Hold Tight
by Harlan Coben
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Book Reviews of Hold Tight
Book Review: HOLD ON
Summary: 4 Stars
HOLD TIGHT
I am never disappointed by Mr. Coben's books and this one was no exception. It deals with suicide, murder, troubled teens, ill children, marriages, both good and bad, and love. Always love.
There are so many plots within plots in this book -- a murdering mad-man, a runaway son, a son who has committed suicide, a family looking for a donor for their ill son, a teacher who has gone too far - wow, so many plots. And all happening within one little town.
The story starts out with a bang and drags you right into the chaos. This book is a page turner. The web is quickly woven, and all the characters, at some point, are stuck in this sticky mess. Just when the reader thinks he has something figured out, bam!, you don't and something completely out of left field is introduced.
I have read all of Mr. Coben's books that stand alone. I have not yet enjoyed his series featuring Myron Bolitar, although my sister keeps urging me to do so. However, every book he writes is unique and excellent.
The crime scenes in this book left me feeling vulnerable and uneasy. I found myself asking my daughter "what would you do if someone came up to you in a parking lot" -- Mr. Coben, through this book, has reminded me that you always must be on guard and looking out for yourself and those you love. "They" are out there. Mr. Coben just writes about it wonderfully to remind us. Be careful out there.
Thank you.
Pam
Book Review: Great Thriller By a Master of the Genre
Summary: 5 Stars
Harlan Coben has a tendency to create mulitiple plot threads that never seem like they will ever come together. This book is no exception.
In his new book, Coben, explores a problem in today's society. Privacy. He explores how the internet changed everything. Now, that anyone can post anything they want about you and there isn't much you can do.
At the center of these themes is the Baye family (pronounced "by"). Mike and Tia have recently installed a spy program to keep an eye on their sixteen-year-old son, Adam. They do this after a friend of Adam has recently commited suicide. After a cryptic IM, Mike tries to keep Adam home but then he runs away. So begins the search for the teenager. The search takes Mike into the seedy part of the Bronx.
Meanwhile, a killer is at large and killing what seems to be random women. The reason behind it all will keep you guessing until the end. Also, a patient of Mike and his partner needs a kidney transplant and the mother holds a devestating secret. A father tries to come to terms with the fact that he cannot keep his daughter from harm after a popular teacher embarrasses her in class. We also see the police working the killer's case.
All threads converge very nicely into a sweet bow. Some are a little too forced but all in all, the suspense never relents and Coben once again keeps you guessing until the very end when the final secret is revealed.
Book Review: A complex jigsaw that marks a change of pace
Summary: 3 Stars
Harlan Coben specializes in writing intricate and suspenseful mysteries that keep you turning pages late into the night. His first (and to my mind, his best) standalone murder mystery was "Tell No One". Since then he has written several more novels which have been increasingly similar in plot. I was pleasantly surprised that "Hold Tight" marks a departure in formula, in that it doesn't center on an ancient murder case or the long ago disappearance of a family member. While this does mean that the book struggles a little to find its own momentum, at least Coben is trying something different instead of giving us more of the same.
"Hold Tight" juggles a number of different stories, all of which in some way center on the theme of parents trying to protect and/or understand their children. While initially they seem to be quite disparate plotlines, eventually the connections between them become apparent and it is this process of putting the jigsaw pieces together that is the most satisfying part of reading "Hold Tight". One of the things that I really like about Harlan Coben's writing is that there are never any loose ends or things that get left unexplained.
"Hold Tight" is a little slower in pace than his other novels and at times it gets confusing keeping track of so many people, but it's still is a satisfying mystery that keeps the suspense going right until the final pages.
Book Review: Harlan Coben is Up There With the Best of Them
Summary: 4 Stars
Harlan Coben continues to prove that he is one of the best thriller writers around at the moment. A page turner is a much used phrase but in this case it is really appropriate. The author's books are always so well structured and his character's well rounded. He is obviously comfortable with his style and ability and this transmits itself to the reader making the reading of his books sheer pleasure from start to finish. Coben has now got a string of best selling crime novels behind him and all I can say is that I hope he continues to write for many years to come. The author lives in New Jersey with his wife and four children.
The author is always there or thereabouts in the best seller lists and his books are consistently good and this one is no different, although having said that I did not think it was his best, but still eminently readable. Always one to keep the reader guessing the books has lots of twists and turns but Harlan Coben has the happy knack of keeping the reader guessing almost until the last page.
It is difficult to provide a synopsis of the storyline without spoiling the enjoyment of the reader, suffice to say that a pair of overprotective parents, worried about the welfare of their sixteen-year-old son install a spy programme onto their son's computer, only to find out far more than they had bargained for.
Book Review: Really Hit Home
Summary: 5 Stars
I was waiting for Mr. Cobens' next book since I finished the last page of The Woods. This book did not disappoint.
Their are two threads going at once; a teenage son who is becoming increasingly withdrawn after a friends suicide, and two brutal murders. The Mother and Father (very sympathetic characters that any parent will be able to identify with) are concerned with the first thread, and seek to protect their son. To their dismay they find his safety is threatened by a menacing third party.
It's hard to go into too much more detail without entering the land of the dreaded spoiler, but rest assured you will not want to put this down until the (startling) last page. It is the kind of plot that, in the hands of a lesser author might seem contrived, but in the capable hands of this story teller it seems riveting and all too possible.
One aspect of the plot revolves around the parents using spy software to monitor their child's computer. This really hit home for me; my wife and I recently did the same thing. It was a hard decision but we felt it was our duty to protect our child. Amazon has a great product, similar to that in the book; it's called Spector Pro 6.0, we are really happy we bought it. It has been a real eye opener.