Framing the Dialogue » harlan coben

Deal Breaker

Greg — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:02:38 +0000

Deal BreakerSometimes when you shop for books in the bargain section of HalfPrice Books the selection may be a little old though the quality can still be there. Harlan Coben introduced his hero Myron Bolitar in this book in 1995. Bolitar is operating a fledgling sports agent agency and runs into a controversy (murder?) regarding his highest profile client, an ex-girlfriend and some rather unsavory characters.

While Deal Breaker is a mystery there isn’t all that much drama/suspense, but it did what all good stories do…it kept me up late finishing it. That is, by my definition, a good story as you I have come to expect from Coben. Some of the material in the book would not be suitable for youngsters so don’t let Junior read this!

The set up for future books is good as the other characters including Winsor Horne Lockwood III (he’s not what you’d think- with brains and brawn) and Experanza also with brains and brawn who are interesting and will likely grow with future books. I look forward to researching and finding the rest of the Bolivar Series.

Just One Look

Greg — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 22:39:06 +0000

Just One Look I am not sure what the title of Harlan’s book has to do with the story, but his titles are perhaps the greatest in the suspense genre. In Just One Look , housewife Grace Lawson’s life is turned upside down by a photograph that was slipped to her. Her husband disappears, strange characters return from her tragic past, and she feels threatened for her and her children’s safety. Oh and the police don’t seem to want to help. And there is an oriental super villain thrown in for good measure.

As I was finishing the book I was struck at the complexity of author Harlan Coben’s story twists. It was fun to look back through the story and recognize all of the hints that he provided. Just One Look is a riveting thriller and highly recommend it. One of my best compliments for a novel is to say that it captivated in such a way that I read it in one day. I read this in one day.

Hold Tight

Greg — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:05:17 +0000

Imagine that your a well-off suburban father and you find yourself deep in the inner city as you search for your troubled teenager. Or imagine that you are a mother who recently went back to work as a lawyer only to be pulled away because your son has disappeared.

In Hold Tight you are thrust into worlds of murder, drugs, cyber-spying, infidelity, a chauvinistic cop, a smart cop, cell phones, and of all things an elementary school. Somehow author Harlan Coben links these together in a riveting novel. One of the things that I enjoyed is that I could sort of figure out what might happen as the story progressed, even though I was not always right, yet this did not detract from the story. I was pulled along because of the pace of the story.

I guess that the best way to illustrate how much I enjoyed this is that I stayed up until 4:00 am to finish it two nights ago. It was that good! [Note: I am still paying for that lack of sleep]

The Innocent

Greg — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:09:11 +0000

Imagine being a small town teenager at a party and something goes terribly wrong and someone ends up dead. After you get out of jail you try to get your life back together. You cannot believe your luck when you meet the perfect woman who does not care about your past…and she is pregnant. Things are great until it all starts to unravel and nothing seems right.

The Innocent by Harlan Cobenfollows the tumultuous life of Matt Hunter as he tries to hold his new life together. There are plenty of twists and turn to keep you entertained. I have enjoyed Coben’s books and look forward to catching up with the rest of his works.

No Second Chance

Greg — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:17:06 +0000

Imagine being shot, waking up trying to find out what happened to your family and feeling that the police, rather than helping, are looking at you as the prime suspect. Add a few hit “men” and a long lost love and that will give you a peek into Harlan Coben’s novel, No Second Chance.

I had heard that author Coben’s novels are suspenseful so I was anxious to read one of his novels. No Second Chance did not disappoint as I could hardly put the book down. The novel offered many twists and turns and is a great book to read. I look forward to reading more of his work.