Hold Tight
by Harlan Coben
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Book Reviews of Hold Tight
Book Review: Average work from an exceptional writer
Summary: 2 Stars
I love Harlan Coben novels. Both the Myron Bolitar series and the stand alone books create suspense and interest within the first chapter. The development of the characters is normally strong and the final plot twists are entertaining.
That being said, I was disappointed in Hold Tight. I was not drawn into the book to begin with. There were so many characters that seemingly were unconnected. While Coben draws all plots together in the end, I felt the story was weak. It left me wondering if this was written in haste to meet some publishers deadline!
For an average writer (of which there are many)this story may have been acceptable, but for a Harlan Coben novel, I considered this one sub-par.
I will keep reading Coben under the assumption that this title and plot are an anomaly.
Book Review: An average novel by an above average author
Summary: 2 Stars
Harlan Coben is an excellent author, but to read Hold Tight you wouldn't know it. The characters and plot lines are so numerous that he barely skims the surface. The plot has a number of interwoven story lines, as does most if not all of Coben's books, but this one feels rushed. Like he had a good idea and a limited amount of time to write it, so instead of fleshing out the characters and making you care about them, he just tells you enough to get by. The good news is that since it doesn't have a lot of meat, it is a very quick read, but one that left me wanting. The Woods is an excellent book, one of my favorites really, The Innocent is equally good. The Myron Bolitar series is pretty good, but this one is a definite black mark on Coben's otherwise spotless record.Book Review: one of Coben's best; well written and *believable*
Summary: 5 Stars
Harlan Coben is one of my favorite authors. His books are immensely readable, complete with great characterizations and intriguing stories. Unfortunately he often goes a bit wild towards the ends of his books, seemingly struggling to tie up loose ends. Thankfully 'Hold Tight' is one of his more controlled efforts. The ending is exciting without being preposterous.
Now what about the plot? Unsurprisingly, it is multi-layered and interwoven. The primary story involves parents of a teenaged son who seems to be acting strange. So they spy on his online chats and see troubling messages. When the boy disappears all hell breaks lose.
Bottom line: an example of terrific storytelling. Recommended.
Book Review: Enjoyable until the author tries to reveal the mystery
Summary: 3 Stars
I will admit - I found this book compulsively readable through the first 300 pages or so. Coben ends each chapter on a cliffhanger, so it makes for compelling reading much of the time.
My major complaint with this book is the way in which the author tries to reveal the "mystery" to the reader. The actions were completely and utterly flimsy, but one wonders if this is because the characters are so underdeveloped nothing seems plausible. The ending becomes cringe-worthy in its tied-up-like-a-little-bow perfection. And now that I think of it, there wasn't a twist to be found in this nearly 500 page tome. Shoot I better stop reviewing before I drop it down to 2 stars.
Book Review: Mediocre for the author
Summary: 2 Stars
This last book by Coben seems a little lazy in plot. Perhaps the author is trying to hard to be up-to-date -- has anyone noticed that a few authors have been using the 'goth' scene as part of the plot (see Sandford, "Phantom Prey") and it just seems forced to be trendy, but of course it is out of date. There were some parts of interesting dialogue, but overall not a well developed book. If I had not been on an airplane with no other reading material available I would not have finished the book. I asked a friend who has all the Coben books what she thought of it and she told me that she did not finish it because it was so below standard.