Hold Tight
by Harlan Coben
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Book Reviews of Hold Tight
Book Review: Excellent intimidating one sitting thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
In Glen Rock, New Jersey, the recent suicide of teenager Spencer Hill has sent shockwaves throughout the community as parents wonder could their offspring follow suit and teens ponder what they could have done differently to prevent the tragedy. Since Spencer killed himself, his classmate, sixteen years old Adam Bave has been acting strange as he shows no enthusiasm for anything at all. His aloofness would have been ignored as a teen thing by his parents, Tia and Mike, but with the Spencer death they fear their child could be depressed and perhaps be the next suicide. Panic stricken as they debate security vs. privacy, the Bave pair place spy ware on their son's hard drive.
A few days after their intrusion, Tia and Mike begin feeling a bit better and silly as nothing out of ordinary has happened until a message from an unknown source menacingly states: "Just stay quiet and all safe". At the same time a grieving Betsy Hill, Spencer's mom keeps asking her self how she failed to see the signs; as she goes through an on-line memorial until one photograph stuns her; on the night her beloved son killed himself, neighbor Adam Bave or someone who looks similar is standing nearby her son.
Harlan Coben is at his best with this intimidating one sitting thriller that has the audience pondering on different levels security vs. privacy. Adding to the overall discomfit levels caused by this deep chiller is the knowledge the setting can be just about anywhere in the States as Glen Rock happens to be a suburb of New York City. However what makes HOLD TIGHT a strong suspense is not the menace though this culprit is frighteningly deadly and dangerous; it is the Bave parents' dealing with the choice of to intrude or not to intrude that on a family level parallels the 9/11 to eavesdrop or not to eavesdrop. Readers will believe they could be the Bave or Hill family as Mr. Coben writes a thought-provoking timely profound thriller.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Summary: 4 Stars
Harlan Cornem has found the perfect formula for a successful suspense novel. Unlike some suspense writers, Corben can take seemingly unrelated storylines and make them come together in a perfect package that the reader is willing to accept. So while some of the things in the story may be a bit "predictable", I always enjoy the journey of discovery into the final reveal.
Briefly I will tell you about Hold Tight. Mike and Tia Baye are beginning to feel like most parents, that something is wrong with their teenage son, whose latest phase is of a moody goth. Initially they are willing to allow Adam some freedom, but decide to start monitoring his every move following the suicide of his very good friend, Spencer. Meanwhile, Nash, along with his handy assistant Petra, are killing women and disposing of them in very peculiar ways for unknown reasons. A school girl has moved from being part of the "in crowd" to being a recluse because of some humiliation from an insensitive teacher. The same teacher is being blackmailed about something and is doing everything he can to protect his secret. The humiliated child now has only one friend who stands beside her (Adam's sister, Jill) and who she confides in. Mike, a doctor, has a new patient (his neighbor) who needs an organ transplant, but can't find one in his immediate family hinting to a lot of secrets that the mother really doesn't want to get out. And finally there are mentions of "farm partieis", prescription drug thefts and suicides. What is nice about this book was how Corben begins to take these seemingly unrelated events/storylines and link them together in a nice, quick read. I enjoyed Hold Tight and would definitely recommend it to people who enjoy suspense. Although there are some things that you will wonder about, in all you will be willing to let it go for the final outcome.
Book Review: Should We Spy On Our Kids?
Summary: 4 Stars
In his latest mystery novel, "Hold Tight," Harlan Coben explores the dark side of parental oversight. The underlying question is this: What happens if we spy on a teenager's electronic communications and find something shocking, such as drug abuse, murder or a planned suicide? Can we take the appropriate action without destroying trust forever?
It's an interesting premise with frightening implications. (I have a 16-year-old son myself.)
PLOT SUMMARY: Mike and Tia Baye live in an upscale suburban community in northern New Jersey. Their teenage son, Adam, is distraught and withdrawn following the suicide of a close friend. Meanwhile, a psychopathic murderer and his accomplice are kidnapping, torturing and murdering grown women for some reason we don't understand. Mike and Tia install a monitoring program on their son's computer to find out what's happening to him. Adam, his parents and their entire community get drawn into a swirling maelstrom of suspicion and crime that nearly engulfs several families.
As the old saying goes: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
If you've read Harlan's other novels, you'll find this one particularly grisly and violent. I hope that's not a harbinger of things to come because we certainly have enough blood and mayhem in modern fiction today. On the other hand, you will enjoy the cameo appearances by Paul Copeland and Detective Muse from previous novels.
Generally speaking, I enjoyed this novel but found some of the characters a bit stiff, particularly the teenagers. Harlan has several younger kids of his own, so perhaps he'll improve the dialogue next time around as he gains more experience with this mystifying age group.
BOTTOM LINE: A fast summer read, but not for the faint of heart. Harlan gets a solid "B" from me.
Book Review: Good thriller that goes too many places
Summary: 4 Stars
This book starts with an emotional bang. Parents Mike and Tia Baye are very concerned about the behaviour of their son Adam. They have tried to reach out to him but he is acting out, runs away for days and they are at their wits end. Also playing a factor is the fact that his best friend recently committed suicide. Mike and Tia decide after much deliberation to put a spy program on Adam's computer so they can monitor his actions. All characters here are written very realistically and emotions and actions totally ring true.
We get to see inside the lives of many families - the Bayes, the family whose son committed suicide and a single father raising a daughter. All this family emotion provides suspenseful heartfelt action enough to carry the book. It expertly addresses many issues families must face in day to day life. But we have added in a string of senseless murders that are taking place. At first the addition of this is fine and the characters involved in this plot line are also well realized. I found the first 3/4 of this book superbly written but the last 1/4 lost some steam. As the murder mystery part wrapped itself up it seemed to totally take the focus off the family issues and story lines which were the strongest part of the book. Much effort is given into bringing a conclusion to the familial story lines as well but the in the first 3/4 of the book all actions rang true but the wrap up looses steam and the emotional intensity provided earlier. It is a little unsatisfying.
I recommend this book but wish the high quality in the beginning remained for an explosive ending - both emotionally and issue wise. The book raised so many issues of what actions family members should undertake so strongly and then seemed to wrap things up with a formulaic ending.
Book Review: 4 1/2 Stars...Modern Technology, Age-Old Values
Summary: 5 Stars
Over the last few years, Harlan Coben's name has become synonymous with plot twists and family issues and pulse-pounding storytelling. His last book, "The Woods," was no exception, yet it moved toward caricature and implausibility. Apparently, though, he listened to the naysayers and came up with "Hold Tight."
Imagine you're a parent. Your teen son has lost a friend to an overdose of prescription pills. You worry that your son is headed down a similar path. And so, to alleviate your concerns, you have someone install spyware on his computer to monitor his activities. Soon, his activities have everyone spiraling toward confrontation, and no one is to be trusted.
Coben, once again, has mixed the ethical questions of modern technology with age-old values of family and trust. He touches on many angles of this, using plot-relevant dialogue to address parenthood, nature vs. nurture, as well as teen rebellion and Internet temptations. He blends these issues seamlessly into a fast-paced mystery. He provides his expected--or unexpected!--twists and turns, and he unravels them as clearly, yet as satisfyingly, as he's ever done. This makes the story more believable than his last effort, while somewhat taming its overall shock value.
For those familiar with "The Woods," there are fun surprises throughout, involving Paul Copeland and Loren Muse, not to mention a reference or two to characters from the Mylon Bolitar series. Coben continues to take current concerns and make them not only entertaining, but also thought-provoking. His writing has pared down a bit, with some loss in overall character depth, but there's a reason Coben has risen to the top of the bestseller lists. With stories such as "Hold Tight," I expect he'll stay there for years to come.