwined. It all started with a teenager who is pulling away from his parents, becoming distant, spending more time on his computer & throwing old interests to the side. The parents decide to put spyware on his computer to see what he is up to & the story goes on from there. There are many twists & turns but I never got confused with the different characters & plots. One little note, something I did like, the return of 2 characters from The Woods - Cope & Muse. I was very happy to see them mixed in to this story. This is definately a good book & one that I would suggest any Coben fan read! If you have never read Coben before, I wouldn't suggest this as your first book.Book Review: Fun Paperback
Summary: 5 Stars
If you accept the genre for what it is, this book is just right. This isn't literature. You're not looking for the next Ernest Hemingway. You're sitting on the beach, on vacation, trying to keep your mind off work. This is a page turner with a gift for the cliffhanger chapter, and so you can't help but keep reading. The goal here is not artwork but distraction. And if you'll accept it as the fun, quick mystery that it is, then this is the book you want.
Two interwoven plot lines follow a serial killer and a group of rogue teens who are up to something. The characters are generally true to life, the dialogue is well done, and it plays with the sensitivities of typical suburbanites: gossip, misguided youth, broken families, overprotective parenting, internet secrets, and random crime. All told, it's worth the read.
Jim Miller is the author of God Scent: A Devotional.
Book Review: Stayed up late to finish this book
Summary: 4 Stars
Successful parents Tia and Mike Baye decide to spy on their son's computer to figure out why he has recently become withdrawn and troubled. The software lets them see every email Adam writes and receives, as well as the websites he surfs. Everything begins to tailspin out of control when they see that Adam has received a message saying that if he kept quiet, everything will be ok. What does this mean? And how will Tia and Mike find Adam after he fails to show up for a Rangers hockey game, and never comes home at night?
Hold Tight is an interesting read. There are two storylines throughout, and I had to stay up reading to find out how they intersect. While some readers might not agree with the choices that the characters made, Coben does a great job with character development and getting readers to understand why choices were made, and get the reader really rooting for the Bayes. I definitely recommend this book.